Kasra and Bozorjmehr

It happened in those days that Kasra set out from Madain to hunt. He chased wild sheep and gazelles across the plain until the game scattered and he was left worn out. From the open flatland he came upon a meadow, and he found trees, grass, and shade. Bozorjmehr rode along beside the king, both out of duty and out of love. Gently the king climbed down from his mount, drawn to rest his eyes on that grassy place. He saw none of his attendants near; only one handsome-faced companion stayed with the king. He lay down for a while in that meadow, resting his head lovingly to one side. On that king's arm there was always a jeweled armband studded with gems. His arm slipped bare from his sleeve, and a bird came toward him from the sky. Down from the clouds came a black bird, gliding until it reached the king's pillow. It looked at the arm and saw the gems, and it saw no one nearby to guard him. His whole army was spread around that meadow, everyone off hunting on his own. The king lay alone in sleep, with no one at his side to keep watch over him. When the black bird saw the armband, it tore open the seam that held those jewels. Once it had torn it open, it swallowed the gems one by one, the fine pearls and the yellow rubies. It ate them and flew up from his pillow, and in that instant it vanished from sight. Bozorjmehr was stricken by what he saw, dismayed at the workings of the turning heavens. He knew that hard times were closing in, that fate would bring both deception and terror. When the king woke and saw him standing there biting his lip in that manner, he guessed that Bozorjmehr, while he slept, had greedily eaten the jewels for his own gain. He said to him: You dog, who told you that a nature's true grain can be hidden? I am not Ohrmazd, nor am I Bahman; my body too is made of dust, wind, and fire. The king wearied his tongue with reproach for a while, but got no answer except a cold sigh. Bozorjmehr withered where he stood, undone by the king and by the turning heavens' deeds, for how quickly he had seen the sign of decline; the wise man fell silent out of dread. All around that meadow was the army, and in its midst the king. Kasra mounted his horse in fury and did not open his eyes the whole way to the palace door. All along the road he bit his lip in rage at the wise man; when he dismounted he was still grumbling. He ordered that iron surfaces be made ready, and that the sage be imprisoned in the palace. Bozorjmehr sat down in that palace, the king's love for him now torn away. There was a young kinsman of his, brave and bold, who served King Nushirvan. Everywhere he was with the king in the palace, and in speaking to the king he was outspoken and free. One day Bozorgmehr asked the king's servant with the sun-bright face: 'How do you serve him? Teach me, so I may work even harder at it.' The servant said, 'Chief of the wise men, know that today the king was the noblest of nobles.' 'When he left the table I poured water for him, but a few drops from the ewer must have wet the ground.' 'The king glanced at me, his servant, in such a way that I felt my sleep and food were finished.' 'When the world's lord grew harsh with me, the ewer went slack in my fist.' The wise man said, 'Get up and bring water, and pour it over the king's hands as before.' The young man brought warm water and poured it gently, gently over his hands. He told him, 'This time, when you wash his hands, do not rush or grow flustered with the water.' 'When he perfumes his lips with a sweet scent, don't hold back the pouring of the ewer.' The next day, when King Nushirvan sat down to eat, they set the table. The servant's heart grew full of worry as he set down the basin once more. Just as the wise man had instructed, he did neither less nor more than that. Following the wise man's word he poured the water, not too gently, not in a hurry. The king said to him, 'You who increase kindness, who told you this?' He said, 'Bozorgmehr.' 'He showed me the way to this knowledge, so that the world's lord and king might see it.' The king said, 'Go tell the wise man: from that renowned rank and that honor,' 'why did you seek lowness instead of high standing, with poor character and unfit judgment?' The servant heard and came running, reached Bozorgmehr, harsh in tone and wounded in spirit. He told him what he had heard from the king, and received this reply from him in secret: 'My condition, seen and unseen, is far better than the condition of the king of the world.' The servant returned and carried the reply, counting the words out one by one. The king was greatly enraged by the answer, and ordered him bound and thrown into a dark pit. Again he asked the attendant how that senseless man was passing his days. The servant came, his face full of tears, and told those words to Bozorgmehr. The good-hearted man answered him thus: 'My day is easier than the king's day.' The messenger turned back and came like the wind, and repeated the