أشربْ على ورد الخدود وغنّني

أشربْ على ورد الخدود وغنّني

وسقيتَ كأس البين إن لم تسقني

وسقيتَ كأس البين إن لم تسقني

Drink to the roses of cheeks, and sing to me.

Drink from the rose of the cheeks and sing to me

And may you be given parting's cup if you do not give me drink.

And if you don't water me, you have served the cup of separation

واسرح سوام اللحظ بين رياضها

واسرح سوام اللحظ بين رياضها

وحذار من فتكات تلك الأعينِ

وحذار من فتكات تلك الأعينِ

And loose the grazing herds of your glance among their gardens,

And unleash the glances between its meadows

And beware the deadly attacks of those eyes—

And beware the killings of those eyes

النَّاعساتِ تظنهنَّ ضعائفاً

النَّاعساتِ تظنهنَّ ضعائفاً

وسيوفها تجني على من يجتني

وسيوفها تجني على من يجتني

Those drowsy ones you take for frail,

The sleepy ones think them weak

Yet their swords wound whoever would gather their fruit.

Yet their swords reap whoever they target

والآنساتِ المائساتِ معاطفاً

والآنساتِ المائساتِ معاطفاً

فالبان ذو خجل لديها بيّنِ

فالبان ذو خجل لديها بيّنِ

And the charming women, swaying their bodies—

And the gentle ones wearing cloaks

For the ben-tree is plainly abashed before them.

So the shy one has a clear excuse

ما تلكم الأردافَ تحت قدودها

ما تلكم الأردافَ تحت قدودها

لكنها الكثبان تحت الأغصنِ

لكنها الكثبان تحت الأغصنِ

Those are not hips beneath their figures,

What are those buttocks under their wrappings

Rather, they are sand dunes beneath the branches.

But they are the dunes under the branches

كلفني يهيفٍ كم بذلتُ لهنَّ من

كلفني يهيفٍ كم بذلتُ لهنَّ من

دمعٍ كأيام الصُّدود ملَّونِ

دمعٍ كأيام الصُّدود ملَّونِ

Enamored of slender beauties [text uncertain], how much I have lavished on them—

The passionate have burdened me, how much have I shed

Tears, colored like the days of rejection.

Tears like the days of loss, colorful

كم سار من شمس تولّت في الضحى

كم سار من شمس تولّت في الضحى

عنّي ومن قمرٍ سرى في موهنِ

عنّي ومن قمرٍ سرى في موهنِ

How many a sun has departed, turning away in morning light

How much sun has declined from me at dawn

From me, and many a moon has journeyed late at night.

And how much moon has walked away in its setting

وأغنَّ أغيد كالغزال أحمَّ لدْ

وأغنَّ أغيد كالغزال أحمَّ لدْ

نِ القدِ كالخطّي أجيد أعينِ

نِ القدِ كالخطّي أجيد أعينِ

And a nasal-voiced, graceful beloved, gazelle-like, dark and supple

And sing, like a gazelle trained to the rhythm

Of figure like a Khatt spear, long-necked and large-eyed.

Of a swaying gait and languorous eyes

جفني الذي يرد الكرى متأسّناً

جفني الذي يرد الكرى متأسّناً

كلفٌ بفاتر جفنه المتوسنِ

كلفٌ بفاتر جفنه المتوسنِ

My eyelid, which drinks from sleep's stagnant waters,

My eyelid that returns the seeings wearily

Is enamored of his languid, drowsy eyelid.

Burdened by its droopy and drowsy lid

ولقد زنت عيني برؤية غيره

ولقد زنت عيني برؤية غيره

جهلاً ورجمُ الدمع حدُّ المحصنِ

جهلاً ورجمُ الدمع حدُّ المحصنِ

Indeed, my eye committed adultery by looking at another,

And my eye has sinned by seeing others

In ignorance; and stoning with tears is the married adulterer's penalty.

