عَرَاني الزمان بأَحْداثِهِ

عَرَاني الزمان بأَحْداثِهِ

فَبَعْضٌ أَطَقْتُ وَبَعْضٌ فَدَحْ

فَبَعْضٌ أَطَقْتُ وَبَعْضٌ فَدَحْ

Time has assailed me with its vicissitudes:

Time beset me with its calamities;

some I can bear, while others are crushing.

some I endured, and some weighed me down.

وَعِنْدِي فَجَائِعٌ للنّائِبَاتِ

وَعِنْدِي فَجَائِعٌ للنّائِبَاتِ

وَلا كَفَجِيعَتِنا بالقَدَحْ

وَلا كَفَجِيعَتِنا بالقَدَحْ

I have known grievous losses dealt by calamities,

I have known grievous losses through misfortune,

but none like our grievous loss of the goblet—

but none like our loss of the cup:

وِعَاءُ المُدَامِ وَتَاجُ البَنَانِ

وِعَاءُ المُدَامِ وَتَاجُ البَنَانِ

ومُدْني السُّرورِ وَمُقْصِي التَّرَحْ

ومُدْني السُّرورِ وَمُقْصِي التَّرَحْ

vessel of wine and crown of the fingertips,

the vessel of wine, the crown of fingertips,

bringer of joy near and banisher of sorrow;

bringer of joy and banisher of sorrow;

وَمَعْرِضُ راحٍ مَتَى يَكْسُهُ

وَمَعْرِضُ راحٍ مَتَى يَكْسُهُ

ويُسْتَوْدَعُ السِّرِّ مِنْها يَبُحْ

ويُسْتَوْدَعُ السِّرِّ مِنْها يَبُحْ

a showcase for wine whenever wine clothes it,

and a showcase for wine: whenever wine clothes it,

entrusted with wine’s secret, yet disclosing it;

and it is entrusted with wine's secret, it divulges it.

وَجِسْمُ هواءٍ وإنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ

وَجِسْمُ هواءٍ وإنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ

يُرَى للهَوَاءِ بِكَفِّ شَبَحْ

يُرَى للهَوَاءِ بِكَفِّ شَبَحْ

a body made of air, though no shape of air

A body of air, though no

can be seen held within a palm.

form of air has ever been seen in a palm.

يَرُدُّ على الشَّخْصِ تِمْثَالَهُ

يَرُدُّ على الشَّخْصِ تِمْثَالَهُ

فإنْ تَتَّخِذْهُ مِرْآةً صَلَحْ

فإنْ تَتَّخِذْهُ مِرْآةً صَلَحْ

It gives a person back his likeness;

It gives a person back his image;

take it for a mirror, and it serves you well.

if you use it as a mirror, it serves well.

ويعبَقُ من نَكَهَاتِ المُدَامِ

ويعبَقُ من نَكَهَاتِ المُدَامِ

فَتَحْسِبُ مِنْهُ عَبِيْراً نَفَحْ

فَتَحْسِبُ مِنْهُ عَبِيْراً نَفَحْ

It grows fragrant with the wine’s bouquet,

It is fragrant with the aromas of wine,

until you fancy ambergris has breathed from it.

so you think perfume has wafted from it.

وَرَقَّ فَلَوْ حَلّ في كِفّةٍ

وَرَقَّ فَلَوْ حَلّ في كِفّةٍ

ولا شَئَ في أُخْتِها ما رَجَحْ

ولا شَئَ في أُخْتِها ما رَجَحْ

So delicate that, were it set in one scale-pan

And so delicate that, were it set in one scale-pan,

with nothing in its mate, it would not tip the balance.

with nothing in its sister pan, it would not tip the balance.

يكادُ مع الماء إن مَسَّهُ

يكادُ مع الماء إن مَسَّهُ

لما فيه من شَكِلهِ يَنْسَفِحْ

لما فيه من شَكِلهِ يَنْسَفِحْ

When water touches it, it almost

With water, if water touches it, it almost

pours away with the water, so alike are their forms.

spills away, so closely does it resemble the water.

هَوَى من أَنامِلِ مَجْدُولَةٍ

هَوَى من أَنامِلِ مَجْدُولَةٍ

فَيَا عَجَباً لِلَطْيفٍ رَزَحْ

فَيَا عَجَباً لِلَطْيفٍ رَزَحْ

It fell from shapely fingers—

It fell from slender, finely shaped fingers—

what a wonder that so delicate a thing lay crushed!

how strange that so light a thing should fall so heavily!

وَأَفْقَدَيِنْهِ على ضِنَّةٍ

وَأَفْقَدَيِنْهِ على ضِنَّةٍ

به للزَّمانِ غريمٌ مُلِحْ

به للزَّمانِ غريمٌ مُلِحْ

Time bereft me of it despite my jealous care;

And I was robbed of it, despite my attachment

for its sake I am Time’s relentless claimant.

to it, by an insistent creditor of Time.

كأنّ لَهُ ناظراً يَنْتَقي

كأنّ لَهُ ناظراً يَنْتَقي

فما يَتَعَمَّدُ غَيْرَ المُلْحِ

فما يَتَعَمَّدُ غَيْرَ المُلْحِ

As though Time had a discerning eye that chooses,

As though he had an eye that picks and chooses,

deliberately targeting nothing but lovely things.

so he targets nothing but lovely things.

أُقَلِّبُ ما أبْقَتِ الحادِثا

أُقَلِّبُ ما أبْقَتِ الحادِثا

تُ مِنْهُ وفي العيْنِ دَمْعٌ يَسُحْ

تُ مِنْهُ وفي العيْنِ دَمْعٌ يَسُحْ

I turn over what the calamities have left

I turn over what calamities have left

of it, while tears stream from my eye.

of it, while tears pour from my eye.

وَقَدْ قَدَحَ الوَجْدُ مِنّي بِهِ

وَقَدْ قَدَحَ الوَجْدُ مِنّي بِهِ

على القلْبِ من نارِهِ ما قَدَحْ

على القلْبِ من نارِهِ ما قَدَحْ

Longing for it has kindled in me,

And my grief for it has already struck

upon my heart, all the fire it could kindle.

such sparks from its fire upon my heart!

وأَعْجَبُ مِنْ زَمَنٍ مانِحٍ

وأَعْجَبُ مِنْ زَمَنٍ مانِحٍ

وآخَرَ يَسْلُبُ تِلْكَ المِنَحْ

وآخَرَ يَسْلُبُ تِلْكَ المِنَحْ

Stranger still to me is one Time that bestows,

I marvel at a time that bestows,

and another that strips away those gifts.

and another that steals those gifts away.

فلا تَبْعَدَنّ فَكَمْ مِنْ حَشىً

فلا تَبْعَدَنّ فَكَمْ مِنْ حَشىً

عَلَيْكَ كليمٍ وقلْبٍ قَرِحْ

عَلَيْكَ كليمٍ وقلْبٍ قَرِحْ

May you not be gone! How many an inmost breast

So may you never be far away! How many a breast

lies wounded for you, how many a heart lies sore.

is wounded over you, and how many a heart is sore.

سيُقْضِدُ بَعْدَكَ رَسْمُ الغَبُوقِ

سيُقْضِدُ بَعْدَكَ رَسْمُ الغَبُوقِ

وتُوحِشُ مِنْكَ مَغَانِي الصُّبَحْ

وتُوحِشُ مِنْكَ مَغَانِي الصُّبَحْ

After you, the rite of evening wine will torment me,

After you, the rite of evening drinking will be cut short,

and without you the haunts of morning wine will stand desolate.

and the haunts of morning draughts will lie desolate without you.