whole answer to the king. The king was enraged by the answer and grew like a leopard; he ordered a narrow oven made of iron. They surrounded him with arrowheads and spikes, and hid his head in iron chains. This was the place the king chose for the wise man, drawing his heart away from his love for him. He had no calm by day, no rest for sleep at night; his body full of hardship, his heart racing. On the fourth day the king of the world spoke in secret with his servant. He said: go once to the wise man, take my message quickly and bring back his answer. Ask him: how does your body feel to you now, when your shirt is made of sharp spikes? The servant came and delivered that message, hoping to please the king with his loyalty. The wise young man gave this reply: my day is better than the day of Nushirvan himself. When the man returned and brought the answer, the king's face went pale at those words. From his palace he chose a truthful man who could listen well to the words of the wise. And with him a swordsman, one who was the executioner of that court. He said: go and tell this hidden man that if his answer has color and fragrance, well and good; otherwise the executioner with his sharp blade will show him the whirl of doomsday. You said prison was better than the king's throne, an oven full of spikes with chains and a pit. The man came and repeated what he had heard, and the wise man's heart filled with pain from grief. Buzorgmehr, the pure of heart, said to him: fortune has never shown us its true face. Whether with treasure and a throne or with harsh suffering, we both must pack our bags at last, unwilling. Neither this lasts in the world nor that; good and bad alike surely come to an end. Passing through hardship comes easy to me, while the hearts of crowned kings tremble with fear. The wise man's words and the executioner returned, coming before the proud king. They told the king what they had heard, and his heart was wounded by that reply. By the king's order they carried the wise guide back from that cramped place to his palace. Some time passed over this as well, and Buzorgmehr's face grew lined with wrinkles. His heart grew tighter and thinner, and both his eyes went dark with worry. Since his suffering did not match his reward, he wore away from that pain and wasted in sorrow. It happened that around that time the Caesar of Rome sent an envoy to the king. With a letter, gifts, and offerings came a chest with a lock firmly fastened on it. The message said: around the king there are many heroes and nobles, many pure hearted priests. Without laying a hand on this lock and this chest, let them tell what lies hidden inside. If they speak the truth, we will send tribute, and more than tribute, as is our custom. He said: since there is no escape from this knowledge, the clever priest's heart remains uneasy. The emperor should not demand tribute from us, nor march an army against this kingdom. This is the message I bring from Caesar; now give whatever answer suits you. The king of the world told the envoy: this too is not hidden from God. By God's grace I will accomplish this, and produce a man of pure and clear judgment. For a week enjoy the wine here; be at ease in your heart and feel free. After that, he was stunned by the puzzle, and summoned the nobles and the wise. Each one considered from every angle how to find a solution to that riddle. They studied that casket, its lock without a key, and every priest examined it closely. One and all they set their learning aside and confessed their own ignorance. When the whole assembly proved helpless, the heart of King Nushirvan grew grieved. He said: this secret of the turning heavens, Buzurjmihr will unravel with his thought. But the wise man's heart was already full of pain; his brow was furrowed and his face turned pale. When the king saw him suffering under care, he ordered a fine robe brought from the treasury. The treasurer brought it, and a choice horse; they saddled it for the king to ride. He sent word to the wise man, saying: the sorrow you have felt should not be hidden. The lofty heaven has decreed that some harm from us will fall upon you. Your loss has sharpened my own mind; you have been at war with your own self. An urgent matter has come before me, one that has troubled my quick-thinking heart. A golden casket, its lid sealed tight, fastened with a lock and stamped with musk. Caesar has sent it to us from Rome, along with a renowned priest of that land. The envoy says his lord commanded: reveal this secret from its hiding. Let the wise men of the world declare what lies concealed within this casket. I said in my heart: perhaps the soul of Buzurjmihr will see this hidden mystery. When Buzurjmihr heard these words, his heart filled with fresh grief and old pain. He came from prison, washed his head and body, and first came before the ruler of the world. He kept fearing the king's wrath: the ruler full of anger, and he himself innocent. Dark