Everyone knows, the soldiers and the lords alike, that youth never springs back from the old.
My excuse is written plainly on my face; after this, what excuse do I need to offer?
Explanation: There is a play on the similar-sounding Persian words 'ozr' (excuse) and 'ezar' (cheek/face), suggesting the poet's aged face is itself his apology.
Original · Persian
شمارهٔ ۲۱
همه دانند لشکر و میران
که جوانی نیاید از پیران
عذر من بر عذار من پیداست
بعد ازینم چه عذر باید خواست؟