بُستانُ جَعفَرَ مِثلُهُ

بُستانُ جَعفَرَ مِثلُهُ

في ظَرفِهِ وَشَمائِلِه

في ظَرفِهِ وَشَمائِلِه

Jaʿfar’s garden is like him

Ja'far's garden resembles him

In elegance and character.

In its grace and traits

وَالبِركَةُ الفَيحاءُ تَخ

وَالبِركَةُ الفَيحاءُ تَخ

جَلُ مِن نَداهُ وَنائِلِه

جَلُ مِن نَداهُ وَنائِلِه

And the spacious pool blushes

And blessings abound

At his bounty and his gifts.

Flowing from its pools and streams

فيهِ الأَنابيبُ الَّتي

فيهِ الأَنابيبُ الَّتي

تَنهَلُّ مِثلَ أَنامِلِه

تَنهَلُّ مِثلَ أَنامِلِه

Within it are the pipes that

In it are channels

Pour forth like his fingertips.

That flow like its fountains

يا حَبَّذا وَلَعُ النَسي

يا حَبَّذا وَلَعُ النَسي

مِ بِبانِهِ وَخَمائِلِه

مِ بِبانِهِ وَخَمائِلِه

Oh, how delightful the breeze’s love

Oh, the delight of forgetfulness

For its ben trees and thickets,

In its groves and arbors

وَتَرَنُّمُ الدولابِ في

وَتَرَنُّمُ الدولابِ في

غَدَواتِهِ وَأَصائِلِه

غَدَواتِهِ وَأَصائِلِه

And the waterwheel’s singing in

And the murmur of its wheel

Its mornings and late afternoons.

In its rounds and rotations

وَالماءُ كَالحَيّاتِ بَي

وَالماءُ كَالحَيّاتِ بَي

نَ مُرورِهِ وَجَداوِلِه

نَ مُرورِهِ وَجَداوِلِه

And the water is like snakes in

And the water like serpents

Its flow and its channels.

Between its passage and its runnels

وَالغَيمُ قَد صَدَقَت كَوا

وَالغَيمُ قَد صَدَقَت كَوا

ذِبُ بَرقِهِ وَمَخائِلِه

ذِبُ بَرقِهِ وَمَخائِلِه

And the clouds have fulfilled the false promises

And the cloud has truly

Of their lightning and their signs of rain.

Lied with its lightning and crevices

وَالرَوضُ قَد جاءَتكَ أَن

وَالرَوضُ قَد جاءَتكَ أَن

فاسُ الصَبا بِرَسائِلِه

فاسُ الصَبا بِرَسائِلِه

And the garden—there have come to you the breaths

And the garden has come to you

Of the east wind, bearing its messages.

Messages of morning with its missives

وَالغُصنُ كَالنَشوانِ يَع

وَالغُصنُ كَالنَشوانِ يَع

ثُرُ في فُضولِ غَلائِلِه

ثُرُ في فُضولِ غَلائِلِه

And the branch, like a drunken man, stumbles

And the branch rustles

In the trailing folds of its thin robes.

Among the abundance of its tendrils

وَالكَأسُ قَد أَعداهُ سُك

وَالكَأسُ قَد أَعداهُ سُك

رٌ مِن لَواحِظِ حامِلِه

رٌ مِن لَواحِظِ حامِلِه

And the cup has caught intoxication

And the cup was prepared

From the glances of its bearer.

By drunkenness from the hands of its bearer

وَلَرُبَّ يَومٍ قَد وَهَبتُ

وَلَرُبَّ يَومٍ قَد وَهَبتُ

الحَقَّ فيهِ لِباطِلِه

الحَقَّ فيهِ لِباطِلِه

And many a day have I given

And many a day I wronged

Truth, on that day, to its falsehood.

The truth for its falsehood

وَشَرَيتُ عاجِلَ ما اِحتَضَ

وَشَرَيتُ عاجِلَ ما اِحتَضَ

رتُ مِنَ السُرورِ بِآجِلِه

رتُ مِنَ السُرورِ بِآجِلِه

And I bought the present joy I had at hand

And bought promptly

With its future share.

What I had prepared for joy in its future

فَتَشابَهَت حُسناً أَوا

فَتَشابَهَت حُسناً أَوا

خِرُ يَومِنا بِأَوائِلِه

خِرُ يَومِنا بِأَوائِلِه

So alike in beauty were the closing hours

So the ends of our days

Of our day and its first hours.

Resembled their beginnings in beauty