night and clear day were indistinguishable to him, as he heard the king's message. When the sun raised its crown from the heights, it once more veiled the face of dark night. Buzurjmihr looked toward the west, while the sun shone radiant in the sky. He washed the eye of his heart in the water of wisdom, and sought firm counsel from the learned. He told him: my fortune has gone astray, since my eyes have grown dim from these sufferings. Watch whoever comes toward you on the road; ask about their condition, but never ask their name. Just then a beautiful woman came walking swiftly along the road from the house of Bozorjmehr. The wise seeing man told the sage all that lay hidden before his eyes. The pathfinder said to the questioner: find out whether this moonlike woman has a husband. The chaste woman told the questioner: yes, there is a husband, and a child concealed too. When the learned man heard the woman's words, he laughed astride his striding steed. Right then another woman appeared, and he asked her when the interpreter saw her. O woman, do you have a child and a husband, or are you single and alone? She said: there is a husband, though no child; now that you have your answer, do not delay me. Just then a third woman appeared; he came to her, spoke, and listened. O lovely one, who is your partner, that you walk with such grace and pride? She told me: I have never had a husband, and I do not wish to show my face to anyone. When Bozorjmehr heard these words, see what a thought took root in him. He set off down the road with a grim face, when they brought the seeker before the king. He ordered him to come near the throne; King Kasra's heart grew heavy with grief. Seeing that the learned man's seeing eye now saw nothing, he heaved many a cold sigh from his heart. The king kept apologizing for that deed, since he had wronged an innocent man. Then he began to speak of Rome and the Caesar, recalling that lock and that sealed casket. Bozorjmehr said to the king of the world: may you shine as long as the heavens turn. Let a gathering be held with the casket before the king, and the seeker before the nobles. By the power of God, who gave me thought and made my soul practice truth, I will tell you all that is inside the casket, without laying a hand on that lock or that box. Though the eye has grown dark, the heart is bright; knowledge is armor for the soul. The king rejoiced at his words; his heart bloomed fresh like a rose in spring. That thought straightened the king's back; he called for the envoy and the casket. He summoned all the priests and the young, and seated many a scholar before the sage. Then the king said to the envoy: deliver your message and ask for a reply. When the Roman heard this, he opened his mouth and recounted all of Caesar's words. He said: a ruler victorious in war needs wisdom, knowledge, honor, and a fear of shame. You have the royal glory and majesty of a king: greatness, wisdom, and a strong hand. So too the wise man and the priest who seek the way; tell whoever has spirit that a king is searching. They are all pure of heart in your court, and they are the world's well-wishers of yours. Let these clear-hearted, proud men look upon this same casket, locked, sealed, and marked. Let them say plainly what lies hidden within, matching their answer to reason. After this we will send you tribute and taxes, for these lands can bear the burden of tribute. But if they fall short of solving this riddle, they will no longer demand tribute from these borders. When the wise man heard the messenger's words, he opened his lips and spread out praise. May the king of the world be forever glad, eloquent, fortunate, and just. Thanks be to the Lord of the sun and moon, who shows the soul the road to knowledge. None but Him knows the open and the hidden; in knowledge I feel need, while He needs nothing. Three gleaming pearls lie within the casket, and its case is other than what I have described. One is pierced, another half pierced, and the last has never met the touch of iron. When the Byzantine sage heard this, he brought the key, and Nushirvan looked on. Hidden inside was a small box, and within the box a veil of fine silk. In that box lay three jewels concealed, exactly as the wise man of Iran had said. The first jewel was pierced, the second half pierced, and the third untouched. All the priests called out their praise and scattered jewels of admiration on him. The king of kings turned his radiant face and filled the sage's mouth with lustrous pearls. His heart grew heavy over what had passed; he writhed, and his face filled with folds of grief. Why had he treated this man with such cruelty, after seeing his love and loyalty? When the wise man found the king's face withered, he saw his soul wounded with pain. The sage brought the secret out of hiding and told Khosrow all that had passed. About the band on the arm and the black bird, the thoughts on the jewels and the king's dream. He said to him: this