In Praise of the Building

It is lovelier than the gardens of Iram; it is the shrine of excellence and the sanctuary of art. Its dome is a crown fit for Saturn's height, even though its scale is modest and small. In the strength of its pillars, it locks arms with the mountains themselves. Time leaves no mark upon it, and disasters find no way to pass through it. To adorn the paintings on its walls, the sky and sun stitch in lapis blue and gold. You would rightly say that by its very design it is a copy of paradise with its eight gates. It is where the sun of good fortune rises, the resting place of happiness and victory. May the master of the world dwell in it forever, as long as the heavens keep turning on their axis.