English
Rustam's Victory over the King of China
He threw that coiled and twisted lasso, tying up the heads of the mounted riders.
When he reached the white elephant, the king of China gave up all hope of living.
When the lasso flew from Rustam's hand, it caught the head of the king of China.
He dragged him down from the elephant and threw him to the ground; they bound the arms of China's ruler.
They marched him on foot to the river of honey: no elephant, no crown, no throne, no royal litter.
Such is the way of this house of deceit: sometimes on the heights, sometimes in the depths.
As long as the sky has turned, it has been so: now war and poison, now sweetness and love.
After that he took up his heavy mace; to it the great and the small were all the same.
The battlefield, its passes and plains, grew so crowded that even an ant or a gnat had no room to pass.
So many were killed and wounded that rivers of blood flowed: one headless, another thrown down face first.
The bright fortune of the enemy turned so dark that their day seemed to slide into night.
A cloud rose up and a black wind, and the light of sun and moon was blotted out.
The enemy could not tell his head from his feet; they fled into the desert on the long road away.
Piran watched that battle and saw how sharply fortune had turned.
No Manshur, no Fartus, no ruler of China; none of those famous men, those warriors of vengeance.
He saw the banners of the great overturned, and the wounded lying wretched in the dust.
He said to brave Nastihan and to Kalbad: sheathe your swords, hide your spears.
He lowered that black banner, and they fled in haste, on roads and off them.
Giv plundered the whole right wing; he covered plain and pass with the dead, thick as the feathers of a partridge.
He searched the left of the army and the right, trying to learn where Piran was.
When they could not find him, the brave men turned back toward the noble Rustam.
The warhorses were worn out from the fighting, all weary and wounded from the battle.
They went off toward the mountain, their hearts content, Rustam leading the company at the front.
Every helmet and coat of mail was drowned in blood and dust, and the horse-armor hung in tatters.
Bodies weary from war, hearts glad from battle: this is the way and the nature of the world.
Chest and sword, foot and stirrup were soaked in blood; for all the dead you could not tell high ground from low.
Until they had washed themselves, they could not tell one man from another.
They washed their heads and bodies; their hearts were already clean, for the enemy was bound in heavy chains.
Rustam said to the Iranians: now we must loosen our belts.
Before the victorious Lord of the world, no mace is needed and no belt fastened tight.
Bow your heads to the dark earth now, for from now on you will all wear the crown.
Not one of these famous warriors is missing, though now our heart has turned gloomy.
So Rustam spoke to Gudarz and Giv, to those famous men and brave champions.
When the news reached the king of the world, he told me these words in secret.
That Tus the commander had fled to the mountain, worn down by Piran and Human.
We left Iran with judgment and clear mind, but my brain boiled over at the coming battle.
For Bahram, son of Gudarz, and for Rivniz, my heart grew as dark as pitch.
I rode from Iran with a fierce grip, not resting a moment anywhere.
When my eyes fell upon the Khaqan of China, upon those famous men and warriors of vengeance,
especially upon Kamus with all his glory and might, upon those shoulders, that stature, that arm, and that mace,
each of them stood tall as a mountain, with a raging elephant crouched beneath.
I said to myself: my hour has come, though I have girded my belt in manhood.
In all my long years I had never seen so many warriors or such vast war gear anywhere.
I faced the demons of Mazandaran in the dark night amid heavy maces,
yet my heart never flinched from courage; I never said I would give up my desire.
Except the moment I saw Kamus fight, when my heart, from this grudge, grew wholly tight.
Now, if before the pure God we all roll one by one into the dust with our pain,
it is fitting, for He is the one who gave strength, high fortune, and the shares of Saturn and the Sun.
May this matter never take a downward turn; may no terror ever come upon us.
See to it that the scouts, at once, carry the news to the king of the world.
Let that famed court be adorned, and let him set the royal crown upon his head.
Let him give generously to the poor, so that blessing may rest upon his life too.
Now take off your battle garments, and dress yourselves for rest and ease.
Sorrow and the heart's desire will surely pass; time keeps counting our every breath.
It is better that we count our cups of wine and pay no heed to this unkind wheel of fate.
Thanks to the victorious Lord of the world, from whom come courage, fortune, and skill.
Now let us drink till midnight, and open our lips in memory of the great.
It is only right that, in this fleeting inn of a world, we not fill our hearts with so much pain and toil.
The great men called down blessings upon him: may the crown and the royal seal never be without you.
For the one to whom a man like Rustam is a servant, his head rises higher than the turning heavens.
Blessed be this lineage and noble stock,
and blessed the land that brings forth a champion like you.
You know what you did for us out of love;
may heaven rejoice in your very life.
We were all as good as dead, our day undone;
through you we came back to life and lit up the world.
He gave orders to bring the elephant with the ivory throne,
along with the golden collar and the crown.
He brought royal wine and the cup,
and first of all raised a toast to the king of the world.
The trumpet blared from atop the mighty elephant;
their clamor carried for two leagues.