was a thing destined to happen; regret and grief bring no gain. When the turning heavens decree good and ill, it makes no difference: king, priest, or Bozorgmehr. Whatever seed God has sown among the stars must be written upon our brows. May the heart of King Nushirvan be glad, forever free of pain and sorrow. However exalted the king may be, his throne is graced by a good counselor. The work of the great king is the hunt and battle, wine and joy and generosity, justice and feasting. He should know what kings before him did, and shape his own judgment by their example. From filling the treasury to the toil of the army, from courteous speech to those who seek justice. The minister's heart and soul must bear the strain of managing the realm and its wealth. So it was until the time of Nushirvan; he himself was both king and champion. He was the warrior and the sage priest at once, both the commander and the wise man. He kept informed watchers everywhere, never leaving the world to a minister alone. In matters great and small across the world, no one could hide good or evil from him. One well-meaning priest among his watchers rose before the throne and spoke. He said: sometimes you let an offense pass and do not brand that person with a bad name. But here is another question to weigh: what of the guilty one who comes with an apology? The king's written answer was this: whoever confesses to his sin, is like a suffering patient, and we are the physician; he flees the medicine while shedding tears. If one remedy does not make him well, we will not wash our hands of healing him. Another priest said: may you live long, and may justice and giving be your provision too. The commander of Gorgan slipped away in secret, came into the woods and slept a while. The Gilan men carried off his baggage while he lay bare; now he returns to recover his gear. The king answered in writing: we have no need of such an army. How can one guard an army as a sentinel when he cannot even keep himself from harm? Another said: may you live forever; may your seat, your food, and your rest be shared with sages. There is a famed wealthy man here whose fortune has grown greater than your own treasury. The king replied: yes, that is right, for it comes from the glory of our kingship. Another said: O lofty king, may you live long and be safe from all evil. Among the Roman captives that have been brought, many infants still at the breast were taken. In writing he said: those who are small children should not be counted among the captives. Send them back to their mothers, with a glad heart and asking nothing in return. They wrote: a hundred wealthy men from Rome want to buy their kin back with gold. The king said: if out of fear they wish to ransom them, take from each rich man one measure less than his worth. Sell them, and do not demand more, for we have no need of anything from them. By the sword we will take from them their jewels, their purses and plunder, their silver and gold. They said: among the wealthy men of the city are two merchants who spend a large part of the night awake. One of them cannot fall asleep for the sound of drunken revelers, the harp, and the lute. He answered: this trouble belongs to no one but them, and to everyone else who owns a treasure. All the rest live happy and content, because they are free and live without worry. They wrote a line: 'May you live sweetly, and may an evil hand always stay far from you.' In the hall the king of Yemen said: 'When Nushirvan opens his mouth, he speaks more of the dead than of anyone; his heart fills with sorrow while the living stay glad.' He answered: 'Only a man of wisdom and noble birth keeps the dead in his memory. Whoever has washed the dead from his heart, his good deeds are never sound.' One said: 'O king, younger son, you do not walk in the path of your father's justice. You let coins spill onto the ground, so that the one selling them is left grieved.' He answered: 'This is not so. The value of the land also belongs to the seller.' Another said: 'O king of lofty nature, you who stand clear of reproach and blame, you once had a heart full of modesty; why has it become so brazen and hot?' He answered: 'When I had no teeth, I could only suck milk from the breast. When my teeth came in, my back grew strong; now that I am fully grown, I seek meat.' One said: 'Suppose you are now the greatest, greater than us in counsel and knowledge. Why have you risen above the kings of kings? The world fixes both its eyes on your judgment.' He answered: 'Our wisdom passes beyond the sight of them all. Reason, knowledge, and judgment are our ministers; the earth is our treasure, and thought is our treasurer.' Another said: 'Your hawk, O sovereign, has seized an eagle on the day of the hunt.' He said: 'Strike its back, for having turned harsh against its own master. Hang it by the foot from a high gallows, so that harm returns upon it, so that even the lowly in battle will not seek to rise