The Warning of Gorgsar

After that he ordered Gorgsar to come before the famous king. He gave him three cups of wine, one after another, red wine in a cup as yellow as a flower. He said to him: You of evil body and evil soul, look now at the Maker of this world. No Simorgh in sight, no lion, no wolf, nor that great dragon with sharp claws. At the stage where this beast will stir up trouble, there is water and grass for the pack animals. Then Gorgsar spoke aloud: O famous, fortunate Esfandiar, if you turn back it would be no wonder; you should measure this by your own luck. God has been your helper, lucky one, that royal tree has borne its fruit. But a task lies ahead tomorrow, one where a man will not even think about the day of battle. You will not recall your mace, your bow, or your sword; you will see no path to fight and no path to flee. Snow will fall on you a spear's height deep; in two days a strange kind of joy will come to you. You and your renowned army will be trapped in the snow, O fortunate Esfandiar. If you turn back it would be no wonder; do not hold my words against me as spite. You will drown your whole army in blood through your rashness, bad judgment, and bad temper. I am certain of this: that a fierce wind will strip the fruit off the trees of that land. After that, when you reach the desert, a stage of thirty leagues will come upon you. It is all burning sand, whether dust or hard ground; no bird, no ant, no locust crosses it. Nowhere will you find a single drop of water; its earth boils under the sun. No lion can pass over that soil, nor any swift-winged vulture through its air. No grass grows on its rock or sand; its ground is shifting sand, fine as antimony. You will ride like this for forty leagues, with no strength in the horse and no heart in the man. From there the army will come to the Brazen Fortress; you will see a place of great substance. Its ground lies deep in need, and its rampart is in secret talks with the moon. Its roof pours more rain than any cloud, for its fame was sharper than any cutting cloud. No fodder for the animals comes from outside; not a single rider of the army will be left alive. If a hundred thousand dagger-wielding warriors came from Iran and Turan, and sat around it for a hundred years, raining down arrows from above, the many would stay the same, the few the same; the evil doubter is like a knocker fixed on a door. When the Iranians heard this from Gorgsar and became companions of grief, they said: O free and noble king, as long as you can, keep away from disaster. If everything Gorgsar warned about is true, then it cannot stay hidden for long. We came to this place to meet death, not just to wear down our helmets. You crossed such a brutal road and endured the menace of beasts and predators. None of the famous heroes or noble kings could ever count up such hardships, the ones that faced you on these seven trials. Now call on the Creator of the world. If you turn back victorious, you will return to the king with a glad and joyful heart. But if you seek revenge on another road, the whole city of Turan will fall in worship before you. As long as Gorgsar keeps saying such things, do not treat your own life as worthless. Now that we have won and are happy, we should not throw our lives to the wind. When Esfandiar heard such words from them, his fresh face turned old before those warriors. He said: you came from Iran to give advice, not for the sake of lasting glory. Where are all the royal robes and the king's counsel, the golden belts, the throne and the crown? Where are all those vows and oaths and pledges, sworn by God and by the lucky star? Yet now your legs have grown weak, and along the road your resolve has scattered. Turn back, victorious and glad. As for me, I want nothing but battle. At the word of this troublesome demon you have shrunk back from the fight. I want no one from Iran in this battle; my son and my brother are enough for me. The victorious Lord of the world is my ally, and the head of the star rests at my side. In courage I need no companion, whether I take a life or give up my own. I will show the enemy every skill I have, my valor, my triumph, and the strength of my hand. You will surely get news of this glorious, kingly splendor, of what I did to the fortress with cunning and force, in the name of the Lord of Saturn and the Sun. When the Iranians opened their eyes, they saw his face full of rage. They went to the prince, begging pardon: if the lord will look, let him forgive our fault. May our bodies and lives be sacrificed for you; this is our pledge, as long as we live. We grieve out of concern for the prince's life, not because we are helpless in struggle and war. As long as one of us famed warriors is alive, not one of us will turn his head from battle. When the commander heard their words, he turned away from that earlier talk. He blessed the Iranians and said: true courage can never stay concealed. If we come through as victors, we will reap the fruit of all our past hardship. Your suffering will not be forgotten in the heart, and surely your treasure will never stand empty. He kept planning until the world grew cool, and a light wind rose from the mountaintop. From the royal camp rose the trumpet and the reed pipe, and the whole army moved out from its place. They rode swift as fire, calling often on the Maker of the world. When dawn lifted its head above the mountains, the night drew its veil of poetry over its own head. When the shining sun hid its face, bloodshed followed close behind it. That heavy host reached its resting place, all of them mace-bearers and spearmen. It was a sweet, gentle day of spring, one that lit up the heart, one that lit up the world. He ordered the great pavilion and the tents pitched, laid out the feast, and had the wine brought in. At that very moment a fierce wind swept down from the mountain, and the famous hero was worn down by it. The whole world turned dark as a crow's wing; no one could tell the open plain from a raven. Snow came pouring from the dark cloud, a land buried in snow and a monstrous wind. For three days and three nights it went on like that across the plain, the wind's breath beyond all measure. The air became weft, the cloud became warp; the commander was left helpless before it. He said aloud to Pashutan: 'This venture of ours has been wedded to pain.' 'By courage I marched into the dragon's jaws; now brute strength is worth nothing.' 'All of you, offer your prayers to God, call upon Him and praise Him.' 'Perhaps these afflictions will pass from us, so that after this no one will look down on us.' Pashutan came before God, for he was a guide toward all that is good. They prayed beyond all measure, and all at once raised their hands together. At that very moment a pleasant wind arrived, carried off the clouds, and the sky's face turned clear. When the Iranians' hearts were set at ease, they stood on their feet before God. The pavilion and the tents were soaked through; from the cold no one had strength in foot or wing. The warriors stayed right there for three days; on the fourth, when the world-kindler blazed up, the commander summoned the noble ones and told many fine tales. He said: 'Leave your baggage here, and carry nothing but the tools of war.' 'Whoever among you ranks as a captain, and has a mount that carries water like a hundred beasts,' 'load them with water and food for fifty, and load on the rest of the marching gear.' 'Leave the surplus baggage here as well, except for what the battle demands.' 'By the power of God we will get the upper hand over that wicked, idol-worshipping people.' When someone gives up hope in God, not much good fortune ever comes their way. From that fortress you will all grow rich, every one of you laden with treasure and crown. When the sun drew its yellow veil over its head, the west turned the color of a golden flower. The warriors loaded up their gear and set out, all of them, following their king like a flock. When a while of the dark night had passed, the cry of a crane came down from the sky. Esfandiar was troubled by its call, and sent a message to Gorgsar. You told me there was no water in this place, no spot for rest or sleep. Now the crane's cry has risen from the sky; why did you make our hearts so anxious about water? He answered: from here the animals will find nothing but a spring of salty water, and another spring whose water is like poison, meant only for birds and wild beasts. The commander said: I have taken a spiteful, vengeful guide in Gorgsar. Because of his words he drove the army hard, and the lord of the world called on the Giver of good.