He spoke, and his friends, and his foes all could see,
That the greatest of blockheads in Egypt was he!
His admirers dispersed and his trade lost its note;
He journeyed and over a mosque’s arch he wrote:
‘Could I have myself in a looking-glass seen,
Not in ignorance would I have riven my screen.
So ugly, the veil from my features I drew,
For I thought that my face was most charming to view.’
Oh, sensible person! In silence serene
You have honor, and people unworthy, a screen.