شعر ابن زهر – وسقاني أربعا في أربع

Poem Translation:

O cupbearer! to thee my plaint I raise,
Though thou heed’st not, still I chant thy praise.
A comrade fair whose brow did strike my soul,
I drank love’s wine from hands that made me whole.
And each time he awoke from passion’s flight,
He clasped the jar and leaned into the night.
Four times he poured, in rounds of four delight,
Each cup a moon within a world of light.

Poem Explanation:

This poem is a rich tapestry of longing and intoxication, a blend of sensual experience and emotional surrender. The poet begins by calling out to the cupbearer in complaint, even though he may not listen. The focus then shifts to a beloved drinking companion, whose very presence and beauty intoxicate the speaker more than the wine itself. The act of drinking from his palm becomes a symbolic gesture of deep affection and surrender. As the companion repeatedly drinks and reclines, the cycle of intoxication continues—heightened by the final line that hints at excess, ecstasy, and repetition, with “four in four” suggesting an overwhelming, almost divine, indulgence.