English
Section 3: Justice and the Young Prince
Hormoz understood that this man, given the chance, would keep spilling blood without any guidance to hold him back.
He listened to those bitter, self-serving words, then sent Bahram off to prison.
The next night, when the moon lifted its head over the mountains, in that grim prison he had him killed.
After that no wise counsel remained at his court, no true guidance, no honest priest.
From a bad temper only worse things come; take care never to look toward an evil disposition.
From then on his life was no longer sweet; out of grief he set his own heart on fire.
Each year he would spend two months in Istakhr, in the season when the black nights were short.
For it was a cool city with clear air, and it was not right to pass it by.
When the deep blue veil of the sky was drawn away, the mountain of yellow topaz would appear, the dawn.
A herald would raise his cry: 'You renowned ones, full of glory and good sense,'
'If any planted field is trampled, and the farmer is left ruined by that loss,'
'if a horse strays into a field of crops, or if anyone raids an orchard for its fruit,'
'the horse's tail and ears shall be cut off, and the thief's head shall be raised on the gallows.'
For two months the moon turned over the world, and neither good nor ill was hidden from it.
In every province he dealt out justice like this, and from the farmers he received blessings.
He had one cherished son, so radiant that beside the moon he seemed hardly less.
His father had named him Parviz, and would sometimes call him the joyful king, Khosrow.
The boy was never apart from his father for a moment, and the father could not bear to be away from his son.
It happened that a horse broke loose from its stall, the very mount that Prince Parviz rode.
The young horse came into a field of crops; the horse's keeper came running after it.
The owner of that field came forward and wept bitterly before the appointed overseer.
The overseer said to him, 'Whose horse is this, that must now be mourned for its tail and ears?'
The owner said, 'It is the horse of Prince Parviz, who shows no regard for us common folk.'
The overseer went to the king and reported what he had heard from the fields.
Hormoz said to him, 'Go and be quick about it; cut off the horse's tail and ears at once.'
'The damage done to that planted field, you must reckon exactly how much it comes to,'
'and the loss must be taken back from Khosrow, whether it is a hundred or five hundred,'
'and coins from the treasury shall be poured out on that field before its rightful owner.'
When Parviz heard this, seeking pardon, he stirred up the nobles from every side,
to plead with his father to forgive the offense and not cut off the black horse's tail and ears.
After that the king grew furious with him, and sharply shouted at his attendant.
Out of fear of Hormoz the officer ran to that field, close to the young man's horse.
With a dagger he cut off its ears and tail, because its hooves had damaged that farmland.
And Khosrow, by the king's command, also paid compensation to that plaintiff.
Afterward the king went out to hunt, and everyone brought back plenty of game.
There was a rider, a noble and daring man, of a commander's line and high fortune.
On the road he saw a vine full of unripe grapes, and ordered his servant to rush in.
He cut off several clusters and carried them to the palace, handing them to his cook.
The owner of the vine came at once and said to the man, 'You wicked, ill-thinking one.'
'You never toiled to tend this vine, nor paid a single coin or treasure for its worth.'
'Why did you ruin what cost you no labor? Now I will lodge a complaint against you before the king.'
The bold rider, fearing the loss, quickly unfastened the belt from his waist.
He gave him a precious golden belt, with a jewel set into every stud.
When the vine's owner saw the belt he said, 'How long can a wicked deed be hidden?'
'Do not seek to befriend the king; you never bought this, so charge no price for it.'
'I lay a debt of gratitude on you for this belt, but you will squirm if the just king hears of it.'
Hormoz was a king who had grown famous through his victories.
Praised for his courage in every gathering, a man who never knew defeat in battle.
He both dispensed justice and demanded it, raising the royal crown up to the moon.
He never lingered in the city of Ctesiphon; he was a brave leader who cared for his honor.
Spring, summer, winter, and autumn, Hormoz the lion-hearted hero never rested.
He roamed the whole world from end to end, seeking excellence in his kingship.
When his reign completed ten full years, the cry of enemies rose from every land.
The Save Shah came by the road of Herat, with elephants, war drums, treasure, and an army.
If you count the Save Shah's army, reckon it at four hundred times a thousand.
Twelve hundred war elephants; you would think there was no room left on the earth.
From the plain of Herat to the gate of Marv-Rud, the troops were packed thick like warp and weft.
From this side he marched his army toward Marv, until the ground vanished under the army's dust.
The Shah wrote a letter to Hormoz: 'Summon your troops to yourself from every direction.'
'Prepare the road for this army, lay in provisions, and remember the edge of our sword.'
This kingdom is what I mean to seize: their forces cover the sea, the mountains, and the plains.
