English
Part 10
He ordered the scribe to come before him, to bring paper, musk, and fragrant perfume.
They wrote a letter to King Kavus, a report worthy of that battlefield.
The letter opened first with praise, fitting tribute to the Creator of the world.
Then he said: O king who guards the world, who trembles for my life like a father,
may his greatness reach as high as the mountains, and may the hearts of those who wish him ill be broken.
I reached the sands of Farab from Iran, and fought three heavy battles in three nights.
The number of Afrasiab's horsemen was beyond anything a wise man could dream of.
I have cut off some three hundred famous heads, and now I send them to my king.
His brother, his kin and relations, his honored nobles, and his own son,
and two hundred of those famous men taken captive, each one of whom is a match for a hundred lions in war.
The whole battle was fought on the plain of Khwarazm; may heaven bless such a fight.
He fled, and we pressed hard behind him, waiting to see how fate would turn.
He blessed that battlefield and said: may it forever be paired with a lucky star.
They sealed the letter with musk, and then he crossed over the dry sands.
When Afrasiab reached that river, the Oxus, like a raging wind he swept across the water.
He came before the army of Qarakhan, where each man told what he had seen of the fighting.
How the commander of the Turks wept for those of his own line who had lived and died.
For the sake of his precious son, his nobles, his kin and his relations,
a cry went up as if the clouds themselves were dripping blood from a lion's eyes.
He stayed a while in Bukhara, hoping his warriors would come to fight.
Then, when the survivors gathered, he summoned the noblest and highest-minded lords.
When the nobles were assembled, every counselor in the army,
they spoke openly to their king, for their hearts had grown helpless of war.
They said: whatever great men we had in our army have all perished, and our hearts are torn for them.
Barely twenty of every hundred remain; we should weep for those who are gone.
Now we have cut our hearts away from our treasure and our children, and turned from many of our kin.
On the far side of the Oxus we made a battlefield, just as the king had commanded.
Whatever befell us through folly, you know best, for you are the king and we are seekers of a way out.
If the king's judgment sees clearly, let him march his army from here to Chach.
When Kaykhosrow comes to seek revenge, you will need to have your army ready.
When the king carries this out, he should then pass beyond the Gulzariun as well.
Let him settle in peace in the paradise of Gang, which is both a place of war and a place of rest.
On this they all agreed with one voice; no one proposed any other plan.
They all set out for the Gulzariun, their eyes full of tears and their hearts full of blood.
By the Gulzariun the king of Turan stayed three days, resting with hawk and hunting leopard.
From there they went toward Gang, and nowhere did he linger long.
There was one place as lovely as paradise: its clay was pure musk, its bricks were gold.
In that place he slept happy and smiling, as if he had become one with safety itself.
He summoned troops from every side without end, the proud, defiant nobles and the great lords.
Wine and rose garden, the sound of harp and lute, roses and hyacinths, goblets, and Afrasiab.
He waited to see how the world would turn, and what it kept hidden behind what was plain.
When Kaykhosrow reached this side of the water, food, rest, and sleep left Afrasiab entirely.
When the army had crossed to that side of the river, he then sent greetings to everyone.
Saying: fear no one because of this coming; ask the pure God to favor us.
He gave a rich treasure to the poor; whoever pleased him he gave still more.
From there he came to the city of Sughd, and saw a new world freed of the owls of ruin.
He gave that city a treasure too, wishing it to flourish and grow rich.
At every stage riders seeking safety kept coming to the king to submit.
After this, word came to the king of Gang, of Afrasiab, and of his army,
that Golgola had come to him with an army like an unleashed lion,
a man of the line of Tur, full of hatred and grief, seeking a day of battle.
He sent some of his warriors to Chach, one who sought the throne and crown of the Turks.
An army he sent toward the vast desert, making Turg their commander.
Each of these accepted the king's charge to war, to close the roads against the famous foes.
The world-ruler Kaykhosrow held all this lightly; he made wisdom the commander of his thoughts.
The army that had come from Bardaa and Ardabil he ordered to pass by, band after band,
to come and file past him, so the chiefs, priests, and border-lords could all be counted.
They set out, their commander Gostaham, who never faltered in a fight of lions.
He likewise ordered the army of the southlands to march out with fiery Rostam.
He commanded them to mount their spirited camels and to take horses in hand.
The king stayed a month in Sughd, and all of Sughd became his loyal well-wishers.
He gave the army money and let them rest, watching for the day of battle to come.
Everyone who knew the ways of war, who understood the tricks and defenses of fortresses,
he brought over and made his ally, filling the head of the evildoer with dread.
Then, from there, with head held high, belt fastened, and ready for war,
he led his army out of Sughd toward Kushan, while a whole world watched in amazement.
Word reached the Turks that the army had come, that Kaykhosrow, the world-seeker, was out for vengeance.
They all turned their faces toward the fortresses; the world filled with turmoil and talk.
Then the king spoke to his army thus: today the war has taken on a new form.
Any of the Turks who obeys our command and regrets his wish to fight,
do not make war on him, do not shed his blood, and lead no one toward evil.
But if anyone seeks battle with the army and cannot let go of his hatred,
then shedding blood is lawful for you, and plunder and combat wherever you are.
On the road, do not be stingy with food; hold no grudge and make no war without cause.
A great cry rose up from the front of the army, as if it would tear the heavens and the moon apart.
The horsemen turned toward the fortresses; the world filled with uproar and talk.
Whoever carried out the command, the king of kings' army did not so much as look at him.
But whoever broke the king's command, the army cut off every one of their heads.
None of the Turks, for fear of Afrasiab, would even leave their thirsty lips near the water.
And if any man lagged behind this army, they would find his headless body on the road.
The brave ones turned toward the fortresses; at any fort where there was a warrior,
its walls were at once leveled to the ground, and no door, roof, or dwelling was left standing.
Servants, attendants, and beasts, nothing good or bad was left in place.
In this way they passed more than a hundred leagues; no fortress, no plain was left inhabited.
When he had brought his army to the Gulzariun, he rode about on every side with his guide.
He saw a world like a garden in spring: gate and plain, mountain and land, all richly adorned.
Every mountain full of game, the plains full of trees, the world worthy of fortunate people.
He sent out scouts and spies, so that no hidden danger would remain.
The royal pavilion of the world's king was pitched beside the flowing water.
The world-ruler sat upon his golden throne, he and the famous men devoted to their lord.
That night he held a feast so bright that by dawn it was as if the dead had risen from the dark earth.