English
In Praise of the King
Now praise the king of the world,
who is drawn to battle, to the feast, and to knowledge.
The exalted Mahmud of blessed judgment,
through whom the name of greatness endures.
The wise ruler Abolqasem,
whose counsel is always nourished by wisdom.
May his heart be glad forever,
freed from suffering and sorrow.
The king of kings of Iran and Zabolestan,
from Kannauj to the borders of Kabolestan.
Blessings upon him and upon his army,
upon his kin, his lineage, and his land.
His mighty commander is Prince Nasr,
in whom the turning age itself rejoices.
He never grudges any gift he gives,
nor does he rest on the day of battle preparations.
When war comes to him he takes up war,
and seizes the heads of chieftains in his grip.
Whoever gives away his own treasure,
he too gives freely, heedless of his own hardship.
May the world belong to King Mahmud,
and may generosity and justice flow from him.
When the general is like Abol-Mozaffar,
the army's leader stands higher than the moon.
For he is called victorious and blessed with fortune;
his arrow drives clean through the tree.
May the king's body be forever free of pain,
and may his seat always be atop a treasury.
Likewise may his commander be glad,
his heart bright and his treasury thriving.
As long as the turning heavens endure,
may love for this lineage never fade.
Father after father, son after son,
all of them crowned and triumphant.
When fourteen days of Shawwal had passed,
a blessing came upon the king.
For we gave glad news about the custom of the tax,
since the order came from the glorious, crowned king:
That in a whole year they will demand no more tribute
from the vigilant believer and the devout man.
By this decree the age of Nushirvan was renewed,
and every matter was set on a new measure.
When that long-awaited time arrived,
he cast open again the veil of justice.
You will see, by this justice and goodness, I believe,
that he will receive a robe of honor from heaven,
one that will never grow old upon his body,
and the crown of kings will stay upon his head.
May his fortune stay fresh and his body unharmed,
his spirit soaring beyond the lofty sky.
Let no one hold my omen in contempt,
for it reckons the months and years of my life.
See how this book, forever after,
will be a banner raised over the wise.
It will remain through ages like this,
so that everyone who reads it will bless him.
Nushirvan, son of Qobad, said this:
when a king's heart turns away from justice,
the wheel of fate blackens his decree,
and the stars no longer name him king.
Injustice is the writ of dethronement for kings,
like the heart's pain of the innocent.
May this noble jewel endure forever,
talented, wise, and just.
The world stays loyal to no one;
only a good name remains as a memory.
Where are Fereydun, Zahhak, and Jamshid,
the lords of Arabia and the kings of Persia?
Where are those great ones of the Sasanians,
from the line of Bahram to the Samanids?
The most reviled king was Zahhak,
for he was unjust and impure.
Blessed Fereydun earned praise;
he died, but his name never died.
The word remains in the world as a keepsake;
the word is better than a royal pearl.
He who was unjust won no praise,
even glad with his treasure and throne of power.
His desire in the world is cut short,
and no one on earth recites his name.
From this book of the enemy-crushing king,
may he sit forever proud upon the throne,
all the people came out of their homes to the plain,
and their prayers rose past the heavens:
May the head that wears the crown live forever,
and may the turning of time be blessed for him.
May he see nothing in the world but his own desire,
his name inscribed upon the palace halls.
The same for his lineage, his army, and his land,
and for his kingly stature and countenance.