English
Bijan Rides Out Against Human
Word reached Bijan that Human, fierce as a lion, had boldly come before your grandfather.
When Bijan heard this, he flared up with rage; that lion-pawed hero was furious at his luck.
He gave the order and they saddled the far-sighted grey horse for that elephant-bodied warrior.
He put on his Roman armor for battle and tightly girded his night-black steed.
Full of cunning schemes, he went to his father and spoke with him about his grandfather.
He said to Giv: Father, I have told you everything, point by point.
Gudarz's wits have failed him; can't you see how changed he is now?
His heart is full of dread and his liver bleeds from grief and pain over so many sons.
He saw their heads cut from their bodies, all of them fallen on that battlefield.
The sign of it: a bold Turk came, lion-like among the brave.
Spear in hand he rode up to my grandfather, roaring like a drunken man.
It got so bad that in this famous army there was no rider left fit for war,
whom he would not lift up on his spear the way a bird is skewered on a spit.
You, my loving and wise father, sheathe my shoulders in the armor of Siyavash.
No one but me should fight him, so that I may grind his manhood into dust.
Giv said to him: My son, be wise; listen to my words from start to finish.
I told you before, do not be rash, and do not speak ill of Gudarz.
He is experienced and wiser than you; he is the chief of this renowned army.
War-riders stand at the front, men who can tear an elephant apart on the field of vengeance.
He ordered no one to fight this Turk. Has youth blinded you?
That you raise your neck so high and gallop before me with such a wish.
I do not agree to this venture; do not tell me such a tale again.
Bijan replied: If you will not seek my desire, then you do not want my good name.
I will go before the commander with belt tightened and set my hand to fighting Human at once.
With that he spurred his horse and turned, riding swiftly toward Gudarz.
In sorrow he came before him, full of praise, and told the whole story over again.
He said: O champion of the world-ruling king, master of every task and worthy of the throne,
I see one strange thing in you, even though my own wisdom is but little,
that you have made a garden of this battlefield and emptied your heart of vengeance against the Turks.
And stranger still: from the midst of the army, a single wretched, misguided Turk...
He came, this man of wicked soul, though the God of goodness meant only good for him.
God brought him out ahead of the army of Turan, so that he would be destroyed by your hand.
The wolf has stepped into the trap; I do not know what you were thinking to yourself about this.
You know that if his blood is spilled at once, Piran will not come to fight.
Do not imagine he brought greater malice by leading his troops onto this plain.
Look, I have washed my hand in blood; I have girded myself for battle with him.
If my commander gives me leave, I will go against him like a roaring lion.
Let the general now order Giv to bring the fine armor of Siyavush,
and give me the helmet and the Roman mail, and loosen the knot of its fastenings.
When Gudarz heard his words and saw his brave heart and clear mind,
out of joy he blessed him warmly: May everlasting fortune never turn from you.
Ever since you first mounted the leopard-skin saddle, the crocodile has rested from lashing and the lions from war.
You enter every battle boldly; in every fight you are victorious like a lion.
But consider carefully whether you can face him on the field, and only then seek combat.
For Human is a vile, treacherous man; in combat and war he is like a demon.
You are young, the sky has not yet turned fully over your head; you have no pity on your own life.
Wait, and I will send a battle-tested lion against him, sweeping in like a storm cloud,
who will rain arrows on him like hail, and pin the steel helmet to his very head.
Bizhan said to him: O commander, a bold young man can still be skilled and worthy.
If you saw me in the battle at Forud, then it is time to put me to the test again.
In the fight at Pashan I trampled the ground; no one sees my back on the day of vengeance.
My life is not worth living if my skill falls short of others'.
And if you hold me back from this affair, telling me not to make a move against Human,
I will complain to the king about the commander; after that I want neither belt nor helmet.
Gudarz laughed and was gladdened by him, and stood tall like a free-growing cypress.
He said: How lucky is Giv's star and fortune, that he sees a son as brave as you.
Ever since you opened your grip for battle, even the leopard's claw fell helpless in the fight.
Now I grant you this combat with Human; may your good fortune be your guide.
If this demon's life is to end by your hand, then strive by the will of God.
In the name of God, our world-ruler, and for the victory of our king and heroes.
Now I will tell Giv to hand over that armor Bijan wants.
If you defeat him, your honor will stand even higher with me.
I will raise you above Farhad and Giv in rank, with treasure, an army, a throne, and a crown.
He spoke these words to his grandson through his grandfather, the young man full of cunning and craft.
He got down from his horse, kissed the ground, and called blessings on his father.
Then the champion summoned Giv and spoke with him on behalf of the young man.
He mentioned that royal coat of armor that Bijan wanted for the battle.
The son answered his father: O champion of the whole world,
my mind, my life, and my world are all one thing; his life is not so cheap in my eyes.
