خير ما أصبحت مخلوع العذار

خير ما أصبحت مخلوع العذار

فأنت عنك الهم بالكأس المدار

فأنت عنك الهم بالكأس المدار

How good that you have become unbridled!

The best dawn is when I awake unrestrained,

So you—away with care, with the cup passed round.

For you have removed worries with a flowing cup.

قم بنا ننتهب اللذة في

قم بنا ننتهب اللذة في

ظل أيام الشباب المستعار

ظل أيام الشباب المستعار

Rise with us; let us seize pleasure in

Rise, let us plunder pleasure in

the shade of the days of borrowed youth.

The shade of borrowed days of youth.

إنما العار الذي تحذره

إنما العار الذي تحذره

أن تراني من لباس العار عاري

أن تراني من لباس العار عاري

The shame you fear is nothing but

The shame you fear

seeing me stripped of shame's garb.

Is to see me stripped of the clothes of shame,

لا ومن داويت قلبي باسمه

لا ومن داويت قلبي باسمه

لا تدرعت بأثواب الوقار

لا تدرعت بأثواب الوقار

No, by him with whose name I healed my heart,

No, and who cured my heart with his name

never shall I clothe myself in the robes of dignity.

Did not clothe myself in robes of dignity.

ولخيرٌ منه أن أشربها

ولخيرٌ منه أن أشربها

في سنا الصبح على صوت القماري

في سنا الصبح على صوت القماري

And surely better than that is for me to drink it

Better than it to drink it

in dawn's radiance, to the turtledoves' song:

In the prime of morning to the gambler’s sound.

قهوة تعشق من ذي هيفٍ

قهوة تعشق من ذي هيفٍ

قمري الوجه ليلي العذار

قمري الوجه ليلي العذار

wine to be adored, from one slender of waist,

Coffee adored by one with gentle voice

moon-faced, with cheek-down dark as night.

Moon-faced, night-eyed, unrestrained.

تسكر الألباب من ألفاظه

تسكر الألباب من ألفاظه

فهي تغني الشرب عن شرب العقار

فهي تغني الشرب عن شرب العقار

It intoxicates minds through his words,

It intoxicates minds with its words

so it spares drinkers the drinking of wine.

So it sings drinking without drugged drink.

وإذا حدثته عن وصله

وإذا حدثته عن وصله

راح لا يلقاك إلا بازورار

راح لا يلقاك إلا بازورار

And when you speak to him of union with him,

And if I told him of our union

he then meets you with nothing but aversion.

He went, only meeting you with excuses.

قمرٌ قبلت منه وجنةً

قمرٌ قبلت منه وجنةً

حشوها ما شئت من ماءٍ ونار

حشوها ما شئت من ماءٍ ونار

A moon whose cheek I kissed—

A moon I kissed and a cheek

filled with as much water and fire as you wish.

Fill it as you wish with water or fire.

نال منه اللحظ ما نال به

نال منه اللحظ ما نال به

فهو فينا أبداً طالب ثار

فهو فينا أبداً طالب ثار

The gaze dealt him the hurt it had dealt through him;

The glance obtained from him what obtained

so he forever seeks vengeance among us.

So he among us is ever vengeance seeker.

تفرس الصهباء من فارساً

تفرس الصهباء من فارساً

بدوي اللفظ تركي النجار

بدوي اللفظ تركي النجار

The tawny wine makes prey of a horseman,

The blond gazed on a knight

Bedouin in speech, Turkish in ancestry.

Rustic of speech, Turkish carpenter.

وإذا طاف بها تحسبه

وإذا طاف بها تحسبه

بدر ليلٍ حاملاً شمس نهار

بدر ليلٍ حاملاً شمس نهار

And when he makes the rounds with it, you think him

And when he went around her she thought him

a full moon of night, bearing a sun of day.

Full moon of night carrying sun of day.

وسعيدٌ من تقضي عمره

وسعيدٌ من تقضي عمره

بين كاسات رضابٍ وعقار

بين كاسات رضابٍ وعقار

And happy is he whose lifetime passes

Happy who spends his life

between cups of lip-nectar and wine,

Between cups of wine and drugged drinks

في اصطباحٍ واغتباقٍ واقترا

في اصطباحٍ واغتباقٍ واقترا

بٍ واغترابٍ وانتهاكٍ واستتار

بٍ واغترابٍ وانتهاكٍ واستتار

in morning drinking, evening drinking, and drawing

In morning draughts, gulps, sips

near, life abroad, transgression, and concealment.

And estrangement, violations, and hiding.

شغلته الراح أن تبصره

شغلته الراح أن تبصره

واقفاً يندب أطلال الديار

واقفاً يندب أطلال الديار

Wine keeps him too occupied for you to see him

The ease preoccupied him to see him

standing, lamenting the ruins of dwellings.

Standing lamenting the ruins of homes.

نعم دنياه التي راح بها

نعم دنياه التي راح بها

طرباً يعثر في فضل الإزار

طرباً يعثر في فضل الإزار

How fine his worldly life, in which he goes

Yes, his life in which he went happily

in rapture, stumbling over his wrap's trailing folds!

Stumbling in the pleats of his wrap.

فإذا مات التقى من ربه

فإذا مات التقى من ربه

رحمةً تسكنه دار القرار

رحمةً تسكنه دار القرار

And when he dies, he finds from his Lord

So if he died, he would meet from his Lord

mercy that settles him in the everlasting abode.

Mercy to settle him home of settlement.