أَعاذِلُ ما غَنيتُ عَنِ المُدامِ

أَعاذِلُ ما غَنيتُ عَنِ المُدامِ

فَلا تُكثِر مَلامَةَ مُستَهامِ

فَلا تُكثِر مَلامَةَ مُستَهامِ

O reproacher, I have never ceased to need wine.

O critic, I have never ceased my need for wine,

So do not heap reproach on one mad with love.

So do not pile reproach upon a heart distracted by passion.

أَعاذِلُ ما هَجَرتُ الكَأسَ يَوماً

أَعاذِلُ ما هَجَرتُ الكَأسَ يَوماً

وَلا قَصَّرتُ في طَلَبِ الحَرامِ

وَلا قَصَّرتُ في طَلَبِ الحَرامِ

O reproacher, I have never forsaken the cup a single day,

O critic, never for a single day have I abandoned the cup,

Nor have I slackened in pursuing the forbidden.

Nor have I fallen short in seeking out the forbidden.

وَلا اِستَبطَأتُ نَفسي عَن مُجونٍ

وَلا اِستَبطَأتُ نَفسي عَن مُجونٍ

وَلا عَطَّلتُ سَمعي مِن مَلامِ

وَلا عَطَّلتُ سَمعي مِن مَلامِ

Nor have I found myself slow to indulge in wantonness,

I have never held my soul back from libertine pleasure,

Nor have I deprived my ears of reproach.

Nor have I kept my ears free from the sound of blame.

وَلا اِستَصحَبتُ في دَهري لَئيماً

وَلا اِستَصحَبتُ في دَهري لَئيماً

بَرَأتُ مِنَ اللَئيمِ إِلى اللِئامِ

بَرَأتُ مِنَ اللَئيمِ إِلى اللِئامِ

Nor have I taken a base man as a companion in my lifetime;

Never in my life have I taken a base man as a companion;

I have disowned the base man before the base men.

I absolve myself of the wretch, and of all wretched people.

وَلَكِنَّ الكِرامَ لَهُم صَفائي

وَلَكِنَّ الكِرامَ لَهُم صَفائي

وَقَد يَصبو الكَريمُ إِلى الكِرامِ

وَقَد يَصبو الكَريمُ إِلى الكِرامِ

But the noble have my sincere affection,

But the noble ones—to them belongs my sincere affection,

And a noble man may yearn for the noble.

For the noble soul naturally inclines toward the noble.

وَشاطِرَةٍ تَتيهُ بِحُسنِ وَجهٍ

وَشاطِرَةٍ تَتيهُ بِحُسنِ وَجهٍ

كَضَوءِ البَرقِ في جُنحِ الظَلامِ

كَضَوءِ البَرقِ في جُنحِ الظَلامِ

And a roguish girl, proud of her lovely face,

And many a roguish girl, strutting with the beauty of her face,

Like lightning's gleam in the wing of darkness,

Like a flash of lightning in the wing of darkness.

رَأَت زِيَّ الغُلامِ أَتَمَّ حُسناً

رَأَت زِيَّ الغُلامِ أَتَمَّ حُسناً

وَأَدنى لِلفُسوقِ وَلِلأَثامِ

وَأَدنى لِلفُسوقِ وَلِلأَثامِ

Found a boy's garb more perfect in beauty

She deemed the guise of a pageboy to be the perfection of beauty,

And closer to debauchery and sin.

And closer to debauchery and sin.

فَما زالَت تُصَرِّفُ فيهِ حَتّى

فَما زالَت تُصَرِّفُ فيهِ حَتّى

حَكَتهُ في الفِعالِ وَفي الكَلامِ

حَكَتهُ في الفِعالِ وَفي الكَلامِ

So she kept working at it until

She kept adapting herself to this role until

She imitated him in deeds and in speech.

She mimicked the boy in both deed and speech.

وَراحَت تَستَطيلُ عَلى الجَواري

وَراحَت تَستَطيلُ عَلى الجَواري

بِفَضلٍ في الشَطارَةِ وَالغَرامِ

بِفَضلٍ في الشَطارَةِ وَالغَرامِ

And she began to lord it over the slave girls,

She began to lord it over the other maidens,

Through her superiority in roguery and passion.

By virtue of her excess cunning and amorous passion.

تَعافُ الدَفَّ تَكريهاً وَفَتكاً

تَعافُ الدَفَّ تَكريهاً وَفَتكاً

وَتَلعَبُ لِلمَجانَةِ بِالحَمامِ

وَتَلعَبُ لِلمَجانَةِ بِالحَمامِ

She spurns the frame drum in loathing and reckless daring,

She scorns the tambourine out of aversion and bold rebellion,

And plays with pigeons for wanton amusement.

And plays with pigeons for the sake of wanton impudence.

وَيَدعوها إِلى الطُنبورِ حِذقٌ

وَيَدعوها إِلى الطُنبورِ حِذقٌ

إِذا دارَت مُعَتَّقَةُ المُدامِ

إِذا دارَت مُعَتَّقَةُ المُدامِ

And skill calls her to the tanbur lute

Yet sheer skill calls her to the lute

When the aged wine goes round.

Whenever the aged wine circulates.

وَتَغدو لِلصَوالِجِ كُلَّ يَومٍ

وَتَغدو لِلصَوالِجِ كُلَّ يَومٍ

وَتَرمي بِالبَنادِقِ وَالسِهامِ

وَتَرمي بِالبَنادِقِ وَالسِهامِ

And every day she goes out to play with polo mallets,

Every day she rides out with polo mallets,

And shoots pellets and arrows.

Shooting with pellets and arrows.

تُرَجِّلُ شَعرَها وَتُطيلُ صُدغاً

تُرَجِّلُ شَعرَها وَتُطيلُ صُدغاً

وَتَلوي كُمَّها فِعلَ الغُلامِ

وَتَلوي كُمَّها فِعلَ الغُلامِ

She combs her hair and lets a sidelock grow long,

She styles her hair and lengthens her sidelocks,

And rolls up her sleeve as a boy does.

And rolls up her sleeve in the manner of a boy.

أَنا اِبنُ الخَمرِ ما لي عَن غِذاها

أَنا اِبنُ الخَمرِ ما لي عَن غِذاها

إِلى وَقتِ المَنِيَّةِ مِن فِطامِ

إِلى وَقتِ المَنِيَّةِ مِن فِطامِ

I am wine's son; from her nourishment I shall not

I am the son of wine; I have no existence without its nourishment,

Be weaned until the hour of death.

Nor shall I be weaned from it until the hour of death.

أُجِلُّ عَنِ اللَئيمِ الكَأسَ حَتّى

أُجِلُّ عَنِ اللَئيمِ الكَأسَ حَتّى

كَأَنَّ الخَمرَ تَعصُرُ مِن عِظامي

كَأَنَّ الخَمرَ تَعصُرُ مِن عِظامي

I hold the cup so far above the base man

I exalt the cup far above the base man,

That it is as though the wine were pressed from my bones.

As though the wine were pressed from my very bones.

وَأَسقيها مِنَ الفِتيانِ مِثلي

وَأَسقيها مِنَ الفِتيانِ مِثلي

فَتَختالُ الكَريمَةُ بِالكِرامِ

فَتَختالُ الكَريمَةُ بِالكِرامِ

And I serve her to young men like myself,

I pour it only for young gallants like myself,

So the noble wine struts among the noble.

So the noble vintage may strut proudly among the noble.