English
Part 13: Jahn Brings Afrasiab's Message
The next day, when the sun rose over the meadow and set its golden lamp on the arch of the sky,
a loud cry went up from the fortress, and the king fell deep into thought at those words.
At once they threw open the gates of the fort, and the hidden secret was laid bare.
From the fort came Jahn with ten horsemen, wise, learned, and men of substance.
He came before the entrance of the royal pavilion and stood there among the men of renown.
Then came Manushan, the brave and clear-minded, and led Jahn forward.
When the wise man reached the king, his face vanished behind a flood of tears.
Jahn the warrior stood amazed before him, and lifted the crown of pride from his head.
When he came near the throne, he blessed the king and bowed low before him.
He said: renowned king, may you pass through the world always in joy.
May our land and soil be blessed by you, and may the heart and eyes of your enemy be torn out.
May you be forever glad and devoted to God, our land spread open before you.
May your coming and going be fortunate, and may they always tell good tales of you.
I bring a message from Afrasiab, if the king will not be in haste to reject it.
When the king heard Jahn's words, he ordered a golden seat brought forward.
They set it beneath the wise man; he took his place and recited his father's message.
He said to the king: Afrasiab sits full of grief, his lashes wet with tears.
First I bring you greetings from the king, from that heartsick lord of the army of Turan.
He says: thanks be to God, and to Him I take refuge, for I have seen a grandson risen to such rank,
who leads armies and reigns as a king, who rides at the head of the horsemen.
On his father's side his line runs back through the kings to Kai Qobad; on his mother's side, to Tur.
His head stands higher than the kings of the world; in China his name is a crown upon the throne.
In the clouds he is the swift eagle; on the water he is the bold crocodile of the sea.
All are guardians of his throne; beast and bird are glad in his fortune.
The great ones who wear crowns and jewels are, across the earth, your lessers.
But stranger than the work of a wretched demon, who wants nothing but harm for us,
was this: with all that kindness and honesty of mine, why did my heart turn toward ruin,
so that at my hand the son of King Kavus, the noble Siyavash, was killed though guiltless?
My liver is wounded by this, filled with pain; I sit apart, without sleep or food.
It was not I who killed him: the foul demon stole from my heart the fear of the Lord of the world.
Fate was the true cause; I was only the excuse, a tale caught in fate's own grip.
Now you are wise and a king, one who welcomes devout and upright men.
Look and see how many wide cities, full of gardens, halls, arenas, and palaces,
have been laid waste in this pursuit of vengeance, with Siyavash and Afrasiab as the pretext.
And how many warriors of battle, bodies like elephants, strength like sea dragons,
whose only shroud was the maw of lions, whose heads no longer lay near their bodies,
so that no dwelling is left in the desert, and nothing remains in the land but ruined plains.
Nothing but vengeance and the cut of the sharp sword will leave our names to last until the Resurrection.
This will not please the Creator of the world, that in the end we writhe under such destruction.
And if you seek only war, be sure your vengeful heart will never rest a single moment.
Look at the turning of the days, and take nothing else as your heart's teacher:
we hold the fortress and the plains are yours; your head is full of vengeance, your heart full of blood.
I call this stronghold my paradise; it is the land I raised and the field I planted.
Here I have my treasure, here my army, here my royal seal and here my crown.
Here is my harvest, here my food, here are my men for the day of battle.
For you, the warm and pleasant season has passed, the roses, tulips, and bright colors are gone.
Winter and cold lie ahead, when the hand freezes stiff upon the spears.
When the clouds gather their folds like a robe, our earth turns hard as stone.
From every side, when I call, an army comes; you cannot hold out against the turning of sun and moon.
And if you imagine that in every battle the star of fortune will hand you victory,
the mind of the heavens may swerve, and someone else will reap what your labor sowed.
If you say: I will seize the Turks of China and hurl the sky down onto the earth,
I will cut this gathering down with the sword and take you captive in my hand,
do not think this too is impossible; no one is spared who does not wear down in the end.
I am the grandson of the greatest kings, born of the line of Fereydun and the seed of Jamshid.
I have God-given knowledge and glory, and the just God as my helper.
When ill fortune closes in upon me, my heart wants no advice from any counselor.
By God's command, in the hour when I choose, I will rise like a star against the sun.
I will cross beyond the sea of Kimak and leave you my army and my land.
This stronghold and fort will be my resting place; neither king nor army will see me again.
And when my day for vengeance comes, then watch me marshal my army once more.
I will come and take my revenge from you, and make my cause plain in every place.
But if you drive this hatred from your mind and cast a spell of love over this land,
I will open my treasury of crowns and belts, thrones, gold coins, and cups of jewels,
more than Tur son of Fereydun ever gave to Iraj. Take it, and speak no more of vengeance.
And if you wish to take China and Machin, that is your right; act as your heart desires.
Khorasan and the land of Makran lie before you; my happiness rises and falls with yours.
Along the road that King Kavus once traveled, I will send you as many troops as you need.
I will make your whole army rich, and set you on a golden throne with a crown.
I will be your ally in every battle, and in every assembly proclaim you king.
But if you turn your head from my advice, and if you plan to follow the path of your forefathers,
then once you turn back from here, make ready for war; I am prepared for battle, fierce as a leopard.