English
In Praise of Ala al-Din Ata-Malik Juvayni, the Chief Minister
If anyone wants to study the highest heaven,
come and study the fresh springtime of the earth.
It is no wonder if roses and wild lilies burst out of clay,
for the One who fashions Adam's form from a mere strand of clay.
A wise Lord who seals the laughing rose's face
inside a bud, like an embryo in the womb.
It is fitting to lay the face of worship at the door of His command,
for a painter who can draw a picture like this.
Look at the blessings of the land of Shiraz and its heavenly beauties;
glance through any window and you will see wide-eyed maidens of paradise.
Beauties with wondrous faces have taken over the promenade,
faces that leave the idol-carvers of China helpless when they gaze.
The Turks, with bows for eyebrows and arrows of bewitching glances,
have set an ambush against the hearts of grieving lovers.
A thousand heartbroken cries rise from every side,
as the king's servants fill his saddle-house.
The water ripples and churns under the threat of the spring wind,
like an angry lover knotting his brow.
Perhaps the blossom smiled and its perfume rose,
for a wail broke out in the meadow among the mournful nightingales.
Bring the wine, cupbearer of the gathering; tell the friendly minstrel to play,
for it has been too long that companions have not seen their companion.
A thousand nightingales sing upon the rose, like Sa'di,
prayers for the just chief minister, Ala of the state and faith.
Minister of East and West, trustee of Mecca and Medina,
for no kingdom has a keeper and trustee like him.
A world of virtue and generosity, the ornament of the office of the vizier,
who has set even the most favored courtiers below his hand.
In that sanctuary where they lay out four cushions of honor for him,
even the great lords who sit at the head reach no further than his threshold.
When the morning breeze stirs the lion on his banner,
the lion in his den loses all courage to attack, out of dread.
With gentle persuasion and wisdom he makes the kings of the earth
as obedient and captive to him as a slave bought and owned.
To take the enemy's land, what need has he of a catapult,
when his terror alone shakes their fortified towers?
A learned and just minister, by the agreement of the wise,
is the shelter of the realm and of the king of the earth.
The spearpoint of his fortune strikes the enemies of state and faith
the way a shooting star strikes the accursed demon.
In the era of his rule no hand of oppression remains outstretched,
except the silvery forearms and plump arms of the beauties.
The hand of hope always clutches the hem of his bounty,
like a debtor who seizes the sleeve of his guarantor.
For my thoughts to explain his special qualities in detail
is needless effort, for what is certain needs no commentary.
If someone points out a crescent moon, that is nothing strange;
but what need is there for me to point out the clear, blazing sun?
In this garden where even the nightingale cannot find its voice,
look, you bold-eyed one, at the fly that dares to raise its buzz.
O you whose crown of power has reached such a height
that even the highest heaven cannot touch that rank.
If I write of my longing, no words can do it justice;
I am as devoted a lover to you as the thirsty man to pure water.
By the dust of your feet, my oath is a binding, unbroken vow,
for since the time I learned to tell my right hand from my left.
For the needs of this world I fix no hope on people,
for the mean and grudging man endures the greatest torment.
You know the worth of merit, for you are a man of merit and knowledge;
what does a seller of cheap glass know of the price of a precious pearl?
May your keeper and helper be God, for you will never
find a keeper and helper better than God.
May your fathers' resting places be drowned in mercy,
for they raised sons as wise and clear-headed as you.
In speech I bind two lines together so gracefully
that people of meaning might well take them as their daily litany.
Eat and give away, for this world is good for nothing
except for what you send ahead of yourself for the Last Day.