أمَا تُبْصِرُ الظَّلْماءَ قد فغَرتْ فَما

أمَا تُبْصِرُ الظَّلْماءَ قد فغَرتْ فَما

وصارَتْ نجومُ الأفْقِ تخبطُ في عَمى

وصارَتْ نجومُ الأفْقِ تخبطُ في عَمى

Do you not see how the darkness has opened its mouth,

Do you not see the dark night has opened its mouth wide?

and the horizon's stars now stumble blindly?

The stars in the horizon flounder blindly about.

تميلُ إلى نهْرِ النّهارِ وتَنْثَني

تميلُ إلى نهْرِ النّهارِ وتَنْثَني

كأنّ طُيوراً تقصِدُ الوِرْدَ حُوَّما

كأنّ طُيوراً تقصِدُ الوِرْدَ حُوَّما

They incline toward the river of day and bend back,

They incline towards the river of daylight and bend over

like birds circling toward the watering place.

As though they are birds seeking flowers in a swoop.

إذا أشرَقَتْ في جِنْحِهِ خلتَ وارِداً

إذا أشرَقَتْ في جِنْحِهِ خلتَ وارِداً

من الزّنْجِ يُبْدي ثغْرَهُ مُتَبَسّما

من الزّنْجِ يُبْدي ثغْرَهُ مُتَبَسّما

When they shine in its shadows, you would picture a water-seeker

When the radiance shines on their wings, they alight as visitors

from among the Zanj, baring his teeth in a smile.

With cheerful black faces smiling.

وقدْ سدَلَ الليلُ البَهيمُ سُتورَهُ

وقدْ سدَلَ الليلُ البَهيمُ سُتورَهُ

علَيْنا فكُنّا فيهِ سِرّاً مكَتّما

علَيْنا فكُنّا فيهِ سِرّاً مكَتّما

And the pitch-black night has lowered its curtains

And the brutish night has let down its curtains upon us

over us, so we became a closely guarded secret within it.

So we were within it a concealed secret.

كأنّ الدُجى يُلْقَى لديهِ منَ الضُحى

كأنّ الدُجى يُلْقَى لديهِ منَ الضُحى

حديثٌ إذا أوضَحْتَهُ عادَ مُبْهَما

حديثٌ إذا أوضَحْتَهُ عادَ مُبْهَما

As though the darkness were told by the morning light

It is as though the darkness throws the morning

a tale that, when you clarify it, turns obscure again.

A conversation that returns ambiguous when clarified.

عجبْتُ لهُ يُخْفي حِمى الأنْسِ عامِداً

عجبْتُ لهُ يُخْفي حِمى الأنْسِ عامِداً

ونيّرَةُ الصّهْباءِ تُعْليهِ مَعْلَما

ونيّرَةُ الصّهْباءِ تُعْليهِ مَعْلَما

I marveled at it: it deliberately hides the haven of fellowship,

I am astonished that it hides the zeal of intimacy intentionally

while the radiance of tawny wine makes it stand out as a landmark.

While the radiance of dawn reveals it as a sign.

وهَذي كُؤوسُ الرّاحِ يبدو شُعاعُها

وهَذي كُؤوسُ الرّاحِ يبدو شُعاعُها

ولوْلاهُ لمْ نُهْدِ السّبيلَ إلى الحِمى

ولوْلاهُ لمْ نُهْدِ السّبيلَ إلى الحِمى

And these are the wine cups, their radiance gleaming;

And these are cups of wine whose beams appear

and without it, we would not find the path to the haven.

Without which we would not have found the way to the camp.

حَبابٌ يُريكَ الزَّهْرَ فوقَ غُصونِه

حَبابٌ يُريكَ الزَّهْرَ فوقَ غُصونِه

أو الدُرَّ في مَثْنى العُقودِ منَظَّما

أو الدُرَّ في مَثْنى العُقودِ منَظَّما

Bubbles show you blossoms above their branches,

A beloved who shows you flowers above its branches

or pearls strung in paired necklaces.

