English
Esfandiar's Complaint Before the King
When the night gathered up its reins and rode away, the shining sun raised its lance into the sky.
The king took his seat upon the golden throne, and the fortunate Esfandiar came before him.
He stood before him like a servant, deep in thought, his hands folded in respect.
When the army gathered around him, the famous warriors and champions of the king,
all the priests lined up before him, and the commanders stood in ranks.
Then Esfandiar, that elephant-bodied hero, began to speak out of his pain.
He said: My king, may you live forever; you are the glory of God on this earth.
Through you, justice and love have flourished; through you, the crown and throne are made beautiful.
You are the king; my father, and I am your servant, always ready to do your will.
You know that Arjasp, for the sake of religion, came with those horsemen of China.
I swore those solemn oaths and accepted that divine counsel:
that anyone who breaks our faith, whose heart turns and becomes an idol-worshipper,
I would cut in two with my dagger; I feared no one and dreaded no one.
And after Arjasp came to war, I never turned back from battle, fierce as a leopard on the plain.
You disgraced me on Gorazm's word, claiming I asked for a cup of wine on the day of feasting.
You bound my body in heavy chains, in the columns and iron nails of the smiths.
You sent me to the fortress of Gonbadan and handed me over to villains in humiliation.
You went off to Zabol and abandoned Balkh; you mistook the whole war for a banquet.
Then you saw Arjasp's sword, and old Lohrasp was cast down into his own blood.
When Jamasp came and saw me bound, and saw my body wounded by those chains,
he offered me the throne and the kingdom, and pressed me hard about it.
I said to him: these heavy shackles, these chains and the iron nails of the smiths,
I will keep just as they are, by the king's command; I want no army, and I want no crown.
On the day of reckoning I will show God, and complain to the Creator about the slanderer.
He said to me: if you will not hear my advice, you leave a wicked man upon the throne.
He said more: think of the blood of so many chiefs, proud men with their heavy maces,
wounded and abandoned on that battlefield, struck down by arrows, and your own sisters carried off as captives;
and the noble champion Farshidvard, lying wounded on the field of battle.
The king is fleeing from the Turks, while Esfandiar writhes in his chains.
Does your heart not burn for such things, for this pain, this grief, and these torments?
He said much else besides this, for his speech was wedded to pain and sorrow.
I broke apart every shackle and chain, and came running to the king of my people.
I killed more of them than could be counted; the king rejoiced at what I had done.
If I were to recount the tale of the Seven Trials, it seems it would never reach its end.
I severed Arjasp's head from his body, and raised high the name of Goshtasp.
I brought his wife and children to this court, along with that treasure, the throne, and the crown.
All the good deeds you did filled your treasury, while my only wages were blood, pain, and hardship.
Because of all your bonds, oaths, and promises, I never step outside your command.
You used to say: if I see you again, I will choose you with all my heart and soul.
I will hand you the crown and the ivory throne, for in manhood you are worthy of the crown.
But shame rises in me before the nobles, when they ask: where is your treasure and your army?
What is the excuse now, and where do I stand? After all this struggle and toil, for whose sake was it?