1. Tomorrow beauty will be the counsel of youth, and indeed
Their leader is the one endowed with beauty and virtue.

2. The one whose face matches his height and his saddle,
A crescent moon on a bending branch leaning on chaff.

3. I see him from afar though he embraces me,
And turning away from obeying me though he does not rebel.

4. My suspicions grow though his face is beautiful,
So I take him without investigation or examination.

5. And I wrong him, though innocent, so I may satiate
My oppressive desire to investigate and examine to the utmost.

6. And I cut him with a bite when he stole a glance—
A glance at my eye—and the punishment is known to the thief.

7. And I wilt the rose of his cheek with a kiss after
I yearn and redden that mouth with a suck.

8. I was careful that love would not catch his heart,
Yet alas—how fruitless was my caution!

9. And on a rainy day, its thunder murmuring
And droplets pattering beautifully in their dance.

10. And a patch of water beneath the chill of hailstones
And a horizon that played with lightning in the morning.

11. We drank to this and that a wine
That seemed like juicy carnelian and cheap gold.

12. The image of Caesar was restored to us in its cup,
And Khosrow—it almost revived the soul in that person.

13. Queens in a cup’s palace—and sometimes
We imagined they were just riffraff in private.

14. Thus is wine a blessing in tumors, yet if you wish
Say it is henna and eggs on vitiligo.

15. I have seized the pearls of speech, selecting for it,
Drawing near what I draw near and excluding what I exclude.

16. To you—so do not enumerate what I am saying—
For my words cannot be counted, nor your promise counted.

17. You increase my beauties beyond the length of nights,
So that increase was not tainted with any deficiency.