1. وَخَمرٍ كَعَينِ الديكِ صَبَّحتُ سِحرَةً

    وَقَد هَمَّ نَجمُ اللَيلِ بِالخَفَقانِ

    And wine like a rooster's eye I drank before dawn,

    while the star of night was about to set.

  2. نَدَبتُ لَها الخَمّارَ فَانصاعَ مُسرِعاً

    إِلى عِدَّةٍ مِن حَنتَمٍ وَدِنانِ

    I summoned the wine merchant for it, and he hurried off

    to an array of green-glazed jars and wine vats.

  3. دِراسَتُهُ الإِنجيلُ حَولَ دِنانِهِ

    بَصيرٌ بِبَذلِ الدِنِّ وَالكَيَلانِ

    His reading was the Gospel, beside his wine jars;

    he was skilled in dispensing the jar's wine and measuring it out.

  4. فَوَدَّجَها مِن جانِبَيها كِلَيهُما

    فَلِلَّهِ ماذا أَبرَزَ الوَدَجانِ

    Then he slit its jugular veins on both sides—

    and, by God, what those two veins brought forth!

  5. سُخامِيَّةٌ لَم يَقطَعِ السِنُّ مَتنَها

    لَها مُذ ثَوَت في دَنِّها سَنَتانِ

    A silky wine, whose back age had not broken;

    two years had passed since it settled in its jar.

  6. تَرى الكَأسَ في كَفِّ المُديرِ كَأَنَّها

    عَلى راحَتَيهِ كَوكَبُ الدَبَرانِ

    You see the cup in the cup-passer's hand, as though it were

    the star Aldebaran upon his two palms.

  7. إِذا شَجَّها الساقي بِماءٍ رَأَيتَها

    مُكَلَّلَةَ الأُعلى بِطَوقِ جُمانِ

    When the cupbearer dilutes it with water, you see it

    crowned at the top with a necklace of pearls.

  8. وَقَد دارَ ساقيها بِها ذا قُراطِقٍ

    تُناطُ بِأَعلى ساعِدٍ وَبَنانِ

    And its cupbearer went round with it, wearing short tunics

    fastened at the upper forearm and fingertips.

  9. فَيَأخُذُ مِنها لَونُهُ بَعضَ لَونِها

    فَلَوناهُما في الخَدِّ يَطَّرِدانِ

    So his complexion takes from it some of its color,

    and their two colors course together in his cheek.