ياah رُبَّmany a مَجلِسِgathering فِتيانٍyoung men سَمَوتُI rose لَهُto it
يا رُبَّ مَجلِسِ فِتيانٍ سَمَوتُ لَهُ
وَاللَيلُwhile the night مُحتَبِسٌconfined فيin ثَوبِa robe ظَلماءِdarkness
وَاللَيلُ مُحتَبِسٌ في ثَوبِ ظَلماءِ
Ah, many a gathering of young men I have risen to join,
O Lord of the assembly of youths whose minaret ascended for it
Oh, to many a gathering of youths I have risen, while night was wrapped within a robe of darkness,
While night was confined in a robe of darkness,
And the night detained in the garb of darkness
To drink a pure vintage from the heart of a clay jar, dazzling the eyes of its drinkers with its shimmer;
لِشُربِto drink صافِيَةٍclear wine مِنfrom صَدرِthe bosom خابِيَةٍa wine jar
لِشُربِ صافِيَةٍ مِن صَدرِ خابِيَةٍ
تَغشىveils عُيونَthe eyes نَداماهاits drinking companions بِلَألاءِwith radiance
تَغشى عُيونَ نَداماها بِلَألاءِ
To drink clear wine from the bosom of a wine jar,
For drinking pure from the breast of a faded
As if its appearance, when the water strikes it, is the brocade of a beauty or the embroidery of a weaver.
Veiling its drinking companions' eyes in radiance.
Her eyes are covered with regret's glitter
It gleams with joy in the hand of the morning drinker, a wine from ‘Ana or from Sawra,
كَأَنَّas though مَنظَرَهاits appearance وَالماءُwhile the water يَقرَعُهاstrikes it
كَأَنَّ مَنظَرَها وَالماءُ يَقرَعُها
ديباجُbrocade غانِيَةٍa beautiful woman أَوor رَقمُa pattern وَشّاءِan embroiderer
ديباجُ غانِيَةٍ أَو رَقمُ وَشّاءِ
It looks, as water strikes it,
As if her appearance and the water hitting her
As though the gurgling of the pitcher among them were the echo of flutes or the stuttering of a stammerer.
Like a beauty's brocade, or an embroiderer's pattern.
Is the brocade of a singing girl or the embroidery of desire
Until, when it had circulated among the company and spread, their eyes began to incline toward slumber.
تَستَنُّgambols مِنfrom مَرَحٍjoy فيin كَفِّthe palm مُصطَبِحٍa morning drinker
تَستَنُّ مِن مَرَحٍ في كَفِّ مُصطَبِحٍ
مِنfrom خَمرِwine عانَةَʿĀna أَوor مِنfrom خَمرِwine سَوراءِSūrāʾ
مِن خَمرِ عانَةَ أَو مِن خَمرِ سَوراءِ
It gambols for joy in a morning drinker's palm,
She gets accustomed to playfulness in the palm of an early riser
I asked its merchant, "How long since it was pressed?" He replied, "My counting falls short of that."
Wine from ʿĀna, or wine from Sūrāʾ.
From the wine of vine or from the wine of Sowra
"I was told that my great-grandfather selected it from the hoarded treasures of Adam or of Eve."
كَأَنَّas though قَرقَرَةَthe gurgling الإِبريقِthe pitcher بَينَهُمُamong them
كَأَنَّ قَرقَرَةَ الإِبريقِ بَينَهُمُ
رَجعُthe echo المَزاميرِthe flutes أَوor تَرجيعُrepetition فَأفاءِa stammerer
رَجعُ المَزاميرِ أَو تَرجيعُ فَأفاءِ
The pitcher's gurgling among them seems
As if the gurgling of the flask amongst them
"He kept delaying those who frequented its tavern, until it came to me, a legacy from my dead."
Like the echo of flutes, or a stammerer's repeated syllables.
Is the return of flutes or the refrain of separation
We were amidst gardens where the scent of violets, not the diffusion of wild lavender, breathed upon us,
حَتّىuntil إِذاwhen دَرَجَتcirculated فيamong القَومِthe company وَاِنتَشَرَتand spread
حَتّى إِذا دَرَجَت في القَومِ وَاِنتَشَرَت
هَمَّتwere about to عُيونُهُمُtheir eyes مِنهاfrom it بِإِغفاءِto doze
هَمَّت عُيونُهُمُ مِنها بِإِغفاءِ
Until, when it circulated among the company and spread,
Until when it wandered amongst the people and spread
Served by a soft youth, gentle in his nature, capturing the eye wherever the viewer's gaze is drawn,
Their eyes, because of it, were on the verge of sleep.
Their eyes swooned from it in slumber
Adorned with earrings, ample of hips, possessed of coquetry, as if upon his palms were the mark of henna.
سَأَلتُI asked تاجِرَهاits merchant كَمhow long ذاthis لِعاصِرِهاfor its presser
سَأَلتُ تاجِرَها كَم ذا لِعاصِرِها
فَقالَso he said قَصَّرَfell short عَنof هَذاكَthat إِحصائيmy reckoning
فَقالَ قَصَّرَ عَن هَذاكَ إِحصائي
I asked its merchant, “How long ago was this pressed?”
I asked its seller, how much is for its presser?
He has curled his hair into 'waws' and arranged it above his brow, and shaped the sidelock like the letter 'fa'.
He said, “My reckoning falls short of that.
He said, it falls short of this enumeration
His eyes distribute a malady among those who gaze openly, yet perhaps they cure the very assault of that sickness.
