اصخ لي أيها الملك الهمام

Listen to me, O courageous king, upon you be the prayers of your Lord and peace.

To you the riding-beasts of wealth have set out; be certain that their destination is ahead.

I have come to you complaining of the blows of time, in which support has grown rare and unattainable.

In it, loyalty has withered away so that there is no loyalty; in it, the sense of protection is lost so there is no protection.

Neither filial bonds nor sons remain within it, nor do brothers maintain their assembly.

I have arrived at a generous, open-handed noble, a bountiful man untouched by avarice.

He bestows fine-bred horses shining in their golden trappings, free from any taint of stinginess.

He grants hard-travelled riding camels burdened with heavy loads that the reins pull against.

Through you, without doubt, high virtues are ordered, like the string of pearls gathered by its thread.

And you, Abu al-Husayn, are far greater in worth than your peers, even if they deny and blame.

You have risen above them in generosity and grace, just as the camel's hump is never level with its footpads.

Noble chivalry delights you even as it causes pain, and whoever truly loves finds delight in passion's torment.

The days have been made fair by you, until it is as though time itself were smiling.