Someone asked one of the learned men of Baghdad: "What do you say about beardless youths?"

He replied: "There is no good in them. As long as one of them is soft and delicate, he behaves harshly, but when he becomes rough, he acts tenderly." Meaning that when he is …

In the prime of my youth, as is common and as you well know, I had a secret affection and intimacy with a beloved. This was because he had a voice as sweet as melody and a beauty like the full moon when it appears.

His cheek’s bloom drank the …

I saw a learned man who had become infatuated with someone, and his secret had become public. He endured great suffering and showed boundless patience.

One day, with kindness, I said to him: "I know that your attachment to this person is without any deeper cause and that the foundation …

I remember in earlier days, a friend and I were as close as the kernels of two almonds in one shell. Suddenly, an unexpected separation occurred.

After some time, when he returned, he began to reproach me, saying: "During this time, you did not send a messenger."

I replied: "I …

A man said to a friend whom he had not seen in a long time, "Where have you been? I've been longing for your company."

The friend replied, "Longing is better than growing tired of me."

You came late, O intoxicated beloved,
But we won’t quickly let go of your …

One of the students possessed a great deal of charm, and the teacher, as is the nature of human beings, had a special affection for his beauty. Whenever he had a private moment with the boy, he would say:

"I am so captivated by your heavenly face,
That I forget …

A man had lost his heart and given up his life, with his desires set on a perilous and deadly path. He had no hope of success, like one who could not imagine savoring a bite or catching a bird in a trap.

"When your beloved does not value your …

I saw a pious man who had become infatuated with someone, unable to bear the pain of separation and yet too shy to express his feelings. Despite facing much reproach and suffering, he did not abandon his love, saying:

"I will not let go of your skirt,
Even if you …

They say a master had a slave of rare beauty, and he looked upon him with affection and devotion.
The master once said to one of his friends, "It's a shame that this slave, with all his beauty and charm, behaves with such insolence and lack of respect."
The friend …

They asked Hasan of Maymand, "Sultan Mahmud has many beautiful slaves, each one a wonder of the world. How is it that he shows no affection or inclination towards any of them as he does with Ayaz, who does not possess extraordinary beauty?"
Hasan replied, "Whatever pleases the heart appears …

An unpleasant-sounding man was loudly reciting the Quran. A wise man passed by and asked him, "How much are you paid for this?"
He replied, "Nothing."
The wise man then said, "Why do you trouble yourself so much, then?"
The man answered, "I am doing it for the sake of …