Gudarz said to him: O kind one, you must think of him differently than this.
For though Bijan is young and new, in every task wisdom leads the way for him.
And besides, this is the place to seek vengeance, to cleanse the world of demons.
In avenging Siyavash, by the king's command, one must not look to family bonds.
Even if the clouds rained down steel swords, we must not hold our own lives dear.
You should not break his spirit before battle, nor dress him in the garment of shame and disgrace.
For when a young man takes up idleness, his spirit stays low and his soul grows dark.
When he got such an answer there was no choice; he tested his son with one more trick.
He said to Gudarz: O champion of the world, in a place where the fight risks one's very life,
I already have work before me night and day; why should I give up my own life?
I need no son, no treasure, no army, no respect for the commander or the king's command.
If he wants to fight, where are his weapons? He has armor; what does he need to ask of me?
The battle-ready youth said before his father: We have no need of your coat of mail.
Do you believe that everywhere in this world men seek glory in your armor?
As if without Siyavash's armor in war the proud warriors would not seek honor and renown.
He spurred his horse out from the midst of the troops to come from the army to the battlefield.
When he vanished from Gudarz's sight, Giv's heart flared up with grief for him.
He regretted it, wept tears of blood from the pain in his heart; see what the sorrow and love for a child can be.
He raised his head toward the sky, his heart full of blood, his liver wounded with pain.
He said to the Creator: If you are the judge of the world, cast one glance toward this broken heart.
Will you not let my heart burn for Bijan's life? For from the tears of my eyes to my heart I am sunk in mud.
Give me your mercy once more, Creator, and turn the cruel days away from his life.
The warrior came with a troubled heart, his heart full of blood for the young man who had gone.
He told himself: I foolishly wounded him. Why did I not bring him what he asked?
If harm comes to him at Human's hand, what use to me are armor, sword, and belt?
I will be left full of regret, pain, and rage, my heart full of longing, my eyes full of tears.
So from there, swift as blowing dust, he rode after his son to the field of battle.
He said to him: why do you press us so, rushing with haste where patience is called for?
The black serpent hisses so fiercely on the day of war that the crocodile rises from the deep sea.
The moon shines bright only for as long as the blazing sun stays hidden.
Now you hurry off toward Human, turning your head away from my command.
You choose your own way like this, not knowing how the matter will turn out for you.
Bijan said to him: brave father, do not turn my heart from vengeance for Siyavash.
For Human is not made of bronze or iron, nor a raging elephant, nor a demon.
He is one man of war, and I am a warrior; by your good fortune I will not turn my face from him.
Unless what is written on my brow is otherwise, for fate lies in the hand of the world's judge.
If what must be will be, it is right you not sink your heart in grief and gloom.
When Giv heard the words of his bold son, girded for battle like a lion,
he came down from his roan warhorse and handed Bijan the shield and armor of Siyavash.
He said to him: if battle is your desire, then let your wish rule over reason.
Mount this striding steed that will devour the earth beneath you.
My weapons too will serve you well when you go to war against the demon.
When Bijan saw his father's horse standing before him, he came down from his own like the wind.
He mounted that royal steed, tightened his belt, and took the mace in his hand.
He sought out an interpreter from the army, one who knew the speech of the Turks well.
He came on like a raging lion, girded for vengeance for Siyavash.
When Bijan reached Human, he saw a mountain sheathed in iron.
The whole plain gleamed with his mail; an elephant seemed to move beneath that armor.
Then he ordered the interpreter to shout out to that ill-willed man:
If you seek battle, turn back this way, for Bijan comes looking to fight you.
He says: you war-tried horseman, why do you gallop your horse about this meadow?
Evil comes to you from Afrasiyab, and you deserve the curse of the land of Turan.
You laid the foundation of this feud, you vicious man; of all the Turks, no one is more guilty than you.
Rein in this swift racing camel of yours, for now your blood boils with hatred.
Choose a place for battle and face me, whether on plain, valley, or mountain.
And if you ride between the two armies, boasting for the sake of fame and rank,
so that friend and foe alike may see you, where would your heart choose to stand now?
When Human heard this, he said: Well done. You have tied the knot of my armor with your spite.
Thanks to God, and to Him I take refuge, for bringing you before me to this field of war.
I will send you back to your army in such a state that Giv will be left burning and grieving over you.
I will part your head from your body before long, just as I have done to many brave men of your line.
What use is this, now that night has come? Go now, protected by the dark of night.
I will now return once to my army and at dawn draw near to my chief.
And from there, roaring, with my head held high, I will come ready to fight you.
Bijan answered him: Go then. May you be brought low, with Ahriman leading the way before you.
May all your enemies be slain to the last man, or driven off as wanderers who fled the fight.
When you come tomorrow to the battlefield, neither your king nor your army will see you again.
I will part your head so far from your feet that afterward you will never think of your army again.