Hushang

Hushang, ruler of the world, with wisdom and justice, took his grandfather's place and set the crown upon his head. The sky turned above him for forty years, his mind full of insight, his heart full of good judgment. When he sat upon the seat of greatness, he spoke these words from the imperial throne: I am the king over the seven regions of the earth, a victorious world-ruler and commander. By the command of the triumphant God, I have girded myself for justice and generosity. After that he made the whole world flourish, and filled every corner of the earth with justice. First a precious substance came into his hands: with fire he separated iron from the stone. He took molten iron as his foundation, drawing it out from the heart of solid rock.

One day the king of the world set out toward the mountains, a few companions at his side. From far off something long appeared: black in color, dark of body, and swift on the move. Two eyes above its head like two wells of blood; the smoke from its mouth turned the world dim. Hushang looked, alert and steady, seized a rock, and his grip grew fierce. With royal strength he let his hand fly loose; the world-burning snake fled from the world-seeking king. The stone crashed against a great boulder, and that very stone shattered it to pieces. A radiance sprang from both stones; the heart of the stone blazed bright with its glow. The snake was not killed, but from this hidden secret, from the nature of stone, fire rose up. The ruler of the world turned to the world's Creator, offering prayer and words of praise, because He had granted him a light like this. From that moment he made this fire his place of worship. He said: this is a light from God; if you are wise, you must revere it. Night came and he kindled a fire like a mountain; the king and his company gathered around it. That night he held a feast and drank wine, and he named that blessed festival Sadeh. From Hushang this Sadeh remains as a keepsake. May there be many more rulers like him. For by building up the world he brought it joy, and the world remembered him with fondness.

Once he understood iron, he made smithing his trade, and from that craft he fashioned the saw and the axe. When this was done, he found a way to bring water, guiding rivers down from the seas. He opened channels for the waters in streams and rivers, and with good fortune he cut short the labor of fetching it. By this he expanded the pastures of the people, then scattered seed, and taught them to plant and to reap. So each person earned their own bread by toil, worked the land, and came to know how to run their own life. With that divine glory and the royal splendor of kings, from the game of the wild ass and the fierce deer he set apart the ox, the donkey, and the sheep, and put to useful work whatever was of benefit. Of the roaming beasts, every one with fine fur he hunted and stripped the skin from its back. Such as the fox and the ermine, the soft squirrel, and fourth the sable, whose fur is warm. In this way, from the hides of roaming beasts, he clothed the bodies of speaking men. He toiled, he spread the feast of life, he enjoyed it and passed it on; he departed and carried away nothing but a good name. He endured much hardship in those days, with countless schemes and endless thought. When good times finally came his way, the throne of majesty was left behind as an orphaned inheritance. Time granted him not a moment's delay; that keen mind of Hushang, with all its glory and worth, was gone. The world will neither keep its love bound to you, nor will it openly show you its true face.