Breakdown of روزگار آنان همواره روشن باد و تاریک مباد!
و
and
آنانânân
those people
تاریکtârik
dark
روشنrowshan
bright
روزگارruzgâr
times / era / days (fate, the world)
بادbâd
may it be (optative)
هموارهhamvâre
always / continually (formal)
مبادmabâd
may it not be
Questions & Answers about روزگار آنان همواره روشن باد و تاریک مباد!
How exactly do the verbs bâd and mabâd work in this sentence?
They are defective verbs in the optative mood, used to express wishes or prayers. bâd means "may it be" and mabâd means "may it not be". They are frozen historical forms, meaning they do not conjugate for person or number; they stay exactly the same regardless of the subject.
Why does the negative form mabâd use ma- instead of the usual na- prefix?
In classical Persian, the ma- prefix was standard for negative commands (imperatives) and wishes (optatives). While modern Farsi uses na- almost exclusively for negative imperatives (like nakon instead of the older makon), the frozen word mabâd has permanently preserved this ancient prefix.
Why does the sentence use ânân and hamvâre instead of the more common words unhâ and hamishe?
The optative mood using bâd naturally creates a poetic, elevated, and formal tone. To match this high register, the sentence uses the literary pronoun ânân (they/those) and the formal adverb hamvâre (always) rather than their everyday conversational equivalents.
Why is there no subject in the second half of the sentence before târik mabâd?
Just like in English, Farsi frequently drops the subject in a coordinated clause if it has not changed. The subject ruzgâr-e ânân (their days) simply carries over from the first half so it does not need to be repeated.
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