Jamshid

His noble son Jamshid, full of his father's counsel, tightened his belt with a single heart for the task. He rose to that fortunate throne of his father, and in the way of kings a golden crown sat on his head. He bound his belt with the glory of a king of kings, and the whole world became a road he walked. The age found peace from strife; demon and bird and fairy obeyed his command. The world grew brighter in honor through him, and the royal throne shone with his presence. He said: I hold the divine glory; I am both king and spiritual guide. I will cut the hand of the wicked off from evil, and lead souls toward the light. First he turned to the tools of war, and entrusted the warriors with the quest for renown. With his royal glory he softened iron, making helmets and mail and armor. Coats of mail, swords, and horse-armor, all of it he brought forth with a clear mind. In this work he labored fifty years, and from it he laid up a treasure. For another fifty he thought about clothing, garments to wear in times of honor and battle. From linen and silk and the wool of raw threads he made rich brocade and fine fur cloth. He taught them spinning and twisting, and how to weave the weft into the warp. When it was woven, he taught washing and sewing, and they learned it all from him at once. When this was done he set out other work; the age was glad with him, and he glad too. From every gathering he assembled craftsmen; in this too he spent fifty years. One group you call the Katouzian; know them by the custom of worshippers. He set them apart from the rest of the people, and made the mountains the place of the worshippers. So that worship would be their whole work, ever bowing before their radiant Lord of the world. On the other hand he seated another rank, and they were called the Nisarian. These are the lion-men who wage war, the ones who make the army and the land shine. It is through them that the royal throne stands, and through them the name of manhood endures. Know the third group as the Basoudi, who owe thanks to no one for their bread. They sow and toil and reap for themselves, and at mealtime they hear no reproach. Free of anyone's command, plainly dressed, their ears at rest from any taunt. A free body, and the world flourishing under them, untroubled by judge or dispute. What did that free-spirited orator say? That idleness made the free man a slave. The fourth, whom they call the Ahtukhoshi, are the artisans, workers who bow to no yoke. Their work was a craft for them all, and their minds were always full of thought. In this too he spent fifty years, enjoying, working, and giving away goods. To each of these he assigned a fitting station and showed them the way. So that everyone could see his own measure, and know what was less and what was more. Then he ordered the impure demons to mix earth with water. Once they recognized whatever came from clay, they swiftly shaped the mold for bricks. With stone and plaster the demons built walls, first working out the geometry beforehand. Bathhouses and lofty palaces, and porches that shelter from harm. For a time he sought jewels in the hard rock, wanting light to shine from it. Several kinds of gems came into his grasp: ruby, garnet, silver, and gold. By his art he drew them from the granite, and became the key that unlocks what is bound. He brought back sweet fragrances too, scents that people crave. Like storax and camphor and pure musk, like aloeswood and ambergris and clear rosewater. He gave medicine and the cure for every sufferer, and the way to health and the paths of harm. He also revealed these secrets; the world had never known a seeker like him. Then he crossed the water by ship, hastening from land to land. Thus he toiled another fifty years, and saw nothing his wisdom could not reach through skill. When all these deeds were accomplished, he raised his foot above the rank of greatness. With royal glory he made a throne, and set into it a wealth of gems. So that when he wished, the demons would lift it, raising it from the plain up to the sky. Like the shining sun in the middle of the air, the ruling king sat upon it. The world gathered around that throne, astonished at his fortune. They scattered jewels over Jamshid, and named that day the New Day. The head of the new year, the first day of spring, when the face of the earth rested from toil. The great ones arranged a celebration; they called for wine and cups and minstrels. Such a blessed festival from that time has remained with us, a keepsake of those kings. For three hundred years the work went on this way, and in that age they saw no death. They had no knowledge of suffering or evil; the demons stood belted like servants. The people lent both ears to his command, and the world was full of the sweet sounds of joy. So it went as that age unfolded; they saw nothing but goodness from the Creator. The whole world became a road he walked, and the ruler sat in his glory. One day he looked out from the throne of greatness, and in all the world he saw none but himself. That king who once knew God turned to pride; he twisted away from God and grew ungrateful. He summoned the nobles from his army and made many a speech before them. He said to the aged great ones: I know no one in the world but myself. Skill appeared in the world through me; a throne has never seen a king as renowned as I am. I adorned the world with beauty; the world is just as I wished it. Your food and sleep and peace come from me; your effort and your desire come from me too. Greatness and the royal crown are mine; who dares say anyone but me is king? All the priests bowed their heads down low; no one dared to say, why so? When these words were spoken, God's glory turned away from him, and the world filled with murmuring. When pride joined itself against the Creator, ruin set in and his fortune turned. What did that eloquent, wise speaker say? When you become a king, strive at servitude to God. Whoever turns ungrateful to God, fear creeps into his heart from every side. The day turned dark over Jamshid, and that world-illumining glory began to wane.