Foolishly, and the tears delimit the barrier

لم يبقَ في قلبي مكاناً حبُّهُ

لم يبقَ في قلبي مكاناً حبُّهُ

فإذا منيتُ بحادثٍ لم أحزنِ

فإذا منيتُ بحادثٍ لم أحزنِ

His love has left no room in my heart,

There remains no room in my heart for his love

So when calamity befalls me, I do not grieve.

So if I die by accident, I won't grieve

ولقد كتمت الحب عن عذَّاله

ولقد كتمت الحب عن عذَّاله

لكن لسان الدمع ليس بألكنِ

لكن لسان الدمع ليس بألكنِ

And I concealed my love from its reproachers,

And I’ve hidden love from the rebuker

But the tongue of tears is not tongue-tied.

But the tongue of tears cannot be silenced

رشأٌ إلى قلبي مسيءٌ محسنٌ

رشأٌ إلى قلبي مسيءٌ محسنٌ

باللحظ فاعجب للمسيء المحسنِ

باللحظ فاعجب للمسيء المحسنِ

A fawn, unkind to my heart yet kind

A glance blows to my heart, harming and caring

With his glance—so marvel at one both cruel and kind.

So wondrous is the glance of the harmful caregiver

أشكو إليه ما أقاسي منه من

أشكو إليه ما أقاسي منه من

قلبٍ له قاسٍ وعطف ليّنِ

قلبٍ له قاسٍ وعطف ليّنِ

I complain to him of what I suffer from him:

I complain to him what I suffer from him

His hard heart and his supple form.

A heart that’s harsh to me, yet gentle concern

يا للرجال لفاقدٍ ذي صبوةٍ

يا للرجال لفاقدٍ ذي صبوةٍ

ظعنَ الفؤاد وجسمه لم يظعنِ

ظعنَ الفؤاد وجسمه لم يظعنِ

O men, come to the aid of a bereft, lovesick man:

O people missing his grace

His heart has departed, though his body has not.

It wounded my soul, but did no bodily harm

أسوانَ دلّهِ بالنَّوى بعد الهوى

أسوانَ دلّهِ بالنَّوى بعد الهوى

فلو أنَّه وجد المنى لم يفطنِ

فلو أنَّه وجد المنى لم يفطنِ

Grief-stricken, bewildered by separation after love,

The torment of his absence taught me after passion

Even if he attained his wishes, he would not notice.

Else I wouldn't have realized had I found what I sought

ولقد منعت من السلو وسهله

ولقد منعت من السلو وسهله

فمشيتُ في نهج الغرام الأخشنِ

فمشيتُ في نهج الغرام الأخشنِ

Indeed, I was denied forgetfulness and its easy road,

I was banned from solace and ease

So I walked the roughest path of passion.

So I walked the most dreadful path of love

فلو أطَّلعتَ على الضَّنى لعجبتَ من

فلو أطَّلعتَ على الضَّنى لعجبتَ من

حيٍّ كميتٍ في الثياب مكفَّنِ

حيٍّ كميتٍ في الثياب مكفَّنِ

And were you to see my wasting sickness, you would marvel at

If you saw my distress, you would be shocked

A living man like a corpse, shrouded in his clothes.

A living corpse wrapped in clothes

أسرفتَ يا برحَ السقام فلا تطلْ

أسرفتَ يا برحَ السقام فلا تطلْ

وجريت يا خيلَ المدامع فاسكني

وجريت يا خيلَ المدامع فاسكني

You have gone too far, O torment of sickness; linger no longer!

Restrain, o night stars, do not rise for long

And you have galloped, O steeds of tears; now be still!

And halt, o horses of tears

واكفف عذولُ عن الملامة مسعداً

واكفف عذولُ عن الملامة مسعداً

فلربَّ يوم قلتُ فيه لك أكفني

فلربَّ يوم قلتُ فيه لك أكفني

And cease your blame, reproacher, and give me aid,

And cease, o fawn of blame, blaming Sa'd

For many a day I said to you, 'Spare me!'

