English
Section 14: Shapur's Deathbed Counsel
When his years reached seventy eight, the vigilant ruler of the world fell ill.
He ordered his son Shapur to come before him, and gave him counsel beyond all measure.
He knew that death was drawing near, that the green leaf was about to turn yellow.
He told him: keep this covenant of mine, and let the slanderer's words scatter like wind.
Once you have heard my words, put them to work, so you may tell the worthless from the worthy.
I set the world right with the sword of justice; I kept safe the honor of the highborn man.
When the affairs of the world came right for me, my dominion grew, but my life shrank.
After we had suffered many hardships, through hardship we gathered up our treasure.
The same toil lies ahead of you, and comfort too: now a valley, now a peak.
Such is the way of the turning heavens: sometimes it brings you pain, sometimes love.
Sometimes fortune bolts like a wild horse; amid its gifts it hands you harshness and a kiss.
One moment it readies a mount for you, its head held high with breeding and grace.
Know, my son, that this deceiving house will never let you rejoice without fear.
Guard your body and your reason, if you want your days to pass free of evil.
When a king honors and praises the faith, then kingship and faith become brothers.
No faith stands firm without the throne of kingship, and no kingship endures without faith.
They are two brocades woven one within the other, spun and displayed before wisdom.
Faith is not free of need for the king, nor does the king win praise without faith.
In this way they are each other's guardians; you would say they lie beneath a single tent.
Neither is free of the other's need; we found them two partners well matched.
When a person has judgment and wisdom, the man of faith wins both worlds.
When the king is the guardian of the faith, call these two nothing but brothers.
When a religious man harbors a grudge against the king, do not, if you can help it, call him pious.
Anyone who opens his tongue against a just ruler, do not count him a man of faith.
What did that blessed speaker say? When you look closely, faith is the very core of justice.
Three things bring down the throne of kingship: the first is an unjust ruler.
The second is raising up the worthless man and turning away from the man of talent.
The third is clinging to one's treasure, striving after coins to hoard still more.
Reach for generosity, faith, and wisdom, and let no lie ever pass with you.
A lie darkens the face of a king; his greatness will never catch its shine.
Take care never to be a mere hoarder of treasure, for people will grasp at gold through hardship.
If a king lets greed pile up his treasury, he brings his subjects to suffering.
Wherever the farmer keeps his wealth, that wealth is truly the king's own, though it comes from the farmer's toil and pain.
The king is the guardian of that treasure, and so the branch of the people's labor bears fruit.
Strive to keep yourself far from anger, and with manly grace let your eye look past the guilty.
When you give way to anger you soon regret it, so make apology your guardian and cure.
Whenever a king lets anger rule him, the wise call him a man of little worth.
Since wishing harm ill becomes a king, you must adorn your heart with kindness.
And if for a single moment you let fear into your heart, judgment grows confused and suspicion breeds evil.
Do not let generosity weigh your heart with grief; my son, learn instead the true value of things.
Know this: kingship belongs to the God who fairly apportioned the turning of the heavens.
When kingly cares once burden your heart, let your chief priest and counselor bring you their advice.
Let them ask about matters of justice and injustice, and keep these words alive in the king's heart.
On the day you set your mind on the hunt, when the sharp-clawed cheetah serves your purpose,
do not play two games at once: wine and feasting, and the chase, and riding out.
For the body grows heavy from the pursuit of wine; the great ones have always heeded this counsel.
And if an enemy appears anywhere, you must cut your heart away from such pleasures:
spend money, sharpen your sword, and summon troops from every province.
Do not leave today's task for tomorrow, and never seat a corrupting adviser on your throne.
Do not look for perfect honesty in the hearts of common folk, for the search will only bring you loss.
And if bad news of them reaches you, do not listen to the slanderer and do not grieve.
They worship neither king nor God; if you press them for it, you will only lose your head over them.
Such is the measure of the city's common crowd; may your portion always be wisdom instead.
Fear the malice of secretly evil people, for the world closes in tight on those with hidden evil.
Never confide a secret even to a trusted keeper, for he too has a partner and a friend.
You may think your words are locked away, yet you will hear them scattered across the world.
When your secret becomes known through the city, the hearts of the wise grow fearful and wary of you.
You will fall into turmoil and be called a lightweight, even if the wise once seated you in the place of honor.
Do not go hunting for the faults of others, for the fault-finder brings faults down upon himself.
And if desire wins out over reason, the wise will not count you among true men.
A king who rules the world must be wise, for how can every man wish him well?
A man who is hot-tempered and full of arrogance will bristle at any reproach or blame.
Never let such a man take a place near you, even if he offers to be your guide.
If you want the righteous to praise you, set aside anger and hatred once you become king.
When passion seats itself on the throne of your rage, you cease to be wise or God-fearing.
Do not talk too much, and do not put on a show of piety before others.
Listen to counsel and take the best of it; watch to see which words are truly worthy.
Speak measured words before the learned, and be gracious and warm of face.
Do not scorn the poor who come begging, and do not seat the ill-intentioned on your throne.
Whoever apologizes for a wrong, accept it and demand no vengeance for what is past.
Be always generous and nurturing; happy is the man who is giving and patient.
When an enemy grows fearful and starts to flatter, still muster your army and sound the war drums.
Go to war only when your enemy shuns the fight and grows weak under the weight of disgrace.
