1. طَبتنَا اليومَ عن ذِكرَى سُعَادِ

    كئوسٌ قد أتَتنا مِن بِعَادِ

    Today we were lured away from the memory of Suʿād

    by cups that had come to us from afar.

  2. مَنَاطَ النَّجمِ كَانَت فَاطَّبَتهَا

    خَطَاطِيفَ الدراهم للبلاد

    They had been where the star hangs, until they were drawn

    to the land by the grappling hooks of coins.

  3. فَلَمَّا أُترِعَ المِغراجُ مَاءً

    وجِىءَ بِقرنِهِ ذَاتِ إتِّقَادِ

    Then, when the kettle had been filled to the brim with water,

    and its blazing brazier had been brought,

  4. وَبُوِّىء مِقعَدُ المِغراجِ فِيهَا

    وَصَوَّتَ شِربَ أذوَادٍ صَوَادِ

    and the kettle had been seated within it,

    it sounded like thirsty camel herds drinking.

  5. وأبرَزُ سَائِسُ الكاسَاتِ كِيلاً

    مٍنَ المَفتُولِ جَادَ بِعَرفِ جَادِى

    And the keeper of the cups brought out a measure

    of rolled tea, rich with the fragrance of saffron,

  6. وسَاقاً من عِتَاقِ التَّلجِ نادَى

    بِأن لم يَحكيهِ سَاقٌ مُنادِ

    and a stalk of the finest snow, proclaiming

    that no other proclaiming stalk could match it;

  7. وقِندِيلٍ وحَسكَةٍ اعتَلَتها

    زجاجةٌ أقمَرَت سُودَ الدَّآدِى

    and a lamp and a candlestick, surmounted

    by a glass chimney that moonlit the black, moonless nights.

  8. لَهَا شَمَّاسَةٌ كَيَدٍ أُضِيفَت

    لأخرَى في إنفرَاجٍ وانعِقَادِ

    It had a shade, like a hand joined

    to another, opening and folding shut;

  9. وطَابِلَةٌ أُجِيدَ الوَشىُ فِيهَا

    لها بُرَةٌ بَرَت بِرَّ النوادِى

    and a tray, its ornament finely worked,

    with a ring that exhausted the generosity of gatherings;

  10. وبدراً في جَوانَبِه نُجُومٌ

    مِنَ البَنَّارِفِيهَا الرَّقمُ بَادِ

    and a full moon, with stars about its sides

    of bannār, their markings clearly visible.

  11. وذَاكَ البَدرُ مُعتَّمٌ بِزيفٍ

    كَأستَاذٍ يُزَمَّلُ في بِجَادِ

    And that full moon was turbaned with a kerchief,

    like a teacher wrapped in a coarse striped cloak.

  12. وصَيَّرَ سَاقَهُ السَّاقِى جُذَاذاً

    وإِذَا المِفرَاجُ مُلتَهِب الفُؤَادِ

    And the cupbearer broke its stalk into fragments,

    and behold, the kettle was ablaze at heart.

  13. وناداةٌ بآج فجاء يجري

    وشَلّلَ خشية الدا والفسادِ

    And a call of 'Come!'—and it came running;

    and he rinsed it for fear of illness and spoilage,

  14. وعمّر قدرَ أكؤُسهِ وحلّى

    وألبسَها بها ثوبِ الحِدادِ

    and filled it to the measure of his cups, and sweetened it,

    and with it clothed them in the robe of mourning.