न कर फ़िक्र-ए-ख़िज़ाब ऐ शैख़ तू पीरी में जाने दे जवाँ होना नहीं मुमकिन सियह-रूई से क्या हासिल
— Bahadur Shah Zafar
Meaning

O Shaikh, do not worry about using hair dye in your old age; let things be as they are. It is impossible to become young again, so what will you gain by blackening your hair or facing disgrace?

Explanation

In this witty couplet, the poet gently teases the pious Shaikh, urging him to accept his aging years instead of obsessing over dyeing his grey hair. The brilliance lies in the double entendre of 'siyah-rui'—which literally suggests blackening one's appearance with dye, but idiomatically means bringing shame or disgrace upon oneself. The deeper thought is tender yet sharp: vain pretenses cannot turn back the clock, so why court embarrassment in trying to mask natural decay?

Interpretation note: meanings and explanations may be AI-assisted and should not replace a primary text or scholarly edition. See the editorial policy.

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