1. They said: Tomorrow, Luṭfī will be president, so greet him,
And chant his name in gatherings.

2. I said: Would reason allow that I,
When reciting praise, be told: You're stating the obvious?

3. They said: A noble man has gained prestige and status!
I said: Yes, if perfection of the perfect were possible.

4. They said: You and your poetry! His spirit is lofty,
It doesn't mind what people say.

5. I said: Where is the poetry? Where is its imagination?
Where are words from the grasp of the conveyor?

6. They said: What will you do in this gathering?
I said: The work of the tired conformist.

7. So in the silence of the stunned, true praise,
And every word between truth and falsehood.