English
In Praise of the King of the Earth
Now let us sing the praise of the Creator of the world,
and then of the king who rules this earth.
Abolqasem, that king with a face like the sun,
adorned the world with justice and with love.
He seeks nothing but goodness and truth,
and brings no flaw into his justice.
May the world stay bright beneath Mahmud's crown,
and may all his days be blessed.
May he stay young as long as youth exists,
and stay alive as long as life goes on.
What did that old village poet tell
of Goshtasp and of the famed Ardeshir,
and of those renowned men of pure mind,
of Darab, and the ways and counsel of Homay?
When Dara sat upon the royal throne,
he bound his belt and opened his hand in giving.
He spoke thus to the priests and the noble sages,
to the great and the clear-hearted, wise men:
I did not win the world through toil and pain alone;
God set the crown upon my head.
No one, openly or in secret, will see
in all the world a marvel greater than my reign.
We know no reward for it but justice,
so that after us they will bless us.
No one should grieve at our labor,
or at the abundance and the piling up of our treasure.
May the age flourish through my justice,
and may the hearts of my subjects be glad.
After that, from India and from Rome,
from every rich and thriving land,
they came bearing gifts and offerings,
seeking the favor of the king.
It happened one day that, to check on his herd,
he came out to see the horses roaming free.
He climbed from the lowland up to a mountain
and saw a boundless, deep sea before him.
He ordered that from Rome and from India
skilled and tested heroes be brought.
Let them find a gateway from that sea's water,
and carry a river to every land.
When the wise one released the water from its dam,
he ordered a most useful city to be built.
When he drew the city walls around it,
they named the place Darabgerd.
He kindled a fire from the mountain's peak,
and a whole company came to worship the flame.
They summoned craftsmen of every trade,
and so they adorned the land of Iran.
He sent his countless armies in every direction,
keeping the world safe from its enemies.
He freed the world from fear of the ill-wisher,
and split the hearts of the malicious in two.