English
Bahram's Upbringing in Yemen
When Yazdgerd heard these words from him, he set his mind and reason to work.
He looked at the outcome from the very start, and entrusted noble Bahram to him.
He ordered robes of honor prepared for him and raised his head up to the heavens.
They dressed his body in robes of honor and called for the horse of the king of Yemen from the gate.
From the palace of the world's king out to the plain, camels and horses and litters passed in a stream.
Countless servants and nurses lined the way, from the marketplace all the way to the king's court.
The bazaar was decorated along the road, from the city gate to the door of the king's hall.
When Mundhir came to the city of Yemen, everyone, men and women alike, came out to welcome him.
When he first reached his resting place, he sought out many women of noble birth.
From landed nobles, Arabs, and the highborn, wealthy and select and dignified.
From these great families he chose four women, so that talent would show clearly in the child's nature.
Two Arabs and two nobles of royal stock: they took me on and served as my nurses.
They cared for him thus for four years, until he had his fill of milk and his neck grew strong.
With difficulty they weaned him from the milk, keeping him close and cherishing him tenderly.
When he turned seven, he said to Mundhir, and his counsel was worthy of a great man:
He said: Great and exalted lord, do not treat me like a suckling child.
Hand me over to learned teachers; when there is work to do, do not keep me idle.
Mundhir said to him: Exalted one, you are still too young to need schooling.
When the time for learning comes to you, then you will turn your effort toward knowledge.
For now I will let you stay in the hall and play, and take your pride in games.
Bahram gave this answer in return: Do not eat what you did not earn from me in idleness.
I have knowledge even if I lack the years; I may not have the arms and shoulders of a warrior.
You have the years but less wisdom; my nature is different from your outlook.
Don't you know that whoever seizes the right moment picks first from the tasks that must come first?
If you keep waiting for a better time, you wash your heart clean of all good things.
Everything done out of season bears no fruit; among living beings the head is the best of the body.
Teach me all that befits a king, so that I may come to know what is fitting.
The root of righteousness is God-given knowledge; blessed is the one who has both wisdom and understanding.
Mundhir looked at him and stood astonished, and under his breath he spoke the name of God.
At once he sent a guide riding hard on a camel toward the salt lands.
He sought out three learned priests who held honor and standing in the salt lands.
One to teach him the art of writing and light up his heart against the dark.
Another to teach him the knowledge of the falcon and the hunting cheetah, for that would gladden his heart.
And a third for the polo mallet, arrow and bow, and the turns of battle against a treacherous foe.
To wheel the reins left and right, and to spur his mount across the battlefield.
So these priests came before Mundhir and spoke of every branch of learning.
He entrusted the prince's person to them, though the boy himself was quick and eager to learn.
Bahram of royal descent grew to be one who gave manhood its full due in every skill.
Whatever art reached his ears, his mind reached out toward mastering it.
When that renowned youth turned eighteen, he became a bold champion, radiant as the sun.
He no longer needed the priests for anything, whether learning, or the cheetah and the falcon.
Wheeling the reins on the battlefield, galloping his horse and charging.
He said to Mundhir: Pure-minded one, send these skilled teachers back to their homes.
He gave each of them many gifts, and they left Mundhir's court in joy.
After that the young king said to Mundhir: Summon the horses of these lancers.
Tell them to wheel their reins before me and to lower their spear tips into view.
Let them set a price on whichever pleases me, and I will pay them their coin at once.
Mundhir gave him this answer: Skilled and famous prince,
The keeper of my horses is at your command, and their master too is at your own service.
If you mean to buy horses from the Arabs, why should I be put to trouble and hardship?
Bahram said to him: Good-named one, may your desires be granted all year long through your goodness.
I choose the horse that, when I gallop it downhill, will not let its rein slip from the stirrup.
When with such a mount I make it steady, I will make it a match for the wind at Nowruz.
But if a horse is untested, one should not force it hard with harsh riding.
Mundhir ordered Nu'man: Go and pick out a herd from the new keeper of the horses.
Ride the whole plain before the horsemen, and see where you can find a warhorse.
Nu'man went swiftly and brought a hundred horses, choosing many from among the battle mounts.
When Bahram saw them, he came to the plain, wheeled left and right, and rode about for a while.
Every horse that had matched the wind lost its wings once Bahram was in the saddle.
In this way he chose a light chestnut, a swift, open-chested wind-runner.
And by another brand mark a bay of a color; you would say a sea-dragon had risen from the deep.
It struck fire from its hooves, and blood seemed to drip from its ruby-red coat.
Mundhir paid their price at their full worth, for their pastures had been in the thickets of Kufa.
Bahram accepted those two horses from him, glowing like the sacred fire of Azargoshasp.
He cared for it like a fresh apple, so that not even a breeze would touch it with harm.
One day the young man said to Mundhir: Man of purpose and bright soul,
You keep me here with no cause, without letting me pass a single hour in sorrow.
Everyone you see in this world carries some hidden longing in the heart.
Grief turns a man's face pale, while joy makes the noble body flourish.
So add one more good thing to this, something that answers every kind of pain.
Whether crowned king or champion, a young man finds his peace with a wife.
Through her the faith of God stands firm, and she is a guide toward good for the young.
Order that five or six slave girls be brought, adorned and radiant as the sun.
Perhaps one or two among them will please me, and the thought of praise and blessing will come to me.
Perhaps too I will see a child of my own, one who will bring my heart a little peace.
Then the Lord of the world will be pleased with me, and I will be remembered with honor in every gathering.
When Mundhir heard the prince's words, the old man called down blessings upon him.
He ordered Sa'd the eloquent to hurry to the house of the slave merchant.
He brought forty Greek slave girls, all fit to bring desire and peace of heart.
Bahram chose two of those rose-cheeked girls, whose bones beneath the skin were like ivory.
Tall as slender cypresses, all charm, beauty, and grace.
Of those two stars, one played the harp, the other had tulip cheeks like the star Suhail of Yemen.
Tall as cypresses, with hair like a lasso; Mundhir paid their price once they had pleased him.
Bahram laughed and gave thanks; his face turned bright as a Badakhshan ruby set in a ring.