Section 5

Saveh Shah grew glad at his words, and told him: 'This truly is the way.' When Khorad Borzin set off toward his home, dark night climbed swiftly up over the mountain. He made ready and prepared a path of escape, so that disaster would not fall upon him. When the night grew darker, the king ordered Faghfur to go without an army, and from his father's presence to the commander's camp came the wise young man. When he neared the army of Iran, the king's son sent a rider ahead to ask who these warriors were, and what they had assembled to gain from this raid. A rider from the Turks came like dust and shouted: 'You renowned men, who is your marshal, who leads you? Who is the famous one in battle here? For Faghfur, the eye and heart of Saveh Shah, wishes to meet him without an army.' A war seeker came out from the army and told Bahram what he had heard from him. The commander came from his royal tent, a gleaming banner raised above him, standing tall. When Faghfur of China saw him, he charged, and drove his swift horse into a sweat. He asked and said: 'Where have you ridden from? Why do you stand here now, halted? I heard you fled from Persia, that you were wronged and had shed blood.' Bahram answered: 'Never let it happen that I hold a grudge against the king of Iran. I came here to battle with an army; I marched from Baghdad by the king's command. When word of Saveh Shah's army reached that great court, he told me: go and block their road with mace and lance and sword and arrow.' When Faghfur heard this, he quickly turned back, went to his father and reported what had happened. The king heard those words and grew suspicious; at once he searched for the envoy. Someone said: 'Khorad Borzin has fled'; at the news he wept blood from his lashes. Then Saveh Shah said to his son: 'How did this treacherous man find his way in? The night is dark and the army countless; why has the scouting guard grown so slack and worthless?' After that the old man sent a message to Bahram, the sharp of tongue, saying: 'Go tell the Persian: do not vainly throw away your honor here. Surely you know this much for certain: it was your own king who sought your death. He sent you to fight against one who has no equal anywhere in the world. He told you: go and block my road; you obeyed such heartless words. If a mountain should come at me along the way, I will trample it down with elephants and army.' When Bahram heard the man's words, he laughed at how eagerly he pressed his bargain. He answered: If the king of the world secretly wishes for my death, as long as he is pleased with me, I accept it, even if I am buried under the earth. The messenger came before Saveh Shah and told him what he had heard from that seeker of battle. The shah said to him: Go tell the Persian, why must you make so much talk? Why have you come to this court? Ask of us whatever you desire. The messenger came and said to Bahram: Bring out the secret you are hiding. For this king is of good fortune; he seeks an obedient servant like you. Bahram said to him: Tell him this, if you are looking for a fight, don't hunt for excuses. If, in truth, you secretly seek peace with the king of the world, I will make you a guest in this land, and I will do whatever you say. I will grant your army silver and gold, and give a crown and belt to whoever deserves it. We will send a rider to the king so he may meet you halfway on the road. He will provide for you as for an equal, if the king's friendship favors you. But if you have come here for war, you have come to fight a crocodile in the sea. You will turn back from the plain of Herat in such a state that every great lord will weep for you. On your retreat may a pit lie before your door; may you be brought low and misfortune ride with you. Nothing but bad luck brought you here; it wanted ruin to fall on your head. The messenger turned back and came like the wind, and delivered the world-seeker's message point by point. When Saveh Shah heard his message, he flew into a rage at that famous warrior. At those cold words his heart grew tight, and his face went pale with worry. He told the messenger: Go back and carry a message to that demon of a man. Tell him: there is no glory in fighting you, nor would I gain anything by killing you. Your very king is lower than those at my gate; my humblest servants outrank you. If you should beg me for mercy, I will spare your head from this gathering. You will receive great wealth from me, and your whole army will be well provided for. With useless, mad talk, a world-conqueror does not prove his courage. The messenger of that proud man came back to Bahram again. He delivered that stinging message of his, for such words were indeed to that man's liking. When Bahram heard it, he said to the speaker: An answer to a great lord must not be withheld. Tell him: even if I am so low in rank, no shame comes upon me from being of lesser standing. The king of kings and that army do not seek a fight with you out of any care for your honor. It is because of my youth that I have been sent with an army to lay waste the host of Saveh Shah. I will cut off your head and carry it to the king; you are not worth setting on a spear along the road. One like me offering you quarter would be your disgrace; despite my youth I have set my sights on you. You will not see me except on the day of battle, with a deep blue banner behind my back. For seeing that dragon is your death; my spearhead's sheath is your head and helmet. When Saveh's envoy heard those harsh words, he turned his back and left. He came and reported all he had seen and heard; the head of the Turks' king boiled over with rage. He ordered the war drums brought out and the proud war elephants led onto the plain. The whole land went black with the dust of hooves; the bellow of the trumpets rose up. When Bahram heard the army was coming, gate and plain turned red, yellow, and black. He ordered his troops to mount; he came armored, with a mace in his hand. Behind him lay the walled city of Herat; before him stood an