أَلا إِنَّ خَفضَ العَيشِ في صَرخَةِ العَزفِ

أَلا إِنَّ خَفضَ العَيشِ في صَرخَةِ العَزفِ

فَجَرِّر ذُيولَ اللَهوِ في مَنزِلِ القَصفِ

فَجَرِّر ذُيولَ اللَهوِ في مَنزِلِ القَصفِ

Ah, truly life's ease lies in music's ringing cry.

Alas! The lowliness of life is in the cry of music,

So trail pleasure's skirts in the house of revelry,

So drag the trains of frivolity to the abode of aridity.

وَغازِل بِهِ حُلوَ الشَمائِلِ وَاللَمى

وَغازِل بِهِ حُلوَ الشَمائِلِ وَاللَمى

شَهِيَّ الجَنى لَدنَ السَجِيَّةِ وَالعِطفِ

شَهِيَّ الجَنى لَدنَ السَجِيَّةِ وَالعِطفِ

And there woo one whose manners and dusky lips are sweet,

And flirt with the charms of glance and sign,

Luscious in fruit, gentle in nature, and supple of flank.

The envy of Heaven, gently and affectionately.

تَنَفَّسَ بَينَ الرَوضِ يَخطِرُ وَالصَبا

تَنَفَّسَ بَينَ الرَوضِ يَخطِرُ وَالصَبا

وَأَشرَفَ بَينَ الغُصنِ يَأطُرُ وَالحِقفِ

وَأَشرَفَ بَينَ الغُصنِ يَأطُرُ وَالحِقفِ

He breathed, swaying between the garden and the east breeze,

It inhaled among the garden, ideas occur and the zephyr,

And rose into view, bending between the bough and the curved sand dune.

And leaned between the branch, forms occur and the cliff.

وَقَد عَطَفَت وَهناً بِهِ الكَأسُ هاجِراً

وَقَد عَطَفَت وَهناً بِهِ الكَأسُ هاجِراً

وَما كُنتُ أَدري الكَأسَ مِن أَحرُفِ العَطفِ

وَما كُنتُ أَدري الكَأسَ مِن أَحرُفِ العَطفِ

And late at night the cup had swayed him, though aloof,

And the cup has gently inclined to it fugitive weakness,

And I had not known the cup to be one of the conjunctions.

And I did not know the cup was of the letters of inclination.

وَناوَلتُهُ صَفراءَ لَم يُرَ صِرفُها

وَناوَلتُهُ صَفراءَ لَم يُرَ صِرفُها

دِهاقاً عَلى الساقي فَيَلحَنُ في الصَرفِ

دِهاقاً عَلى الساقي فَيَلحَنُ في الصَرفِ

And I handed him golden, unmixed wine, not to be 'declined',

And I handed it yellow, its wallet was not seen

A brimming cup, lest the cupbearer err in 'declension'.

Babbling at the cupbearer, so he falters in pouring.

فَقُلتُ وَقَد ماسَت بِعَطفَيهِ نَشوَةٌ

فَقُلتُ وَقَد ماسَت بِعَطفَيهِ نَشوَةٌ

فَمِن مُجتَلى حُسنٍ وَمِن مُجتَلى ظَرفِ

فَمِن مُجتَلى حُسنٍ وَمِن مُجتَلى ظَرفِ

So I said, as intoxication swayed his flanks,

So I said, and a tipsiness had touched its inclination,

Now a vision of beauty, now a vision of grace:

So from a gathering of beauty, and from a gathering of wit.

أَما وَبَياضِ الثَغرِ في سُمرَةِ اللَمى

أَما وَبَياضِ الثَغرِ في سُمرَةِ اللَمى

وَحُسنِ مَجالِ السِحرِ في فَترَةِ الطَرفِ

وَحُسنِ مَجالِ السِحرِ في فَترَةِ الطَرفِ

Ah, by the whiteness of teeth amid the dusk of lips,

By the whiteness of the smile in the brownness of the glance,

And by enchantment's lovely play in the languor of the gaze,

And the beauty of the magic of the eyes in the blinking of the eyelids.

لَئِن كُنتَ بَدرَ التِمِّ حُسناً وَرِفعَةً

لَئِن كُنتَ بَدرَ التِمِّ حُسناً وَرِفعَةً

فَإِنَّ دُموعَ الصَبِّ مِن أَنجُمِ القَذفِ

فَإِنَّ دُموعَ الصَبِّ مِن أَنجُمِ القَذفِ

If indeed you are the full moon in beauty and loftiness,

If you are the full moon of perfection in beauty and loftiness,

Then the lovesick one's tears are among the shooting stars.

Then the tears of my love are from the stars of scattering.