شَجّتْ جَبينَ مُدامها بالماءِ

شَجّتْ جَبينَ مُدامها بالماءِ

فَبَنانُها مِنها خَضِيبُ دِماءِ

فَبَنانُها مِنها خَضِيبُ دِماءِ

She gashed the brow of her wine with water,

Her forehead furrowed with water

so her fingertips were stained with its blood.

So her sides were stained with blood

زَمَّتْ أَشعِتُها الدُّجَى فمضَى وَقد

زَمَّتْ أَشعِتُها الدُّجَى فمضَى وَقد

سَلَبَ الحَبابُ قِلادَةَ الجَوْزاءِ

سَلَبَ الحَبابُ قِلادَةَ الجَوْزاءِ

Its rays bridled the darkness, so it fled, while

Her rays gathered darkness, so it went as

the bubbles had stolen Orion’s necklace.

The downpour robbed the jujube's necklace

وَبَدَتْ على وَجَناتِ مَنَ طافتْ بها

وَبَدَتْ على وَجَناتِ مَنَ طافتْ بها

فَرأَيتُ جَذْوَةَ مارِجٍ في ماءِ

فَرأَيتُ جَذْوَةَ مارِجٍ في ماءِ

And it appeared on the cheeks of the one who passed it round,

And there appeared on the cheeks of those it blew by

so I saw a glowing ember of smokeless flame in water.

I saw the embers of burning coal in water

حَمراءُ تُسكِرُ مِن جفونِ مُدِيرِها

حَمراءُ تُسكِرُ مِن جفونِ مُدِيرِها

ما أَشبهَ الحمَراءَ بالحَوْراءِ

ما أَشبهَ الحمَراءَ بالحَوْراءِ

A red wine that intoxicates through its cupbearer’s eyelids—

Red, intoxicating from the eyelids of its rotator

how like the dark-eyed beauty is the red wine!

How similar is the red one to the houri