Or pearls in a string of necklaces, organized.

أنَرْعى على البُعْدِ النجومَ وبيْننا

أنَرْعى على البُعْدِ النجومَ وبيْننا

كؤوسٌ تُحيّينا على القُرْبِ أنجُما

كؤوسٌ تُحيّينا على القُرْبِ أنجُما

Shall we watch the stars from afar, when among us

Shall I pasture upon the stars in the distance while between us

are cups that greet us like stars close at hand?

Are cups that give life to us, brighter than stars?

أنسْتَقْبِلُ البَدْرَ المُنيرَ وفارِسٌ

أنسْتَقْبِلُ البَدْرَ المُنيرَ وفارِسٌ

إذا ما تبدّى خِلْتَ بَدراً مُتَمَّما

إذا ما تبدّى خِلْتَ بَدراً مُتَمَّما

Shall we greet the radiant full moon, when Faris,

I receive the shining full moon, and it is a horseman

whenever he appears, seems to you a moon in its fullness?

When it appears I find it a perfect full moon.

جميلٌ قدِ انقادَ الجمالُ لأمْرِهِ

جميلٌ قدِ انقادَ الجمالُ لأمْرِهِ

وحَكّمهُ في نفْسِهِ فتحكّما

وحَكّمهُ في نفْسِهِ فتحكّما

Handsome: beauty itself has bowed to his command,

Beautiful is he whom beauty has surrendered to his command

and made him arbiter over itself, so he held sway.

And he mastered it, so it submitted.

حَكى السِّحْرَ لحْظاً والغزالَ تمنُّعاً

حَكى السِّحْرَ لحْظاً والغزالَ تمنُّعاً

كما أشْبَهَ الغُصْنَ النّضيرَ تنعُّما

كما أشْبَهَ الغُصْنَ النّضيرَ تنعُّما

He matched magic in his glance, and the gazelle in his coy reserve,

It narrated magic for a moment and the coyness of a gazelle

just as he resembled the verdant bough in his delicacy.

As though the tender branch resembled, pampered,

يُديرُ منَ الأكْواسِ خمْراً وثغْرُهُ

يُديرُ منَ الأكْواسِ خمْراً وثغْرُهُ

يُديرُ كؤوسَ الحُبِّ مهْما تبسَّما

يُديرُ كؤوسَ الحُبِّ مهْما تبسَّما

He passes round wine from the goblets, while his mouth

He turns from the cups wine, while his mouth

passes round cups of love whenever he smiles.

Turns the cups of love no matter how he smiles.

إذا ما تثنَّى أو تغنّى بعُودِه

إذا ما تثنَّى أو تغنّى بعُودِه

أعادَ الخَليَّ القَلْبِ صبّاً مُتيَّما

أعادَ الخَليَّ القَلْبِ صبّاً مُتيَّما

Whenever he sways or sings to his lute,

If he sways or sings with his lute

he turns the carefree-hearted into a lovesick, enthralled lover.

He restores the heart pouring incessantly.

فيا غُصُناً في روْضِهِ متَمايِلاً

فيا غُصُناً في روْضِهِ متَمايِلاً

ويا طائِراً في دوْحِهِ مترنِّما

ويا طائِراً في دوْحِهِ مترنِّما

So, O bough swaying in its garden,

O a branch swaying in its meadow

and O bird warbling in its grove!

And o a bird twittering in its plains.

تلاعَبَ زهْواً بالعُقول وكيفَ لا

تلاعَبَ زهْواً بالعُقول وكيفَ لا

وما السّحْرُ إلا ما بهِ قد تكلّما

وما السّحْرُ إلا ما بهِ قد تكلّما

He toyed proudly with minds—and how could he not,

It plays with minds boastfully, and how not

when magic is nothing but what he has uttered?

For sorcery is naught but that by which it has spoken.