يا ذا الذي يَصدُقُني وُدَّهُ

وليس مكذوبٌ كمصدوقِ

O you who sincerely loves me

And your love is no lie as if true

أنت أبا عبد الإله امرؤٌ

سابقُ مجدٍ غيرُ مسبوق

You are the father of Abd Al-Ilah, a man

With unmatched glory, never preceded

خُلِقتَ في أكرم ما خلقةٍ

فأنت من أكرم مخلوق

You were created in the most honorable of creations

Thus you are of the most honorable creations

لا كالألى حَصَّلتُ من وُدِّهم

ما حصَّل النافخُ في البوق

Not like the rogues whose love

I gained as much as a blower gains in the horn

بضاعتي كاسدةٌ عندهم

كسادَ ماءٍ عند مخنوق

My goods are unsellable to them

As unsellable as water to a strangled man

فاعجبْ ففي قوليَ أُعجوبةٌ

منسوقها أعجبُ منسوق

So wonder, for in my words there is a wonder

Led by a leader more amazing than leaders

منزليَ الشامُ كما قد ترى

وإنما زيتي من السُّوق

My home is Damascus as you can see

Yet my oil is from the market

لحيةُ مَن يرضى بذا لحيةٌ

ما صَلُحَت إلا لدَبُّوق

The beard of one who accepts this beard

Is only fit for a toy bear