رُبَّ اِبنِ لَيلٍ سَقانا

رُبَّ اِبنِ لَيلٍ سَقانا

وَالشَمسُ تُطلِعُ غُرَّه

وَالشَمسُ تُطلِعُ غُرَّه

Many a son of night gave us drink,

The son of many a night made me drunk,

while the sun revealed a radiant brow.

And the sun rises reddened.

فَظَلَّ يَسوَدُّ لَوناً

فَظَلَّ يَسوَدُّ لَوناً

وَالكَأسُ تَسطَعُ حُمرَه

وَالكَأسُ تَسطَعُ حُمرَه

He kept darkening in hue,

So the color turned jet black,

while the cup shone red,

And the cup begins to shine red.

كَأَنّهُ كيسُ فَحمٍ

كَأَنّهُ كيسُ فَحمٍ

قَد أوقِدَت فيهِ جَمرَه

قَد أوقِدَت فيهِ جَمرَه

as though he were a sack of coal

As if it is a bag of embers

in which an ember had been kindled.

That had its red coals set ablaze within.

وَلِلمُدامِ مُديرٌ

وَلِلمُدامِ مُديرٌ

يَشُبُّ جَمرَةَ خَمرَه

يَشُبُّ جَمرَةَ خَمرَه

And the wine had a cupbearer

And to the wine is a butler

who stoked the ember of wine.

Who stokes the red embers of its wine.

تَضاحَكَت عَن حَبابٍ

تَضاحَكَت عَن حَبابٍ

يُقَبِّلُ الماءُ ثَغرَه

يُقَبِّلُ الماءُ ثَغرَه

It smiled, revealing bubbles

She laughed with a dimple

whose lips the water kissed.

That the water kisses its mouth.

فَظِلتُ آخُذُ ياقوتَةً

فَظِلتُ آخُذُ ياقوتَةً

وَأَصرِفُ دُرَّه

وَأَصرِفُ دُرَّه

So I kept taking a ruby

So I remained taking a ruby

and paying out a pearl,

And flipping its pearls,

حَتّى تَثَنَّيتُ غُصناً

حَتّى تَثَنَّيتُ غُصناً

وَاِصفَرَّتِ الشَمسُ نُقرَه

وَاِصفَرَّتِ الشَمسُ نُقرَه

until I swayed like a branch

Until I bent a branch

and the sun yellowed like an ingot.

And the sun yellowed its buds.

وَاِرتَدَّ لِلشَمسِ طَرفٌ

وَاِرتَدَّ لِلشَمسِ طَرفٌ

بِهِ مِنَ السُقمِ فَترَه

بِهِ مِنَ السُقمِ فَترَه

And an eye returned to the sun,

And to the sun a glance returned

with a sickly languor in it;

Through which from the sickness is convalescence.

يَجولُ لِلغَيمِ كُحلٌ

يَجولُ لِلغَيمِ كُحلٌ

فيهِ وَلِلقَطرِ عَبرَه

فيهِ وَلِلقَطرِ عَبرَه

the clouds' kohl swirled

Wandering to the clouds is kohl

within it, and the rain had a tear.

In it and for the rain comprehension.