1. She came to me without promise, the veils already lifted,
So here is the sweetest flower refreshing the morning;

2. I gave her my eyes and heart as a gift,
And my eyes became hers while my heart became his.

3. Drenched in musk, sweet lipped,
Smooth cheeked, she pours but is not poured on.

4. When she visits I say "welcome!"
How nice if she found a spacious house!

5. We were brought together by a flirtatious damsel-
A lad who gained the wisdom of age before his youth.

6. She praised us with praise she did not mean sincerely
And is angered if we say "you have spoken lies!"

7. Al-Tiradi has outdone the clan - more fortunate is As'ad
In winning the race to the finish he seized by force.

8. He took up the art of poetry before studying it
And tackled meanings before reading books.

9. He defeats me with poetry which escaped from my hand
As my greys have flowed over my temple.

10. When a man's head turns white, greyness inevitably
Pursues his resolve until it is pillowed by dust.

11. May God preserve the days of youth, for they
Are a branch of life which was moist and upright.

12. Not everyone with a soul is truly alive,
So one who lives in sorrow is as one already dead.

13. The clouds watered the son of Abu Khayr, for he
Is the bounty whose rising we beseech for rain.

14. When we contemplate the beauty of his qualities
We see wonders in him but no conceit.

15. Among the people there were many envious of his superiority
But by my life, we never blamed them for sin!

16. It is right that the youth be envied for what he attained
And what do the envious ones matter? No reproach!

17. When the Bountiful God obliges blessings on His slave
Who then has the power to wrest it from him?