ذَكَرَhe recalled الصَبوحَthe morning draught بِسُحرَةٍbefore dawn فَاِرتاحاso he rejoiced
ذَكَرَ الصَبوحَ بِسُحرَةٍ فَاِرتاحا
وَأَمَلَّهُand wearied him ديكُthe cock of الصَباحِmorning صِياحاwith crowing
وَأَمَلَّهُ ديكُ الصَباحِ صِياحا
He recalled the morning draught before dawn and rejoiced,
The dawn heralded the morning with its charm,
He recalled the morning draught at dawn and found relief, / Though the crowing of the morning cock wearied him.
And the dawn cock wearied him with crowing.
As the rooster announced hope with its crowing.
Perched high upon the crest of the wall in the gloom, / Warbling aloud, clapping wing against wing.
أَوفىit perched عَلىon شَعَفِthe crest of الجِدارِthe wall بِسُدفَةٍin the half-light
أَوفى عَلى شَعَفِ الجِدارِ بِسُدفَةٍ
غَرِداًsinging يُصَفِّقُit beats بِالجَناحِwith a wing جَناحاa wing
غَرِداً يُصَفِّقُ بِالجَناحِ جَناحا
It perched on the wall's crest in the half-light,
It sang sweetly atop the garden wall,
Hasten to your morning with the dawn-cup, and be not / Like those procrastinators who have grown stingy toward you.
Singing, beating wing against wing.
Flapping and clapping its wings.
For the morning draught clears the head of every reveler / Whose hands have raced the sunrise to the cup.
بادِرhasten to صَباحَكَyour morning بِالصَبوحِwith the morning draught وَلاتَكُنand do not be
بادِر صَباحَكَ بِالصَبوحِ وَلاتَكُن
كَمُسَوِّفينَlike procrastinators غَدَواthey became عَلَيكَtoward you شِحاحاstingy
كَمُسَوِّفينَ غَدَوا عَلَيكَ شِحاحا
Greet your morning promptly with wine, and do not be
Begin your morning early, delay no more
And a boon companion of pleasures, a diverting friend, / From whom one gleans the sustenance of wit and jest.
Like procrastinators who have grown stingy toward you.
Lest sluggish be your leaving.
I roused him while the night was still entangled with him, / And brushed away his drowsiness until it withdrew.
إِنَّindeed الصَبوحَthe morning draught جِلاءُa restorative for كُلِّevery مُخَمِّرٍhungover drinker
إِنَّ الصَبوحَ جِلاءُ كُلِّ مُخَمِّرٍ
بَدَرَتoutstripped يَداهُhis hands بُكَأسِهِwith his cup الإِصباحاdaybreak
بَدَرَت يَداهُ بُكَأسِهِ الإِصباحا
Indeed, the morning draught restores every hungover drinker
Verily dawn releases all intoxicants—
He said, "Seek out the lamp for me." I replied, "Gently now; / Her radiance suffices us both for a lamp."
Whose hands raced ahead of daybreak with his cup.
Its gleaming cup brings joy each morning.
So I poured into the glass a draught of her / That served as morning for him, until the true morning.
وَخَدينِand many an intimate of لَذّاتٍpleasures مُعَلَّلِa delight to صاحِبٍa friend
وَخَدينِ لَذّاتٍ مُعَلَّلِ صاحِبٍ
يَقتاتُhe feeds مِنهُfrom him فُكاهَةًwit وَمُزاحاand banter
يَقتاتُ مِنهُ فُكاهَةً وَمُزاحا
And many a companion in pleasure, a delight to his friend,
Laughter and jest bubbles forth from sweet lips,
From a vintage that came to you unadorned before the mix, / But the tempering water clothed her in a sash.
Who feeds on his wit and banter—
A noble host of mirth and rhyme.
The spigot pierced her heart, and it seemed as if / She gifted you apples through her fragrance.
نَبَّهتُهُI roused him وَاللَيلُwhile the night مُلتَبِسٌwas wrapped بِهِaround him
نَبَّهتُهُ وَاللَيلُ مُلتَبِسٌ بِهِ
وَأَزَحتُand I drove away عَنهُfrom him حُثاثَهُhis slumber فَاِنزاحاso it withdrew
وَأَزَحتُ عَنهُ حُثاثَهُ فَاِنزاحا
I roused him while night still enfolded him,
I awakened him as night still gripped him fast,
A golden vintage that preys upon souls, yet you see / No wounds inflicted by her, save for slumber.
And drove his slumber from him, and it fled.
And hastily did I remove his covers.
Long has she aged, with Time concealing her story, / Until, growing weary of silence, he revealed it.
قالَhe said اِبغِنيfind me المِصباحَthe lamp قُلتُI said لَهُto him اِتئدwait
قالَ اِبغِني المِصباحَ قُلتُ لَهُ اِتئد
حَسبيenough for me وَحَسبُكَand enough for you ضَوءُهاits light مِصباحاas a lamp
حَسبي وَحَسبُكَ ضَوءُها مِصباحا
He said, 'Find me the lamp.' I told him, 'Wait—
“Bring me the lantern” cried he out. I replied—
He laid bare a repository of her secrets, / Which, but for his weariness, would never have been known.
