أَيُّها المالِحانِ بِاللَهِ جِدّا

أَيُّها المالِحانِ بِاللَهِ جِدّا

أَصلِحا لي الشِراعَ وَالسُكّانا

أَصلِحا لي الشِراعَ وَالسُكّانا

O you two boatmen, by God, make haste!

O sailors, for God's sake steer carefully,

Set the sail and rudder right for me.

Repair my sail and rudder properly.

بَلِّغاني هُديتُما البَردانا

بَلِّغاني هُديتُما البَردانا

وَاِنزِلا لي مِنَ الدِنانِ دِنانا

وَاِنزِلا لي مِنَ الدِنانِ دِنانا

Bring me—may you both be guided—to al-Bardan,

Deliver your gift that cheers me hourly,

and bring down some of the wine-jars for me.

And pour me cups of wine continually.

وَاِعدِلا بي إِلى القَبيصَةِ فَالزَه

وَاِعدِلا بي إِلى القَبيصَةِ فَالزَه

راءِ عَلّي أُفَرِّجُ الأَحزانا

راءِ عَلّي أُفَرِّجُ الأَحزانا

And turn with me toward al-Qabisa, then al-Zahra,

Set sail for Qabīşah, where in the villa,

that I may perhaps dispel my sorrows.

My sorrow's cured by joy most willingly.

وَإِذا ما أَقَمتُ حَولاً تَماماً

وَإِذا ما أَقَمتُ حَولاً تَماماً

فَاِقصِدا بي إِلى كرومٍ أَوانا

فَاِقصِدا بي إِلى كرومٍ أَوانا

And when I have stayed a full year,

And when we've finished up our travels fully,

then take me to the vineyards of Awana.

Make way to vineyards ripe and ready hourly.

وَاِنزِلا بي إِلى شَرابٍ عَتيقٍ

وَاِنزِلا بي إِلى شَرابٍ عَتيقٍ

عَتَّقَتهُ يَهودُهُ أَزمانا

عَتَّقَتهُ يَهودُهُ أَزمانا

And take me down to an aged wine,

And land me at old wine preserved entirely,

which its Jews have aged for ages.

Made pure by years, not Jewish ritually.

وَاِحطُطا لي الشِراعِ بِالدَيرِ بِالعَل

وَاِحطُطا لي الشِراعِ بِالدَيرِ بِالعَل

ثِ لَعَلّي أُعاشِرُ الرُهبانا

ثِ لَعَلّي أُعاشِرُ الرُهبانا

And lower the sail for me at the monastery in al-ʿAlth,

Then drop anchor by the monastery,

that I may perhaps keep company with the monks,

That I may join in talk with monks so holy.

وَظَباءٍ يَتلونَ سِفراً مِنَ الإِن

وَظَباءٍ يَتلونَ سِفراً مِنَ الإِن

جيلِ باكَرنَ سُحرَةً قُربانا

جيلِ باكَرنَ سُحرَةً قُربانا

and gazelles reciting a book of the Gospel,

With gazelles whose scripture we read yearly

who came early, before dawn, for Communion,

At dawn they're sacrificed most willingly.

لا بِساتٍ مِنَ المُسوحِ ثِياباً

لا بِساتٍ مِنَ المُسوحِ ثِياباً

جَعَلَ اللَهُ تَحتَها أَغصانا

جَعَلَ اللَهُ تَحتَها أَغصانا

wearing garments of sackcloth,

In modest robes that under them hide merely

beneath which God had placed boughs,

Branches God made into limbs so comely.

خَفِراتٍ حَتّى إِذا أَدارَت الكَأ

خَفِراتٍ حَتّى إِذا أَدارَت الكَأ

سَ كَشَفنَ النُحورَ وَالصُلبانا

سَ كَشَفنَ النُحورَ وَالصُلبانا

modest—until, when she passed the cup around,

They circle till, when they face us directly,

they bared their throats and crosses.

They bare their breasts and crosses, kneeling lowly.

رَقَّ حَتّى حَسِبتُهُ خَدَّ مَن أَب

رَقَّ حَتّى حَسِبتُهُ خَدَّ مَن أَب

دَلَني وِصالَهُ هِجرانا

دَلَني وِصالَهُ هِجرانا

It was so delicate I took it for the cheek of one who had exchanged

So soft their skin, that one might think nearly,

his intimacy with me for estrangement.

An absent love returned quite willingly.