1. زارَ بِذَيلِ الظَّلامِ مُنتَقِبا

    ريمٌ إِذا سُمتُهُ الرِّضى غَضِبا

    Veiled, he came visiting at darkness's trailing hem—

    A gazelle who grew angry whenever I sought his favor.

  2. يُعرِضُ عَنّي وَالكأسُ في يَدِهِ

    وَهوَ بِأَنوارِها قَدِ اِختَضَبا

    He turns away from me, the cup in his hand,

    And he has already been tinged with its radiance.

  3. يا ساقِيَ الخَمرِ إِنَّ ريقَكَ لي

    صَهباءُ تُكسىَ مِن ثَغرِكَ الحَبَبا

    O wine-bearer, your saliva is, to me,

    Tawny wine, clothed in bubbles from your mouth.

  4. يَفديكَ نَفسي وَالنَّاسُ غَيرَ أَبي

    فَإِنَّني أَشرَفُ الأَنامِ أَبا

    May my soul and all people except my father ransom you,

    For I am the noblest of mankind in paternal descent.

  5. هَلُمَّ نَشرَبْ راحاً مُعَتَّقَةً

    صَفَتْ وَرَقَّتْ وَعُمِّرَتْ حُقُبا

    Come, let us drink aged wine,

    It has grown clear and delicate, and been aged for ages.

  6. إِن راضَها الماءُ أَذعَنَتْ وَجَنَتْ

    مِنها النُّفوسُ السُّرورَ وَالطَّرَبا

    If water tames it, it yields; and reaped

    From it by souls are joy and rapture.

  7. ذاكَ لُجَينٌ وَهَذِهِ ذَهَبٌ

    يَنتَهِبانِ اللُّجَينَ وَالذَّهَبا

    That is silver, and this is gold;

    The two plunder silver and gold.

  8. بِها طَوَيتُ الشَّبابَ في جِدَةٍ

    أَرضَعُ مِن دَرِّها الَّذي نَضَبا

    With it I spent my youth in affluence,

    Suckling from its milk, which has run dry,

  9. أَيّامَ كانَ الحِمى لَنا وَطَناً

    لا يَرهَبُ الجارُ عِندَهُ النُّوَبا

    In the days when the protected land was our homeland,

    Where the neighbor feared no misfortunes.

  10. وَنَحنُ في حُلَّةِ النَّعيمِ بِهِ

    نَسحَبُ ذَيلَ الثَّراءِ ما اِنسَحَبا

    And we there, in the robe of bliss,

    Trailed the hem of wealth as long as it would trail.