إِصدَع نَجِيَّ الهُمومِ بِالطَرَبِ

إِصدَع نَجِيَّ الهُمومِ بِالطَرَبِ

وَاِنعَم عَلى الدَهرِ بِاِبنَةِ العِنَبِ

وَاِنعَم عَلى الدَهرِ بِاِبنَةِ العِنَبِ

Break up the secret council of cares with delight.

Shatter the intimate companion of sorrows with mirth,

And revel, throughout time, in the daughter of the grape.

And seek bliss against the turn of time with the daughter of the grape.

وَاِستَقبِلِ العَيشَ في غَضارَتِهِ

وَاِستَقبِلِ العَيشَ في غَضارَتِهِ

لا تَقفُ مِنهُ آثارَ مُعتَقَبِ

لا تَقفُ مِنهُ آثارَ مُعتَقَبِ

And welcome life in its lush prime;

Welcome life in the bloom of its lush freshness;

Do not seek in it the traces of what comes after.

Do not follow the traces of what has passed and gone.

مِن قَهوَةٍ زانَها تَقادُمُها

مِن قَهوَةٍ زانَها تَقادُمُها

فَهيَ عَجوزٌ تَعلو عَلى الحُقُبِ

فَهيَ عَجوزٌ تَعلو عَلى الحُقُبِ

With wine adorned by her long aging—

Drink of a vintage wine, adorned by its antiquity,

For she is an old woman towering above the ages.

For she is an aged crone who rises above the epochs.

دَهرِيَةٌ قَد مَضَت شَبيبَتُها

دَهرِيَةٌ قَد مَضَت شَبيبَتُها

وَاِستَنشَقَتها سَوالِفُ الحِقَبِ

وَاِستَنشَقَتها سَوالِفُ الحِقَبِ

Age-old, her youth has already passed,

Ancient and eternal, her youth has long departed,

And bygone ages have breathed her in.

And the bygone eras have breathed her in deep.

كَأَنَّها في زُجاجِها قَبَسٌ

كَأَنَّها في زُجاجِها قَبَسٌ

يَذكو بِلا سَورَةٍ وَلا لَهَبِ

يَذكو بِلا سَورَةٍ وَلا لَهَبِ

She is like a firebrand within her glass,

As if, within her glass, she is a kindled ember,

Glowing without a fiery surge or flame.

Glowing intensely without violence or flame.

فَهيَ بِغَيرِ المِزاجِ مِن شَرَرٍ

فَهيَ بِغَيرِ المِزاجِ مِن شَرَرٍ

وَهيَ إِذا صُفِّقَت مِنَ الذَهَبِ

وَهيَ إِذا صُفِّقَت مِنَ الذَهَبِ

For, unmixed, she is made of sparks,

Before the mixing, she is composed of scattered sparks,

And when mixed, she is made of gold.

And once decanted, she is wrought of gold.

إِذا جَرى الماءُ في جَوانِبِها

إِذا جَرى الماءُ في جَوانِبِها

هَيَّجَ مِنها كَوامِنَ الشَغَبِ

هَيَّجَ مِنها كَوامِنَ الشَغَبِ

When water flows along her sides,

When water courses through her vessel's sides,

It rouses the hidden tumult within her.

It stirs up her latent, hidden tumults.

فَاِضطَرَبَت تَحتَهُ تُزاحِمُهُ

فَاِضطَرَبَت تَحتَهُ تُزاحِمُهُ

ثُمَّ تَناهَت تَفتَرُّ عَن حَبَبِ

ثُمَّ تَناهَت تَفتَرُّ عَن حَبَبِ

Then she churns beneath it, jostling it,

She churns beneath it, jostling for space,

Then subsides, smiling to reveal bubbles.

Then settles, smiling with a set of bubbles.

يا حُسنَها مِن بَنانِ ذي خَنَثٍ

يا حُسنَها مِن بَنانِ ذي خَنَثٍ

تَدعوكَ أَجفانُهُ إِلى الرِيَبِ

تَدعوكَ أَجفانُهُ إِلى الرِيَبِ

How lovely she is from the fingers of an effeminate man,

Oh, the beauty of the cup in the fingertips of a delicate youth,

Whose eyelids beckon you toward dubious deeds.

Whose heavy eyelids summon you to illicit desires.

فَاِذكُر صَباحَ العُقارِ وَاِسمُ بِهِ

فَاِذكُر صَباحَ العُقارِ وَاِسمُ بِهِ

لا بِصَباحِ الحُروبِ وَالعَطَبِ

لا بِصَباحِ الحُروبِ وَالعَطَبِ

So celebrate the morning of wine, and exalt yourself through it,

So praise the morning draught of wine and ascend by it,

Not through the morning of wars and ruin.

Not the morning of warfare and ruin.

أَحسَنُ مِن مَوقِفٍ بِمُعتَرَكٍ

أَحسَنُ مِن مَوقِفٍ بِمُعتَرَكٍ

وَرَكضِ خَيلٍ عَلى هَلا وَهَبِ

وَرَكضِ خَيلٍ عَلى هَلا وَهَبِ

Better than a stand on a battlefield,

For better than a stance taken on a battlefield,

And the galloping of horses to cries of 'Halā!' and 'Hab!',

And the galloping of horses to cries of attack and command,

صَيحَةُ ساقٍ بِحابِسٍ قَدَحا

صَيحَةُ ساقٍ بِحابِسٍ قَدَحا

وَصَبرُ مُستَكرِهٍ لِمُنتَحِبِ

وَصَبرُ مُستَكرِهٍ لِمُنتَحِبِ

Are a cupbearer's shout at one who lingers over a cup,

Is the call of a cupbearer to one withholding the cup,

And a coercer's patience with a sobbing man,

And the patience of a reluctant soul listening to a lament.

وَرِدفُ ظَبيٍ إِذا اِمتَطَيتَ بِهِ

وَرِدفُ ظَبيٍ إِذا اِمتَطَيتَ بِهِ

أَعطاكَ بَينَ التَقريبِ وَالخَبَبِ

أَعطاكَ بَينَ التَقريبِ وَالخَبَبِ

And a gazelle's rump, which, when you mount him,

And the haunches of a gazelle, which, if you were to mount,

Gives you a pace between a canter and a trot.

Would offer you a gait between a gallop and a trot.

يَصلُحُ لِلسَيفِ وَالقَباءِ كَما

يَصلُحُ لِلسَيفِ وَالقَباءِ كَما

يَصلُحُ لِلبارِقَينِ وَالسُحُبِ

يَصلُحُ لِلبارِقَينِ وَالسُحُبِ

He suits the sword and the tunic, just as

He is suited for the sword and the military tunic, just as

He suits the two glittering ornaments and trailing robes.

He is suited for the flashing lightning and the rain-clouds.

حَلَّ عَلى وَجهِهِ الجَمالُ كَما

حَلَّ عَلى وَجهِهِ الجَمالُ كَما

حَلَّ يَزيدٌ مَعالِيَ الرُتَبِ

حَلَّ يَزيدٌ مَعالِيَ الرُتَبِ

Beauty has settled upon his face, just as

Beauty has settled upon his face, just as

Yazid has settled in the loftiest ranks.

Yazid has settled in the highest of ranks.