عُجturn aside لِلوُقوفِto stop عَلىover راحٍwine وَرَيحانِand sweet basil
عُج لِلوُقوفِ عَلى راحٍ وَرَيحانِ
فَماfor ... not الوُقوفُstopping عَلىover الأَطلالِthe ruins مِنof شانيmy way
فَما الوُقوفُ عَلى الأَطلالِ مِن شاني
Turn aside to linger over wine and sweet basil,
Hasten to stand at the meadows and basil,
Turn aside to rest by wine and sweet basil,
For lingering over ruins is not my way.
For standing at the ruins is no glory.
For standing over ruins is not my way.
لاdo not تَبكِيَنَّweep عَلىover رَسمٍa campsite's trace وَلاnor طَلَلٍa ruined dwelling
لا تَبكِيَنَّ عَلى رَسمٍ وَلا طَلَلٍ
وَاِقصِدand seek عُقاراًwine كَعَينِlike the eye of الديكِthe rooster نَدمانيmy drinking companion
وَاِقصِد عُقاراً كَعَينِ الديكِ نَدماني
Do not weep over a trace or a ruined dwelling;
Weep not for a picture or remnants,
Do not weep for traces left, nor crumbled walls,
And seek wine like a rooster's eye, my drinking companion.
And head for juice like the rooster's regretful eye.
But seek the wine, red as a rooster's eye, my friend.
سُلافُchoicest wine دَنٍّa wine jar إِذاwhen ماemphatic particle الماءُwater خالَطَهاmingled with it
سُلافُ دَنٍّ إِذا ما الماءُ خالَطَها
فاحَتgave off fragrance كَماas فاحَgave off fragrance تُفّاحٌapples بِلُبنانِin Lebanon
فاحَت كَما فاحَ تُفّاحٌ بِلُبنانِ
The choicest wine of a jar: when water mingles with it,
A morning draught, when water mixes in,
Choice vintage of the cask, which, when mixed with water,
It gives off fragrance as apples do in Lebanon.
Smells like an apple among the milk.
Exhales a fragrance like apples in Lebanon.
كَالمِسكِlike musk إِنif بُزِلَتit was tapped وَالسَبكِand molten metal إِنif سُكِبَتit was poured
كَالمِسكِ إِن بُزِلَت وَالسَبكِ إِن سُكِبَت
تَحكيresembles إِذاwhen مُزِجَتit was mixed إِكليلَa wreath of مَرجانِcoral
تَحكي إِذا مُزِجَت إِكليلَ مَرجانِ
Like musk when tapped, and like molten metal when poured,
Like musk if it spills, and amber if it pours,
Like musk when broached, like molten gold when poured,
When mixed, it resembles a wreath of coral.
It tells, when blended, a necklace of coral.
Resembling, when diluted, a crown of coral beads.
صَهباءُtawny صافِيَةٌclear عَذراءُvirgin ناصِعَةٌradiant
صَهباءُ صافِيَةٌ عَذراءُ ناصِعَةٌ
لِلسُقمِagainst sickness دافِعَةٌwarding off مِنfrom كَرمِthe vineyard of دِهقانِa Persian landowner
لِلسُقمِ دافِعَةٌ مِن كَرمِ دِهقانِ
Tawny, clear, virgin, radiant,
A pure, sparkling, chaste white,
A golden-red elixir, pure, virgin, and bright,
Warding off sickness, from a Persian landowner's vineyard.
Repelling illness with generosity.
Warding off sickness, from a landlord’s noble vine.
كَرمٌa vineyard تَخالُyou would imagine عَلىon قُضبانِbranches نَخلَتِهِits palm tree
كَرمٌ تَخالُ عَلى قُضبانِ نَخلَتِهِ
يَومَon the day of القِطافِthe harvest لَهُfor it هاماتِheads of حُبشانِAbyssinians
يَومَ القِطافِ لَهُ هاماتِ حُبشانِ
A vineyard on whose palm-tree's branches you would fancy,
A generosity whose palm fronds on its trees
A vine upon whose trellises you would imagine,
On harvest day, heads of Abyssinians.
Appear like the forelocks of Ethiopians on harvest day.
On harvest day, the hanging heads of Abyssinians.
لَمdid not تَدنُcome near مِنهاfrom it يَدٌa hand مُذsince يَومِthe day of قَطفَتِهاits picking
لَم تَدنُ مِنها يَدٌ مُذ يَومِ قَطفَتِها
وَلَمand not تُعَذَّبbe tormented بِتَدخينٍwith smoking وَنيرانِand fires
وَلَم تُعَذَّب بِتَدخينٍ وَنيرانِ
No hand had come near it since the day it was picked,
No hand has touched it since it was picked,
No hand has touched it since the day it was plucked,
Nor had it been tormented by smoke and fires,
Nor tortured by smoking and fire.
Nor was it tormented by smoke or by fire.
حَتّىuntil إِذاwhen عُقِرَتit was pierced سالَتflowed سُلالَتُهاits extracted essence
حَتّى إِذا عُقِرَت سالَت سُلالَتُها
فيin قَعرِthe bottom of مَعصَرَةٍa winepress كَالعَندَمِlike red dye القانيdeep crimson
في قَعرِ مَعصَرَةٍ كَالعَندَمِ القاني
Until, when it was pierced, its essence flowed
Until when it was tapped its juice flowed
Until, when the cask was pierced, its lineage flowed,
In the bottom of a winepress, like deep-crimson dye.
Into the depths of a vat like heated honey.
Into the press’s depths, red as dragon's blood.
