غَادِ المُدَامَ بحَثِّ الكَأْسِ والطّاسِ

غَادِ المُدَامَ بحَثِّ الكَأْسِ والطّاسِ

مِنْ كَفِّ ذِي هَيَفٍ كالغُصْنِ مَيّاسِ

مِنْ كَفِّ ذِي هَيَفٍ كالغُصْنِ مَيّاسِ

Greet the wine at dawn, urging on cup and bowl,

The wine-bearer roams about with cup and jug,

From the hand of a slender-waisted one, swaying like a branch.

From the hand of one shaking it like a swaying branch.

لا شَيْءَ أَحْسَنُ مِنْ راحٍ مُشَعْشَعَةٍ

لا شَيْءَ أَحْسَنُ مِنْ راحٍ مُشَعْشَعَةٍ

حِمْصِيّةٍ سِيَمَا مِنْ كَفِّ شَمّاسِ

حِمْصِيّةٍ سِيَمَا مِنْ كَفِّ شَمّاسِ

Nothing is finer than wine tempered with water,

Nothing is better than a blazing palm-wood fire,

From Homs, especially from a deacon’s hand.

Especially from the hands of an entertainer.

إذا اغْتَدَى لِزُبُورِ الكُتْبِ يَدْرُسُها

إذا اغْتَدَى لِزُبُورِ الكُتْبِ يَدْرُسُها

أَلْهَى قُلوبَ الوَرَى عن كُلِّ مِدْراسِ

أَلْهَى قُلوبَ الوَرَى عن كُلِّ مِدْراسِ

When he goes at dawn to transcribe the books, studying them,

When he turns to the books of wisdom to study them,

He distracts people’s hearts from every scholar.

He distracts the hearts of people from every school.

هذا فَعَالي بِطُرَّاقِ الهُمُومِ إذا

هذا فَعَالي بِطُرَّاقِ الهُمُومِ إذا

غَدا يُخالِطُها فِكْرِي وَوَسْواسِي

غَدا يُخالِطُها فِكْرِي وَوَسْواسِي

This is how I deal with sorrows that visit by night, when

This is what I do with the mantle of worries when

My thoughts and my anxious whisperings begin to mingle with them.

My thoughts and obsessions begin to mix with them.