English
Bahram Gur Learns of His Father's Death
Then news reached Bahram Gur: fate had turned, and the throne had gone bitter as brine.
Your father, that proud king of kings, has died; he is gone, and taken his royal name with him.
They have set another man upon the throne, and hailed him as their king.
The whole army swore an oath: never again will we take a king from that bloodline.
For Bahram, his son, is just like him; from his father's seed he was made, flesh and mind.
When Bahram heard this, he tore at his face; his heart was crushed with grief for his father.
For two weeks the city of Yemen rang with the wailing of children, men, and women.
When he had sat a full month in mourning for the king, at the new moon he prepared the throne.
Nu'man and Mundhir came together, and all the Arabs of Yemen, high and low.
All were stricken, and wept with the king; without any fire, they burned with sorrow.
Then they loosed their tongues and spoke: O noble, lofty king,
We all came into this world as dust; we did not come here seeking any cure for death.
Whoever is born of a mother must die; birth is a cruelty I have seen, and death is only justice.
Bahram Gur said this to Mundhir: now that our day has turned dark and dim,
if the royal name is severed from this line, then its glory too will be torn away.
Horsemen will kick up dust across the plains, and this land will become a grave for the Arabs.
Be thoughtful, and lend your aid; mourn for my father's death.
Mundhir heard Bahram's words, and gave a manly answer, striking to the root:
He said: this is my hour, and on this plain lies my day of the hunt.
You sit upon the throne and watch; forever wear the crown and the royal bracelet.
All the great men agreed on this, the foundation Nu'man and Mundhir had laid.
They rose from before the world-seeking prince, and made ready for the raid.
Mundhir commanded Nu'man: go, and raise up a fresh army of lions.
From the Shayban and the Qays, ten thousand; bring their dust up at the door of war.
I will show the Iranians who the true king is, the one with crown, treasure, and army.
Nu'man brought a heavy host, all swordsmen and spearmen.
He ordered them to launch raids, to trample the whole face of the country underfoot.
From the road of the salt marsh to the gates of Ctesiphon, the earth reeled beneath their hooves.
They took women, children, and men captive; no one could hold back those torments.
The world was filled with plunder and burning, once the throne of the king of kings stood empty.
Then the news reached Rome and China, the Turks, India, and the land of Makran:
that Iran's throne stood empty of a king, and no one was worthy of the crown.
They all made ready to attack, and rose up in injustice from their places.
Since no one remained of the royal line who dared to touch the kingly throne,
everyone reached out their hand for Iran, and stretched their necks eagerly toward the crown.