Sol 6.1

  1. خفقُ الطبولِ وزمرةُ النّدمانِ

    وهتوفُ أطيارٍ وعزفُ قِيانِ

    The beating of drums and the company of drinking companions,

    the calls of birds and the music of singing slave-girls,

  2. وتسَحُّبُ الأَذيالِ في طَرَبِ الصِّبَا

    وخلاعةٌ في طاعةِ الشيطانِ

    the trailing of hems amid youth's rapture,

    and wantonness in obedience to Satan,

  3. وتهتُّكٌ وترفرفٌ وتماجُنٌ

    ورقى مخادَعةٍ على الغزلانِ

    and shamelessness, fluttering, and ribald play,

    and beguiling spells cast over gazelles,

  4. وعرائسُ الأقداحِ تُجْلَى في الدُّجَى

    في جيدهنَّ مخانقُ المرجانِ

    and the brides of goblets unveiled in the dark,

    coral chokers about their necks,

  5. والصبحُ في كأسِ الظلام مرقرقٌ

    وتنفُّسُ الريح العليلةِ واني

    while dawn shimmers in the cup of darkness,

    and the ailing breeze's breathing is languid,

  6. أشهَى إِلى قلبي وألطفُ موقعاً

    من أن أُلمَّ بملتقَى الأقرانِ

    are sweeter to my heart and gentler in their touch

    than coming to where champions meet.

  7. والآن أغرقُ في النعيم وأجتنِي

    ثمرَ السرور ومجتناهُ داني

    And now I drown in bliss and pluck

    the fruit of joy, its harvest close at hand—

  8. خيرٌ وأحسنُ من مقارعةِ العِدَى

    ومن التَّشَحُّطِ في دمِ الفُرسَانِ

    better and finer than battling enemies

    or wallowing in horsemen's blood.

  9. ومساحبُ الزقِّ اللجوجِ على الثَّرى

    أحرى بنا من مسحبِ الفتيانِ

    And dragging the stubborn wineskin across the earth

    befits us more than dragging young men.

  10. وألذُّ من عَلَقٍ يَدُرُّ وشخبُه

    ثرٌّ عُقارٌ ذاتُها متفاني

    And sweeter than blood that flows, its jet

    copious, is wine, its very substance fading away.

  11. وأحبُّ من طعنِ الوريدِ وشكِّه

    شكِّي بمبزالٍ وريد دِنَانِ

    And dearer than stabbing a jugular and piercing it

    is my piercing the jugular of wine jars with a gimlet.

  12. وألذُّ من رشقِ النِبَالِ لدَى الوغَى

    رَمْيِي بتفاحٍ نحورَ غَواني

    And sweeter than volleys of arrows amid battle

    is my pelting beauties' bosoms with apples.

  13. كم بينَ طرَّةِ شادنِ قد صُفِّفَتْ

    وتَصفُّفِ الأقرانِ يومَ طِعَانِ

    How far apart are a young gazelle's neatly arranged forelock

    and champions forming ranks on a day of spear-thrusts!

  14. هل قيسَ أوتارُ المزاهرِ غرَّدت

    بالمنجنيق تُشدُّ بالأرسانِ

    Have the singing strings of lutes ever been compared

    to a catapult drawn taut with ropes?

  15. وقِرانُ مضرابٍ وزيرٍ ناطقٍ

    بقرانِ لَأْمَةِ فارسٍ وسنانِ

    Or the pairing of a plectrum and a resonant treble string

    to the pairing of a horseman's armor and a spearhead?

  16. وعناقُ حوراءِ المدامعِ غضَّةٍ

    بعناقِ مقدامٍ من الشُجعانِ

    Or embracing a tender, dark-eyed maiden

    to embracing a daring warrior among the brave?

  17. وطرادُ ميَّاسِ القوام مُهفهفٍ

    بطرادِ خطَّارِ السنانِ هِجانِ

    Or pursuing a slender one whose figure sways

    to pursuing a noble warrior with a brandished spear?

  18. ورفيفُ أجنحةِ السرور تحُثُّها

    برفيفِ أسرابٍ من العقبانِ

    Or the fluttering wings of joy that you urge onward

    to the fluttering of flocks of eagles?

  19. وقضيبُ ريحان يَهُزُّ قوامَه

    طَرَباً بهزِّ أسنَّةِ المُرَّانِ

    Or a sprig of basil swaying its form

    in delight, to shaking the points of ash-wood spears?

  20. إنّي أميلُ إِلى قسيِّ حواجبٍ

    عن عطفِ كلِّ حنيَّةٍ مرنانِ

    I incline toward the bows of eyebrows,

    rather than bending any twanging bow.

  21. وأحبُّ أجفانَ الحِسانِ ومحتَوى

    قلبي الْتِمَاعُ ودائعِ الأجفانِ

    I love beauties' eyelids, and the treasure

    of my heart is the gleam of what those eyelids hold.

  22. أرقالُ أقداحٍ وأرمالُ الغِنى

    أشهى من الإرقالِ والذَّملانِ

    The brisk rounds of cups and the ramal rhythms of song

    are sweeter than trotting and brisk pacing.

