يَا حَبَّذَا نَهْرَ القَصِيرِ وَمَغْرِبَا

يَا حَبَّذَا نَهْرَ القَصِيرِ وَمَغْرِبَا

وَنَسِيمَ هَاتِيكَ المَعالِم والرُّبَا

وَنَسِيمَ هَاتِيكَ المَعالِم والرُّبَا

Oh, how lovely are the river of al-Qasir and Maghriba,

O how I love the short river and its sunset,

And the breeze of those landmarks and hills!

And the breeze of these ruins and meadows.

وَسَقَى زَماناً مَرَّ بي في ظِلِّها

وَسَقَى زَماناً مَرَّ بي في ظِلِّها

مَا كَانَ أَعْذَبَهُ لَديَّ وأَطْيَبَا

مَا كَانَ أَعْذَبَهُ لَديَّ وأَطْيَبَا

And may God water the time I spent in their shade—

It quenched my thirst long ago in its shade,

How sweet and pleasant it was to me!

Nothing was sweeter to me or more fragrant.

أَيَّامَ أُولَعُ بِالخُدُودِ نَقِيَّةً

أَيَّامَ أُولَعُ بِالخُدُودِ نَقِيَّةً

وَالقَدِّ أَهْيَفَ والمُقبَّل أَشْنَبَا

وَالقَدِّ أَهْيَفَ والمُقبَّل أَشْنَبَا

The days when I was enamored of unblemished cheeks,

Days when I delighted in pure cheeks

And of a slender figure and a mouth with gleaming teeth;

And slender waists and kissing mouths.

وأزورُ حاناتِ المدام ولا أَرَى

وأزورُ حاناتِ المدام ولا أَرَى

غَيْرَ الَّذي قَضَتِ الخَلاعَةُ مَذْهَبا

غَيْرَ الَّذي قَضَتِ الخَلاعَةُ مَذْهَبا

And I visited wine taverns, accepting no

I would visit the taverns and see nothing there

Way of life but what wantonness decreed.

But what wantonness had made its way.

مَا لي وَمَا فَاتَتْ سِنيّ أصابعي

مَا لي وَمَا فَاتَتْ سِنيّ أصابعي

لَمْ أَقْضِ بَاللّذات أوطار الصِّبا

لَمْ أَقْضِ بَاللّذات أوطار الصِّبا

Why, when my years have not outnumbered my fingers,

What has passed me by, now my fingers are old?

Have I not fulfilled youth's desires through pleasure?

I did not have my fill of pleasures in my prime.

فَلأَهْجُرنَّ أَخا الوَقارِ وَشأْنِهِ

فَلأَهْجُرنَّ أَخا الوَقارِ وَشأْنِهِ

وَلأَرْكَبنَّ مِنَ الغِوايَةِ مَرْكِبَا

وَلأَرْكَبنَّ مِنَ الغِوايَةِ مَرْكِبَا

So I shall surely leave the man of dignity to his own affairs,

So I will abandon my dignified fellow

And I shall surely ride a mount of waywardness.

And embark on a ship of debauchery.

وَلأَطْلَعَنَّ شُمُوسَ كُلّ مَسرَّةٍ

وَلأَطْلَعَنَّ شُمُوسَ كُلّ مَسرَّةٍ

وَأَكُونَ مَشْرِقَ أُفْقِهَا والمَغْرِبَا

وَأَكُونَ مَشْرِقَ أُفْقِهَا والمَغْرِبَا

And I shall surely make the suns of every joy rise,

I will witness the suns of every joy

And be the east and west of its horizon.

And be the horizon’s sunrise and sunset.

يَا صَاحِبيّ جُعِلْتُمَا بَعْدِي خُذا

يَا صَاحِبيّ جُعِلْتُمَا بَعْدِي خُذا

قَوْلَ امْرِىءٍ عَرَفَ الأُمورَ وجَرّبا

قَوْلَ امْرِىءٍ عَرَفَ الأُمورَ وجَرّبا

O my two companions—may you outlive me—take

O my friends, you have outlived me,

The words of a man who has known life's affairs and tested them.

Heed the words of one who knew life and tried it.

لَمْ يَخْلُقِ الرَّحْمَنُ شَيْئاً عَابِثاً

لَمْ يَخْلُقِ الرَّحْمَنُ شَيْئاً عَابِثاً

فَالخَمْرُ ما خُلِقَتْ لأَنْ تَتَجَنَّبا

فَالخَمْرُ ما خُلِقَتْ لأَنْ تَتَجَنَّبا

The All-Merciful created nothing in vain,

The Merciful did not create anything in vain,

So wine was not created for you two to shun it.

Wine was not made for you to avoid it.

وتغنَّيا لا بِالحَطِيمِ وَزَمْزَمٍ

وتغنَّيا لا بِالحَطِيمِ وَزَمْزَمٍ

بَلْ بِالحِمَى وَبساكِنِيهِ وزَيْنَبَا

بَلْ بِالحِمَى وَبساكِنِيهِ وزَيْنَبَا

And sing, you two, not of al-Hatim and Zamzam,

Do not sing solemnly or reservedly

But of the protected domain, its dwellers, and Zaynab.

But spiritedly, joyfully, with Zainab and her like.