above their king.' Another famed man among the informed spoke thus: 'O sovereign of the world, at dawn Barzin set out with the army, and an astrologer came along the road. He said: O proud and towering man, with such a mighty host and gear as this, once he turns his back upon the king, no one will ever see him again in this age.' By royal decree he wrote: 'The turning heavens have opened their face and love to his judgment. For Barzin, the commander, his treasure and his army, the stars of sun and moon will not turn to ruin.' Another priest said: there was once an agreement with the king, set for a certain time, that they would choose a man of noble, fortunate birth, one who would rule with justice, and would bring word to this court of every wrong or right, however small or great. Goshasb is a proud old man; he would be a fit guardian of justice. The king answered: he has girded himself with greed, and stands far from contentment. Choose someone who lives off his own toil, restrains himself, and keeps his own store. A worldly, hard yet honest man, one who first sees to the needs of the poor. Someone said: the head of the cooks complains of the king and the nobles, that whatever dish he himself craves he must set out on all four sides of the table, yet he may not smell it or reach a hand toward it; the heart of the king's servant trembles. The king answered: from eating too much, desire may turn instead to pain. Another said: everyone finds fault when they examine the king of kings, for he rides out without a mighty army, and the hearts of those who love him fill with blood. Perhaps an enemy plots evil against him, or comes seeking to work harm on him. The king answered: justice and wisdom are what nourish a monarch's body. Even if the just man stands alone, truth is guard enough for him. Another said: you who are wedded to wisdom, the commander spoke on the field of Khorasan, that he dismissed Garzasb from his post; what did the king say about this affair? The king answered: he would not carry out my command, and hid away our agreement. I ordered him to open the treasury's gate of profit and loss to those who deserve it. Whoever falls short in generosity when at work covers over all the king's glory. Another said: the king is great to everyone, generous and pious, so what did old Mehrak the servant do, that his portion shrank and his face turned pale? The king answered: he grew harsh, and set his back upon his own misdeeds. He came to the court and sat there drunk; he holds nothing but wine in his hand. One of the informers, a priest, said to the king: when you march your army against Caesar, you want none but Iranians for the fight, and the world grows narrow for Iran against Rome. The king answered: that enmity is in their nature, and their quarrelling is devilish. Again the priest asked: the king wants troops of a different kind from other kings, which men are they, and what kind of fighter do you need? Lion-felling men with fierce claws? He answered like this: a fighting horseman should never grow weary of battle. The feast and the battlefield are all one to him, whether in the bright day or the dark of night. When the time comes his strength does not fade; he is not troubled whether the enemy is many or few. He said again: king Nushirvan, may you always live glad and bright of soul. At your court there is a man from Nasa, long a servant and administrator. Three hundred thousand coins were found owing from him when they audited his accounts in the treasury office. He keeps complaining that the money is all spent, and he has offended both great and small over it. When the king learned of this, that the chief priest was demanding the sum from the official, he said: do not torment him over what is spent; give him something instead from the treasury. He said again: a warrior horseman was wounded, and with that wound he lingered long, then recovered. He charged the front line of the Romans, then died, leaving small children behind. What does the king of the world command about such a matter, about a small helpless child? He ordered that those four children be given a thousand coins from the treasury. For everyone killed in battle who left behind a small child as his memory, when the scribe reads out his name from the register, the money must be brought to the child without fail. This same way, four times each year; let no one ever be neglected in this matter. He said again: may you thrive for years and months. In Merv there is a commander of the army. He gathered up much money and consumed it, and the people of that region were scattered. He answered like this: that wealth which diminishes the people of a city, why should a treasure be built from the blood of the poor, so that one man is happy while others suffer in body and soul? Give back to each person what was taken from him, and after that send out a proclamation in Merv. Order that a gallows be raised at his door, in full sight of the country and his