In those far days there lived a man from the plains of lance-bearing riders. A noble figure, both a king and a good man, who trembled cold with fear before the Lord of the world. His name was Mardas, a man of great worth, unmatched in justice and generosity. Of milk-giving livestock he had a thousand of every kind, ready at hand. Milk cows, obedient to his command, and choice, spirited Arabian horses. Goats and sheep rich in milk as well; this pure-souled man handed them to the milkmaids. Whoever was in need of milk could reach out and take from his wealth. This pure-hearted man had a son who had not the smallest share of tenderness. This world-seeker was named Zahhak, bold, reckless, and impure. They called him Bivarasp; such was the name they gave him in the Pahlavi tongue. For in the reckoning of the mighty, 'bivar' means ten thousand in the Dari speech. He owned ten thousand Arabian horses with golden bridles, and for that he was named Bivar. Day and night he kept most of them saddled, out of grandeur, not out of malice. It happened that one day at dawn Iblis came to him disguised as a well-wisher. He led the young lord's heart astray from the path of good; the youth lent his ear to his talk. He told him: first I want your oath, then I will open up the whole matter clearly. The good-natured youth obeyed him and swore the oath just as he was told. That I will never tell your secret to anyone, and will listen to every word you speak. He said: with you here, why should another be master in this house alongside you? Why keep a father when the son is one like you? You must hear a piece of advice from me. This aged lord lingers on in the world too long, while you are left to wander in the wings. Seize his rank and his wealth; his throne in the world befits you. If you keep faith with what I say, you will be a king who rules the world. When Zahhak heard this, he pondered, and his heart filled with pain at the thought of his father's blood. He told Iblis: this is not right; speak of something else, for this is out of the question. Iblis said: if you turn away from these words, if you break your oath and pledge to me, the broken oath and its bond will hang round your neck; you will be disgraced, and your father will keep his glory. So he snared the Arab's mind in his trap, and it came to pass that Zahhak chose to obey him. He asked: tell me the way to do this; I will not turn my face from your counsel at all. Iblis said: I will contrive it for you; I will lift your head as high as the sun. Within that king's palace grounds there was a garden, delightful to the heart. The noble man would rise before dawn and prepare himself for worship. He would wash his head and body in a secluded spot in the garden; a servant carried a lamp before him. The perverse Iblis laid his trap: he dug a deep pit along the path. Then the wicked Iblis covered that deep pit with brushwood and smoothed over the way. The Arabs' chief, that renowned lord, when night came turned his steps toward the garden. He fell into the pit and was shattered; that good-hearted, God-worshipping man was gone. In all things, good or bad, that noble king had never spoken a cold word to his son. He had raised him in comfort and with toil, found joy in him, and gave him his treasure. Yet such was that ill-natured, shameless son that he strayed from the path of justice and kinship. He agreed to his own father's murder; I heard this tale from a wise man. That even if a bad son becomes a roaring lion, he would not have the heart to shed his father's blood. Unless there is some hidden matter within; the seeker must ask the mother for the secret. The base and tyrannical Zahhak, by this trick, took his father's place. He set the crown of the Arabs on his head and dealt out gain and loss among them.