When the king read that letter, he grew despondent at the thought of that countless army.
From the other side, Caesar came out of Rome and marched his army into the land.
The Roman host numbered a hundred thousand, famous warriors ready for battle.
From the city that Nushirvan had taken, the very name of which made Caesar tremble.
From every country an army came, each led by a renowned commander.
An army came by the road of the Khazars, so many that the whole land turned black with them.
A seasoned old warrior stood at their head, with his treasure and his troops beside him.
From Armenia to the gates of Ardabil his army was scattered in troop after troop.
From the plains an army beyond counting came, riders skilled with the lance.
Men like Abbas and Hamza led them, fresh riders and proud, high-headed men.
That land was ruined and laid waste by their raiding, the land whose tribute Hormoz was demanding.
The army came as far as the waters of the Euphrates, leaving no green thing growing in that land.
When the good days grew dark, news of the enemy reached Hormoz.
When he heard the report of his scouts, the fresh and blooming king of the world withered.
He sent for the Iranians and summoned them, and filled the whole palace with his people.
He brought out the secret he had kept hidden and told it to those famous nobles of Iran.
That such vast armies had turned toward Iran, no one in the world could remember its like.
All the nobles were left dumbstruck, and turned over every kind of plan in their minds.
They said, 'O king of wisdom and good judgment, lend your ear to this matter.'
'You are a wise king, and we are your lessers; we do not count ourselves as high priests.'
'Think now: what is the remedy for this? Who is there to guard our land and homeland?'
The high priest, who was his minister, spoke thus: 'O wise king, ready to learn.'
'If the Khazar army comes to fight, they will not last a moment in battle.'
'We will settle scores with the Romans, and tear up the Arabs by the very roots.'
'I feel no fear in my heart of the Arabs; even the sight of them harms the eye.'
'They eat snakes and lizards alike, and have no skill in war when the fighting comes.'
'It is the king of Sava who is nearer to you, and because of him our situation is darker.'
'Our trouble will come by the road of Khorasan, where an army may destroy our forces and our treasure.'
'When the Turk crosses the Oxus to make war, there must be no delay in dealing with him.'
The king, still seeking a way forward, asked the high priest: what shall we do now against Saveh Shah?
The priest replied: raise an army, for a king wins his glory through his troops.
Summon the muster officer to bring the count, so we know how many fighting men we can rely on.
The officer came to the king with his rolls and reported a countless host.
The tally of the army came to a hundred thousand, many on foot and many on horseback.
The priest said: against Saveh Shah it would be wiser not to rush into battle with only this force.
Seek instead humanity and justice, and cast aside crookedness and flaw.
Spare the lesser folk from harm, as befits the way of true kings.
Have you not heard the great tale of how the famous, mighty Arjasp,
for the sake of faith, brought such ruin upon Goshtasp and Lohrasp with those horsemen of China?
What grief fell upon the city of Balkh, so that life in that land turned bitter?
So it went, with battle in every form, until at last Esfandiyar prevailed.
Though I am younger in years than my elder, in wisdom and counsel I can surpass him.
Then the king said to the priest: so that Caesar will not seek war with us,
I will hand back to him the cities the king had seized, and he will turn from his path.
He looked for a messenger, an able scribe, wise, well spoken, and quick to learn.
Tell Caesar this: from the land of Rome I want no more tribute from that region and its soil.
And you, set no foot on the borders of Iran, if you wish to prosper and stay great.
When the messenger reached Caesar, he repeated what he had heard from the king of Iran.
At once the king of Rome turned back and brought no war upon that land.
The king chose an army from among the Iranians, whose warriors could darken the daylight.
He sent them off to trample down the frontier of the Khazars in that region.
Their commander was Khorrad, a man of splendor, throne, and justice.
When his army reached Armenia, the Khazar forces took to flight.
They slew great numbers of them and carried off much plunder from that land.
When word reached the king that Khorrad and his army had triumphed,
no grudge remained but the one against Saveh Shah, and it set his mind deep in thought.
The king had a devoted servant, wise, clear sighted, and named Nastuh.
He said to the king of the world: may you live forever, and may evil stay far from you always.
You should ask Mehran Setad what he recalls of the old days.
He sits in a corner with his sacred books and teacher, worn old and weak from all his hopes in this world.
In these times I went to him and stayed with him one day and one night.
I kept telling him about the king of Saveh, his war elephants and his vast army.
When the talk turned to it, he answered me from that ancient lore of long ago.
I asked the old Mehran Setad: what do you remember of the days gone by?
He answered: if the king of the world asks me, I will reveal what is hidden.
At once the king of kings commanded, and a famed man hurried to him.
