قم فاسقِنيها على الورد الذي فَغَما

قم فاسقِنيها على الورد الذي فَغَما

وباكِرِ السوسنَ الغضّ الذي نجما

وباكِرِ السوسنَ الغضّ الذي نجما

Rise—pour me the wine beside the rose whose fragrance fills the air,

Rise and pour it for me beside the rose that has spread its fragrance,

and seek at dawn the tender lily, newly sprung.

and visit at dawn the tender iris that has sprung up.

كأنما ارتضعا خِلفَي سمائهما

كأنما ارتضعا خِلفَي سمائهما

فأرضعَت لَبَناً هذا وذاك دَما

فأرضعَت لَبَناً هذا وذاك دَما

As though the two had suckled at their sky’s twin teats,

As though the two had suckled at their sky’s two teats,

and it had nursed this one on milk, that one on blood:

so it nursed this one with milk, and that one with blood.

جِسمان قد كفر الكافورَ ذاك وقد

جِسمان قد كفر الكافورَ ذاك وقد

عقَّ العقيقَ احمراراً ذا وما احتشما

عقَّ العقيقَ احمراراً ذا وما احتشما

two forms—that one has outshone camphor’s white, while

Two bodies: that one has eclipsed camphor, and

this has outdone carnelian’s red—and neither feels shame.

this has defied agate in redness; neither has felt shame.

كأن ذا طُلية نُصَّت لمُعتَرِضٍ

كأن ذا طُلية نُصَّت لمُعتَرِضٍ

وذاك خدّ غداة البينِ قد لُطِما

وذاك خدّ غداة البينِ قد لُطِما

As though this were a throat raised before a waylayer,

As though this were a neck raised before an onlooker,

and that a cheek slapped on the morning of parting.

and that a cheek slapped on the morning of parting.

أولا فذاك أنابيبُ اللُجَين وذا

أولا فذاك أنابيبُ اللُجَين وذا

جمرُ الغَضا حرَّكته النارُ فاضطَرما

جمرُ الغَضا حرَّكته النارُ فاضطَرما

Or else: that one is tubes of silver, and this

Or rather, that is silver tubing, and this

the embers of ghada wood, stirred by fire until they blaze.

ghada embers, stirred by fire until they blazed.