As much as my revered Sheikh, Abul-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi, may God have mercy on him, advised me to abandon music and pointed towards solitude and seclusion, the exuberance of my youth prevailed, and I was inclined towards desires and passions;

Inevitably, against the opinion of my mentor, I would take a step and enjoy music and companionship, and when I remembered my Sheikh's advice, I would say:

If the judge sits with us, he will shake his hand (in disapproval),

If the inspector drinks wine, he will excuse the drunkard.

Until one night I arrived at a gathering of people where I saw a musician;

It was as if his dissonant plucking was tearing at the strings of my soul,

His voice was more unpleasant than the news of a father's death.

Sometimes the fingers of the attendees were in their ears because of him, and sometimes on their lips, signaling him to be quiet!

We hasten to the sound of songs for their pleasantness,

But you are a singer whose silence is more pleasant.

No one finds pleasure in listening,

Except when leaving, when one takes a breath (of relief).

When that lute player started singing,

I said to the host: For God's sake,

Put lead in my ears so I don't hear, or open the door for me to leave.

In short, to respect the wishes of my friends, I agreed and spent the night with much struggle.

The muezzin raised the untimely call to prayer,

He does not know how much of the night has passed.

Ask my eyelids about the length of the night,

For not a moment of sleep has touched my eyes.

In the morning, as a token of blessing, I took off a turban from my head and a dinar from my waist, placed them before the singer, embraced him, and expressed much gratitude.

My companions saw my unusual devotion towards him and attributed it to my lack of wisdom.

One of them began to criticize and reproach me, saying that this action was not befitting wise men; giving the cloak of sheikhs to such a singer who had never had a dirham in his hand or a scrap in his tambourine in his entire life.

A singer, far from this blessed abode,

No one has ever seen him in one place twice.

As soon as his voice rose from his mouth,

The hair of the people stood on end.

The bird of the veranda flew away in terror of him,

He took away our minds and tore his own throat.

I said: It is advisable for you to shorten your tongue of criticism, for the grace of this person has become apparent to me.

He said: Will you not inform me of its nature so that I may also draw near to him and ask forgiveness for the jest I made?

I said: Yes! Because my revered Sheikh has repeatedly advised me to abandon music and given eloquent sermons, but they did not enter my ears with acceptance. Tonight, my auspicious star and fortunate destiny led me to this place so that I repented at his hands, that for the rest of my life I would not go near music and mingling!

A sweet voice from a sweet palate, mouth, and lips,

Whether it sings a melody or not, it captivates the heart.

Even if it is the melody of Oshagh, Khorasan, and Hejaz,

It is not fitting from the throat of a detestable singer.