army of swordsmen. He arranged his right wing and his left, an army every man burning for vengeance. You would have said the whole world was iron, and the stars shone from the tips of the spears. From his side Saveh Shah looked out at the arrangement and gear of that battlefield. Herat lay at Bahram's back; his ground everywhere was cramped and unfavorable. Then he spoke to his own horsemen, his seasoned, sympathetic companions: A deceiver came to me, one of those Persians, a chief of their assembly. He stayed until that army seized the walled city, and my ground became a thornbrake. In that narrow place he drew up a line; the air turned indigo, the earth vanished. On the right wing were forty thousand troops, for whom the space to wield a dagger was cramped. Another forty thousand of brave men he set on their feet behind the army. Much of the army was also idle, trapped in that tight ground. Like a wall the elephants were brought up before the army and blocked the way. Then the heart of Saveh Shah grew grieved, for the ground had become too narrow for his host. You would have said his fortune was weeping, for his throne would soon stand empty. Once again a smooth-tongued warrior, a beguiling man from the plain of Herat, he sent to Bahram and said: the fortune of the heavens is not your match. Listen to a few words of advice: make wisdom your companion and open the eyes of your heart. You have found two men whose like no noble bloodline in the world has ever produced. They shine like the sun in the sky, and out of bravery they wear their armor all year long. One is me, the king who rules the world with justice; the other is my son, of fortunate lineage. My army is more numerous than the leaves on a tree, if any fortunate person tried to count them. If I counted my elephants and troops, you would laugh at the rain of a spring cloud by comparison. My weapons, tents, and pavilions are more than the mind can imagine. My horses and men fill the deserts and mountains; whoever tried to count them would grow exhausted. All the rulers are my inferiors, if they are even worthy of being called inferior. Even if the sea's water started to flow, or if the mountains grew feet and began to run, they could not carry off my treasure from its place; my weapons are my provision, my hardship is my glory. Except for your Persian chief, in all the world the fortunate nobles call me king. Your fate too is in my hands; this is clear before my very soul. If I bring my army down upon a place, they block the road even to the ant and the gnat. A thousand armored elephants, so fierce that any rider flees from their scent. In the land of Iran, whoever comes to face me adds no hardship to my march. From here all the way to Ctesiphon my army stretches, I think, and even beyond. Whoever deceived you, you ill starred one, that deceiver must be out of his mind. You have no love for your own life; and if you have love, it has no true face. One whose eye cannot tell good from bad, how can he deserve to be granted wisdom? Avoid this war and come over to me; I will not let you stand your ground for even a moment. I will give you a household and my daughter, and grant you honor and good fortune. You will gain high rank at my side, freed from the misery of a lowly station. When the king of Iran is killed in battle, that crown and throne of his will fall into your grasp. And then I will head off to Rome, and leave you this army, this treasure, and this land. I say this because you have pleased me and have shown yourself capable in these matters. You know how to lead a charge, and you have a rare gift; a commander is in your hands, though your father or grandfather was one. These words of mine are not mere flattery from me; I feel a place of pity for you in my heart. On this day, with such a paltry army, you have set up a battlefield against me. You will get no other message from me than this, if you turn your neck away from my wish. The messenger spoke and the commander listened, and a grim reply took shape. He answered like this: You marked man, standing among the great and the proud, A worthless ruler who talks too much has lost all his honor in everyone's eyes. From your first words and what you added after, I saw your only weapon is talk. A man whose time has run out looks for merit in fine speech instead of deeds. I heard your useless words, a heart grown fearful, terrified of harm. First you said you would kill your king and hand me his army and his throne. Someone told a fitting tale about this great man: when you drive a beggar out of the village, He never says he was only the village headman; they were all servants and I was their chief. This affair of ours will not take even two days, before the sun that lights the world blazes up again, I will scatter your blood on the tips of spears and send your head to the king of the proud. Second, you offered me your daughter, your treasure, your army, and your land. I would have been grateful to you, called you a king and a man who knows goodness, If you had given me your daughter back when you had no designs on the throne of Iran, If you had sent an adorned treasure, your daughter, and gifts, to me. Had you been a friend to Iran as I am, you would not have come to fight our brave men. Now my spear has reached your ear; I mean to cut off your head with my dagger. Once you are gone, your head, your crown, and your treasure are mine, and so is that daughter and the spoils of your struggle. Third, you said your crowns and thrones, your elephants and horsemen, are beyond counting. About this a famous man told a tale, one who twisted and turned in the line of battle: The more eagerly the dog rushes on, the farther the water slips from its reach. The demons led your heart astray, so that you came to the king demanding war. You will writhe under God's punishment, for your deeds and your evil doings. Fourth, you said the great ones with torques and crowns are lesser than me, That all the cities of the world are mine, and time itself bears witness to what I claim. The