سَلاَمُ اللَّهِ مَا وَضَحَ المُحَيَّا

سَلاَمُ اللَّهِ مَا وَضَحَ المُحَيَّا

وَمَا أبْدَتْ تَحِيَّتَهَا الثُّرَيَّا

وَمَا أبْدَتْ تَحِيَّتَهَا الثُّرَيَّا

God's peace, as long as the countenance shines bright,

God's peace, how the wine cleared up

And as long as the Pleiades offer their greeting,

And how its greeting shone through the vessels

عَلَى مَنْ جَاءَنِي مِنْهُ نِظَامٌ

عَلَى مَنْ جَاءَنِي مِنْهُ نِظَامٌ

حَكَى الدُّرَّ النفيس الجَوْهَرِيَّا

حَكَى الدُّرَّ النفيس الجَوْهَرِيَّا

Upon the one from whom a string of verse reached me,

To the one who brought me some of it - a perfection

Resembling precious, gemlike pearls.

That told of precious ruby wine

يذكِّرْنِي بِلَيْلَتِنَا الَّتِي قَدْ

يذكِّرْنِي بِلَيْلَتِنَا الَّتِي قَدْ

غَدا كُلٌّ بِهَا مِنَّا عَصِيَّا

غَدا كُلٌّ بِهَا مِنَّا عَصِيَّا

He reminds me of our night, when

Reminding me of our night that now

Each of us had become disobedient that night.

Each of us disobeys because of it

ويَسْألُنِي سُؤَالَ أخِ اعْتِذَارٍ

ويَسْألُنِي سُؤَالَ أخِ اعْتِذَارٍ

وَقَد أقْلَعْتُ عَنْ شُرْبِ الحُمَيَّا

وَقَد أقْلَعْتُ عَنْ شُرْبِ الحُمَيَّا

And asks me with an apologetic plea,

And asking me apologetically

Though I have given up drinking wine.

Though I've stopped drinking the fermentation

وَيُوصِفُهَا لذِي صَمَمٍ ومن ذَا

وَيُوصِفُهَا لذِي صَمَمٍ ومن ذَا

رَأى صَمَماً يجيب نِداً خَفِيَّا

رَأى صَمَماً يجيب نِداً خَفِيَّا

And describes it to a deaf man—and who

Describing it to the deaf and who can

Has seen deafness answer a faint call?

Make the deaf hear a soft call?

فَيَا دَاعِي الخَلِيّ إلَى التَّصَابِي

فَيَا دَاعِي الخَلِيّ إلَى التَّصَابِي

لقد أسْمَعْتَ لَوْ نَادَيْتَ حَيَّا

لقد أسْمَعْتَ لَوْ نَادَيْتَ حَيَّا

So, you who call one free of passion to youthful dalliance,

So my negligent friend calling me to drink

You would surely have made yourself heard had you called someone alive.

You would have heard me respond if you called the living

أتَطْمَعُ أنْ أجيبَ نِدَاكَ فيهَا

أتَطْمَعُ أنْ أجيبَ نِدَاكَ فيهَا

وكيفَ وقد غَدتْ شيا فَرِيَّا

وكيفَ وقد غَدتْ شيا فَرِيَّا

Do you hope I will answer your call to it?

Can I hope to answer your call in it

And how could I, when it has become an outrageous thing?

When it's become a thing long past?

وَقَدْ أمْسَى الرَّشِيدُ بِهَا سفيهًا

وَقَدْ أمْسَى الرَّشِيدُ بِهَا سفيهًا

كما أضْحَى السعيد بِهَا شَقِيَّا

كما أضْحَى السعيد بِهَا شَقِيَّا

And through it the prudent man has become a fool,

The steadfast turned foolish in it

Just as the happy man has become wretched through it.

As did the happy turn miserable

وَهَبْكَ صَدَقْتَ لو صَادَفْتَ صَبّاً

وَهَبْكَ صَدَقْتَ لو صَادَفْتَ صَبّاً

وَلَكِنْ لَمْ تَجِدْ إلاَّ خَلِيَّا

وَلَكِنْ لَمْ تَجِدْ إلاَّ خَلِيَّا

And grant you would have been right had you met a lovesick man,

You spoke truly, if you met a youth

But you have found only one free of passion.

