وَنَدمانِ صِدقٍ مِن خُزاعَةَ في الذُرا

وَنَدمانِ صِدقٍ مِن خُزاعَةَ في الذُرا

أَغَرَّ كَضَوءِ الصُبحِ حُلوِ الشَمائِلِ

أَغَرَّ كَضَوءِ الصُبحِ حُلوِ الشَمائِلِ

And a true drinking companion of Khuzaʿa's highest ranks,

Two repentant ones from Khuza'ah in the sands,

And a loyal drinking companion from Khuza'a, high in station,

Radiant as the light of dawn, sweet in his ways,

Whose beauty shone like the dawn's gentle light,

Radiant as the morning light, sweet in character.

يُهينُ رِقابَ المالِ في كُلِّ لِذَّةٍ

يُهينُ رِقابَ المالِ في كُلِّ لِذَّةٍ

وَلَيسَ بِسَمّاعٍ لِقَولِ العَواذِلِ

وَلَيسَ بِسَمّاعٍ لِقَولِ العَواذِلِ

He humbles the necks of wealth for every pleasure,

Mocking the necks of wealth in every pleasure,

He humbles the necks of wealth in pursuit of every pleasure,

And pays no heed to reproaching women's words.

Not heeding the words of chiding maidens.

And lends no ear to the words of those who scold.

كَريمٍ مَتيرِ الكَفِّ يَهتَزُّ لِلنَدى

كَريمٍ مَتيرِ الكَفِّ يَهتَزُّ لِلنَدى

كَما اهتَزَّ سَيفٌ في أَكُفِّ الصَياقِلِ

كَما اهتَزَّ سَيفٌ في أَكُفِّ الصَياقِلِ

Generous, bountiful of hand, he thrills to giving,

A noble man quick of hand that trembles with dew

Generous, of lavish hand, trembling to bestow,

As a sword quivers in the hands of polishers.

As a sword trembled in the palms of polishings.

Just as a sword trembles in the hands of the polishers.

ظَلَلتُ أُعاطيهِ سُلافَةَ قَرقَفٍ

ظَلَلتُ أُعاطيهِ سُلافَةَ قَرقَفٍ

مُخَدَّرَةٍ عَذراءَ مِن سَبيِ بابِلِ

مُخَدَّرَةٍ عَذراءَ مِن سَبيِ بابِلِ

I spent the day sharing with him the choicest wine,

I gave her the shade of a furled Syrian cloak

I spent the day passing him the purest, shivering wine,

A secluded virgin, one of Babylon's captives,

A chaste maiden taken captive from Babylon.

A secluded virgin vintage taken from the spoils of Babylon;

سَليلَةَ كَرمٍ لَم يُفَضُّ خِتامُها

سَليلَةَ كَرمٍ لَم يُفَضُّ خِتامُها

وَلَم يَلتَذِعها في بُطونِ المَراجِلِ

وَلَم يَلتَذِعها في بُطونِ المَراجِلِ

A daughter of the vine, her seal never broken,

Of a generous stock whose seal was unbroken,

A daughter of the vine whose seal was never broken,

Nor had she been scorched in the bellies of cauldrons.

And not defiled in the bellies of grindings.

Nor was she ever scorched within the bellies of cauldrons.

يَكُرُّ عَلَيها صَيفُها وَشِتائُها

يَكُرُّ عَلَيها صَيفُها وَشِتائُها

وَيَأتي عَلَيها قابِلٌ بَعدَ قابِلِ

وَيَأتي عَلَيها قابِلٌ بَعدَ قابِلِ

Her summer and winter come round again upon her,

Her summers and winters come upon her,

Summers and winters have passed over her repeatedly,

And year after year passes over her.

And a midwife succeeds a midwife for her.

And year after year comes upon her.

تَرى الكَأسَ تَسعى بَينَنا فَكَأَنَّما

تَرى الكَأسَ تَسعى بَينَنا فَكَأَنَّما

تَرَدَّدَ فيما بَينَنا بِالأَصائِلِ

تَرَدَّدَ فيما بَينَنا بِالأَصائِلِ

You see the cup making its way between us, as though

You see the cup passing between us as though

You see the cup hastening between us as if

It were passing to and fro among us in the late afternoons.

It shuttled between us with the most noble.

It were moving back and forth in the twilight hours.

فَما بَرِحَت حَتّى الصَباحِ يُديرُها

فَما بَرِحَت حَتّى الصَباحِ يُديرُها

وَيَجري بِنا في كُلِّ حَقٍّ وَباطِلِ

وَيَجري بِنا في كُلِّ حَقٍّ وَباطِلِ

It never stopped till morning, as he passed it round,

It did not stop until the dawn brought it around

It ceased not until morning; he kept circulating it,

And ranged with us through every truth and falsehood.

And it carried us into every right and wrong.

Carrying us through every topic, truth and vanity,

فَبَينَ صَريعٍ قَد تَجَدَّلَ طافِحاً

فَبَينَ صَريعٍ قَد تَجَدَّلَ طافِحاً

إِلى ذي وِسادٍ مائِلِ الرَأسِ زائِلِ

إِلى ذي وِسادٍ مائِلِ الرَأسِ زائِلِ

So one lay felled, sprawled out dead drunk,

Between one laid out overflowing in death

Amidst those struck down, thrown flat by drink,

Another on a pillow, head drooping, senses gone.

