English
Section 6: Alexander and Darius at War
When Alexander learned what had happened, that Darius had risen to the throne and worn the crown like the moon,
he gathered his army from Iraq and marched, calling on God's name in the Roman tongue.
The host had no middle and no edge; but Darius's fortune had not yet ripened.
The king prepared to meet him, bringing so many troops out of Estakhr
that you would think no star could shine, and the sky itself could not find room to turn.
The armies of two nations drew up their ranks, every hand gripping spear, mace, and dagger.
Such a roar rose from the two hosts that it split the ears of the turning heavens.
The ground turned into a sea of the warriors' blood; the whole field of hatred lay covered with headless bodies.
A father felt no tenderness for his son; the turning sky showed them no mercy.
For the third time defeat fell upon Darius, and Alexander closed off the space for any charge.
The world ruler led his army toward Kerman, dragging his life clear of the enemy's blows.
Alexander came to Estakhr in Fars, which was the crown of kings and the pride of Persia.
A loud proclamation rang from the royal court: 'O nobles who point out the way,
whoever now asks for mercy, repenting his deeds and taking refuge in God,
come, all of you, under my protection; know it, if you truly wish me well.
We will give aid to all the wounded, and we will not shed the enemy's blood either.
We will keep our hands off other people's goods, and turn our reason toward the light.
For the Victorious God gave us divine glory, greatness, and the crown of the king of kings.
Whoever steps beyond our command will have his neck broken like a dragon's.'
Whatever spoils he found on that battlefield, he distributed entirely among his soldiers.
When Darius reached Kerman from Iran, he could not find two thirds of his army's nobles.
There was wailing among the troops; not one man's helmet was seen upon his head.
He gathered the wise nobles around him, everyone who had fought at his side.
All the great men grew grief-stricken and weeping, scorched by their own cruel fortune.
Darius said: 'Beyond all doubt, the heavens have turned against us, born from our own doing.'
No one in the world has ever seen such a defeat, nor heard of it from the wise men of old.
The wives and children of nobles are captives, or lie killed and wounded by javelin and arrow.
What do you see, and what cure do you propose to make our enemy regret this?
No country, no army, no throne and crown, no kingship, no children, no treasure, no host.
If the Creator does not grant us His mercy, our days are utterly ruined.
Those of the noble men who still survived wept before the king of kings
and said aloud: 'O sovereign, we are all wounded by cruel fate.
The army has no strength left to fight; the water of destruction has risen above our heads.
Fathers left without sons, sons without fathers, this is what the turning sky has brought upon us.
Whoever has a mother, sister, or daughter, all of them now lie in Alexander's hands.
Even your own pure, veiled women, who once trembled in fear for your life,
and the treasure of your high-minded ancestors, which came to your hand without reproach,
now remain in the grip of the Romans, the line of the great and the treasure of the kings.
Your only remedy with him is patience and diplomacy, for the crown of greatness stays with no one forever.
Someone may say his tongue was not scorched by fire; but by cunning one must sometimes yield in body.
Show yourself submissive to him in bearing, and add some smoothness to your words as well.
Let us see how the end will turn out, for its outcome lies beyond all our reckoning.
Write a letter to him, and unsettle his dark heart with worry.
This turning wheel will pass over him too; this is what a person of reason understands.'
When he heard them, he chose to follow their counsel, as befitted the heart of kings.