أَدِرِ الْكَاسَاتِ مِنْ خَمْرِ اللّعَسْ

أَدِرِ الْكَاسَاتِ مِنْ خَمْرِ اللّعَسْ

يَا لَهَا مِنْ رَاحْ

يَا لَهَا مِنْ رَاحْ

Pass round the cups of wine from dusky lips.

Turn the cups with the wine of joy,

Pass around the cups of wine from those dark-crimson lips,

Oh, what a wine it is,

Oh what a wonderful scent,

Oh, what exquisite wine it is,

تَحْكِي الْجُلَّنَارْ

تَحْكِي الْجُلَّنَارْ

وَاسْقِنِيهَا خَمْرَةً تَجْلُو النَّفَسْ

وَاسْقِنِيهَا خَمْرَةً تَجْلُو النَّفَسْ

Resembling pomegranate blossom!

Telling of our nights together,

Resembling the blossom of the pomegranate.

And give it to me to drink—a wine that refreshes the breath,

Pour me some wine to soothe my soul,

And pour it for me, a wine that clears the soul,

عَلَّنِي أَرْتَاحْ

عَلَّنِي أَرْتَاحْ

مِنْ حَرِّ الأُوَارْ

مِنْ حَرِّ الأُوَارْ

Perhaps I may find relief

Let me find some rest,

So that I might find relief

From the heat of the blaze.

From the heat of passions,

From the heat of this blazing fire.

بَأَبِي ظَبْيٌ رَمَانِي بِسِهَامْ

بَأَبِي ظَبْيٌ رَمَانِي بِسِهَامْ

رِيشُهَا الأَهْدَابْ

رِيشُهَا الأَهْدَابْ

May my father be ransom for a gazelle who shot me with arrows,

By my father a gazelle has shot me with arrows,

I would give my father for a gazelle who struck me with arrows,

Their fletching the eyelashes,

Her eyelashes as feathers,

Whose fletchings are his eyelashes,

تَبْرِي الأَفْئِدَهْ

تَبْرِي الأَفْئِدَهْ

مَزَّقَ الْقَلْبَ الْكَئِيبَ الْمُسْتَهَامْ

مَزَّقَ الْقَلْبَ الْكَئِيبَ الْمُسْتَهَامْ

Wearing away hearts.

Piercing hearts,

Piercing deeply through hearts.

He tore apart the sorrowful, lovesick heart

She tore apart my sad, bewildered heart,

He tore apart my sorrowful, infatuated heart,

إِذْ رَنَا وَانْسَابْ

إِذْ رَنَا وَانْسَابْ

سَيْفٌ جَرَّدَهْ

سَيْفٌ جَرَّدَهْ

When he gazed, and forth glided

When she glanced and slipped away,

When he cast a glance, gliding smoothly,

A sword he had unsheathed.

A sword she unsheathed,

Like a sword he had unsheathed.

عَنْبَرِيُّ الْخَالِ مِسْكِيُّ الْخِتَامْ

عَنْبَرِيُّ الْخَالِ مِسْكِيُّ الْخِتَامْ

يُذْهِلُ الأَلْبَابْ

يُذْهِلُ الأَلْبَابْ

His beauty mark is ambergris, his seal is musk;

Ambergris is her mole, musk is her seal,

His mole is like ambergris, and his seal is of musk,

The minds are bewildered

Bewitching all minds,

Bewildering to the minds,

دُرٌّ نَضَّدَهْ

دُرٌّ نَضَّدَهْ

هِمْتُ وَجْداً مِنْ سَنَاهُ الْمُقْتَبَسْ

هِمْتُ وَجْداً مِنْ سَنَاهُ الْمُقْتَبَسْ

By pearls he has arrayed.

A pearl she has adorned,

Like pearls he has perfectly arranged.

I was lost in longing at his radiance, borrowed

I craved her radiance from the rising dawn,

I wandered madly in love from his radiance, borrowed

مِنْ سَنَا الإِصْبَاحْ

مِنْ سَنَا الإِصْبَاحْ

أَوْ بَدْرٍ أَنَارْ

أَوْ بَدْرٍ أَنَارْ

From the light of daybreak

Or a moon lighting up the dark,

From the glow of the morning dawn,

Or a full moon that shone.

When her blossoming mouth opened like embers,

Or an illuminating full moon.

