أَمَا والهوى بالوُجُوه الملاحِ

أَمَا والهوى بالوُجُوه الملاحِ

لَقَدْ لَذَّ لي في الغرام افتضاحي

لَقَدْ لَذَّ لي في الغرام افتضاحي

Ah, by love for beautiful faces,

The passion has delighted me with my shame in love,

truly, my disgrace in love has been sweet to me.

And so I have inclined to the words of the censurers,

ومن ثَمَّ رُحْتُ وقول العذول

ومن ثَمَّ رُحْتُ وقول العذول

يمرُّ بمسمعي مرور الرِّياح

يمرُّ بمسمعي مرور الرِّياح

And so I went on, while the reproacher's words

Passing by my hearing like the passing of the winds.

pass my ear like the passing winds.

It is forbidden for me by the religion of love,

حرامٌ عليَّ بدين الغرام

حرامٌ عليَّ بدين الغرام

ركوني إلى ما تقول اللَّواحي

ركوني إلى ما تقول اللَّواحي

By the faith of love, it is forbidden to me

To heed what the slates proclaim.

to yield to what the reproaching women say.

And sometimes intoxication increases me,

ويا ربَّما زادني صبوة

ويا ربَّما زادني صبوة

إذا ما لحاني على الحبّ لاحي

إذا ما لحاني على الحبّ لاحي

And ah, how often my passion grew

When the ardour of love touches me.

when a reproacher reproached me for love.

And one day in the heedlessness of the watcher

ويوماً على غَفَلات الرَّقيب

ويوماً على غَفَلات الرَّقيب

نَحَرْتُ به الزقّ نحر الأَضاحي

نَحَرْتُ به الزقّ نحر الأَضاحي

And one day, while the watcher was heedless,

I slaughtered the jugular like the ritual sacrifices.

I slaughtered the wineskin then as sacrificial beasts are slaughtered.

Living is not living except a cup of ease

وما العيشُ إنْ كانَ عيشاً يسرّ

وما العيشُ إنْ كانَ عيشاً يسرّ

سوى كأسِ راحٍ وخودٍ رداح

سوى كأسِ راحٍ وخودٍ رداح

And life, if it is a life that delights, is nothing

And a tender cheeked cupbearer,

but a cup of wine and a full-hipped maiden,

In a garden whose leaves rustle

بروضٍ تُصَفِّقُ أوراقه

بروضٍ تُصَفِّقُ أوراقه

وتطرِبُني وُرْقُه بالنّواح

وتطرِبُني وُرْقُه بالنّواح

in a garden whose leaves clap,

And its foliage excites me to lament.

and whose gray doves delight me with their laments.

And I have dyed the gardens of clove gillyflowers

وقد ضرّجت وجنات الشَّقيق

وقد ضرّجت وجنات الشَّقيق

وقبَّلَ بالقطر ثغر الأَقاح

وقبَّلَ بالقطر ثغر الأَقاح

And the anemones' cheeks have been crimsoned,

And the drops have kissed the lips of apple blossoms.

and the daisies' mouth has been kissed with raindrops.

I indulged my eyes in those meadows,

أُسَرِّحُ طرفي بتلك الرِّياض

أُسَرِّحُ طرفي بتلك الرِّياض

بحيث اغتبافي وحيث اصطباحي

بحيث اغتبافي وحيث اصطباحي

I let my gaze roam through those gardens,

Where my morning cup makes me joyful.

where I drink at evening, and where I drink at dawn.

And the glance of that charming gazelle

وأَسكرني طرف ذاك الغرير

وأَسكرني طرف ذاك الغرير

بغير المدام فهل أَنْتَ صاح

بغير المدام فهل أَنْتَ صاح

And that guileless one's glance intoxicated me

Intoxicated me without wine. So are you not surprised

without wine—are you, then, sober?

At my spirit, that beauty who

بروحي ذاك المليح الَّذي

بروحي ذاك المليح الَّذي

يحيّي الندامى برَوحٍ وراح

يحيّي الندامى برَوحٍ وراح

My soul be ransom for that lovely one who

Revives the regretful with soul and respite?

greets the drinking companions with comfort and wine.

