أَبشِر بِشَهرِ شَوّال

أَبشِر بِشَهرِ شَوّال

وَاِنعَم بيُسرِ الأَحوالِ

وَاِنعَم بيُسرِ الأَحوالِ

Rejoice at the advent of Shawwāl,

Rejoice in the month of Shawwal,

and delight in the ease of fortune;

And enjoy the ease of your affairs,

وَعِش في خَيرِ مِنوال

وَعِش في خَيرِ مِنوال

فالسَعدُ حَيّا وَبَيّا

فالسَعدُ حَيّا وَبَيّا

live the happiest of lives,

And live in the finest manner,

for good fortune has hailed and welcomed us.

For good fortune has greeted and welcomed us.

فَحَيَّهَلا عَلى الأُنسِ

فَحَيَّهَلا عَلى الأُنسِ

وَهاتِ ما تَهوى نَفسي

وَهاتِ ما تَهوى نَفسي

So welcome—come to convivial delight,

So come to joyful company,

and bring what my soul desires;

And bring what my soul desires,

وَنادِ مُخجِلَ الشَمسِ

وَنادِ مُخجِلَ الشَمسِ

ذاكَ الغَزالَ النَجدِيّا

ذاكَ الغَزالَ النَجدِيّا

call the one whose beauty shames the sun—

And summon him who puts the sun to shame—

that gazelle of Najd.

That gazelle of Najd.

حَيّ عَلىَ كَأسِ الصُبوح

حَيّ عَلىَ كَأسِ الصُبوح

هَذا شَذا الرَوضِ يَفوح

هَذا شَذا الرَوضِ يَفوح

Come to a cup of morning wine:

Come to the cup of morning wine!

here the garden’s fragrance wafts,

Here wafts the garden's fragrance,

وَالزَهرُ مُفتَرّ يَلوح

وَالزَهرُ مُفتَرّ يَلوح

بِساطُهُ سُندُسيّا

بِساطُهُ سُندُسيّا

and the blossoms, smiling, gleam

And the blossoms smile and gleam,

upon its silken carpet.

Its carpet is fine silk.

نورَ الصَباحِ وَضَحا

نورَ الصَباحِ وَضَحا

وَالنَورُ قَد تَفَتَّحا

وَالنَورُ قَد تَفَتَّحا

Morning has grown radiant and bright,

The morning light has shone forth,

and the blossoms have opened,

And the blossoms have opened,

يَضحَكُ عَمَّن قَد صَحا

يَضحَكُ عَمَّن قَد صَحا

وَصارَ نَسياً مَنسيّا

وَصارَ نَسياً مَنسيّا

laughing at whoever has sobered up

Laughing at whoever has sobered up

and become utterly forgotten.

And become a thing utterly forgotten.

وَالقُضبُ تومي بِالسَلام

وَالقُضبُ تومي بِالسَلام

وَالوَردُ بادٍ في اِبتِسام

وَالوَردُ بادٍ في اِبتِسام

The tender boughs nod a greeting,

And the branches nod in greeting,

and the rose appears with a smile,

And the rose is visibly smiling,

يَدعو لِكاساتِ المُدامِ

يَدعو لِكاساتِ المُدامِ

الصَب المَشوقَ الشَجيّا

الصَب المَشوقَ الشَجيّا

inviting to the cups of wine

Calling to cups of wine

the ardent, yearning, sorrow-stricken lover.

The lovesick lover, yearning and sorrowful.

فاِجلُ المُدامِ في القَدحِ

فاِجلُ المُدامِ في القَدحِ

وَحِد عَن صاحِبِ النَصح

وَحِد عَن صاحِبِ النَصح

So pass the wine around in the goblet,

So unveil the wine in the goblet,

and turn away from the giver of counsel;

And turn from the giver of advice;

وَكُن عَلَيهِ ذا صَفحِ

وَكُن عَلَيهِ ذا صَفحِ

وَعَن مَقالي رَضيّا

وَعَن مَقالي رَضيّا

yet show him forbearance,

And be forbearing toward him,

and be content with what I say,

And be content with my words,

في جَمعِ أُنسٍ سالِمِ

في جَمعِ أُنسٍ سالِمِ

مِن غُرّ أَهلِ العالَمِ

مِن غُرّ أَهلِ العالَمِ

amid a safe company of convivial delight,

In a gathering of untroubled fellowship,

among the noblest people in the world.

Of the finest people in the world.

فَهُم كَعِقدِ الناظِمِ

فَهُم كَعِقدِ الناظِمِ

أَو كَنُجومِ الثرَيّا

أَو كَنُجومِ الثرَيّا

For they are like a necklace strung by its stringer,

For they are like a stringer's necklace,

or like the clustered stars of the Pleiades—

Or like the stars of the Pleiades.

لا سيَّما مِن كَفِّ مَن

لا سيَّما مِن كَفِّ مَن

بِوَصلِهِ يَحلو الزَمَن

بِوَصلِهِ يَحلو الزَمَن

especially when served from the hand of one

Especially from the hand of one

whose company makes time sweet,

Whose companionship makes time sweet—

ذو الخَلقِ وَالخُلقِ الحَسَن

ذو الخَلقِ وَالخُلقِ الحَسَن

وَالنَغمَةِ الخَميسيّا

وَالنَغمَةِ الخَميسيّا

possessed of beauty in form and character

Possessed of fine form and character,

and of the Khamīsī melody:

And a lovely voice—al-Khamisi,

أَحلى مِلاحِ تونِسِ

أَحلى مِلاحِ تونِسِ

بَدرٌ غَدا لي مونِسِ

بَدرٌ غَدا لي مونِسِ

the fairest of Tunis’s beauties,

The loveliest of Tunis's beauties,

a full moon who has become my companion,

A full moon who has become my companion,

رَيحانُ أُنسِ المَجلِسِ

رَيحانُ أُنسِ المَجلِسِ

مَن عَدِمَ المُساويا

مَن عَدِمَ المُساويا

the gathering’s sweet basil and delight,

Sweet basil of the gathering's delight,

utterly free of faults.

One who has no equal.

يُربي عَلىَ المُقاتِلِ

يُربي عَلىَ المُقاتِلِ

بِسَهمِ لَحظٍ قاتِلِ

بِسَهمِ لَحظٍ قاتِلِ

He outdoes all deadly beauties,

He surpasses the warrior

himself slaying with the arrow of his glance.

With the arrow of a deadly glance.

بِحَقِّهِ يا عاذِلي

بِحَقِّهِ يا عاذِلي

خَفِّف وَلاحِظ ما بيا

خَفِّف وَلاحِظ ما بيا

By his right, O my censor,

For his sake, O my reproacher,

ease your blame and heed what afflicts me.

Ease your blame, and see what ails me.

يا فاتِناً لِصَبِّهِ

يا فاتِناً لِصَبِّهِ

بِهَجرِهِ أَو قُربِهِ

بِهَجرِهِ أَو قُربِهِ

O you who enthrall your ardent lover,

O enchanter of his lovesick lover,

whether through your estrangement or your nearness,

Through his estrangement or his nearness,

غَنِّ المُعَنّى وَاِسبِهِ

غَنِّ المُعَنّى وَاِسبِهِ

تَجلى لي لالي لاليا

تَجلى لي لالي لاليا

sing to the tormented one and captivate him:

Sing to the tormented lover and captivate him:

he appeared to me—lālī, lāliyā.

He revealed himself to me—lālī lāliyā.