Number 21

MasnaviIraqi style
English

Number 21

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؟