My friend has appointed me to raise up a word on which the good of a whole world depends.
But diminishing myself has long been my habit, and if I strive at it, the loss only doubles.
Explanation: The poem plays on the tension between being asked to build something beneficial and the poet's ingrained tendency toward self-effacement, where effort backfires.
Original · Persian
شمارهٔ ۹
نصب کردست مرا دوست برفع سخنی
که برو نفع جهانی متوقف باشد
کسر نفسست مرا عادت دیرینه وگر
جر کنم در مدد کسر مضاعف باشد