قامَرَ باللَّهْوِ في هَوَى قمرٍ

قامَرَ باللَّهْوِ في هَوَى قمرٍ

ونالَ وصْلَ البُدُورِ بالبَدْرِ

ونالَ وصْلَ البُدُورِ بالبَدْرِ

He gambled with pleasure in love with a moon,

He gambled with play in the passion of a moon,

And won union with full moons through the full moon.

And attained the union of full moons through the full moon.

وافْتَضّ أبْكارَ لهْوِهِ طَرَباً

وافْتَضّ أبْكارَ لهْوِهِ طَرَباً

بين عشايا المُدَامِ والبُكُرِ

بين عشايا المُدَامِ والبُكُرِ

And in rapture deflowered his pleasure's virgins,

He plucked the fruits of his playfulness out of yearning,

Between wine-filled evenings and early mornings.

Between the evenings of wine and first light.

لا يومَ كاليومِ أبرزَتْهُ لَنَا

لا يومَ كاليومِ أبرزَتْهُ لَنَا

رياضُهُ في مُشَهَّرِ الحِبَرِ

رياضُهُ في مُشَهَّرِ الحِبَرِ

No day is like this day, brought forth for us

No day like the day it brought out for us,

By its gardens in resplendent embroidered robes.

Its meadows in the blossoming month of spring.

يومٌ بهيمُ الزمانِ يَخْطِرُ من

يومٌ بهيمُ الزمانِ يَخْطِرُ من

جمالِهِ في الحُجُولِ والغُرَرِ

جمالِهِ في الحُجُولِ والغُرَرِ

A day when the dark steed of Time prances, through

A day in which the time gallivanted from

Its beauty, with white fetlock markings and forehead blazes.

Its beauty among the gazelles and fawns.

مَسَرّةٌ كيلها بلا حَشَفِ

مَسَرّةٌ كيلها بلا حَشَفِ

ولذةٌ صَفْوُها بلا كَدَرِ

ولذةٌ صَفْوُها بلا كَدَرِ

A joy whose measure holds no shriveled dates,

A joy without any clouds,

And pleasure whose purity is free of cloudiness.

And a pleasure without any bitterness.

قَدْ ضُرِبَتْ خَيْمَةُ الغَمَامِ لنا

قَدْ ضُرِبَتْ خَيْمَةُ الغَمَامِ لنا

وَرُشّ جيش النّسِيْمِ بالمَطَرِ

وَرُشّ جيش النّسِيْمِ بالمَطَرِ

The tent of clouds has already been pitched for us,

The tent of clouds was pitched for us,

And the breeze's army has been sprinkled with rain.

And the army of the breeze sprinkled rain.

وعندنا عاتقانِ حَمْراءُ كالشّ

وعندنا عاتقانِ حَمْراءُ كالشّ

مْسِ وأخرى صَفْرَاءُ كالقَمَرِ

مْسِ وأخرى صَفْرَاءُ كالقَمَرِ

And with us are two mature maidens, one red as the

With us are two rosy shoulders like the sun

Sun, and the other yellow as the moon.

And another yellow like the moon.

بِكرانِ هَذِي تُعابُ بالكِبَرِ ال

بِكرانِ هَذِي تُعابُ بالكِبَرِ ال

بادِي وهَذِي تُعَابُ بالصِّغَرِ

بادِي وهَذِي تُعَابُ بالصِّغَرِ

Two virgins: this one faulted for old age,

Two young ladies, one blamed for being too old

Plain to see, and this one faulted for youth.

And the other blamed for being too young.

مُدامَةٌ كانَ مِنْ تَقَادُمِها

مُدامَةٌ كانَ مِنْ تَقَادُمِها

عاصرَها آدمُ ابو البَشَرِ

عاصرَها آدمُ ابو البَشَرِ

A wine so ancient that

A wine bearer whose ancientness

Adam, the father of humankind, was its presser.

Dates back to Adam, father of mankind.

وبِنْتُ خِدْرٍ تُرِيْكَ صُورَتُهَا

وبِنْتُ خِدْرٍ تُرِيْكَ صُورَتُهَا

بّدْرَ الدُّجَى في ردائِها العَطِرِ

بّدْرَ الدُّجَى في ردائِها العَطِرِ

And a secluded maiden whose form shows you

And a maiden whose image shows you

Night's full moon in her fragrant robe.

