1. My companion, I reminded him of old pacts
And the refined ways of humankind

2. I asked, "How are friends?" He said, "With souls they greet
And sacrifice themselves, ever gracious"

3. I asked, "How is sleep?" He said, "With comfort it comes
The daughter of the grape cluster"

4. I asked, "How are cupbearers?" He said, "Can a cup
Be right without a supple hand to hold it?"

5. I asked, "How is wine?" He said, "With basil and flowers
It awakens, scattering clouds of promise"

6. I asked, "How is perfume?" He said, "An outpouring that
Stirs the clouds with lightning and thunder"

7. I asked, "How is kissing?" He said, "The sipping of a cheek
And wetting one's lips on the rim of the beloved"

8. I asked, "How are lutes?" He said, "Bowing in rhythm
As the strings sing at a concert"

9. I asked, "How is singing?" He said, "Done with refinement
The verses of poems return no more"

10. I desire in song the smooth throat
Of a tender voice, practiced and polished

11. Like the moan of a lover whom desire dissolves
Surpassing even the lute’s mournful tones