Let Us Drink! (Arabic)

Abu Nuwas's Let Us Drink!

"Let Us Drink!" by Abu Nuwas is an exquisite example of Arabic wine poetry, or khamriyyat, from the Abbasid period. Known for his bold, often subversive approach to traditional Islamic values, Abu Nuwas’s poetry frequently explores themes of pleasure, indulgence, and liberation from societal norms. This poem, both defiant and sensuous, captures the poet’s complex relationship with wine and pleasure, employing lush imagery and symbolic language to convey an ecstatic experience that transcends mere indulgence.

Introduction

In "Let Us Drink!" Abu Nuwas appeals to themes of freedom from judgment and the transformative power of pleasure. Each line defies moral condemnation, instead celebrating wine as a source of joy and solace. The poet’s interplay between prohibition and indulgence reflects a tension between societal expectations and personal liberation, emblematic of Abu Nuwas’s broader body of work. This analysis will examine how the poet’s use of imagery, structure, and thematic juxtaposition illustrates a journey from reproach to revelry.

Analysis

Lines 1-2: The Call for Liberation from Reproach

"Leave off your reproach; reproach only entices,
Heal me with what was once my ailment’s devices."

The opening line begins with a direct imperative, “Leave off your reproach,” establishing an unapologetic tone. This phrase conveys not only irritation with societal censure but also a rejection of the futility of such reproach. Abu Nuwas implies that criticism of his indulgence only enhances his desire for it, suggesting a psychological inversion where reprimand fuels pleasure rather than restraint.

The phrase “Heal me with what was once my ailment’s devices” introduces the paradox of wine as both poison and cure. Wine, in this sense, is portrayed as a remedy for the soul's woes, presenting a medicinal quality traditionally attributed to something detrimental. This notion captures the essence of khamriyyat, where wine’s inherent contradictions—pleasure and peril—are embraced as life-affirming.

Lines 3-4: The Idealized Description of Wine

"A golden wine whose heart no sorrow can seize;
Should it touch a stone, the stone too would please."

The wine here is characterized as “golden,” symbolizing purity and preciousness, hinting at both its physical allure and its metaphorical depth. Its immunity to sorrow—“whose heart no sorrow can seize”—presents wine as a potent elixir, capable of transforming even the heaviest of spirits. The imagery suggests an almost magical quality: this wine is untouchable by grief, immune to the afflictions of the human soul.

Furthermore, the poet’s assertion that “Should it touch a stone, the stone too would please” imbues the wine with transformative power, animating the inanimate. This line implies that the wine’s beauty and joy are so potent that they would be contagious, extending beyond human boundaries and into the lifeless world. It’s as though wine possesses an inherent vitality that can imbue anything it touches with pleasure, turning sorrow to joy and lifelessness to animation.

Lines 5-6: The Enchantress and the Shimmering Night

"She rose with her jug, while night was yet deep;
Her face lit the room with a shimmering sweep."

In the final couplet, the introduction of a female figure who “rose with her jug” serves as an embodiment of the wine’s allure. She appears as a mystical, almost otherworldly presence in the dark night, bringing light and liveliness. The phrase “while night was yet deep” contrasts darkness with her luminous entrance, suggesting that she—or what she represents—has the power to penetrate even the thickest gloom. This symbolic juxtaposition of night and light reinforces the poem’s exploration of pleasure as a counter to sorrow and oppression.

The woman’s “face lit the room with a shimmering sweep,” evokes a momentary brilliance, almost divine in nature. Her radiance reflects the ecstasy and elevation associated with intoxication, where even ordinary surroundings take on a transcendent beauty. This image serves as a fitting climax, capturing the fullness of indulgence and the exalted state that wine, as an intermediary, enables.

Conclusion

In "Let Us Drink!" Abu Nuwas employs vivid imagery and paradoxical metaphors to craft a compelling defense of pleasure, symbolized by wine. He positions indulgence as a necessary balm for the hardships of life, countering societal censure with an appeal to freedom and joy. By exploring wine’s dual role as poison and remedy, and casting it as a force with the power to transform sorrow and darkness into celebration and light, the poet elevates indulgence to an almost sacred experience.

Ultimately, the poem serves as an eloquent assertion of Abu Nuwas's belief in personal liberation and the transient, yet profound, joys of life. His language evokes not merely intoxication, but a deeper immersion in beauty and freedom, as he defies condemnation and embraces the ephemeral, vivid pleasures of the world.