“
I counsel you, O Kings of Earth, to cease not
Seeking good name for well-doing and right
Spending your 'white' and 'red' to purchase honour,
Which shall not wane with change of 'black' and 'white':
These are the lasting spoils of Mahmud's prowess,
Which spoils we share when we his praise indite.
— Abu al-Fath al-Busti
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I counsel you, O Kings of Earth, to cease not
Seeking good name for well-doing and right
Spending your 'white' and 'red' to purchase honour,
Which shall not wane with change of 'black' and 'white':
These are the lasting spoils of Mahmud's prowess,
Which spoils we share when we his praise indite." in the context of "cited by Dawlat Shah, also quoted in A Literary History of Persia, Vol. 2, p. 99" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Abu al-Fath al-Busti" (Quotes, Poetry, Stanza)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Abu al-Fath al-Busti
Abu'l-Fath Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hussain ibn Yusuf ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Busti, also known as Abu al-Fath al-Busti (942 – 1010) was a Persian secretary and famous poet of the Arabic and Persian language. He served in the chancery of the Ghaznavid Amirs Sabuktigin and his son and successor Mahmud of Ghazni.
About Abu al-Fath al-Busti
Abu'l-Fath Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hussain ibn Yusuf ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Busti, also known as Abu al-Fath al-Busti (942 – 1010) was a Persian secretary and famous poet of the Arabic and Persian language. He served in the chancery of the Ghaznavid Amirs Sabuktigin and his son and successor Mahmud of Ghazni.
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