Perhaps one day I will say to you: Console me

وعذلتي لمّاً ظننت فراقهم

وعذلتي لمّاً ظننت فراقهم

هيناً وما خطبُ الفراق بهيّنِ

هيناً وما خطبُ الفراق بهيّنِ

And you reproached me [text uncertain] when you thought parting from them

I blamed time when I thought we'd part

Easy—yet the ordeal of parting is not easy.

Little did I know the gravity of parting

وأعد على سمعي لذيذ حديثهم

وأعد على سمعي لذيذ حديثهم

فلطالما لحديثهم اطربتني

فلطالما لحديثهم اطربتني

And repeat to my ears their delightful talk,

And bring to my hearing their sweet talk

For so often you have delighted me with their talk.

For often their conversation would thrill me

سالمْ فما أغناك حربك مسمعي

سالمْ فما أغناك حربك مسمعي

وإذا عجزتَ عن الإساءة فأحسنْ

وإذا عجزتَ عن الإساءة فأحسنْ

Make peace—what good has your war upon my hearing done you?

Greetings, your war did not benefit my hearing

And if you cannot do harm, then do good.

And if you fall short of wronging me, then be kind

ولربَّ يوم غاب فيه رقيبنا

ولربَّ يوم غاب فيه رقيبنا

ومزاجنا ماء الغمام المدجنِ

ومزاجنا ماء الغمام المدجنِ

And many a day our watcher was absent,

Perhaps a day will come when our censor's absent

And our drink was mixed with water from dark clouds.

And we'd be like rainwater, turbid

حيثُ الغديرُ وقد أجادت نقشهُ

حيثُ الغديرُ وقد أجادت نقشهُ

كفُّ النسيم ومرُّها في جوشنِ

كفُّ النسيم ومرُّها في جوشنِ

There was the pool, its pattern finely traced

Where the pond overflows with etching

By the breeze's hand, passing in a coat of mail.

By the palm fronds breeze in its basin

وغصونُ دوح النَّيربين يهزُّها

وغصونُ دوح النَّيربين يهزُّها

نغم القماري بالغناء المحسنِ

نغم القماري بالغناء المحسنِ

And the boughs of al-Nayrabayn's spreading trees were stirred

And Douh's grapevines shake

By the turtledoves' notes, so beautifully sung.

With the beautiful singing, fine and good

من كل لدنٍ كالفوام يميل من

من كل لدنٍ كالفوام يميل من

مرح الشباب إلى الدلال فينثني

مرح الشباب إلى الدلال فينثني

Each supple bough, like a slender form [text uncertain], sways from

Inclining from every bend, like incense

Youth's exuberance toward coquetry, then bends,

From the joy of youth to the alluring coyness

ما بين ثغرٍ للأقاح مفلّج

ما بين ثغرٍ للأقاح مفلّج

وجبينِ نهرٍ بالنَّسيم مغضَّنِ

وجبينِ نهرٍ بالنَّسيم مغضَّنِ

Between the daisies' gap-toothed mouth

Between a mouth with gap teeth

And a river's brow, wrinkled by the breeze.

And a forehead with dimples by the breeze

ووجوهُ هاتيك الرياضِ سوافرٌ

ووجوهُ هاتيك الرياضِ سوافرٌ

غيدٌ تزان من المياه بأعينِ

غيدٌ تزان من المياه بأعينِ

And the faces of those gardens are unveiled,

And the faces of those meadows are radiant

Graceful beauties, adorned with eyes of water.

Gazelles balanced by the water of their eyes

والأرض تجلى في رداء أخضر

والأرض تجلى في رداء أخضر

والجو يبرز في قناعٍ أدكنِ

والجو يبرز في قناعٍ أدكنِ

And the earth is revealed in a green robe,

The land dons a green gown

And the sky comes forth in a dark-gray veil.

And the sky comes out in a darker cloak