army. Hang the tyrant alive, with his two feet up and his head hanging down. So that none of our commanders will turn his heart and soul away from our pact. He said again: king who worships God, at your court there are many humble people. They keep praising you for your justice, and offer prayers to the Creator of the world. He answered like this: thanks be to God that no one lives in fear of us. Still, one must watch over them all the more closely, whether they are guilty or innocent. He said again: king of glory and wisdom, the world has filled with the sound of music and revelry. The rich and the humble alike; when night falls, the world fills with the voices of the drunk. He answered: In this whole world, may the humble and the great alike find joy in us. Another said: O king of noble mind, an evil-tongued critic mocks and reproaches you. He says you have given away the treasury so recklessly, though you never suffered the pains of gathering it. The king replied: The wealth that fills and adorns our treasury, if we withhold it from those who deserve it, all its gain will end in loss. Another said: O lofty king, may no harm ever touch your life, the Jews and the Christians are your enemies; they are two-faced and follow the way of the devil. He answered: A mighty king is not truly great unless he offers protection to all. Another said: O renowned king, from your treasury you have given more than three hundred thousand coins to the poor and the beggars, indulging your own generous heart. He said: This too is by our command; giving to those who deserve it is only right. Another said: O king who has never known hardship, such lavish giving will empty the treasury. He answered: An open hand renews a man's strength and standing. When a ruler has become a servant of God, he will never stretch his hand to evil in this world. We have seen the world grow narrow for the narrow-hearted; greed and stinginess were never my desire. The high priest said: O king, the governor of Farakhan collected three hundred thousand coins from the city of Balkh with great toil, and delivered every one of them to the treasury. He answered: I do not want a single coin over which any person feels grief. If sorrow comes from swelling our treasury, that is not the justice of a king. Give it back to the one from whom it was taken, and grant from the treasury whatever more he asks. For a God-fearing ruler does not wish to cause pain in the hearts of his subjects. Rebuild and restore his prosperous house; raise up its roof and make it rich again. If your palace is left in ruin along with all it held, only curses and dark smoke remain after your death. Strike that governor's name from our records; never count such a man among your servants at court. Another said: O king of blessed lineage, you often recall Jamshid and Kavus. He said this so that, after my death, my crown and helmet would not be forgotten. Another said: Why has the king of Iran kept the secret about the proud Bahman? He answered: His reason falters and bends, and he indulges his passions. One said: O king who cherishes the lowly, why have you now become so slow to give? He answered: With the wise I am the same man, and the same with the priests as well. When the whisper of the devil reaches the ear, the heart loses its judgment and the mind its wisdom. The chief priest asked the king of the earth, speaking of kingship and of faith. Which is better: a world without faith or one without a king? Let the wise stand as witness on this. He answered: I have said this very thing, and the pure of faith have heard these words. A ruler never saw a world without faith; instead each person chose a different creed. One was an idol worshipper, one pure in faith; one said a curse was better than a blessing. The world is not ruined by mere talk; speak now the thought you keep hidden. Whenever the throne is left without a king, neither wisdom nor faith holds any worth. One said: O king of hidden joy, you spoke much before the great. One thing was your saying that you are the age itself, that its good and its ill are all through you. Whoever blesses the world, his greeting returns in secret to us. He answered: yes, that is fitting, for the crown of the age is the king's own head. Such rulers are the chief of the world; that is why such a crown sits on their heads. I have surpassed the seal of Nushirvan; the world is old, yet my thought is young. It is no wonder my nature grew keen, that in old age it turned so full of fire. When from the pulpit the preacher says the name of Mahmud, the cross itself bends toward this faith of Muhammad. For a long while I kept saying: this book lay hidden from the sun, from Saturn, and from the moon. When the name of Mahmud became the crown of speech, his praise spread across the horizons. May the age be made prosperous by his name; may the heavens rejoice in his crown. He took the world from the idol worshippers of India, with a sword that gleams like Roman steel.