وَقَهوَةٍ مُرَّةٍ باكَرتُ صُبحَتَها

وَقَهوَةٍ مُرَّةٍ باكَرتُ صُبحَتَها

وَضَوءُها نائِبٌ عَن ضَوءِ مِصباحِ

وَضَوءُها نائِبٌ عَن ضَوءِ مِصباحِ

And a bitter wine—I came early for its morning draught,

With morning's bitter coffee I awoke

And a bitter vintage I hastened to at dawn,

And its light stands in for the light of a lamp.

Its glow instead of lantern's light invoked

Whose radiance serves in place of a lamp's light.

حَمراءُ عَلَّقَها بِالماءِ شارِبُها

حَمراءُ عَلَّقَها بِالماءِ شارِبُها

تُفتَضُّ عُذرَتُها في بَطنِ رَحراحِ

تُفتَضُّ عُذرَتُها في بَطنِ رَحراحِ

Red, its drinker mixed it with water;

Ruby red where its drinker poured the water

Red wine, mixed with water by the hand of its drinker,

Its maidenhead is broken in the belly of a broad goblet.

Blooming open like a slit pomegranate

Its virginity broken within the belly of a broad cup.

وَيُثبِتُ الماءُ في حافاتِها حَبَباً

وَيُثبِتُ الماءُ في حافاتِها حَبَباً

كَالقَطرِ يَثبُتُ في حافاتِ ضَحضاحِ

كَالقَطرِ يَثبُتُ في حافاتِ ضَحضاحِ

And water sets bubbles along its edges,

Beads of dew collect on the cup's rim

The water fixes bubbles along its rim,

Like raindrops settling along the edges of a shallow pool.

As drops on flower petals, clinging, glimmering

Like raindrops settling on the edges of a shallow pool.

تَنَفَّسَت في وُجوهِ القَومِ ضاحِكَةً

تَنَفَّسَت في وُجوهِ القَومِ ضاحِكَةً

تَنَفُّسَ المِسكِ في تَفليجِ تُفّاحِ

تَنَفُّسَ المِسكِ في تَفليجِ تُفّاحِ

It breathed, laughing, into the faces of the company,

Breathing laughter on the faces of the people

It breathed into the faces of the company, laughing,

Like the breath of musk in apples split open.

Like musk breathed on the cleft of apples ripe

With the breath of musk found in sliced apples.