1. He folded away his salty wit from me, so I folded away,
Though he had been intimate, I turned aside and withdrew.

2. He called me over, so I spent time with his verse reciting,
Else, had I not humored him, I would have kept to seclusion.

3. He said "Did the trinkets reach you?" I responded evasively,
"The purpose came to me from the seller of salt with purpose."

4. And he offered me a draft - if I had appended it
To tar, they would have matched in their blackness.

5. He said "I see this drink is pure for its clarity
And smoothness like a star." I said "Yes, when it descends."

6. And he praised a man's poetry though he was no poet,
So I said to him "Hold your words - I have turned from passion."

7. Had I guarded my bowling for his leaning,
Working in some winks, he would have listened and calmed.