1. O Lord, a roasted lamb passed me by
As if it were a roasted watermelon

2. Without thorns or pits to spoil it
As a lamb cooked whole can be

3. Its juices bursting forth from the heat
Happy is the throat graced by that hot morsel

4. What excellent fare for a hungry blind pauper
A learned man versed in grammar and poetry

5. From the Sheikh with white hair despite his youth
In spite of Ibn Shibah or Damascus’ rival

6. Muhammad ibn Ali is a man
Who partakes in music though duty-bound

7. So much so that the Sheikh’s chin appears coated
In this or that, milk or olive oil

8. By God’s grace he was granted this and forbidden
To wretched misguided Shia heretics