1. In robes stained with musk, his breath sweet smelling,
As if his garments were extracted from aloeswood.

2. He has dyed his cloak violet, so its hue
Appears to have been stolen from the flower's own color.

3. When darkness falls, his breeze blows gently,
And by day he lurks concealed like a fox.

4. Disguised until evening comes, his rule
Being at night, for he is one of the guards.

5. A kind that differs from any other in manners
Of dress, disguise, aloofness and intimacy.

6. You see him naked of his finery all day long,
Dressed in common clothes, mingling with the masses.

7. And you see him aloof all day long,
But when the darkness nears, he finds intimacy.

8. The intimacies of Ibn 'Amir, who restored
The dwellings of grandeur through his governance.

9. He revived leadership through politics, excelling at both,
After the Guard had declined.

10. He ascended high, not inheriting might and glory
From a humbled ancestor or hapless forebear.

11. A light kindled, revealing by its glow
What had been ambiguous and obscure before.