In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Praise be to God, exalted and glorious, whose obedience brings closeness and whose gratitude increases blessings. Every breath that is inhaled sustains life, and every breath exhaled refreshes the soul. Thus, in every breath, there are two blessings, and for every blessing, gratitude is required.

From the hands and tongue, who can fulfill

The gratitude for His blessings still?

Act, O family of David, in gratitude, for few of My servants are truly grateful.

It befits the servant to admit his flaws

And bring an apology to God's cause.

Otherwise, for His divine majesty and grace,

No one could ever fulfill His rightful place.

His boundless rain of mercy has reached all, and His unreserved banquet of blessings has spread everywhere. He does not tear the veil of honor over the grave sins of His servants, nor does He withhold sustenance for heinous transgressions.

O Generous One, from the treasury unseen,

You sustain Zoroastrians and Christians keen.

How could You deprive Your friends, indeed,

When even to foes, You attend to their need?

The attendant of the morning breeze was commanded to spread an emerald carpet, and the nurse of the spring cloud was ordered to nurture the daughters of plants in the cradle of the earth. The trees have donned the green robes of spring as a gift of Nowruz, and the branches’ children have crowned themselves with blossoms at the arrival of spring. By His power, the essence of reeds has turned into superior nectar, and by His nurturing, the seed of a date has grown into a towering palm.

Clouds, winds, moon, sun, and heavens are all at work

So that you may gain bread and not consume it in heedlessness.

All are wandering and obedient for your sake,

It would not be fair for you to disobey.

It is narrated about the leader of the universe, the pride of creation, the mercy to the worlds, the chosen one of humankind, and the completion of the cycle of time, Muhammad Mustafa (peace and blessings be upon him),

An intercessor, obeyed, a noble prophet,

Gracious, majestic, gentle, and handsome.

What fear for the nation’s wall that has you as its support,

What worry of sea waves for one with Noah as its captain.

He attained the highest ranks through his perfection, dispelled darkness with his beauty, and all his qualities are praiseworthy. Send blessings upon him and his family.

Whenever a sinful servant, distressed by life, raises a hand in supplication, hoping for acceptance at the court of Almighty God, He does not pay attention to them. They call upon Him again, but He turns away. They call again with humility and tears, and the Almighty says:

O My angels, I am ashamed before My servant, for he has no one but Me.

I have forgiven him.

I answered their call and fulfilled their need because I am ashamed of My servant's abundant prayers and pleas.

Behold the generosity and kindness of the Lord,

The servant sins, yet He is the one who feels ashamed.

The devotees of the Kaaba of His majesty confess their shortcomings in worship, saying, 'We have not worshipped You as You deserve.' And those describing His beauty are attributed with bewilderment, saying, 'We have not known You as You deserve to be known.'

If someone asks me to describe Him,

What can the heartless say about the One beyond description?

Lovers are slain by the beloved,

From the slain, no voice arises.

One of the wise immersed himself in the sea of contemplation, lost in a state of spiritual insight. When he returned from this experience, a friend asked, 'What gift have you brought us from this garden you visited?' He replied, 'I intended to fill my skirt with roses to present to my companions, but when I reached the rose tree, its fragrance so intoxicated me that I let go of my skirt.'

O morning bird, learn love from the moth,

For it burned its soul away without a cry.

These claimants in pursuit of Him are unaware,

For those who have found Him do not return with news.

O You, beyond imagination, comparison, thought, and perception,

And beyond all that has been said, heard, or read,

The gathering ended, and life came to its close,

Yet we are still at the beginning of describing You.

The beautiful words of Saadi, which have spread among the common folk, the fame of his speech, which has traveled across the earth, the excellence of his anecdotes, which are consumed like sugar, and the elegance of his writings, which are carried like golden paper, cannot merely be attributed to his mastery of eloquence and knowledge. Rather, the Lord of the world, the pivot of the era, the successor of Solomon, the supporter of the faithful, Atabak Azam Muzaffar al-Dunya wa al-Din Abu Bakr bin Sa’d bin Zangi, the shadow of God on earth — may God be pleased with him and make him pleased — has looked upon him with favor, offered great praise, and shown sincere affection. As a result, all people, both elite and common, have been drawn to love him, for 'people follow the religion of their kings.'

When Your gaze is upon this humble servant,

My deeds are more famous than the sun's rays.

If all faults lie within this servant of Yours,

Every fault that the king approves of is a virtue.

One day, a fragrant clay reached my hands in the bath,

It was passed to me from the hands of a beloved.

I asked, 'Is it musk or amber?'

For I am intoxicated by your delightful fragrance.

It replied, 'I was but an insignificant clay,'

But I sat with the flower for a while.

The perfection of my companion affected me,

Otherwise, I am the same dust that I was.

O Allah, grant the Muslims a long life, multiply their good deeds, raise the ranks of their loved ones and leaders, and destroy their enemies and detractors with the verses of Your Qur'an. O Allah, protect their country and safeguard their children.

Indeed, the world was made prosperous by him, and his fortune brought joy to it.

And the Lord supported him with the signs of victory.