Its light is lamp enough for you and me.'
Enough, enough the lantern’s glow!
She came to you in forms infiltrated by decay, / But he stripped them away, establishing her pure spirit.
فَسَكَبتُso I poured مِنهاsome of it فيinto الزُجاجَةِthe glass شَربَةًa draught
فَسَكَبتُ مِنها في الزُجاجَةِ شَربَةً
كانَتit was لَهُfor him حَتّىuntil الصَباحِdaybreak صَباحاa dawn
كانَت لَهُ حَتّى الصَباحِ صَباحا
So I poured a draught of it into the glass;
Instead, within the glass I poured a drink—
As though she, while the cup blazed bright with her, / Were a morning whose time drew near, and so it broke.
It served him as dawn until daybreak.
Coffee to greet the cock’s refrain.
مِنof قَهوَةٍwine جاءَتكَit came to you قَبلَbefore مِزاجِهاits dilution
مِن قَهوَةٍ جاءَتكَ قَبلَ مِزاجِها
عُطُلاًunadorned فَأَلبَسَهاthen clothed it in المِزاجُthe mixing water وِشاحاa sash
عُطُلاً فَأَلبَسَها المِزاجُ وِشاحا
Of wine that came to you, before it was mixed,
The potion came too soon, mixed too fast,
Unadorned; then the mixing water dressed it in a sash.
So attire did the brewer lend.
شَكَّpierced البِزالُthe tap فُؤادَهاits heart فَكَأَنَّماand it was as though
شَكَّ البِزالُ فُؤادَها فَكَأَنَّما
أَهدَتit offered as a gift إِلَيكَto you بِريحِهاwith its fragrance تُفّاحاapples
أَهدَت إِلَيكَ بِريحِها تُفّاحا
The tap pierced its heart, and it was as though
The fragrance rose and moved his heart—
It offered you apples in its fragrance.
Its scent brought apples bounteous.
صَفراءُgolden-yellow تَفتَرِسُit devours النُفوسَsouls فَلاyet not تَرىyou see
صَفراءُ تَفتَرِسُ النُفوسَ فَلا تَرى
مِنهاfrom it بِهِنَّin them سِوىexcept السِناتِdrowsy spells جِراحاwounds
مِنها بِهِنَّ سِوى السِناتِ جِراحا
Golden-yellow, it devours souls, yet you see
A yellow seductress of souls, that spares—
No wounds in them from it, save drowsiness.
No tender flesh from clawing scars
عَمِرَتit aged يُكاتِمُكَkeeps hidden from you الزَمانُTime حَديثَهاits story
عَمِرَت يُكاتِمُكَ الزَمانُ حَديثَها
حَتّىuntil إِذاwhen بَلَغَhe reached السَآمَةَweariness باحاhe spoke out
حَتّى إِذا بَلَغَ السَآمَةَ باحا
It aged while Time kept its story hidden from you,
It kept you, as time told tales secretly
Until, when he grew weary, he spoke out.
Until boredom made him share confessions,
فَأَباحَso he disclosed مِنof أَسرارِهاits secrets مُستَودَعاًa hidden store
فَأَباحَ مِن أَسرارِها مُستَودَعاً
لَولاbut for المِلالَةُboredom لَمnot يَكُنit would have been لِيُباحاto be disclosed
لَولا المِلالَةُ لَم يَكُن لِيُباحا
So he disclosed a hidden store of its secrets
A storehouse of secrets now laid bare—
That, but for boredom, would never have been revealed.
But for weariness, never told at all.
فَأَتَتكَso it came to you فيin صُوَرٍforms تَداخَلَهاpermeated them البِلىdecay
فَأَتَتكَ في صُوَرٍ تَداخَلَها البِلى
فَأَزالَهُنَّso it erased them وَأَثبَتَand preserved الأَرواحاthe spirits
فَأَزالَهُنَّ وَأَثبَتَ الأَرواحا
So it came to you in forms that decay had permeated;
It came to you in shapes worn by age
So decay erased those forms and preserved the spirits.
That he swiftly renews, as specters ethereal.
فَكَأَنَّهاso it was as though it وَالكَأسُwhile the cup ساطِعَةٌwas radiant بِهاwith it
فَكَأَنَّها وَالكَأسُ ساطِعَةٌ بِها
صُبحٌdawn تَقارَبَdrew near أَمرُهُits hour فَاِنصاحاthen burst into light
صُبحٌ تَقارَبَ أَمرُهُ فَاِنصاحا
So, as the cup shone with it, it was like
So that, as the cup shines, bright within,
Dawn, its hour at hand, bursting into light.
The morn draws nigh, clear and crisp.
Partial English translation: 15 of 30 Arabic lines translated.