When the Devil saw his words had taken hold, he laid the foundation for a fresh new trap. He said to him: since you turned toward me, you have gained every desire your heart could want in this world. If you make one more such pledge, and do not stray from my word but obey my command, the whole world from end to end will be your kingdom: beasts, people, birds, and fish, all yours. Once this was done, he took up another scheme, devising a trick more astonishing than any wonder. He fashioned himself into a young man, well-spoken, sharp-minded, and full of counsel. In the same way he set out toward Zahhak, with nothing on his lips but praise and flattery. He said to him: if I am worthy of the king, I am a renowned and skillful cook. When Zahhak heard this, he welcomed him and set aside a place for him to prepare the meals. The steward, on the king's order, handed him the key to the royal kitchen. In those days there was little rich fare; people ate meat only rarely with their food. From every kind of meat, bird and beast alike, the cook brought dishes forth one by one. He nourished him with blood as one raises a lion cub, so as to make the king fierce and bold. So that whatever the Devil told him, he would obey, and pledge his heart to that command. First he fed him egg yolk, and by this he kept him well for a while. Zahhak ate and praised him warmly; he found it delicious and called him blessed. The scheming Devil then spoke: Live in joy, O proud and lofty king. Tomorrow I will prepare you a dish of such a kind that it will nourish you completely. He left, and all night long he plotted what wondrous food to make the next day. He prepared dishes of partridge and white pheasant, and came in with a heart full of hope. When the Arab king reached for the food, that dull-witted man gave his whole love to the cook. On the third day he set the table with fowl and lamb, all in a variety of dishes. On the fourth day, when he laid the table, he made a dish from the loin of a young calf, with saffron and rosewater added in, along with aged wine and pure musk. When Zahhak reached out and ate, he was amazed at that clever man. He said to him: look now, whatever your wish, tell me, O good-natured one. The cook replied: O king, may you always live in joy as sovereign ruler. My heart is filled through and through with love for you; my soul draws all its sustenance from your face. I have one request to bring before the king, though I have no standing for such a thing: that he command I may kiss his shoulders, and press my eyes and face upon them. When Zahhak heard his words, he did not perceive the hidden bargain behind them. He said: I grant you this wish; your fame will rise higher from it. He ordered it, and the demon, close as a companion, kissed him upon the shoulder. He kissed, then vanished into the ground; no one in the world had ever seen such a marvel. Two black serpents grew out of his two shoulders; he was stricken with grief and sought a cure on every side. At last he cut them both from his shoulders, and you may well be left astonished by this. But like the branches of a tree, those two black serpents sprouted again from the king's shoulders. The learned physicians gathered together, and each one offered his own account and remedy. They tried every kind of trick, yet none could find a cure for that affliction. Then the Devil, in the guise of a physician, went swiftly and wisely to Zahhak. He told him: this was fated to happen. Let it be; wait to see what comes; do not cut them off. Prepare food and soothe them by feeding; you must do nothing but this. Give them nothing but human brains to eat; perhaps in time they will die from this feeding. See now what the Devil intended by this talk, and what he was truly seeking in his quest, hoping that by some secret scheme the world might be emptied of humankind.

After that, a great cry rose from Iran, and from every side came war and turmoil. The bright white day turned black, and people cut their bonds with Jamshid. The divine glory faded from him; he drifted into crookedness and folly. From every direction a king appeared, an ambitious warrior in each region. They raised armies and prepared for war, their hearts emptied of love for Jamshid. One by one the troops set out from Iran and made their way toward the land of the Arabs. They had heard that there was a great lord there, a terrifying king with the body of a dragon. All the horsemen of Iran, in search of a king, turned their faces toward Zahhak. They hailed him with praise as their sovereign and called him the king of the land of Iran. The dragon king came like the wind and set the crown upon his head over Iran. He chose picked warriors from Iran and from the Arabs, gathering them from every country. He set his face toward the throne of Jamshid and made the world a ring on his own finger. When Jamshid's fortune grew slow and weak, the new ruler of the world closed in on him. Jamshid fled and gave over to him the throne and crown, his greatness, his diadem, his treasure and his army. For a hundred years no one in the world saw him; the name of king was still his, but he had vanished. In the hundredth year, one day by the sea of China, that king of impure faith reappeared. He had hidden himself from the evil dragon, yet in the end he was not freed from him. When Zahhak suddenly caught him in his grip, he gave him not a moment's delay. He sawed him clean in two and cleared the world of him without fear. So went that royal throne and all that power; time swept him away like straw drawn by amber. Who was greater than he upon the throne of kings? What good, in the end, came of all that toil? Seven hundred years had passed over him; he had brought forth every kind of good and evil. What is the use of a long life, when the world will never unlock its secret for you? It nurses you with honey and sweetness; nothing but its soft voice reaches your ear. Just when you think it has spread its love and will never turn a cruel face toward you, you grow happy with it and take pride in it, and open the secrets of your heart to it, it plays a clever new trick and fills your heart with pain and blood. My heart is weary of this fleeting inn of a world; God, deliver me quickly from this suffering.