1. أَخٌ لي مِن سَراةِ الفُرسِ قَضَّت

    يَداهُ عُظمَ مَأرُبَتي وَحاجي

    A brother of mine among the Persian nobles has fulfilled

    with his hands most of my wishes and needs.

  2. كَفاني بَحرُهُ العَذبُ المُصَفّى

    وُرودَ شَرائِعِ الطَرقِ الأُجاجِ

    His sweet, pure sea spared me

    the need to visit watering places of fouled, bitter brine.

  3. وَما الصَدَقِيُّ فيما نَبتَغيهِ

    بِصَعبِ المُرتَقى مَرِسِ العِلاجِ

    And al-Ṣadaqī, in what we seek of him, is not

    hard to reach or difficult to deal with.

  4. حَلَبتُ لَهُ الثَناءَ فَجاءَ عَفواً

    جَلِيَّ الرِسلِ مَعسولَ المِزاجِ

    I milked praise for him, and it came unforced,

    its milk pure, its blend honey-sweet:

  5. قَوافِيَ كَالسَلامِ تَفوقُ حُسناً

    نُجومَ اللَيلِ توقِدُها الدَياجي

    rhymes like greetings of peace, surpassing in beauty

    the stars of night, kindled by the darkness.

  6. وَأَعظَمُ خُطَّةٍ وَمُبينُ غَبنٍ

    سُموطُ الدُرِّ تُهدى بِالزُجاجِ

    And a most grievous affair, and a manifest loss:

    strands of pearls given in exchange for glass.