When the wine had brightened the champion's face,
they went off happy and light of heart.
When the moon tore open the shirt of night
and set its turquoise throne above the sky,
a pale glow scattered across the plain,
as the slow, dark night slipped by like an African.
That shining dagger, the sun, appeared,
and the face of the earth turned the color of ruby.
The drum sounded from the royal pavilion,
and the warriors of the army rose from their places.
Rustam said to the proud chiefs:
nowhere has any sign of Piran been found.
We must go to that battlefield;
troops must be sent out in every direction.
Bizhan, the lionhearted man, set out ahead of him
toward the place where the field of battle had been.
He saw a world full of the slain and of plunder,
and tents pitched everywhere.
He saw the land strewn with the wounded,
and men thrown to the ground with their feet bound.
They found no one left alive;
there was only bare earth, tents, and pavilions.
Word reached Rustam
that the land had been emptied of the Turks.
At the carelessness and the sleep of the Iranians,
Rustam raged like a furious lion.
He opened his tongue in rebuke and said:
no one here has any sense paired with their brains.
With the enemy trapped like this between two mountains,
how could a whole army slip away from us?
Didn't I tell you to send out the scouts,
and to comb the passes and hills like open plain?
You gave your heads to comfort and to sleep,
while the enemy planned his escape.
Taking your ease brings sorrow and hardship;
but when you labor, that labor yields treasure.
If you think that one day you can rest easy,
you will still be trembling with fear for Iran's fate.
From now on, whether it is Piran and Kalbad,
or Human and Ruyin and Pulad,
look out over this plain with an army:
you belong to one land, and I, Rustam, to another.
If you have the strength, come and fight;
but after this, when will you ever get me in your grasp?
For I returned victorious from the fray,
yet the good outcome of the work was ruined.
He blazed with anger at Tus and grew like a leopard:
is this a place for sleep, or a field of war?
Look at the scout: whose army is he from? What is the name of the leader of that clan?
When you find the scout with your cudgel, at once beat down his hands and feet.
Take his belongings and bind his feet, then find a tall elephant and mount him on it.
Send him off to the king in this state, so that at that court he may be brought to reason.
The rubies, the jewels, the ivory throne, the gold coins, the crown, the treasure and the diadem,
see what the army of Iran holds; gather all of it and bring it before me.
First from these spoils the king must have his share, and only then should you and I seek ours.
On that plain there had been many kings, all of them the great names of the world.
From China, from the Slavs, from India and Vahr, all treasure holders, conquerors of cities.
The commander came and gathered everything; the warriors went out onto the field of battle.
Golden belts and crowns set with garnet, brocade of Rome and thrones of ivory,
arrows and bows and armored horse coverings, maces and the daggers of the Indians.
There was a mountain standing between two mountains, and crowds gathered round it to watch.
A rider drawing his bow, broad in the chest, mighty of body and full of valor.
He would loose a four feathered arrow, but it could not pass from this side to that.
When Rustam looked, he stood amazed, and called again and again upon the Creator of the world.
He said: this fleeting day is never steady, one moment it makes a feast, the next a war.
This wealth turns from one hand to another; at times it brings a curse, at times a blessing.
Time never stays at rest; so it has always been, as long as custom and faith exist.
One man gathers a treasure like this, and another comes along to enjoy it.
Kamus and the Khaqan of China meant to raise fire out of the land of Iran,
with these mighty war elephants and all this wealth, with this army and this arrayed treasure.
They rejoiced in their treasure and their multitude, and for a while gave no thought to God,
who created the wheel of the sky and time itself, who created so much that is seen and unseen.
Know God and give thanks to God; the man who knows goodness puts his trust in Him.
From Him come our strength, our glory, and our skill; from Him our sorrows, and from Him our very essence.
There was an army and a flourishing treasure too, but every plan of theirs was one of injustice.
Now, of the nobles of every land, of every country a chosen chief,
on these mighty elephants I will send to the king the golden throne and the golden crown.
That wealth too, on swift and spirited camels, I will send, everything worthy that there is.
From here I will race forward like a leopard; a man of true worth does not linger or delay.
Anyone guilty of murder and bloodshed, left alive in the land, becomes a source of shame.
I will wash the earth clean of hatred with my blade; I will leave no wicked man standing on this ground.
Gudarz said to him, You who are wise, may you stay in your place as long as any place remains.
May you be happy and generous, your heart's wish fulfilled; you gave this battle everything it demanded.
The mighty hero looked for a messenger who could speak boldly and directly to the king.
He chose Fariburz, son of Kavus, for closeness to the king suited him well.
He said, You of good fortune and great name, born of royal seed and a ruler yourself,
skilled, wise, and of noble birth, may you be glad, and may King Kavus rejoice in you.
Take on this task and set out from here; carry my letter to the new king.
Take the prisoners along with you, the camels, and all this treasure, every last piece,
the crown, the armband, the mace and the diadem, the great war elephants and the ivory throne.
Fariburz said, O raging lion, I am ready; I have girded myself tight for the road.