English
Gushtasp Returns to Kabul
Gushtasp rode on, driven by anger,
his heart full of hate, his eyes full of tears.
He galloped until he reached Kabul,
where he saw trees, flowers, greenery, and water.
They stopped in that pleasant place,
stayed a day and caught their breath.
Every hillside was full of game,
and the streams flowed like wine and milk.
When dark night came, he called for wine,
and they brought candles beside the streamside.
When the world-lighting sun rose over the mountain,
they left the woods with falcons and hunting cheetahs.
Zarir spurred his horse in his pursuit,
never resting long in any one place.
When the sound of horses rose from the road,
the warriors set out from the hunting ground.
When Gushtasp turned his ear toward it,
he spoke to the famous chieftains:
This can only be the sound of Zarir's horse,
for its voice is like a lion's roar.
And if he has come, he has not come alone,
but has come with an army ready for war.
He was still saying this when purple dust
appeared, and a banner shaped like an elephant.
Zarir, the army's commander, at the head of his troops,
came down the road like a roaring wind.
When he saw Gushtasp, he went to him in tears,
dismounted and hurried to him on foot.
He began to praise the Maker of the world,
and offered his devotion before his brother.
They took each other in their arms,
and sat down joyfully in that meadow.
Every leader in the army,
King Gushtasp called each one a hero.
He summoned them and seated them near,
and they spoke of matters from every side.
One famous man among them
said to Gushtasp: O hero of the golden belt,
the astrologers of Iran, all of them,
every one we know to be a seeker of knowledge,
say from your star that you will be like Kaykhosrow,
that you will rise to kingship on the throne of greatness.
Now, if you take the crown of the king of India,
we will not agree with it.
None of them worships God,
and none stands with the king in loyalty.
Consider well what reason approves:
how can wisdom obey such a king?
Your father has been wholly good to you,
I do not understand why you are so hurt.
Gushtasp said to him: O seeker of honor,
I have no standing before my father.
He wishes the good for the sons of Kavus,
the greatness and the royal crown for them.
If he hands the crown of Iran to me,
I will worship him as an idolater worships idols.
But if not, I will not stay at his court,
nor keep my heart bright by his moon-like face.
I will go where they cannot find me,
and leave all the land and its wealth to Lohrasp.
He said this and turned back from that meadow,
and came before the famous king.
When Lohrasp heard, he and his nobles
came out to meet him with a great army.
The world-seeker saw his father's face again,
dismounted from his horse and bowed to him.
Lohrasp held him tightly to his chest,
and began to make his apology with kindness:
May your crown be the crown atop the moon,
may the demon's hand be cut short from you,
and may it never teach you an evil path,
for an evil counselor stood at the king's door.
From kingship mine is only the name, the crown, the throne;
yours is the love, the command, the covenant, and the fortune.
Gushtasp said to him: O king,
I am but a servant at your door.
If you lessen my rank, I will obey,
and pledge my very soul to keep the covenant.
The nobles went with him along the way,
striding proudly toward the king's palace.
They adorned the jewel-inlaid hall,
laid out the feast and sweet wine.
They held such a celebration that from the sky
the stars poured down upon the feasting ground.
Such was the drunkenness that every lord
rose up with a crown of gold on his head.
Lohrasp was glad for the sons of Kavus,
and always kept the memory of Kaykhosrow.
From that grief Gushtasp bled inwardly,
and spoke of every kind of worry to his guide.
He said: however much I plan and strive,
I can find no remedy for this.
If I set out with horsemen to gain a leader's rank,
he will send an army after me,
to turn me back from the road by some scheme,
with many pleas and pieces of advice.
And if I go alone, I feel the shame,
my heart stays heavy toward Lohrasp.
His heart is glad for the sons of Kavus,
his love does not pass to his own kin.
When I am but one man, few will want me,
how would anyone know that I became a king?