English
Forud and Bahram on the Mountain
When the Iranians, from the crest of the mountain, spotted the place where Forud and Tokhar stood,
Tus, the commander, grew furious at them and halted his elephants and war drums where they stood.
He said: from this famed army, one horseman, a true and able man, must now step forward,
who will break away from our ranks and ride his horse up to the mountain peak,
to see who those two warriors are, and what they are gathering up there on the summit.
If it turns out they belong to our own army, let him strike each with two hundred lashes;
but if they are Turks looking for a fight, let him bind them and drag them to me.
And if they are killed, let him bury them; it is fitting he feel no fear or dread of that.
But if they are enemy scouts, secretly counting our troops,
then he must cut them down on the spot, then descend the mountain and return.
Bahram, son of Gudarz, said to the commander: I cannot hide from this task.
I will go and carry out all you have said; I will bring that whole mountaintop to heel.
He spurred his horse and rode out from the ranks, and deep in thought set out for the peak.
Then the noble one, Forud, said to Tokhar: who is this coming so cautiously up here?
It seems he means to check us out; he climbs the slope with such urgency.
He rides a chestnut warhorse, with a lasso tied to his saddle straps.
Then the counselor Tokhar said to Forud: you must not treat this man harshly.
I do not know his name or family, but I suspect he is one of Gudarz's line.
When Khosrow came from Turan to Iran, one of the royal helmets went missing;
I have a hunch that helmet is on his head, and royal armor covers his chest down to the waist.
He surely descends from Gudarz; we should open our lips and question him.
When Bahram climbed up to the height of the peak, he roared like a thundering storm cloud.
What sort of man are you, he said, up on this mountain? Do you not see the countless army below?
Do you not hear the wail of horn and war drum? Do you not fear Tus, the ever-watchful commander?
Forud answered him back: you have not met harshness, so do not act harsh with me.
Speak gently, you seasoned man of the world; do not dress your lips in cold, cutting words.
You are no war-lion and I no wild ass of the plain; you cannot pass over us this way.
You have no more than I do in horsemanship, in manhood, or in bodily strength.
Head and hand and foot, heart and brain and wits, a speaking tongue, and eyes and ears,
look at me: I too have all these. If so, then do not raise your hand for nothing.
I will ask you something; if you answer, and if you set a kind mind to it, I will be glad.
Bahram said to him: come now, speak. You are up above, and I am here below.
Forud then asked: who is your commander, and who is renowned among you in battle?
Bahram told him: the commander is Tus, who bears the Kaviani banner and the war drums;
among the champions are Gudarz, Rohham, and Giv, and Gorgin, Shidush, and brave Farhad;
and Gostahm, and Zangeh of Shavaran, and Gorazeh, chief of the mighty warriors.
Forud said: why did you not name Bahram, and leave your account half done?
Of Gudarz's line, it is with two of them we are glad, yet you made no mention at all of him.
Bahram said to him: O lion-hearted man, who told you about Bahram like this?
Forud answered him: I heard this tale from my mother.
She told me: when the army comes before you, go to meet it and ask for Bahram by name;
and for another famed warrior, whose name is Zangeh of Shavaran.
They are like foster brothers to your father; it is fitting you should seek them out.
Bahram said to him: O fortunate one, you are the fruit of that royal tree.
You are Forud, young prince; may you live forever, radiant of soul.
He said: yes, I am truly Forud; from that felled cypress a branch has sprung.
Bahram said: then show me your body; show me the bare mark of Siyavash on you.
Forud bared his arm for Bahram; upon its rose-like skin was a mole of dark amber,
such that no painter, with the finest compass of China, could ever draw its like on earth.
Bahram knew then that he sprang from Kubad's line, and descended from the seed of Siyavash.
He blessed him and bowed low before him, then climbed the steep, long height to reach him.
The young prince dismounted from his horse and sat, bright of soul, upon a rock.
He said to Bahram: O proud man, worldly, keen-eyed, a lion in battle,
if my two eyes had seen my father alive, they would surely be no gladder than now,
for I have seen you: joyful, bright of soul, gifted, clear-hearted, and a champion.
I came up to this peak so that, from among the famed men of Iran's host,
I might ask some man who the commander is, and who is renowned in battle.
I will hold a feast, as lavish as I can, and gaze in joy upon the champion's face.
Of horses, swords, maces, and belts, I will give generously of everything.
And after that I will march before the army, and go to Turan with a grieving, vengeful heart.
I am the one fit to seek this vengeance; in war I am a fierce, blazing fire.
It would be right if you told the champion to come to this rock, bright of soul,
and we spend a week together here, weighing everything, great and small.
On the eighth day, when the war drums sound, Tus the commander can mount his saddle.
I will gird myself for my father's vengeance and wage a war that tears the liver apart,
one that will teach even the lion how to fight, and prove the strength of the vulture's wing;
a vengeance the like of which no defiant hero in all the world has ever girded for.
Bahram said to him: O prince, young and gifted, valiant and a fine rider,
I will tell Tus everything you have said, and beg it of him, and kiss his hand for it.
But the commander is not a wise man; his head and mind are not open to good counsel.
He has skill, and wealth, and noble birth, yet he keeps no thought of the king in his heart.
He rebelled against Giv, Gudarz, and the king, all for Fariborz and the throne and crown.
He keeps saying: I am of Nozar's stock; the world's kingship befits none but me.
It is likely he will scoff at my words and turn harshly against what I have done.
No one but me should come to you; let none but me set eyes upon your face and helmet.
For he is a willful man, without warp or weft; if another comes, he offers no proper greeting.
And besides, his heart is not honest toward us, since he wanted the crown for Fariborz.
He told me: look and see who is on the mountain; when you get there, do not ask what they want.
Speak only with mace and dagger; why should anyone be up on the mountain on such a day?
If he becomes agreeable, I will come with good news and bring you before the army, well-content.
But if someone other than me comes, you should not feel too safe with him.
No more than a single rider will come to you; such is the custom of this famed man.
When he comes, watch and decide what to do; shut yourself in the fortress and do not leave your place.
Then Forud drew from his belt a turquoise-studded mace with a golden hilt,
gave it to him and said: keep this as a memento from me, until it comes to use one day.
When Tus the commander accepts the visit, we will be bright of heart and content.
Besides this, there will be gifts, and horses with saddles, a golden crown and a royal signet ring.