And one leaning his head to the side in decline.

And those on cushions, heads tilting, fading away.

فَلَمّا رَأَيتُ الصُبحَ أَسفَرَ وَجهُهُ

فَلَمّا رَأَيتُ الصُبحَ أَسفَرَ وَجهُهُ

وَحَنَّت نَواقيسُ الدُجى في الهَياكِلِ

وَحَنَّت نَواقيسُ الدُجى في الهَياكِلِ

Then, when I saw dawn's face grow bright,

When I saw the dawn bare its face,

But when I saw the morning unveil its face,

And night's bells moaned in the temples,

And the bells of darkness toll in the temples,

And the bells of darkness rang out in the monasteries,

طَفِقتُ أُفَدّيهِ وَأَدعوهُ بِاسمِهِ

طَفِقتُ أُفَدّيهِ وَأَدعوهُ بِاسمِهِ

فَقالَ مُجيباً ما تَشا بِتَثاقُلِ

فَقالَ مُجيباً ما تَشا بِتَثاقُلِ

I began offering myself as his ransom and calling him by name.

I started to rouse him, calling him by name,

I began to offer my life for his and call him by name,

Then he replied sluggishly, “What do you wish?”

And he answered sluggishly and heavily:

And he answered, "What do you want?" with a heavy tongue.

فَقُلتُ لَهُ تَفديكَ نَفسي وَأُسرَتي

فَقُلتُ لَهُ تَفديكَ نَفسي وَأُسرَتي

وَيَفديكَ طُرّاً كُلُّ حافٍ وَناعِلِ

وَيَفديكَ طُرّاً كُلُّ حافٍ وَناعِلِ

Then I said to him, “May my life and my family ransom you,

"May my soul ransom you, and my family,

I said to him, "May my soul and my family be your ransom,"

And may everyone ransom you, barefoot and shod alike.

And every singing cricket and sand grouse ransom you.

"And may all, barefoot and shod, be your ransom too."

أَلَستَ تَرى ضَوءَ الصَباحِ وَنورَهُ

أَلَستَ تَرى ضَوءَ الصَباحِ وَنورَهُ

وَتَسمَعَ تَغريدَ الحَمامِ الثَواكِلِ

وَتَسمَعَ تَغريدَ الحَمامِ الثَواكِلِ

Do you not see the light of morning and its radiance,

Do you not see the light of dawn and its brilliance?

"Do you not see the light of morning and its brilliance,"

And hear the song of the bereaved doves?

Do you not hear the cooing of the roving doves?

"And hear the singing of the mourning doves?"

فَقُم فَاصطَبِحها وَانفِ عَنكَ خُمارَها

فَقُم فَاصطَبِحها وَانفِ عَنكَ خُمارَها

فَلَيسَ لَها مِثلُ الصَبوحِ المُعاجِلِ

فَلَيسَ لَها مِثلُ الصَبوحِ المُعاجِلِ

Then rise, drink it this morning, and shake off its hangover,

Rise, greet the morn, and shake off its intoxication,

"So rise and take the morning draught; banish your hangover,"

For nothing cures it like a prompt morning draught.”

For nothing compares to the hastening dawn."

"For nothing cures it like a hasty morning cup."

فَما زالَ حَتّى ذاقَها مُتَكَرِّهاً

فَما زالَ حَتّى ذاقَها مُتَكَرِّهاً

فَرَدَّت إِلَيهِ روحَهُ في المَفاصِلِ

فَرَدَّت إِلَيهِ روحَهُ في المَفاصِلِ

So he stayed that way until he tasted it reluctantly,

He did not stop until he tasted it reluctantly,

He hesitated until he tasted it with reluctance,

Then it restored his spirit to him, within his joints.

Restoring his spirit to his limbs.

Then it restored his spirit into his very joints,

وَحَتّى تَغَنّى لاهِياً مُتَطَرِّباً

وَحَتّى تَغَنّى لاهِياً مُتَطَرِّباً

غِناءَ عَميدِ القَلبِ نَشوَنَ ناحِلِ

غِناءَ عَميدِ القَلبِ نَشوَنَ ناحِلِ

And at last he sang, carefree and rapturous,

Until he sang blithely and merrily

Until he began to sing, carefree and enraptured,

The song of a heartsick man, drunken and gaunt:

The song of love's master, prolific and fertile.

The song of a lovesick heart, intoxicated and wasting away:

خَليلَيَّ عوجا مِن صُدورِ الرَواحِلِ

خَليلَيَّ عوجا مِن صُدورِ الرَواحِلِ

بِجُمهورِ حُزوى فَابكِيا في المَنازِلِ

بِجُمهورِ حُزوى فَابكِيا في المَنازِلِ

“My two friends, turn aside from the breasts of the riding camels,

Oh my two friends, crooked of heart,

"O my two friends, turn aside the chests of your riding camels"

At Huzwā's great sandhill, then weep among the dwellings.”

Weep with the bereaved in their homes.

"At the sands of Huzwa, and weep over the deserted campsites."