لاَحَ حِينَ افْتَرَّ ثَغْرٌ كَالْقَبَسْ

لاَحَ حِينَ افْتَرَّ ثَغْرٌ كَالْقَبَسْ

أَزْهَرٌ وَضَّاحْ

أَزْهَرٌ وَضَّاحْ

It gleamed when a mouth like a firebrand parted in a smile,

A flower in full bloom,

It gleamed when a mouth like a firebrand smiled,

Radiant and dazzling;

More brilliant than fiery coals,

Luminous and brilliant,

أَذْكَى زَنْدَ نَارْ

أَذْكَى زَنْدَ نَارْ

نَرْجِسِيُّ اللَّحْظِ وَرْدِيُّ الْوَجْنَتَيْنْ

نَرْجِسِيُّ اللَّحْظِ وَرْدِيُّ الْوَجْنَتَيْنْ

It set a fire-striking stick aflame.

A narcissus is her glancing eye, a rose her two cheeks,

Kindling the sparks of a fire.

Narcissus-like in gaze, rose-like in both cheeks,

Dyed with hearts’ blood,

Narcissus-like in his glance, rosy in his cheeks,

بِدَمِ الأَكْبَادْ

بِدَمِ الأَكْبَادْ

أَزْرَتْ بِالشَّقِيقْ

أَزْرَتْ بِالشَّقِيقْ

With the blood of livers,

Adorned with anemones,

Tinted with the blood of yearning hearts,

They put the anemone to shame.

A full moon of beauty above a branch of two curves,

Putting the red anemones to shame.

بَدْرُ حُسْنٍ فَوْقَ غُصْنٍ مِنْ لُجَيْنْ

بَدْرُ حُسْنٍ فَوْقَ غُصْنٍ مِنْ لُجَيْنْ

مَائِلٌ مَيَّادْ

مَائِلٌ مَيَّادْ

A full moon of beauty above a bough of silver,

Inclined gently swaying,

A full moon of beauty atop a branch of silver,

Leaning, ever swaying,

For the radiant crescent,

Swaying gracefully,

لِلْبَانِ شَقِيقْ

لِلْبَانِ شَقِيقْ

مُذْ نَضَا نَحْوِي سَيْفَ الْمُقْلَتَيْنْ

مُذْ نَضَا نَحْوِي سَيْفَ الْمُقْلَتَيْنْ

A brother to the bān tree.

Since she raised towards me the sword of her eyes,

A true brother to the ban tree.

Since he unsheathed toward me the sword of his two eyes,

My bones have weakened,

Ever since he drew the sword of his eyes toward me,

أَوْهَنَ الأَعْضَادْ

أَوْهَنَ الأَعْضَادْ

وَاشْتَدَّ الْحَرِيقْ

وَاشْتَدَّ الْحَرِيقْ

He weakened my arms,

And the fires grow stronger,

He has weakened my strength,

And the blaze grew fiercer.

My patience is spent craving the gazelle of delight,

And the inferno has grown fierce.

عِيلَ صَبْرِي فِي هَوَى ظَبْيِ الأَنَسْ

عِيلَ صَبْرِي فِي هَوَى ظَبْيِ الأَنَسْ

وَالْحِجَا قَدْ رَاحْ

وَالْحِجَا قَدْ رَاحْ

My patience failed in love for the gazelle of humankind,

As passion has triumphed,

My patience is exhausted in love for this gentle gazelle,

And reason has already gone,

Since she traveled from her homeland,

And reason has completely departed,

مُذْ شَطَّ الْمَزَارْ

مُذْ شَطَّ الْمَزَارْ

وَرَذَاذُ الدَّمْعِ مِنْ عَيْنِي انْبَجَسْ

وَرَذَاذُ الدَّمْعِ مِنْ عَيْنِي انْبَجَسْ

Since the place of meeting grew distant.

And tears rain from my eyes unceasingly,

Ever since the place of our meeting grew distant.

And a spray of tears burst forth from my eye;

As love exposes all,

And a drizzle of tears has gushed from my eye,

وَالَْهَوَى فَضَّاحْ

وَالَْهَوَى فَضَّاحْ

لاَ يُخْفِي اسْتِتَارْ

لاَ يُخْفِي اسْتِتَارْ

And love reveals secrets:

Laying all feelings bare.

For passion is a betrayer of secrets,

No concealment can hide it.

And no concealment can hide it.