  23. وإِذا شِرِبْتُ من المعتَّقِ أربعاً

    أعرضت عن ذِكْرِ النجيعِ القاني

    And when I drink four cups of aged wine,

    I turn away from talk of fresh crimson blood.

  24. وإِذا ظفرتُ من المَنى برغائبي

    فيها فقحطانٌ على عدنانِ

    And when I gain the things I desire among my wishes,

    then, in that, Qahtan stands above Adnan.

  25. أأخافُ أحداثَ الزمان وإنَّما

    سيفي وكنزي مُهجتي وبناني

    Should I fear time's calamities, when

    my sword and treasure are only my lifeblood and my fingers?

  26. وإِذا افتكرتُ أضاء فكريَ إنَّما

    عُسْرُ الزمانِ ويُسْرُهُ سِيَّانِ

    And when I reflect, my thought grows bright: indeed,

    time's hardship and its ease are both alike.

  27. والمرءُ همَّته غناهُ وفقرُهُ

    وبقدرِها يحظَى من الأزمانِ

    A man's ambition is his wealth and his poverty,

    and in its measure he wins his share from time.

  28. وبجدِّهِ يوري الزنادَ وكدِّهِ

    يُكبي إِذا ما كان غيرَ مُعانِ

    By his good fortune he strikes sparks from the fire-steel; through his toil

    he strikes none if he is unaided.

  29. وغُبارُ أحداثِ الخُطوبِ بلمتِي

    وسهامُها في جُنَّتِي وجَناني

    The dust of dire events upon my locks,

    and their arrows in my shield and heart,

  30. يُنْبِي ويصدعُ لي بحقٍّ أنّني

    فردٌ كنجمِ الصبحِ قرنُ زماني

    tell me and proclaim in truth that I

    stand alone, like the morning star, a match for my age.

  31. لا تُنكري يا سَلْمَ لينيَ ربَّما

    يعتاقُ عيرٌ هَمَّ بالنَّزَوانِ

    Do not reproach my softness, Salm; sometimes

    an ass intent on mounting is held back.

  32. أعلقتني ظَنَّ الظنينِ وإنِّما

    بعد التكافُحِ يعرفُ السيغانِ

    You have cast suspicion on me as on a suspect; yet only

    after a clash can two equals be told apart.

  33. قد يشبهُ الماءَ السرابَ ويستوي

    بَرَدٌ ودُرّ العِقدِ عند عيانِ

    A mirage may resemble water, and alike may appear

    hailstones and a necklace's pearls before the eye.

  34. جسمي طليقٌ غيرَ أنَّ عزِيمتي

    مغلولةٌ قَهراً وقلبي عاني

    My body is unbound, but my resolve

    is forcibly fettered, and my heart a captive.

  35. وإِذا التفتُّ إِلى وِدَادِكَ لم أُبِلْ

    بسهامِ صرفِ الدهرِ كيف رماني

    And when I turn to your affection, I do not care

    how time's turns have shot their arrows at me.

  36. أنت الذي طابتْ مغارسُ مجدِه

    حتى تقاصَرَ دونَهُ الثَّقَلانِ

    You are he whose glory has such noble roots

    that humankind and jinn alike fall short of it.

  37. أجررتَ ألسنةَ العدوِّ بفيصلٍ

    ماضِي الغِرارِ إِذا نطقتَ يماني

    You slit the enemy's tongues with a cleaving blade,

    keen of edge and Yemeni, whenever you speak.

  38. وشققتَ شأوَ الحاسدينَ ففي المدَى

    تجري وهُمْ نُظَّارةُ الميدانِ

    You have outstripped the envious; along the course

    you run, while they are spectators of the field.

  39. متلثّمينَ بنقعِ شأوكَ وُقَّفاً

    عُقلوا بقيدَيْ حَيْرةٍ وحِرانِ

    Veiled in the dust of your racing, standing still,

    they are bound by the twin fetters of bewilderment and stubborn immobility.

  40. أنّى يناقِلُكَ العلاءَ مفاخِرٌ

    ولقد عنَا لعلائِك القَمرانِ

    How can a boaster vie with you for eminence,

    when the sun and moon have bowed before your heights?

  41. لله درُّ الفضلِ حلَّى جيدَهُ

    إِذا زارَ ربعَكَ ضارباً بجرَانِ

    How splendid is merit, its neck adorned,

    when it visits your dwelling and lays its throat upon the ground!

  42. قد زُفَّ منك إِلى الكَفِيِّ وإنّه

    لأعَزُّ زَوْرٍ في أعزِّ مكانِ

    From you it has been led as a bride to its worthy match; it is

    indeed the noblest guest in the noblest place.

  43. وإِذا أجلتَ يديكَ فوقَ مهارقٍ

    فهُناك مسقطُ لؤلؤٍ وجُمانِ

    And when you move your hands over writing sheets,

    there fall pearls and silver beads.

  44. وإِذا نطقتَ بمحفِلٍ متحدّثاً

    فهناك أَنْبَأُ من شَباةِ سِنانِ

    And when you speak in an assembly, holding forth,

    there is speech more telling than a spearhead's point.