But if he seeks peace and honesty, and you see no defect hidden in his heart,
take tribute from him and hold no grudge; treat him this way and guard his dignity.
Adorn your heart with knowledge, for worth lies in knowledge; pursue it as much as you can.
When you are generous you become honored, and through wisdom and justice you earn a good name.
Keep your father's pledge alive in your soul, and pass it on to our children as a keepsake.
As I have fulfilled my duty as a son, I have wronged no one in this world.
You too must not break this covenant of mine, and do not think my counsel is worthless.
Keep your father's advice in mind: lean toward good and let evil go with the wind.
Do not needlessly torment my spirit, nor sear my frail body with fire.
By harming yourself or hurting others, my son, do not seek to cause anyone pain and grief.
Five hundred years will pass over this, and then your greatness will come to its end.
Your descendants will turn their heads from the pledge, even those who share your bloodline.
They will turn away from reason and knowledge, and refuse to heed the counsel of the wise.
One and all they will abandon covenant and faith, reaching instead for injustice, cruelty, and oppression.
They will make the world narrow for the powerless, and the God-worshiper will be despised among them.
They will put on the garment of wickedness and thrive in the creed of the devil.
All that we have closed will be flung open, and the faith we cleansed will be defiled.
If these counsels and warnings of mine are wasted,
this land of mine will turn its face toward ruin.
I ask this of the Creator of the world,
who knows both what is open and what is hidden:
that he keep you safe from every evil,
and let a good name always be your companion.
May the blessing of God and of us rest on the one
whose warp is wisdom and whose weft is justice,
who will not break faith with this pledge of mine,
and will not strive to turn my honey into bitterness.
Forty years and two months have now passed
since I set the crown upon my head as king.
I have six cities in this world,
with sweet air and pleasant waters beneath them.
One I named Khoreh Ardeshir,
whose breeze makes a young man grow old.
By it the land of Khuzestan was made fresh,
filled with people, water, profit and loss.
Another city is called Gundeshapur,
where the high priest found his joy.
Another is the region of Meisan and the Euphrates,
full of springs, cattle, and green growth.
Another city is Berkeh Ardeshir,
full of gardens, rose beds, and pools.
Ram Ardeshir is yet another city,
by which I made my way toward Fars.
Another city is Hormuzd Ardeshir,
its air scented like musk, its streams like milk.
Make my soul glad through your justice,
so may you be victorious and happy on the throne.
I bore many hardships in this world,
both in what was seen and what was hidden.
Now we have packed our things for the tomb;
you tend the coffin and take charge of the throne.
He said this, and his fortune went dark.
Alas for that head, that crown, that throne of his.
Such is the way of this bright world:
it will not unveil its secret to us.
Happy is the one who never knew greatness,
for then he need not vanish from a throne.
You toil and gather all kinds of things,
yet neither the man nor his things remain at last.
In the end we will lie joined with the dust,
and both cheeks must be hidden beneath a shroud.
Come, let us all reach out to do good;
let us not hand this world over to evil.
Let us strive with all our being for a good name,
for by this name we shall be honored among people.
Blessed is the one who takes a cup in hand
and drinks to the memory of the God-worshipping kings.
When his cup of wine is filled again and again,
he falls asleep just as his heart grows glad.
Now speak of the reign of Shapur;
open your tongue to tales of wine and feasting.
Praise be to the One who created praise itself,
who made place and time and the earth.
From him comes rest, from him comes desire;
from him the beginning, from him the end.
He has made the heavens, time, and the earth,
and raised up all the great and small of this world.
From the meanest speck of straw to the height of heaven, everything bears witness to God's existence.
Call none but Him the Maker of the world, the One who knows both the hidden and the seen.
May His blessing rest on the soul of Muhammad, and grow greater upon each of his companions.
Chief of that gathering was Ali among his companions, the one people call Ali the friend of God.
They were all pure and devout; their words were beyond counting.
Now let us add to what has been said, and offer praise to the Creator of the world.
Let us praise the crown of the king of kings, whose throne makes the moon shine bright.
A lord of glory, generosity, and justice; through his command the age itself grew glad.
Master of the mace, the sword, and the treasury; master of ease, and of pain and hardship too.
A world-ruler of glory who knows what is good, and thanks God for the crown he wears.
Wise, handsome, and eloquent; young in years, yet ancient in knowledge.
His cloud rains down fortune like Jupiter; let us hurry to shelter beneath his glory.
In battle he sets the sky roaring; when he holds a feast he scatters jewels.
When his anger flares, mountains crumble and the heavens tremble above the earth.
King and ruler through generations of forefathers; the dome of sun and moon takes pride in him.
May his name endure forever, and may greatness be his end in all things.
I began this book with his praise: his grandeur, his ways, and his wisdom.
Through him I found a good name in the world; may his end in this life be good.
His face has made the crown shine bright; against all evils his fortune is his armor.
The devout take pride in him, and so does anyone who rules upon the earth.
The air is bright with his fruitful fortune; the earth is the footing of his renowned throne.
In battle he is a raging war-elephant; at the feast he is a heaven of faithfulness.
When his judgment shines in war, waves rise up from the sea of him.
In the hunt, lions are his prey; wild beasts and creatures live under his protection.
On the day of war, at the sound of his mace, the lion's heart splits and the leopard's hide tears.
May his head stay green and his heart full of justice; may the world never be without him and his crown.