Thus, a tender sprout grows, as it is the root of its origin,

And the beauty of the earth's plants comes from the nobility of the seed.

May Allah, the Exalted and Sacred, protect the pure land of Shiraz under the authority of just rulers and the efforts of righteous scholars until the Day of Judgment.

The land of Persia is not troubled by the woes of time,

As long as Your divine shadow remains upon it.

Today, no one will find a sign upon this vast earth,

Like the threshold of Your door, a refuge of contentment.

It is upon You to guard the hearts of the helpless and offer gratitude,

To us and to the Creator of the world, the reward.

O Lord, protect the soil of Persia from the winds of turmoil,

As long as the earth exists and the wind endures.

One night, I reflected on the past days and lamented the wasted time, weeping the stone of my heart into the diamond of tears, reciting these verses in my current state:

Every moment of life takes away a breath,

And when I look, much has already gone.

O you, who passed fifty years and still sleep,

Will you not realize these five days?

Ashamed is the one who departed without accomplishing anything,

They sounded the trumpet of departure but left no legacy.

The sweet sleep of departure at dawn,

It keeps the traveler from the road.

Whoever came, built a new mansion,

Then departed, leaving the residence to another.

And another grew the same desires,

And none completed this mansion.

Do not make an unstable friend your companion,

Such a betrayer is not fit for friendship.

One must die while knowing both good and bad,

Blissful is the one who wins the game of goodness.

Send a leaf of joy to your grave,

No one can bring it back from behind or ahead.

Life is like snow under the summer sun,

It lasts a little while, and the master still remains arrogant.

O poor one, who has gone into the market,

I fear you will return empty-handed.

Whoever eats of their own cultivation,

Should harvest the crop when the time comes.

After contemplating this meaning, I saw it fit to remain in solitude, to weave the garment of conversation, to wash the book of scattered words, and from now on, speak no more in confusion.

A cut-off tongue sits in a corner, deaf and mute,

Better than one whose tongue is not in command.

One of my friends, who used to be my companion in the palanquin and my company in the room, entered according to the old tradition. He played with joy and spread the cheer, but I did not answer him, nor did I lift my head from the stance of devotion. He looked at me in disappointment and said:

Now that speech is possible,

Speak, O brother, with kindness and joy.

For tomorrow, when the messenger of death arrives,

By necessity, you will lose your tongue.

One of his relatives informed me according to the situation that someone had resolved and made a firm intention to spend the rest of his life in seclusion and silence. He also suggested that if I could, I should also withdraw and choose the path of solitude.

He said: 'By the great honor and our long companionship, I will neither speak nor move unless it is in accordance with the usual manner and well-known path. To hurt friends is ignorance and the expiation of an oath; it is easy and contrary to the correct way, a flaw in the wisdom of the wise. The sword of Ali stays in its scabbard and the tongue of Saadi stays in his mouth.'

What is the tongue in the mouth, O wise one?

It is the key to the treasure of the master of art.

When the door is closed, who can know

Whether it is a jewel merchant or a silk weaver?

Although silence before the wise is polite,

At the right time, it is better to strive in speech.

Two things are against the nature of reason: keeping silent when one should speak,

And speaking when one should remain silent.

In conclusion, I had no strength to continue the conversation with him, and I did not wish to turn away from our dialogue, as he was a supportive friend and had sincere affection.

When you go to war with someone, fight bravely,

Whether you can escape from him or flee.

By necessity, I spoke and we went for a walk in the spring season, where the power of the sword had rested, and the days of prosperity had arrived.

The shirt of leaves, on the trees,

Like the festive attire of the fortunate.

On the first of Ordibehesht, the glorious month,

The nightingale sings on the pulpits of branches.

On the red rose, pearls of dew have fallen,

Like sweat on the face of an angry beloved.

One night, I stayed in the garden with a friend, in a pleasant and joyous place, surrounded by intertwined trees. It seemed as if shards of turquoise were scattered on the ground, and the necklace of the Pleiades hung from the tree.

A garden, whose water flows continuously,

A tree, where the birds' songs are harmonious.

It is full of colorful tulips,

And this one is full of various fruits.

The wind blows in the shade of its trees,

Spreading the carpet of a peacock.

In the morning, when the thoughts of returning to my seat became dominant, I saw him carrying a bouquet of flowers, basil, hyacinths, and damask roses, and he seemed eager to visit the city. I said: 'The garden’s flowers, as you know, do not last, and the promise of the garden cannot be fulfilled. The sages have said: What does not endure, attachment to it is not wise.'

He asked: 'What is the way?' I replied: 'For the enjoyment of the onlookers and the pleasure of the present, I can compose a book like the Gulistan, so that the autumn wind cannot tarnish its pages, nor can the cycle of time turn its spring joy into the bitter cold of autumn.'

What use is a plate of flowers to you?

Take a page from my garden instead.

The flower lasts but five or six days,

But my garden will always be fragrant.

As I said this, the petals of the flower fell and hung on my garment, for the generous one fulfills his promises. A chapter in that very day unfolded, on good companionship and the manners of conversation, in a manner that benefits orators and enhances eloquence for the learned. In summary, there was still some remnant of the garden's flowers when the book of the Gulistan was completed.

