1. O Joseph, you built a palace for the king
And clothed it with marble and silk brocade

2. You raised upon the red hill a bejeweled crown
And adorned its neck with a necklace of pearls

3. A garden of flowers in daylight when the sun shines
And a rising of moons when the night whispers

4. A racecourse for joy and a fortress for glory
A prayer niche for faith and a hall for the king

5. A spring for rain and a horizon for the sun
And a refuge and nest for gazelle and partridge

6. Beneath it a maiden plays with prohibition
When she appears, she revives hearts and souls

7. Her meanings are like old fine wine
And her words in the king's assembly are cups

8. When the ink covers her letter paper
You see the dawn dress embroidered in musk