"Rememberest thou when thy bed-covering was a sheepskin and thy sandals made of camel-skin?"
Ma'an answers (in prose): Yes, I remember, and I have not forgotten it.
The Arab. Praise be to God, who hath given thee a great rule, and taught thee how to sit on a throne!
Ma'an. Yes, praise to Him in every condition of life!
Arab. Never shall I greet Ma'an as an emir should be greeted!
Ma'an. Greeting is an ordinance among Arabs in which you are free to take what form you like.
Arab. An Emir who eats sweet pastry in secret, and entertains his guest with barley bread!
Ma'an. The food is our own: we eat what we like and give others what we like.
Arab. I shall leave a land in which thou dwellest, and depart, though the hand of Fortune is hard upon me.
Ma'an. Brother Arab, if thou stay, thou art welcome; and if thou depart, peace go with thee.