إذا آنَسَ الناسَ ما يجمعونَ

إذا آنَسَ الناسَ ما يجمعونَ

أنِستُ بما يجمعُ الدفترُ

أنِستُ بما يجمعُ الدفترُ

If what people gather brings them comfort,

When people delight in what they gather,

I find comfort in what the book gathers.

I delight in what the notebook gathers.

له وطري وله لذَّتي

له وطري وله لذَّتي

على الكأس والكأسُ لا تحضُرُ

على الكأس والكأسُ لا تحضُرُ

In it lie my heart's desire and my delight

It has my passion and my pleasure—

In the cup, though the cup is not present.

The cup, though the cup does not appear.

تدورُ على الشرب محمودةً

تدورُ على الشرب محمودةً

لها الموردُ الخرقُ والمَصدَرُ

لها الموردُ الخرقُ والمَصدَرُ

It passes, praised, among the drinkers,

It revolves around drinking, praised,

Its way in and out wide open.

With supply, streaming, flowing.

يُغَنّيهِمُ ساحرُ المقلتينِ

يُغَنّيهِمُ ساحرُ المقلتينِ

كشمس الضحى طرفُهُ أحورُ

كشمس الضحى طرفُهُ أحورُ

One with bewitching eyes sings to them,

The charmer of the two curled mustaches sings to them

Like the morning sun, his eyes jet-black against white.

Like the morning sun, its glance languid.

وريحانُهُم طيبُ أخلاقهم

وريحانُهُم طيبُ أخلاقهم

وعندَهُم الوردُ والعَبهَرُ

وعندَهُم الوردُ والعَبهَرُ

And their basil is the sweetness of their character,

Their basil is the fragrance of their good morals,

And with them are roses and narcissus.

And they have roses and perfumed dust.

على أنَّ هِمَّتَنا في الحروفِ

على أنَّ هِمَّتَنا في الحروفِ

فتلكَ الصناعةُ والمتَجَرُ

فتلكَ الصناعةُ والمتَجَرُ

Yet our ambition lies in letters:

Yet our ambition is in letters—

For that is our craft and our trade.

That is the craft and the merchandise.