road to the cities lies open; whether a lesser man or a king walks that border matters little. If you knock on the gate of the city, as a king you will find nothing but a thornfield. Fifth, you offered gifts, out of your courage you kept your distance from me. When you see my spearhead you will pity me, and you will no longer command me as a subject. May your army have its wish and your road be yours, along with your battle elephants and your throne. Once I have drawn up my battle line, I count nothing worthwhile; I don't reckon your army worth a single coin. If you are a king who tells this many lies, you will never gain any brightness in this world. I have given the king three days, so that the world-lighting glory may show itself. They will see your severed head at that court, raised on a spear before the king. The messenger came, his two cheeks pale like Zarir's, the young man's fortune grown suddenly old. He delivered the message to Saveh Shah; when the great one heard it, his face went dark. The Faghfur said to him: what is this pleading? One must weep for such a great army. He came to the entrance of the royal pavilion and gave the order for the cymbals and the Indian bells. They should bring living elephants and war drums, and turn the sky the color of ebony. When this famous man had readied himself for war, the proud king grew full of worry. He said to his son: chosen of the army, do not fight until early dawn. The two armies withdrew to their positions, and the scouts came out from the royal pavilion. They lit fires on both sides, and the world filled with the murmur of soldiers. When Bahram was left alone in his tent, he sent word and called the Iranians together. He took counsel with the army about the battle, until the world turned black with night. The Turks and the nobles fell asleep, and the world lay open and free for the seeker of fortune. When Bahram the warrior lay down in his tent, all night his heart was wedded to the thought of battle. The lionhearted Bahram saw in a dream that the Turks grew bold against him in the fight. His whole army was broken, and every road was blocked and lost to him. He begged for mercy from the champions, left on foot, with no one to help him. He woke grieved from that sleep; his gifted mind was filled with sorrow. The dark night was wedded to pain and grief; he hid that dream and told no one. Just then Khorrad Borzin came along the road, having fled from Saveh Shah. He kept saying there was no choice but to flee from that dense army and that chaos of battle. For no one in the world sees a host greater than the one Saveh Shah commands. He said to Bahram: why are you so at ease? Look at this devilish trap. Do not give the lives of the Iranians to the wind; look justly upon these famous men. Out of courage, take pity on your own life, for such a situation has never arisen before. Bahram said to him: from your city, nothing has ever come to the world as your lot, except that they all, from first to last, sell fish, in the heat of summer and in the season of frost. Your trade is casting nets by the pond, not manhood with mace and sword and arrow. When the sun lifts its head from the dark mountain, I will show you what war with Saveh Shah means. When the sun rose from its bright spring, the world turned white as a Roman's face. The brass trumpet blared and a roar rose up; the earth seethed under the horses' hooves. He drew up the army and mounted his horse, a battle-tested mace in his hand. On the right wing they counted three thousand riders, armored and seasoned in war. To the left wing likewise he sent warlike horsemen and men hungry for vengeance. On one side stood Azar Goshasb, the servant of blessed Izad Goshasb. On his left hand was Peyda Goshasb, who could ride his horse across the sea. Behind them stood the broad-chested heroes, armed with breastplates and ancient maces. In the front line was Hamedan Goshasb, whose horse's hooves struck fire from reeds. With each of them rode three thousand heroes, warlike horsemen and battle-makers. A cry went up from the front of the army: 'You mace-bearers in golden helmets, any soldier who flees from the battle, even if a lion or a leopard confronts him, by God, I will cut his head from his body and burn his flesh and frame in fire.' On both sides of the army lay two roads, and by fleeing the way was short. He piled ten cubits of mud on both roads and stayed himself in the midst of the army. The king's great scribe, the ruler's clerk, came to the commander of the army. He said to him: 'There is no measure to this; your reckless boasting is nothing new. Look at our army on this battlefield: we are like a white hair on a black bull. In this hopeless war it will fall upon Iran; our land and country will be utterly ruined. No earth is seen, no sea, no mountain, so thick is the crowd of Turan's swordsmen.' Bahram gave out a fierce roar and said to him: 'You cowardly, luckless wretch, your business is with the inkwell and the paper. Who told you to count the army's men?' He went and told Khorad Borzin: 'Bahram has no companion but the devil.' The scribes sought a way to escape, so as not to witness the day of doom. In fear of the king and of Bahram the lion, the two scribes chose a hillock. It was a steep rise, far from the fighting, off to one side of the road of Tur's horsemen. They both went up that high road from where one could look out over the army, and fixed their eyes on Bahram's helmet, to see how he would fight in the hour of wrath. When Bahram set his fighting force in order, he came roaring out from the field of battle. He rolled in the dust before God and said: 'You who judge with justice and purity, if you see this war as unjust, and you would choose Saveh over me, then calm my heart in the fight, and grant Saveh his wish against the Iranians. But if I struggle here for your sake, and lay down my life in this war, then make me and my army glad, and through this war of ours make the world flourish.' Roaring, he mounted from that place, an ox-headed mace in his hand.