The full moon in its shiny attire.

حنَّتْ على عودِها وقد بَزَلَتْ

حنَّتْ على عودِها وقد بَزَلَتْ

مُدامُنا جمرةً بلا شَرَرِ

مُدامُنا جمرةً بلا شَرَرِ

She sang plaintively over her lute, while there flowed

She bent her branch, and our wine bearer slipped,

Our wine, an ember without sparks.

Spilling embers without sparks.

يسعى علينا بها الوصائِفُ قُلْ

يسعى علينا بها الوصائِفُ قُلْ

لِدْنَ مُجُوناً قلائِدَ الزَّهْرِ

لِدْنَ مُجُوناً قلائِدَ الزَّهْرِ

The serving girls circulate among us with it, having been

The cupbearer hurries to serve us, saying:

Garlanded in revelry with necklaces of flowers.

“For our intoxicated friends, necklaces of flowers.”

قُرِّطْنَ قُرْطَيْنِ إذْ جُلِيْنَ لنا

قُرِّطْنَ قُرْطَيْنِ إذْ جُلِيْنَ لنا

مُعَقْرِبَاتِ الأصْدَاغِ والطُّرَرِ

مُعَقْرِبَاتِ الأصْدَاغِ والطُّرَرِ

They were each adorned with two earrings when unveiled to us,

Two earrings shone for us,

With their temple-locks and forelocks curled like scorpions.

Of temples and hair locks.

يا تاركاً طيبَ يومِهِ لغدٍ

يا تاركاً طيبَ يومِهِ لغدٍ

تبيعُ عينَ السُّرورِ بالأثرِ

تبيعُ عينَ السُّرورِ بالأثرِ

O you who forsake your day's sweetness for tomorrow,

Oh you who leaves the fragrance of his day for tomorrow,

You barter joy itself for its trace.

Selling the eye of joy for a trace.

إن وَتَرَتْ قَلْبَكَ الهمومُ فما

إن وَتَرَتْ قَلْبَكَ الهمومُ فما

مِثْلُ انتصارٍ بالنَّاي والوَتَرِ

مِثْلُ انتصارٍ بالنَّاي والوَتَرِ

If cares have wronged your heart, there is nothing

If worries have estranged your heart, nothing

Like taking revenge with flute and string.

Is like triumph with flute and melody.

وشادِنٍ حيّرَتْ لواحِظَهُ

وشادِنٍ حيّرَتْ لواحِظَهُ

ألحاظُ عَيْنِ الغَزَالِ بالحُوَارِ

ألحاظُ عَيْنِ الغَزَالِ بالحُوَارِ

And a young gazelle whose sidelong glances were bewildered

And a fawn whose glances confused its admirer,

By the glances of the gazelle's eye in dialogue.

With the gazes of a doe's eyes in conversation.

أُجْبِرْتُ في حبِّهِ لأعذُرَهَ

أُجْبِرْتُ في حبِّهِ لأعذُرَهَ

فإنْ جَفَاني احْتَجَجْتُ بالقَدَرِ

فإنْ جَفَاني احْتَجَجْتُ بالقَدَرِ

I was compelled to love him, so that I might excuse him;

I was compelled to love him and excuse him,

So if he shuns me, I plead fate.

And if he spurned me, I pleaded destiny.

سألتهُ زورةً فجادَ بِها

سألتهُ زورةً فجادَ بِها

وكلُّ هَذَا بألسُنِ النَّظَرِ

وكلُّ هَذَا بألسُنِ النَّظَرِ

I asked him for a visit, and he granted it generously;

I asked him falsely and he generously obliged,

And all this through the tongues of the gaze.

And all this with glances of sight.

فَنِلْتُ سُؤْلي من رشفِ رِيْقَتِهِ

فَنِلْتُ سُؤْلي من رشفِ رِيْقَتِهِ

ومُنْيَتي من مآربٍ أُخَرِ

ومُنْيَتي من مآربٍ أُخَرِ

So I gained my wish by sipping his saliva,

So I attained my request from the sipping of his saliva,

And my heart's desire through other pleasures.

And my desire from other purposes.