سَتائِرُcurtains الأَوراقِthe leaves مَنصوبَةٌare raised
سَتائِرُ الأَوراقِ مَنصوبَةٌ
قِيانُهاtheir singing girls مِنfrom خَلفِهاbehind them الوُرقُthe gray doves
قِيانُها مِن خَلفِها الوُرقُ
Curtains of leaves are raised;
behind them, gray doves are their singing girls.
فَاِشرَبso drink عَلىto أَلحانِهاtheir melodies وَاِسقِنيand give me to drink
فَاِشرَب عَلى أَلحانِها وَاِسقِني
شَمساًa sun لَهاit has مِنfrom كَأسِهاits cup شَرقُa rising
شَمساً لَها مِن كَأسِها شَرقُ
So drink to their melodies, and pour me
a sun that rises from its cup.
فَالجَوُّfor the sky فيon عاتِقِthe shoulder نَفّاطِهِits naphtha-thrower
فَالجَوُّ في عاتِقِ نَفّاطِهِ
زَرّاقَةٌa fire-siphon نيرانُهاits flames البَرقُlightning
زَرّاقَةٌ نيرانُها البَرقُ
For the sky, on its naphtha-thrower’s shoulder,
is a fire-siphon whose flames are lightning.
الجَوُّthe sky فيهِin it الشُهبُthe ash-gray ones وَالبُلقُand the piebald ones
الجَوُّ فيهِ الشُهبُ وَالبُلقُ
وَالرَوضُand the garden فيهِin it الشُهلُthe hazel-eyed ones وَالزُرقُand the blue-eyed ones
وَالرَوضُ فيهِ الشُهلُ وَالزُرقُ
In the sky are the ash-gray and the piebald;
and in the garden, the hazel-eyed and the blue-eyed.
وَراحُناand our wine يومِضُflashes مِنfrom نورِهاits light
وَراحُنا يومِضُ مِن نورِها
فيin الغَيمِthe clouds مِنfrom إِبريقِهاits ewer بَرقُlightning
في الغَيمِ مِن إِبريقِها بَرقُ
And from our wine’s light there flashes
lightning in the clouds, from its ewer.
وَالعودُand the lute قَدindeed أَسمَعَhas made heard مِنfrom نُطقِهِits speech
وَالعودُ قَد أَسمَعَ مِن نُطقِهِ
مَلاحَةًa beauty لَمdid not يَحوِهاcontain it نَطقُspeech
مَلاحَةً لَم يَحوِها نَطقُ
And the lute has let us hear in its speech
a beauty no speech has ever held.
فَاِجرِبناso let flow through us الأَفراحَthe joys مِنfrom يَومِناour day
فَاِجرِبنا الأَفراحَ مِن يَومِنا
فَحَبسُهاfor confining them فيهِwithin it لَناfor us طَلقُfreedom
فَحَبسُها فيهِ لَنا طَلقُ
So let our day’s joys flow through us,
for confining them to it is freedom for us.