And all of this will come to pass in truth, as is pleasing in the court of the King of the world, the shadow of the Creator, and the light of His grace, the glory of time, and the refuge of peace, the One who supports from the heavens, the victorious over enemies, the pillar of the state, the light of the community, the beauty of mankind, the pride of Islam, Sa'd ibn Atabek the Greatest, the exalted Emperor, Lord of the kings of Arabs and non-Arabs, Sultan of land and sea, heir to the kingdom of Solomon, Muzaffar al-Din Abubakr bin Sa'd bin Zangi. May Allah continue His blessings upon them, increase their majesty, and guide them to all good.

If His divine favor is bestowed upon us,

It will be like a Chinese gallery and a painting of a chariot.

There is hope that melancholy will not come upon me,

From this speech, for the Gulistan is no place for sorrow.

Especially as its noble preface is named after Sa'd Abubakr Sa'd bin Zangi.

The bride of my thoughts will not arise from ugliness, and the eyes of despair will not look beyond the feet of shame, nor will it appear among the noble hearts, unless it adorns itself with the acceptance of the great Amir, the just scholar, the supporter of the victorious, the helper of the throne of sovereignty, the adviser in the affairs of state, the refuge of the poor, the haven for the strangers, the nurturer of the virtuous, the lover of the pious, the pride of the people of Persia, the right hand of the kingdom, the king of the elite, the pride of the state and religion, the helper of Islam and Muslims, the chief of kings and sultans, Abubakr bin Abi Nasr. May Allah prolong his life, elevate his rank, and reward him abundantly.

Whoever is in the shadow of his grace,

Their sin is obedience, and their enemy, a friend.

Each of the other servants has a specific duty, and if they neglect or delay fulfilling it, they will be exposed to reproach. However, this is not the case for the group of dervishes, for expressing gratitude for the blessings of the great ones is obligatory, and offering praise, good prayers, and fulfilling such duties in their absence is preferred over doing so in their presence, as it is closer to sincerity and free from affectation.

Behind the two skies, straightened from joy

Until you were born, the mother of the days.

It is pure wisdom if the Creator's kindness

Makes a servant the general benefit.

Eternal fortune is found by anyone who lives a good name

For their good reputation brings their name to life.

If the learned praise you, or if they do not

There is no need for adornment, your pleasant face speaks for itself.

The fault and delay in the service of the divine court goes back to the fact that a group of Indian philosophers were speaking of the virtues of Bozorgmehr, and at the end, they found no fault in him except that he speaks slowly, meaning he delays greatly, and the listener must wait a long time for him to speak.

Bozorgmehr heard and said: 'To think about what I will say is better than regretting why I said it.'

A wise speaker, nurtured by the old sage

Thinks first, then speaks.

Do not speak too much, but speak well

If you speak late, what harm is it?

Think, then express your breath

Before that, stop, for they say: 'Enough.'

Human speech is better than that of animals

Animals are better than you if you do not speak right.

How then, in the eyes of the honored presence of God Almighty, which is the gathering place of the people of heart and the center of skilled scholars? If I speak with boldness in the art of speech, it would be a joke and bring a meager offering to the dear presence. It would not seek the true essence and would not bring light before the sun, nor would it raise a high tower on the humble Elvand mountain.

Whoever raises their neck in a claim

They place their own neck at risk.

Saadi is a fallen, free man

No one comes to a fallen war.

First, thought; then, speech

The foundation is set, and then the wall.

I know the palm tree cultivation, but not in the garden

And I sell witness, but not in Canaan.

They asked Luqman: 'From whom did you learn wisdom?' He replied: 'From the blind, who do not step anywhere they cannot see.'

Make the exit come before the entrance, test the man first, and then marry.

Though the rooster is a baker in the war

What can he do against the iron-clawed falcon?

The cat is a lion in catching a mouse

But a mouse in a fight with a leopard.

However, relying on the vastness of the ethics of the great, who turn a blind eye to the faults of subordinates and do not seek to expose the crimes of the lower classes, we have included a few words in this book in the form of abbreviations from rare sayings, proverbs, poetry, anecdotes, and the chronicles of past kings, may God have mercy on them. Some of my precious time was spent on this, and it led to the compilation of this book, with God's success.

This order and arrangement will remain for years

Every speck of dust from us has fallen somewhere.

The aim is a mark left by us

For I do not see any permanence in existence.

Unless one day a man of heart, through mercy

Sends a prayer for the work of the poor.

A careful look at the arrangement of the book and the refinement of the sections, brevity was deemed advisable so that this prosperous garden and rich oasis, like heaven, would consist of eight chapters. It was shortened to avoid becoming tedious.

Chapter 1: On the character of kings

Chapter 2: On the ethics of the poor

Chapter 3: On the virtue of contentment

Chapter 4: On the benefits of silence

Chapter 5: On love and youth

Chapter 6: On weakness and old age

Chapter 7: On the influence of education

Chapter 8: On the etiquette of conversation

During this time when we had pleasant moments,

it was the year 656 of the Hijra.

Our purpose was advice, and we said,

We entrust it to God and left.