In Praise of the Palace of Shah Sheikh Abu Ishaq

MasnaviIraqi style
English

In Praise of the Palace of Shah Sheikh Abu Ishaq

My God, as long as the two-colored dome of the sky keeps turning, sometimes showing bright day, sometimes dark night, grant that the arch of the palace of the fortunate king, Abu Ishaq, sultan of the world, may rise so high it stands as a companion to the heavens; and turn ill fortune away from his court. May it be the shrine where good fortune is worshiped, and may its sanctuary be the Kaaba toward which all hopes turn.
Explanation: The 'two-colored dome' is the turning sky, its Roman (fair/white) and Zangi (African/black) hues standing for day and night. Comparing the palace to the Kaaba casts it as the final destination of all longing.

Original · Persian

شمارهٔ ۲ - مثنوی در وصف ایوان شاه شیخ ابواسحاق

خدایا تا خم طاق دو رنگی گهی رومی نماید گاه زنگی
خم ایوان شاه کامران را ابواسحاق سلطان جهان را
به رفعت با فلک دمساز گردان بدچرخ از جنابش باز گردان
در او قبلهٔ اقبال بادا حریمش کعبهٔ آمال بادا