But you found only an old man

فَدَعْنِي وَاطَّرِحْ لَوْمِي فَإنِّي

فَدَعْنِي وَاطَّرِحْ لَوْمِي فَإنِّي

رَأيْتُ الرَّشْدَ في الصهباءِ غَيَّا

رَأيْتُ الرَّشْدَ في الصهباءِ غَيَّا

So leave me, and stop reproaching me, for I

So leave me be and forgive my blame

Have found wisdom in tawny wine to be folly.

For I saw sanity in sobriety

لِذَاكَ اللَّهُ حَرَّمَهَا عَلَيْنَا

لِذَاكَ اللَّهُ حَرَّمَهَا عَلَيْنَا

وَأوْعَدَ في الجحيمِ بِهَا صُلِيَّا

وَأوْعَدَ في الجحيمِ بِهَا صُلِيَّا

That is why God has forbidden it to us,

That's why God forbade it for us

And threatened burning in Hell because of it,

And promised agonizing punishment for it

وَضَاعَفَ في العذابِ لِمَنْ أتَاهَا

وَضَاعَفَ في العذابِ لِمَنْ أتَاهَا

وَصَيَّرَ حَالَهُ حَالاً زَرِيَّا

وَصَيَّرَ حَالَهُ حَالاً زَرِيَّا

And multiplied the torment for whoever turned to it,

And doubled the punishment for whoever seeks it

And made his condition a degraded one.

And made his state deplorable

يَعِزُّ عَلَيَّ أنْ ضَيَّعْتُ عُمْرِي

يَعِزُّ عَلَيَّ أنْ ضَيَّعْتُ عُمْرِي

بِهَا سَفَهًا وَما حَصَّلْتُ شَيَّا

بِهَا سَفَهًا وَما حَصَّلْتُ شَيَّا

It grieves me that I squandered my life

It hurts me that I wasted my life

On it in folly, and gained nothing,

Stupidly with it, gaining nothing

وَلَمْ أظْفَرَ بِطَائِلَةٍ وَيَا هَلْ

وَلَمْ أظْفَرَ بِطَائِلَةٍ وَيَا هَلْ

أرَانِي لاَ عَلَيَّ وَلاَ لَدَيَّا

أرَانِي لاَ عَلَيَّ وَلاَ لَدَيَّا

And won no benefit—ah, shall

Did I get any use, woe is me

I see myself with nothing against me and nothing to my credit?

With nothing for me or by me?

وَمَنْ شَابَتْهُ بِالإثْمِ المَعَاصِي

وَمَنْ شَابَتْهُ بِالإثْمِ المَعَاصِي

فَكَيْفَ تَخَالُهُ مِنْهَا بَرِيَّا

فَكَيْفَ تَخَالُهُ مِنْهَا بَرِيَّا

And one whom transgressions have tainted with sin—

And who sins tastes it -

Then how could you suppose him innocent of them?

How can you see him innocent of it?

وَقَدْ آلَيْتُ إذْ أقْلَعْتُ عَنْهَا

وَقَدْ آلَيْتُ إذْ أقْلَعْتُ عَنْهَا

بِأنِّي لاَ أعُود بِهَا حَفِيَّا

بِأنِّي لاَ أعُود بِهَا حَفِيَّا

And I vowed, when I gave it up,

I have promised by quitting it

That I would never again be devoted to it,

That I will not return to it

لَعَلَّ اللَّهَ يَرْحَمُنِي وَيَعْفُو

لَعَلَّ اللَّهَ يَرْحَمُنِي وَيَعْفُو

وَيَغْفر مَا جَنَتْهُ يَدِي عَلَيَّا

وَيَغْفر مَا جَنَتْهُ يَدِي عَلَيَّا

Perhaps God will have mercy on me and pardon me,

Maybe God will have mercy on me and pardon

And forgive what my hand has wrought against me,

And forgive what my hands did to me

وَيَسْقِينِي بِهَا يَوْمَ التَّقَاضِي

وَيَسْقِينِي بِهَا يَوْمَ التَّقَاضِي

شَرَاباً سَلْسَبِيلاً سُكَّرِيَّا

شَرَاباً سَلْسَبِيلاً سُكَّرِيَّا

And give me, in its stead, on the Day of Reckoning,

And give me on Judgement Day

A draught of Salsabil, sweet as sugar.

A drink of Salsabeel, sweet and pure