أُنبِئتُI was told أَنَّthat أَباthe father جَدّيmy grandfather تَخَيَّرَهاselected it
أُنبِئتُ أَنَّ أَبا جَدّي تَخَيَّرَها
مِنfrom ذُخرِthe hoard آدَمَAdam أَوor مِنfrom ذُخرِthe hoard حَوّاءِEve
مِن ذُخرِ آدَمَ أَو مِن ذُخرِ حَوّاءِ
I was told that my grandfather's father selected it
I was told that my grandfather Adam chose it
I drink a pure, unmixed draft from his eyes, while drinking another wine with my boon companions.
From Adam's hoard, or from Eve's hoard.
From the hoard of Adam or from Eve's hoard
To a blamer who rebuked me in ignorance, I said, "By your life, I am enamored with my master."
ماnot زالَceased يَمطُلُputting off مَنwhoever يَنتابُfrequents حانَتَهاits wine shop
ما زالَ يَمطُلُ مَن يَنتابُ حانَتَها
حَتّىuntil أَتَتنيit came to me وَكانَتand it had been ذُخرَthe hoard مَوتائيmy departed kin
حَتّى أَتَتني وَكانَت ذُخرَ مَوتائي
He kept putting off whoever frequented its wine shop,
Whoever frequents its tavern still delays
Until it came to me, having been my departed kin's hoard.”
Until it came to me and it was my hoard of death
وَنَحنُand we بَينَamong بَساتينٍgardens فَتَنفَحُناso they waft to us
وَنَحنُ بَينَ بَساتينٍ فَتَنفَحُنا
ريحَthe scent البَنَفسَجِviolets لاnot نَشرَthe fragrance الخُزاماءِlavender
ريحَ البَنَفسَجِ لا نَشرَ الخُزاماءِ
And we are among gardens, which breathe upon us
While we were between gardens, the violet's breeze blew on us
The scent of violets, not the fragrance of lavender.
Not the stink of armpits
يَسعىhastens بِهاwith it خَنِثٌan effeminate man فيin خُلقِهِhis character دَمَثٌgentle
يَسعى بِها خَنِثٌ في خُلقِهِ دَمَثٌ
يَستَأثِرُcaptures العَينَthe eye فيin مُستَدرَجِthe enticement الرائيthe beholder
يَستَأثِرُ العَينَ في مُستَدرَجِ الرائي
An effeminate man hastens about with it, gentle in manner,
An effeminate man in his manners, vulgar
Holding the eye captive as he draws the beholder in.
Monopolizes the eye in the admirer's lane
مُقَرَّطٌwearing earrings وافِرُample الأَردافِthe buttocks ذوpossessing غُنُجٍcoquettish charm
مُقَرَّطٌ وافِرُ الأَردافِ ذو غُنُجٍ
كَأَنَّas though فيin راحَتَيهِhis two palms وَسمَa stain حِنّاءِhenna
كَأَنَّ في راحَتَيهِ وَسمَ حِنّاءِ
Wearing earrings, with ample buttocks and coquettish charm,
Corpulent, ample buttocks, with crookedness
As though his palms bore henna's stain.
As if there is henna dye on his palms
قَدalready كَسَرَcurled الشِعرَthe hair واواتٍinto wāw shapes وَنَضَّدَهُand arranged it
قَد كَسَرَ الشِعرَ واواتٍ وَنَضَّدَهُ
فَوقَabove الجَبينِthe forehead وَرَدَّand turned back الصُدغَthe temple-lock بِالفاءِinto a fāʾ shape
فَوقَ الجَبينِ وَرَدَّ الصُدغَ بِالفاءِ
He has curled his hair into wāw shapes and arranged it
He broke the hairdo and straightened it
Above his forehead, and curved his temple-lock like a fāʾ.
Above the forehead and tilted the temple with inclination
عَيناهُhis two eyes تَقسُمُdeal out داءًsickness فيin مَجاهِرِهاtheir open glances
عَيناهُ تَقسُمُ داءً في مَجاهِرِها
وَرُبَّماand sometimes نَفَعَتgave relief مِنfrom صَولَةِthe onslaught الداءِthe sickness
وَرُبَّما نَفَعَت مِن صَولَةِ الداءِ
His eyes deal out sickness in their open glances,
His eyes distribute illness in their sockets
And sometimes give relief from the sickness's onslaught.
And perhaps benefit from the virulence of illness
إِنّيindeed I لَأَشرَبُI surely drink مِنfrom عَينَيهِhis two eyes صافِيَةًclear wine
إِنّي لَأَشرَبُ مِن عَينَيهِ صافِيَةً
صِرفاًunmixed وَأَشرَبُand I drink أُخرىanother مَعwith نُدَمائيmy drinking companions
صِرفاً وَأَشرَبُ أُخرى مَع نُدَمائي
Indeed, I drink clear wine from his eyes,
I drink pure from his eyes, one draft
Unmixed, and drink another with my drinking companions.
And I drink another with my boon companions
وَلائِمٍand many a reprover لامَنيblamed me جَهلاًin ignorance فَقُلتُso I said لَهُto him
وَلائِمٍ لامَني جَهلاً فَقُلتُ لَهُ
إِنّيindeed I وَعَيشِكَby your life مَشغوفٌinfatuated بِمَولائيwith my master
إِنّي وَعَيشِكَ مَشغوفٌ بِمَولائي
And many a reprover blamed me in ignorance, so I said to him:
One blamed me in ignorance, so I said to him
“Indeed, by your life, I am infatuated with my master.”
I am engrossed with my Master and your life
Partial English translation: 16 of 32 Arabic lines translated.