He seemed with the face of the living, the forebearing,

تراءَتْ بوجه الحيّي الحليم

تراءَتْ بوجه الحيّي الحليم

وتفعَلُ فِعْلَ السَّفيه الوقاح

وتفعَلُ فِعْلَ السَّفيه الوقاح

It appeared with a bashful, forbearing face,

And acts like the wicked shameless one.

yet acts like an insolent fool.

We inclined to the racecourses of the wine,

جنحنا إلى حلبات الكُمَيْت

جنحنا إلى حلبات الكُمَيْت

وليس على مطرب من جناح

وليس على مطرب من جناح

We turned to the racecourses of the bay-hued wine,

And no bird has wings except the winged.

and no blame falls on one who brings delight.

I almost flew in my joy with him,

فكدْتُ أَطيرُ سروراً به

فكدْتُ أَطيرُ سروراً به

ومن ذا يطير بغير الجناح

ومن ذا يطير بغير الجناح

So I nearly flew for joy because of it—

And who flies without wings?

and who can fly without a wing?

A drunk handsome sleeper,

ومستملح نام من سكره

ومستملح نام من سكره

على أنَّ فيه بقيَّات صاح

على أنَّ فيه بقيَّات صاح

And a charming one fell asleep from his drunkenness,

As if intoxication still remained in him.

though traces of sobriety remained in him.

So I pillowed him with my arm, and he plunged

فوسَّدْتُه ساعدي والكرى

فوسَّدْتُه ساعدي والكرى

يخوض بعينيه حتَّى الصَّباح

يخوض بعينيه حتَّى الصَّباح

So I made my forearm his pillow, while sleep

His eyes in mine until the morning.

waded through his eyes until morning.

I embraced in him the place of necklaces

فعانَقْتُ منه مكانَ العُقُودِ

فعانَقْتُ منه مكانَ العُقُودِ

وأَلْبَسْتُ منه مكان الوشاح

وأَلْبَسْتُ منه مكان الوشاح

So I embraced him where necklaces rest,

And dressed him in place of a face veil.

and clothed him where the sash lies.

By God, from the pleasures of youth!

فلله من نَشَوات الصِّبا

فلله من نَشَوات الصِّبا

ولله من هفوات الملاح

ولله من هفوات الملاح

God, what raptures of youth!

By God, from the slips of the shining ones!

And God, what lapses of the lovely!

From sips I have sipped

ومن رشفاتٍ ترشَّفتها

ومن رشفاتٍ ترشَّفتها

تبلُّ غليلي وتأسو جراحي

تبلُّ غليلي وتأسو جراحي

And what sips I have sipped,

Which quench my anguish and remedy my wounds.

quenching my burning thirst and healing my wounds!

I say to him, “Can you bear to arise

أقولُ له هل تطيق النهوض

أقولُ له هل تطيق النهوض

ولو مَدَّ راحٍ إلى أخذِ راح

ولو مَدَّ راحٍ إلى أخذِ راح

I say to him, “Can you manage to rise,

Even if one at rest extends to take rest?"

even just to stretch a palm to take wine?

The roosters of morning have awakened you

فقد نَبَّهَتْكَ دُيوك الصَّباح

فقد نَبَّهَتْكَ دُيوك الصَّباح

وأَكْثَرْنَ من غلبات الصّياح

وأَكْثَرْنَ من غلبات الصّياح

For dawn's roosters have already awakened you

And we have multiplied the shouts.

and redoubled their overpowering cries.”

He gestured the rising dawn at me

فأومى إليَّ بهات الصّبوح

فأومى إليَّ بهات الصّبوح

وصرَّحَ في لفظ راح صراح

وصرَّحَ في لفظ راح صراح

So he gestured to me, “Bring the morning draught,”

And explained outright the word 'rest'.

and plainly voiced the words “unmixed wine.”

So I handed him the filled cup

فناولته الكأس مملوءةً

فناولته الكأس مملوءةً

وغَنَّيْتُه بالقوافي الصّحاح

وغَنَّيْتُه بالقوافي الصّحاح

So I handed him the full cup,

And sang to him with correct rhymes.

and sang to him in flawless rhymes.

And so my spinning was all mine

فكان لي غَزَلي كلُّه

فكان لي غَزَلي كلُّه

وكانَ لسلمان جلّ امتداحي

وكانَ لسلمان جلّ امتداحي

So all my love verse was for me,

And to Salman was all my praise.

and most of my praise was for Salman.