وساق سقاني شبه دمعة آماقي

وساق سقاني شبه دمعة آماقي

وحُمرةُ خدّيه كجمرة أشواقي

وحُمرةُ خدّيه كجمرة أشواقي

And a cupbearer poured me wine like a tear from the corners of my eyes,

He gave me a cup like a tear drop

and the redness of his cheeks was like the ember of my longings.

And the redness of his cheeks was like the embers of my passions

سقاني وشُهبُ اللّيل منهنّ في العلى

سقاني وشُهبُ اللّيل منهنّ في العلى

غدا ذنبُ السّرحان كانس آفاق

غدا ذنبُ السّرحان كانس آفاق

He poured for me while, among the stars of night on high,

He gave me to drink while the stars were still shining in the sky

the wolf’s tail became a sweeper of the horizons.

Tomorrow the tail of comet will sweep the horizons

وشادعلى عُود لنا راق لحنهُ

وشادعلى عُود لنا راق لحنهُ

يُجاوبُهُ شاد على عُود أوراق

يُجاوبُهُ شاد على عُود أوراق

And a singer with a lute, whose melody delighted us,

And he sang for us on a delicate lute, its melody

was answered by a singer on a leafy bough.

Answered by the singing of the leaves on the branches

وقد طاب بالعودين مجلسُ شُربنا

وقد طاب بالعودين مجلسُ شُربنا

فعودٌ لتحريك وعُودٌ لإحراق

فعودٌ لتحريك وعُودٌ لإحراق

And both woods made our drinking gathering pleasant:

And with the two lutes our drinking party was delightful

one wood for stirring, and one for burning.

One lute to arouse, the other lute to ignite

متى يشدُ في ألحان داوُود يُوسُف

متى يشدُ في ألحان داوُود يُوسُف

غدا صوت إبراهيم همسا وإسحاق

غدا صوت إبراهيم همسا وإسحاق

Whenever Yusuf sings in the melodies of Dawud,

When will Joseph sing in the melodies of David

Ibrahim’s voice and Ishaq’s become whispers.

Tomorrow Abraham’s voice will be a whisper and Isaac’s stammer

نخافُ طلوع الشّمس وهي بكاسنا

نخافُ طلوع الشّمس وهي بكاسنا

ومن خدّ ساقيها لها فضلُ إشراق

ومن خدّ ساقيها لها فضلُ إشراق

We fear the rising sun, though it is in our cup,

We fear the rising sun in our cup

and its cupbearer’s cheek lends it still greater radiance.

Yet the cheek of its pourer has the merit of its radiance

تُديرُ علينا الرّاح راحُ يمينه

تُديرُ علينا الرّاح راحُ يمينه

وتعقبُ أقداحا لها كأس احداق

وتعقبُ أقداحا لها كأس احداق

His right palm passes the wine around to us,

The wind turns the cup of wine in our right hand

and a cup of eyes follows its goblets.

And pursues brimming goblets as if they were a herd of gazelles

وما السّكرُ بالصّهباء إلا بما روت

وما السّكرُ بالصّهباء إلا بما روت

عن الكأس نقلا عن لماه بأطباق

عن الكأس نقلا عن لماه بأطباق

And intoxication from tawny wine comes only through what it relates

Wine itself is not intoxicating

from the cup, transmitted from his dusky lips, in full accord.

Rather the tales of the cup from the wine bearer’s jugs

غدت أنجمُ الكاسات تُشرقُ بيننا

غدت أنجمُ الكاسات تُشرقُ بيننا

وتغربُ في أفق الحشا بعد إشراق

وتغربُ في أفق الحشا بعد إشراق

The stars of the goblets came to shine among us,

The stars of the cups shine amongst us

and set on the horizon of our inner depths after shining.

And set on the horizons of cheeks after shining

وقد وعدتني الكأسُ تمليك وصله

وقد وعدتني الكأسُ تمليك وصله

وواعدتُها تمليك عقلي بميثاق

وواعدتُها تمليك عقلي بميثاق

And the cup had promised to grant me union with him,

The cup promised to make me possess its union

and I pledged, by covenant, to give it possession of my reason.

And I promised it to possess my mind in pact

فما زال كأسُ الرّاح يُنفقُ كنزه

فما زال كأسُ الرّاح يُنفقُ كنزه

وأنفق كنز العقل أوسع إنفاق

وأنفق كنز العقل أوسع إنفاق

So the winecup kept spending its treasure,

So the cup of wine continued to spend its treasure

and I spent reason’s treasure most lavishly,

While I spent the treasure of my mind even more generously

إلى أن غدا كلُّ من النفقين من

إلى أن غدا كلُّ من النفقين من

فراغ كلا الكنزين في حال إملاق

فراغ كلا الكنزين في حال إملاق

until each of the two spenders became, through

Until both treasures were emptied

the emptying of both treasures, utterly destitute.

By the voiding of both treasures in total expenditure

وحين دنت تلك الوُعُودُ وأورقت

وحين دنت تلك الوُعُودُ وأورقت

غُصون الوفا من وعدنا أيّ إوراق

غُصون الوفا من وعدنا أيّ إوراق

And when those promises drew near, and leaves unfurled

And when those promises drew near and the

on the boughs of our pledge’s fulfillment—how richly!—

Branches of fidelity bloomed from our pledge - what blooming!

وملّكتُ للصّهباء عقلي وملّكت

وملّكتُ للصّهباء عقلي وملّكت

يميني يدُ الصّهباء من ذلك السّاقي

يميني يدُ الصّهباء من ذلك السّاقي

I gave the tawny wine my reason, and in return

And I submitted my mind to the wine

wine’s hand gave my right hand possession of that cupbearer.

And my right hand submitted to the hand of that cupbearer

خلعتُ ثياب الخزّ عنهُ وطوّقتُ

خلعتُ ثياب الخزّ عنهُ وطوّقتُ

يدي جيدهُ والتفّت السّاق بالسّاق

يدي جيدهُ والتفّت السّاق بالسّاق

I stripped the silk garments from him, and encircled

I removed the clothes of dignity from it and circled

his neck with my hand, and leg entwined with leg.

My hand around its slender waist and the cupbearer swayed

وقد ظنّ ليلي بدره في ذراعه

وقد ظنّ ليلي بدره في ذراعه

ومال البدرُ إلا في ذراعي وأطواقي

ومال البدرُ إلا في ذراعي وأطواقي

My night had thought its full moon was in its arm,

And my beloved thought the full moon was in his embrace

yet the full moon leaned only into my arm and my encircling embraces.

While the moon leaned toward none but my arms and my necklace