1. ولابس لون واحد وهو طائر

    ملولة ابراده وهو واقعُ

    And he is clad in a single color while flying,

    His robes multicolored while he is perched.

  2. أغر محشى الطلسان مدبج

    وسود المنايا في حشاه دوائع

    Bright-faced, with a padded, brocaded mantle,

    And black deaths stored within his belly.

  3. إذا حك أعلى راسه فكأنما

    بسالفتيه من يديه جوامع

    When he scratches the top of his head, it is as though

    His hands formed fetters on either side of his neck.

  4. يخاف أذاً ولا يؤمن مقبلا

    ويخفي على الأقران ما هو صانع

    He fears harm, yet cannot be trusted when approaching,

    And hides from his peers what he is doing.

  5. بدا فارسي الزي يعقد خصره

    عليه قباء زينته الوشائع

    He appeared in Persian dress, girding his waist;

    He wears a coat adorned with patterned bands.

  6. فمعجره الوردي أحمر ناصع

    ومئزره التبري أصفر قاقع

    And his rose-colored head-wrap is vivid red,

    And his gold-colored waist-wrap is vivid yellow.

  7. يرجع الحان الغريض ومعبد

    He trills the melodies of al-Gharīḍ and Maʿbad.