They lifted the old man's body from that palace and set him swiftly inside a litter.
When the aged man came before the king, his heart full of knowledge, his head full of words,
Hormuz asked Mehran Setad: what do you remember about this warlike Turk?
The old man answered him: O king who speaks and remembers well,
back when the Khaqan sent your mother from China to the land of Persia,
I was the one who led the delegation to ask for her hand, with a hundred and sixty brave, valiant men.
Your father, that wise and just ruler of the world, would not accept a servant's daughter from the Khaqan.
He told me: ask for none but the queen's own daughter; a serving girl does not belong at the royal court.
I went to the Khaqan of China and praised him with a royal blessing.
He had five daughters, each like spring, all full of fragrance, color, and beauty.
The king sent me into the harem, and I went to that noble chamber.
They had adorned the daughters' faces and arranged their curling locks upon rosy cheeks.
Yet your mother wore no crown upon her head, no bracelet, no torque, no jewel.
Of them all, only she was the queen's true daughter, though without ornament, color, or charm.
For the Chinese queen was of the emperor's line, and by her nature was far from wrongdoing.
It grieved the mother's heart deeply that her child would be sent to a distant place.
She was heartsick at parting that virtuous daughter from the royal house.
I chose her out of all the daughters and turned my eyes away from the others.
The queen said to me: choose another, for all five are lovely and blessed.
My answer was: this one I must have; if I choose another, harm will come to me.
She sent for and summoned the astrologers, and seated them on their knees by the royal throne.
She began to inquire about her daughter's star, how the turning of her fortune would be.
The astrologer said: you will see nothing but good and hear nothing but righteousness.
From this daughter and the king of the Iranians a child will be born like a fierce, raging lion.
Tall in stature and thick-armed, brave as a lion and generous as a rain cloud.
Dark-eyed, full of anger, and impatient; when his father dies, he will become king.
He will enjoy much of his father's treasure and will pass many days without counting them.
After that a mighty king will rise, bringing a great army from the Turks.
He will plan to seize all of Iran and the land of Yemen for that gathered host.
The king of Iran will grow anguished over him and fear that high, victorious fortune.
He will have a lesser man far off, a proud horseman devoted to his lord.
Tall in height and lean of body, with curly hair like musk around his head.
A skilled and bold speaker with a large nose, dark-skinned, sharp-tongued, and formidable.
He is called Chubina, seeker of the world, and he too is descended from the great warriors.
When this servant, with only a small force, comes from somewhere to the king's court,
he will suddenly crush that Turk and throw his whole army into chaos.
When the Khaqan heard what the astrologer said, I never saw anyone happier than he.
So he gave his daughter to Nushirvan; she was the crown among his daughters.
I accepted her on the king's behalf, and once that was done I set out for home.
He brought many jewels from his treasury, gems we had endured hardship to carry.
He rode as far as the bank of the Oxus river and set the world-seeing girl aboard a boat.
From the Oxus he turned back with a heart full of grief, sharing the pain of parting from his child.
Now I have told everything I saw, here before the ruler, the shepherd of the people.
Search this land for this man; when you find someone swift, it is right to say to him, hurry.
For the king's victory rests in his hands; do not let this word reach an enemy, only a friend.
He said this, and his soul left his body; the whole assembly wept bitterly over him.
The king of kings was left in wonder at him, scattering the blood of his heart through his lashes in tears.
Mehran Sitad said to the Iranians: he had kept all these truths in his memory.
When he told me each one and then died, he gave up his worthy soul to God.
I thank God that from this old man such necessary words came forth.
We must seek the signs from every leader, whether he be great or lowly.
Search until you accomplish this and bring all this labor to its end.
There was a renowned leader who was master of the royal stables.
His name was Rad-Farrokh, and all the king's joy and desire rested on him.
He came to the king and reported the news of what this worthy man had done against the rebels.
About Bahram, son of Gushasp, a proud horseman who wheels his steed in battle.
He will surpass all that I could imagine; I have never seen a frontier commander like him in the field.
Grant him Bardaa and Ardabil; he has become renowned, with his war-drums and his troops.
He sent word and gave Bahram the good news, repeating to him what Mehran Setad had said.
The world-seeker set out swiftly from Bardaa, taking with him an army of proud warriors.
When Bahram drew close along the road, the king ordered that he be granted audience.
The seasoned man beheld the face of the king of kings and showered praise upon that renowned lord.
The king studied him for a while, and thought nothing but good of him.
He saw in him the signs Mehran Setad had described, and he smiled and his face grew bright with joy.
After that he questioned him and treated him kindly, and prepared for him an honored place.