أيّها الضاحك الطّروب ألا تأسى

أيّها الضاحك الطّروب ألا تأسى

لهذي الدموع في عينيّا

لهذي الدموع في عينيّا

O laughing, merry one, will you not grieve

O you who laugh with joy, do you not grieve

O joyous, laughing one, do you not grieve

for these tears in my eyes?

For these tears in my eyes?

For these tears in my eyes?

أنا أبكي و كرّم الله و الحسن

أنا أبكي و كرّم الله و الحسن

عن الدّمع خدّك الورديّا

عن الدّمع خدّك الورديّا

I weep, while God and beauty have exalted

I weep while God has honored your cheeks

I weep, but may God and beauty spare

your rosy cheek above tears.

With roseate complexion.

Your rosy cheek from any tears.

شوّه العاذلون عندك حبّي

شوّه العاذلون عندك حبّي

لا عليهم فعار حبّي عليّا

لا عليهم فعار حبّي عليّا

The reproachers have distorted my love in your eyes.

The blamers have maligned my love before you

The censurers have distorted my love in your eyes;

No blame on them, for my love's shame is mine.

But the shame of my love is mine alone.

No blame on them, for the shame of my love is mine alone.

قسموه بين البراءة و الإثم

قسموه بين البراءة و الإثم

و وحّدته أثيما بريّا

و وحّدته أثيما بريّا

They divided it between innocence and sin,

They divided it between innocence and sin

They divided it between innocence and sin,

and I made it one—sinful and innocent.

While I made it wholly sinful and innocent.

While I united it as sinfully pure.

يا حبيبي دعني أقبّل خدّيك

يا حبيبي دعني أقبّل خدّيك

و أشتفّ ثغرك اللؤلؤيّا

و أشتفّ ثغرك اللؤلؤيّا

O my beloved, let me kiss your cheeks

O my beloved! Let me kiss your cheeks

O my beloved, let me kiss your cheeks

and drink my fill from your pearly mouth.

And quench my thirst at your pearly lips,

And drink deep from your pearly mouth.

و تبذّل للحبّ سكرا و عريا

و تبذّل للحبّ سكرا و عريا

جسدا فاتنا و روحا غويّا

جسدا فاتنا و روحا غويّا

And abandon yourself to love, drunk and naked—

Offering love sugar and nudity,

And surrender to love, in drunkenness and nakedness,

a bewitching body and a wayward soul.

A ravishing body and an ardent soul.

A captivating body and a beguiling soul.

ألهوى جنّة بقلبي و الشهوة

ألهوى جنّة بقلبي و الشهوة

نار حمراء في شفتيّا

نار حمراء في شفتيّا

Love is a paradise in my heart, and lust

In my heart is a love like Paradise,

Passion is a paradise in my heart, and desire

a red fire on my lips.

On my lips a red fiery lust.

Is a red fire upon my lips.

مهرجان لمتعة الجسم حال

مهرجان لمتعة الجسم حال

يرحم الله حبّنا العذريا

يرحم الله حبّنا العذريا

A delightful festival for the body's pleasure—

When the body was in revelry

A festival for the body's pleasure has come;

may God have mercy on our chaste love.

God have mercy on our chaste love!

May God have mercy on our chaste love.

طاف بي طائف من المعبد المسحور

طاف بي طائف من المعبد المسحور

يدعو فقالت النفس هيّا

يدعو فقالت النفس هيّا

An apparition from the enchanted temple circled me,

A magic temple attracted me,

A phantom from the enchanted temple came to me,

calling; then my soul said, 'Let us go!'

And whispered: come! My soul replied: Here I am!

Calling out, and my soul replied, 'Let us go.'

يا حبيبي و سحر عينيك يغنيني

يا حبيبي و سحر عينيك يغنيني

أشاهدت سحره البابليّا

أشاهدت سحره البابليّا

O my beloved, though your eyes' magic suffices me,

O my love, your eyes' sorcery makes me dream,

O my beloved, the magic of your eyes suffices me;

have you seen its Babylonian magic?

I saw their Babylonian magic.

Have you seen its Babylonian magic?

معبد للهوى الأثيم بنينا

معبد للهوى الأثيم بنينا

الفجر فيه و المشرق الذهبيّا

الفجر فيه و المشرق الذهبيّا

A temple for sinful love—we built

We built a temple of sinful love,

A temple for sinful passion we have built,

the dawn within it and the golden east.

Where dawn was gold and purple.

Holding the dawn and the golden sunrise.

و أقمنا على الكهانة فيه

و أقمنا على الكهانة فيه

و العبادات شاعرا عبقريّا

و العبادات شاعرا عبقريّا

And there we entrusted the priesthood

We practiced sorcery in it,

And we appointed to its priesthood

and the rites of worship to a poet of genius.

And worshiped, poet and soothsayer.

And its rites of worship, a genius poet,

يتغنّى سكران بين عوار

يتغنّى سكران بين عوار

رضيت عريها كسا و حليّا

رضيت عريها كسا و حليّا

He sings, drunk, among naked women

The drunk poet sang among idols,

Singing drunkenly among naked maidens,

who are content with their nakedness as clothing and jewels.

Pleased by their nakedness as dress and jewelry.

Who accept their nakedness as dress and adornment.

و إذا يشتهي الأغانيّ يسمع

و إذا يشتهي الأغانيّ يسمع

معبدا و الغريض و الموصليّا

معبدا و الغريض و الموصليّا

And when he craves songs, he hears

When he wanted music, he would hear

And if he desires songs, he listens to

Maʿbad, al-Gharid, and al-Mawsili.

A temple, a tambourine, a flute.

Ma'bad, Al-Gharidh, and Al-Mawsili.

و إذا حنّ للكرى فذراعان

و إذا حنّ للكرى فذراعان

و نهدان و ابتسام و ريّا

و نهدان و ابتسام و ريّا

And when he longs for sleep, there are two arms,

When he longed for a beloved, two arms

And if he yearns for slumber, then two arms,

and two breasts, and a smile, and fragrance.

And breasts, a smile and a gaze were there.

Two breasts, a smile, and a sweet fragrance.

حالم فالزمان يرقب أمري

حالم فالزمان يرقب أمري

و المنى الحاليات طوع يديّا

و المنى الحاليات طوع يديّا

I am a dreamer, so time awaits my command,

I dream, and time watches my affairs,

Dreaming, while time awaits my command,

and lovely wishes lie at my hands' command.

Destiny bows to my present desires,

And sweet desires obey my hands.

و الرؤى عالم خفيّ أراه

و الرؤى عالم خفيّ أراه

عالما ضاحك السنا مرئيا

عالما ضاحك السنا مرئيا

And visions are a hidden world I see

Dreams are a hidden world I see,

And visions are a hidden world I see

as a visible world of smiling radiance.

A laughing, visible world.

As a visible world of laughing radiance.

صوّرت قدرة الخيال من العسجد

صوّرت قدرة الخيال من العسجد

و النّور كأسي الخزفيّا

و النّور كأسي الخزفيّا

Imagination's power fashioned out of gold

Imagination pictured wonders,

The power of imagination has fashioned from gold

and light my earthenware cup.

And light like the wine in my clay cup.

And light, my earthen cup.

ربّ حلم تناقلته اللّيالي

ربّ حلم تناقلته اللّيالي

و الخيالات فاستحال نبيّا

و الخيالات فاستحال نبيّا

Many a dream, passed along by the nights

Many a dream passed by night

Many a dream the nights have passed along

and imaginings, has thus turned into a prophet.

Became a prophet when fantasized.

With fantasies, until it became a prophet.