On the Departure of Shah Jahan Saad ibn Abi Bakr

You rode away, and a hundred thousand hearts clung to your stirrup. You who are the soul of every lover, who could bear to lose their soul? Do you think one who couldn't endure a single moment of reproach can survive a long separation? Until you rise again in the east like the sun, we all keep our eyes on the road and our fingers counting the days. The moment a messenger brings me a letter from you, I'll fall at his feet and press the letter to my head. You may leave our sight, but unlike others you never leave our hearts, for you live within our souls, only veiled from our eyes. Only the hope of a day of reunion keeps people alive; otherwise this parting would have made us bleed with dread. In your garden home, after you are gone, when will the pomegranate smile, the quince stay fresh, the apple blush red? This festival brings no shared joy to the people. The real feast is when they hang garlands and decorate the streets for your return. Do not grieve, for this blessed fortune travels with you; good luck will be your ally through every rise and fall. Saadi's thoughts ride with you, since your gracious nature, like Saadi's verse, captivates every heart. May support, victory, and triumph ride beside you every dawn and dusk that you set your foot in the stirrup.