1. I say to one with stature like a rod
And waist that is blessed by its shaper

2. With a face that rivals its teeth in brightness
As he pours from the cup into the goblet

3. Oh turn your eyes away o you, the epitome of youth
By God, your eyes - how enchanting!

4. Indeed, the turns of fate have played with me
Like the playing of a boy with a ball

5. And I was tossed eastward to its west
Like the birds of storms with feathers

6. And I'm amazed that I am a poet
And the words of verse - how poetic!

7. And if they wagered me and my books
Along with poetry, wit and inkwell

8. For a day’s nourishment, they’d take back the bet
And toss silver freshly minted

9. Forbidden, forbidden - the era of the destitute
Forbidden, forbidden - how foul!

10. When the life of a youth is constricted
Better than a life entombed