1. Is there any refuge from the anguish of fate
Or any intercessor for a need that will not be granted

2. O my friend, pitch camp in my East
A shelter on litters lowered down

3. And look around at what the family of Sasan built
Time has caused it to decay and ruin

4. Courtyards that were like the sky
Then brought down by events into ruins

5. And land that grows lush greenery when
The soil of the country rains and is irrigated

6. We saw the Arch of Khusraw
Looking like a giant in height and width

7. Or the glory of Jalanifu, lord of the
Ages until today we see it demolished

8. Travel has marked its towns with scars
Some effaced, some still visible

9. So it meets you in a state of decay after
The days have worn it down and made it old

10. Time has labored over its beauty yet it remains
Like a necklace that glistens with sweat

11. So the eye sees in it the magnificence of
Kings and life its people once enjoyed

12. But now it overwhelms it with estrangement and dread
A creation, then with remembrance, mellowness

13. We walked in a courtyard where the
Affairs of kings are ordered and granted

14. Every group of warriors, if they growl over
A slain foe, stiffens then calms down

15. The boy wore the crown vigorous and keen
He climbed its ranks unfaltering and swift

16. Bowed as a youth on the throne of kingship
Bringing hope to all people and fulfilling promise

17. The destitute whose rags the windstill stirs
And hands outstretched either grasping or relaxed

18. Heads among the people, some heads
Bodies nourished on glory alone

19. My assault on the house took me past
Any asking permission to enter the house

20. I glided in, dragging my robe
Over smooth marble, clinging then releasing

21. Where ribs of those who entered the gates
Shook and shuddered in fright

22. Enclosures that were lairs of lions
Are now dens for predators to lurk and rest

23. A refuge for generosity that pleases and satisfies
Whoever was not content with fate

24. They unsaddled their horses and stayed
Putting down roots of tenure and settlement

25. Among a people whom the disgrace of poverty
Spurs on to glorious deeds and enterprise

26. They settled on the edge of cities in clearings
Like the sun, giving joy to eyes and delight

27. Seizing wealth by the sword until
Men cede it freely, a gift not tribute

28. However much they destroy, they replace
Like the rain clouds of spring come to pay a debt

29. Formidable, their power is the source
Of dread, yet also of love and attraction

30. When the bold faced them, their gaze
Shifted from caution to wonder and awe

31. How can I be content with the times when no
Noble before me was so with the times and satisfied

32. We experience it as barren, waterless, and pass
Through it arid, grazing on it meagerly

33. It leaves nothing unless it destroys everything and lifts
None high unless to bring them suddenly low

34. The way of the lion, whenever resolved to pounce
Grows only weaker, slower, and more tame

35. And my thoughts of one led to his death
How the days have nourished him only bitterness