Number 13

Iraqi style
English

Number 13

I fear the violet will steal the freshness of your face, that it will take away the marketplace of your charming beauty. Do not scrawl that ugly line of hair on the margin of the ledger of your beauty, for it will ruin the splendor of your inscription.
Explanation: The 'violet' and the 'ugly line' both hint at the first growth of a beard or down on a beautiful youth's face, a common motif in classical Persian poetry where such growth is said to spoil delicate beauty.

Original · Persian

شمارهٔ ۱۳

ترسم که بنفشه آب سیبت ببرد بازار جمال دلفریبت ببرد
‌بر حاشیهٔ دفتر حسن آن خط زشت ‌منویس، که رونق کتیبت ببرد