جَرَيتُ مَعَ الصِبا طَلقَ الجُموحِ

جَرَيتُ مَعَ الصِبا طَلقَ الجُموحِ

وَهانَ عَلَيَّ مَأثورُ القَبيحِ

وَهانَ عَلَيَّ مَأثورُ القَبيحِ

I raced with youthful passion, wild and unbridled,

I ran with youthful passion, giving it free rein,

And tales of shameful deeds mattered little to me.

And the scandal of shameful deeds mattered little to me.

وَجَدتُ أَلَذَّ عارِيَةِ اللَيالي

وَجَدتُ أَلَذَّ عارِيَةِ اللَيالي

قِرانَ النَغمِ بِالوَتَرِ الفَصيحِ

قِرانَ النَغمِ بِالوَتَرِ الفَصيحِ

And I found the sweetest loan of the nights

I found the most delicious of the nights' borrowed gifts

To be the union of melody with the eloquent string.

To be the union of melody with the eloquent string,

وَمُسمِعَةٍ إِذا ما شِئتُ غَنَّت

وَمُسمِعَةٍ إِذا ما شِئتُ غَنَّت

مَتى كانَ الخِيامُ بِذي طُلوحِ

مَتى كانَ الخِيامُ بِذي طُلوحِ

And many a songstress sang whenever I wished:

And a songstress who, whenever I wished, would sing:

"When were the tents at Dhu Tuluh?"

"When were the tents pitched at Dhi Tuluh?"

تَمَتَّع مِن شَبابٍ لَيسَ يَبقى

تَمَتَّع مِن شَبابٍ لَيسَ يَبقى

وَصِل بِعُرى الغَبوقِ عُرى الصَبوحِ

وَصِل بِعُرى الغَبوقِ عُرى الصَبوحِ

Enjoy youth, which will not last,

Enjoy a youth that will not endure,

And join the bonds of morning drinking to those of evening drinking.

And join the bonds of the evening draught with those of the morning cup.

وَخُذها مِن مُشَعشِعَةٍ كُمَيتٍ

وَخُذها مِن مُشَعشِعَةٍ كُمَيتٍ

تُنَزِّلُ دِرَّةَ الرَجُلِ الشَحيحِ

تُنَزِّلُ دِرَّةَ الرَجُلِ الشَحيحِ

And take a draught of gleaming, dark-red wine

And take it from a sparkling, dark-red vintage,

That makes a miserly man's bounty flow.

That draws forth bounty even from the miserly man.

تَخَيَّرَها لِكِسرى رائِداهُ

تَخَيَّرَها لِكِسرى رائِداهُ

لَها حَظّانِ مِن لَونٍ وَريحِ

لَها حَظّانِ مِن لَونٍ وَريحِ

His two scouts chose it for Kisra;

A wine chosen for Khosrow by his purveyors,

It has two merits: color and fragrance.

Possessing a double fortune of color and fragrance.

أَلَم تَرَني أَبَحتُ الراحَ عِرضي

أَلَم تَرَني أَبَحتُ الراحَ عِرضي

وَعَضَّ مَراشِفِ الظَبيِ المَليحِ

وَعَضَّ مَراشِفِ الظَبيِ المَليحِ

Did you not see me yield my honor to wine

Do you not see that I have offered my honor to the wine,

And to biting the lips of the lovely gazelle?

And to biting the lips of the comely gazelle?

لِأَنّي عالِمٌ أَن سَوفَ تَنأى

لِأَنّي عالِمٌ أَن سَوفَ تَنأى

مَسافَةُ بَينِ جُثماني وَروحي

مَسافَةُ بَينِ جُثماني وَروحي

For I know that it will widen—

For I know that the distance shall soon widen

The distance between my body and my soul.

Between my body and my soul.