أَدِرها عَلَينا مَزَّةً بابِليَّةً

أَدِرها عَلَينا مَزَّةً بابِليَّةً

تَخَيَّرَها الجاني عَلى عَهدِ قَيصَرا

تَخَيَّرَها الجاني عَلى عَهدِ قَيصَرا

Pass round to us a tart Babylonian wine,

Pour for us wine from Babylon,

Pass round to us the tart Babylonian draught,

Which the harvester chose in Caesar's time.

Chosen by the sommelier in Caesar's time.

Selected by the vintner in the age of Caesar;

عِقارٌ أَبوها الماءُ وَالكَرمُ أُمَّها

عِقارٌ أَبوها الماءُ وَالكَرمُ أُمَّها

وَفي كَأسِها تَحكي المُلاءُ المُزَعفَرا

وَفي كَأسِها تَحكي المُلاءُ المُزَعفَرا

A wine whose father is water and whose mother is the vine,

Its nature is water and the vineyard, its mother.

A wine whose father is rain, whose mother the vine,

And in its cup it resembles saffron-dyed cloth.

And in its cup ancient songs flow like saffron.

Resembling, in the cup, a saffron-dyed robe.

فَما الطَيشُ إِلّا أَن تَرانِيَ صاحِياً

فَما الطَيشُ إِلّا أَن تَرانِيَ صاحِياً

وَما العَيشُ إِلّا أَن أَلَذَّ فَأَسكَرا

وَما العَيشُ إِلّا أَن أَلَذَّ فَأَسكَرا

For folly is nothing but your seeing me sober,

Drunkenness is nothing but seeing me sober,

For folly is nothing but to see me sober,

And life is nothing but my taking pleasure and then getting drunk.

And life is nothing but to taste sweetness and grow drunk.

And life is nothing but to revel and get drunk.