From Saadi’s Bustan: The Emperor of Rum Enjoined to Endure His Burdens

I’ve heard that Rum’s ruler spoke these words,
crying before a learned, pious man:
“My enemy has stripped me of my worth,
all except this city and this fort.
Long and hard I worked to make my son
the people’s captain after me, but now
this evil race’s army threatens that,
twisting my manhood like a wrist behind my back.
I need a plan to recover what I’ve lost.
Obsessing over this corrodes my soul.”

The wise one answered, “Be troubled for yourself!
Most of your life, with its best parts, has passed.
The dignity that’s yours right now is yours;
once you’re gone, the world is someone else’s.
If he’s wise, he is; if he’s not, he’s not.
Don’t assume his burdens; he’ll bear them on his own.

To hold what you have taken by the sword
only to let it go is wasted effort.
Don’t find comfort in this five-day-dwelling;
give careful thought to how you’ll take your leave.
Name for me a single Persian ruler,
from Fereidoun back to Zahhak and Jamshid,
who managed to escape his rule’s decline.
The throne of God alone remains forever.

Who can still have hope they’ll never leave,
when everyone who leaves here leaves for good?
A man’s accumulated wealth is his.
After he’s gone, it’s always someone else’s,
but the good deeds that live on after him
have earned eternal mercy for his spirit.
When a great man’s good name remains,
you can say with men of heart ‘He remains!’
Cultivate largesse within yourself
if you would one day eat the fruit it bears.
Practice generosity. Tomorrow,
in God’s court, you’ll be judged by what you gave.

The one whose effort showed along the way
will earn the higher rank in the Court of Truth.
The one who lagged behind, furtive, ashamed,
will fear what he has earned for work not done.
Leave him to bite hard on the back of his hand;
he baked no bread despite the oven’s heat.
You’ll understand full well at harvest time:
only sluggards leave these seeds unsown.