1. My solace, tall of stature like Maymūn,
Or my raccoon-eyed companion.

2. A full moon who gazes at me coyly like a gazelle,
And greets me with an eyebrow like a bent bow.

3. Beauty is his uncle, and the crescent his brother,
His maternal uncle is ambergris.

4. His lips tell of sweetness,
His dimples narrate tales of jewels.

5. Passion dwells in my breast since
He captivated my heart with his gilded paleness.

6. He sways, his robes rustling,
A branch beneath his silk robe.

7. With eyes like pomegranates, gracefully,
What grace, though no bow is bent!

8. Arabic is his glance, Turkish his smile,
His figure amazes like that of a Persian.

9. His eyes intoxicated us, as if
We had sipped from his nectar.

10. When he lifted his veil we found ourselves
In gardens, his face the moon.

11. Among roses of his cheeks, and myrtles
Of his temples, narcissi of his eyes.

12. His cheek meets us like wine
In a cup, like a blossoming orchard.

13. Do you see his cheek revealed on it?
Or are the roses revealed on his cheek?

14. Give me the cup, O sovereign of my heart,
Offer it to me from your soft hand.

15. Turn it gently, or if you wish then give me leave
To mix it with your sweet saliva.

16. The dawn of his brow shone, the leaves
Rustled in the garden of beauty.

17. O beautiful one, his coquetry binds my heart,
So be gentle with your captive.

18. Coquetry excuses beauty, or is it
The sea-child's hand that set it free?

19. He is wise and brilliant, John
The ransomed, the shining Luminary's ward.

20. Well-mannered and refined, so immaculate
Like the aroma of flowers in gardens.

21. A scribe whose writing makes parchment
Jealous, as his fingers release it purely.

22. The ribbons parade at the waists of beauties
When they shine in their ink attire.

23. Eyes of ink spraying magic
In the eyelash pen’s reservoir.

24. His lines yearn to adorn themselves
For they are brighter than their pearl gleam.

25. No vermilion more radiant on parchment
Than his lines in silver ink.

26. He outshone the son of the pen case when
He drew a line in black ink.

27. Yaqut and Ibn Hilal narrated his virtues,
As excellence singled him out.

28. Ink emerged as pearls on the pages,
Between strings of eloquent words and meaning.

29. And he brought us prose in rhetoric
Surpassing the rhetoric of poets.

30. His unique style dresses glory,
Drawing fine sincere praise.

31. With sound judgement he shamed Qays
And censured Iyas with wise thought.

32. Eloquent in diction, endearing in company, gentle,
They steal every pure heart.

33. The eloquent Turks learn from him
Though he is the paragon of Arabic speech.

34. He refuses souls, gathers praise, is forgiving,
Bountiful of hand and faithful bestowal.

35. May God raise him high and accept him,
And guard him with an invisible care.