1. His sorrows and melancholy have returned
With the absence of the one whose nearness is desired

2. However much the house was brought near by his steps
His aloofness drove him back and avoidance of him

3. How much passion we had for his charming eyes
That were delightful for souls yet tormenting for them

4. And joy at seeing him, his smiling cheek and constant intoxication
As if eyes wished to rob him, if they were able to seize him

5. The singers were weakened, demanding
What was owed by the smitten heart

6. What was promised was lacking though longing remained
For the one whose stay and wait were prolonged

7. They said: where is youth after its passing?
I struggled to answer them

8. And the youth dies even if he still lives
When his prime is completely lost

9. We do not care if the minister's hand withered
Or if you saw carnelian pouring down its ridges

10. It is the same if the wise man resisted him
Or the shepherd mounted its peaks

11. The cavalry leader is independent atop them
Although the best penmanship in iron and wood

12. And the governor of affairs is no novelty
It is no wonder if his judgment is correct in it

13. Between truth which ambition turns him to
Or contentment which comes over him

14. His persistence in haughtiness raises him
While people whom his ignorance demeans

15. The initiator of action, if deeds conflict
Shows his closeness or distance

16. And promises proceed urgently
For quick success whose causes are imminent

17. As if the crossing trembled but
The dispersal of clouds did not cease, nor their drivers

18. In a system of beauties that still
Match his manners and etiquette

19. And features of a face, if gleaming for the seeking one
Its needs have been attained, despite remoteness

20. It contended with the full moon, so its splendor outshone
The rent in the clouds below it and its assemblage

21. And awe-inspiring for confidants, if not for
The generosity of intimacy, his discourse would be frightening

22. He continues to be ransomed by souls
Whose clothes are untouched by their flaws

23. Strangely, his manner was obscured from us
By aloofness, if barriers enveloped him

24. Achieving abundantly was not difficult, though we wished it
So how can his gate be arduous?

25. Whoever was absent from the wit of a face
That illuminated the gloomy event was disappointed

26. I have not seen the Sultan incline away from you
For the Sultan’s victory gives plenty and turns away

27. Do I see you in the morning releasing my camel
Announcing departure, provisions tied?

28. Coming from benevolence of a hand of yours that
Neither its waves nor foam can describe

29. A need—if you commanded success in it
The distant seeker would come near his refuge

30. Nothing is sweetened by your existence but what is sought
With effort until its seeker despairs