وَحَولَهاand around it حارِسٌa guard ذوhaving صَلعَةٍa bald head شَكِسٌill-tempered
وَحَولَها حارِسٌ ذو صَلعَةٍ شَكِسٌ
عِلجٌa burly foreigner يَدورُgoes about أَخوwearer of طِمرٍa ragged garment وَتُبّانِand short drawers
عِلجٌ يَدورُ أَخو طِمرٍ وَتُبّانِ
And around it, a bald, ill-tempered guard,
Around it a bald, broken guard,
Guarded by a surly, bald-headed keeper,
A burly foreigner pacing about, wearing a ragged garment and short drawers.
A worn horse the brother of ashes and straw.
A barbarian prowling in rags and short breeches.
سَلسالَةُsmooth الطَعمِthe taste إِسفَنطٌchoice wine مُعَتَّقَةٌaged
سَلسالَةُ الطَعمِ إِسفَنطٌ مُعَتَّقَةٌ
بِشُربِهاto drink it قَيِّمُkeeper of الحانوتِthe tavern أَوصانيadvised me
بِشُربِها قَيِّمُ الحانوتِ أَوصاني
Smooth to the taste, a fine, aged wine,
A chain of flavor, aged wine
Smooth to the taste, a pure and aged draft,
The tavern-keeper advised me to drink it.
With drinking it the shopkeeper advised me.
Which the tavern master counseled me to drink.
مَسحولَةٌrefined مُزَّةٌtart كَالمِسكِlike musk قَرقَفَةٌshiver-inducing wine
مَسحولَةٌ مُزَّةٌ كَالمِسكِ قَرقَفَةٌ
تُطَيِّرُsends flying الهَمَّworry عَنfrom حَيزومِthe breast of حَرّانِa parched man
تُطَيِّرُ الهَمَّ عَن حَيزومِ حَرّانِ
Refined, tart, musk-like, a shiver-inducing wine,
Strained, tasting of musk, loud like a bottle,
Refined and tangy, musky, a trembling strength,
It sends worry flying from a parched man's breast.
It dispels cares from the throat of the heated.
Taking flight with sorrow from the burning chest.
هِيَshe العَروسُthe bride إِذاif دارَيتَyou treated gently مَزجَتَهاher mixing
هِيَ العَروسُ إِذا دارَيتَ مَزجَتَها
وَإِنand if عَنُفتَyou were rough عَلَيهاwith her أُختُsister of شَيطانِa devil
وَإِن عَنُفتَ عَلَيها أُختُ شَيطانِ
She is a bride if you are gentle in mixing her,
She is the bride, if slowly mixed,
She is a bride if you act gently when mixing her,
But if you treat her roughly, she is a devil's sister.
And if forced upon her, Satan's sister.
But if you treat her roughly, she is Satan's sister.
فَلَألَأَتthen she sparkled فيin حَوافيthe rims of الكَأسِthe cup مِنfrom يَدِهِhis hand
فَلَألَأَت في حَوافي الكَأسِ مِن يَدِهِ
مِثلَlike اليَواقيتِrubies مِنin مَثنىpairs وَوِحدانِand singly
مِثلَ اليَواقيتِ مِن مَثنى وَوِحدانِ
Then, from his hand, she sparkled along the cup's rim,
She would then froth in the cup from his hand
She shimmered at the vessel's rim within his hand,
Like rubies, in pairs and singly.
Like rubies of pairs and singles.
Like rubies scattered, in pairs and single gems.
تَنزوleap جَنادِبُهاher grasshoppers فيin وَجهِthe face of شارِبِهاher drinker
تَنزو جَنادِبُها في وَجهِ شارِبِها
مِثلَlike الدَبىyoung locusts هاجَهُroused it طَشٌّdrizzle بِقيعانِon flat plains
مِثلَ الدَبى هاجَهُ طَشٌّ بِقيعانِ
Her grasshoppers leap into her drinker's face,
Her bubbles rise in the drinker’s face
Her bubbles leap up into the drinker’s face,
Like young locusts roused by drizzle on the plains.
Like creeping insects roused in pastures.
Like young locusts stirred by drizzle in the valley.
حَتّىuntil إِذاwhen اِصطَفَّتِstood in rows الأَقداحُthe goblets وَاِنتَطَحَتand butted together
حَتّى إِذا اِصطَفَّتِ الأَقداحُ وَاِنتَطَحَت
بيضُwhite القَواريرِthe glass bottles مِنamong أَعيانِthe finest كيوانِKaywan
بيضُ القَواريرِ مِن أَعيانِ كيوانِ
At last, when the goblets stood in rows and there clashed
Until when the cups line up and lean
Until, when the cups were marshaled and clashed together,
The white glass bottles, among Kaywan's finest,
Like the white of goblets of princely Kaiwan.
Those white crystal vessels, like the stars of Saturn.
خِلناwe imagined الظَليمَthe male ostrich بَعيراًa camel عِندَat نَهضَتِناour rising
خِلنا الظَليمَ بَعيراً عِندَ نَهضَتِنا
وَالتَلَّand the hill مُنبَطِحاًlying flat فيin قَدِّthe stature of ثَهلانِThahlan
وَالتَلَّ مُنبَطِحاً في قَدِّ ثَهلانِ
We took the male ostrich for a camel as we rose,
We left the shaded camel when we rose,
We deemed the ostrich a camel as we rose,
And the hill, lying flat, for one the size of Thahlan.
Sprawled in the remains of the ruined encampment.
And the flattened hill as vast as Mount Thahlan.