وَصاحب حانوت عَشَوتُ لِنارِهِ

وَصاحب حانوت عَشَوتُ لِنارِهِ

وَقَد مالَت الجَوزاءُ نَحوَ المَغارِبِ

وَقَد مالَت الجَوزاءُ نَحوَ المَغارِبِ

And I sought a tavern-keeper's fire by night,

The shopkeeper lit a fire for us

And a tavern owner whose fire I sought in the night,

while Orion leaned toward the western horizons.

As the evening approached from the west

While Orion inclined towards the western horizons;

فَقالَ أَلا عَجِّل لَنا النَقد إِنَّنا

فَقالَ أَلا عَجِّل لَنا النَقد إِنَّنا

أُناسٌ أَخَذنا بِالكَرا وَالضَرائِبِ

أُناسٌ أَخَذنا بِالكَرا وَالضَرائِبِ

Then he said, 'Come, pay us quickly in cash, for we

He said, hurry and pay us cash for

He said, "Come, hasten the cash to us, for we

are people burdened with rent and taxes.'

We are people bound by fees and taxes

Are people burdened by rent and taxes."

نثرت لَهُ عِشرينَ بيضاً كَأَنَّها

نثرت لَهُ عِشرينَ بيضاً كَأَنَّها

عَلى كَفَّةِ الميزانِ زهرَ الكَواكِبِ

عَلى كَفَّةِ الميزانِ زهرَ الكَواكِبِ

I scattered twenty white coins for him, as though they were

I threw him twenty eggs as white as

I scattered twenty white coins for him, as though they were,

bright stars upon the balance-pan.

Stars on the scale's dish

Upon the pan of the scale, radiant stars.

فصبَّ لَنا حَمراءَ يَنزو حبابها

فصبَّ لَنا حَمراءَ يَنزو حبابها

إِذا شَعشَعَت بالدَّنِّ نَزوَ الجَنادِبِ

إِذا شَعشَعَت بالدَّنِّ نَزوَ الجَنادِبِ

Then he poured us red wine whose bubbles leap,

So he poured for us a red one whose bubbles

So he poured us a red wine, its bubbles leaping

when diluted in the wine jar, as grasshoppers leap.

Flowed like partridges when stirred gently

When mixed in the jar, like the springing of grasshoppers.