English
The Capture of Afrasiab
It happened that Gudarz, son of Keshvad, was riding along with Giv and the noble warriors.
Moving swiftly toward the king, he cast a long look out over the sea.
His eye fell on Hum, holding that lasso, pacing wretched and restless along the water's edge.
He saw the water was dark, and the devout man's eyes were fixed and staring.
He thought to himself: this pious man must be hunting something in the sea of Chichast.
Perhaps a whale has seized the tail of a fish, and he stands amazed at the sight.
He said to him: pious man, whatever you are hiding, bring it into the open.
What are you searching for in this sea? Are you only washing your weary body?
Hum answered him: proud warrior, look closely at what has happened here.
I keep a place high on this mountain peak, a hermitage for a servant, far from any crowd.
On a dark night I stood in worship before God; all night long I was among those who praise Him.
At the hour when the birds begin their morning cries, a bitter, mournful wail reached my ears.
At once my clear heart guessed that I would tear the root of vengeance from the world.
A voice like that, at the hour of sleep, could belong to no one but Afrasiab.
I began to search every mountain and cave, until I found that grieving man in a hollow.
I bound both his hands hard with my sacred cord, since those two fists had spilled so much blood.
I dragged him down from the mountain at a run, and he wailed and lamented like a woman.
With all his crying, shouting, and pleading oaths, I loosened his bonds just a little.
Right here he broke free from my grip, and his escape pierced my heart and soul.
He has hidden himself in these waters of Chichast; I have told you the truth exactly as it is.
When Gudarz heard this tale, the words of the truthful men came back to him.
From there he went to the fire temple, as a man goes when his heart is shaken.
First he offered praise to the fire, then began his prayer to the Creator of the world.
When he finished, he brought the hidden secret out and reported what he had seen to the kings.
At once the kings mounted their horses and rode from the palace of Azar Goshasb.
The monarch grew thoughtful at those words and came to the pious man.
When Hum saw those chief and crowned kings, he spread his righteous blessing over them.
And all the kings called down the Creator's blessing upon him.
King Kavus said to Hum: thanks be to God, and to Him I turn for refuge,
for I have seen the face of a man who worships God, one strong, wise, and mighty of hand.
The devout Hum answered thus: may your land flourish through your justice.
May this king enjoy a blessed New Year, and may the hearts of his enemies be torn out.
I was worshipping here in these mountains when the king passed by the fortress of Gang,
and I kept praying that the Creator would keep the face of the earth flourishing through him.
When he returned, I grew glad and joyful, and went before God in prayer.
One night the blessed angel Sorush suddenly revealed to me what was hidden.
A cry rose from this bottomless cave; I listened and turned my ear toward the sound.
Someone wept bitterly for an ivory throne, for a kingdom, an army, a sword, and a crown.
From the peak I came down to that narrow cave, a lasso and my sacred cord in my hand.
I saw the head and ear of Afrasiab, who had made that place his shelter and his sleep.
I bound him with the lasso hard as stone and dragged the helpless man from that tight place.
At his pleading I loosened the lasso, and when he reached the water he slipped his bonds.
Right now he is hidden beneath the water; his trace must be cut from the world.
If fate should bring him back, blood and affection will stir in him for Garsivaz.
If the exalted king commands, let his brother's feet be put in chains,
and let raw oxhide be sewn onto his shoulder until his strength and vigor drain away.
When Afrasiab hears his voice, he will surely rise from the sea's waters.
The king ordered, and the guards at the gate came forward with swords and Gilan shields.
They brought out the wretched Garsivaz, whose evil had troubled the land.
He commanded the executioner to strip away and tear the veil from that cursed man's face.
He sewed raw oxhide onto his shoulder until no strength was left in his body.
As his skin split, he cried for mercy and begged the Creator to help him.
When Afrasiab heard his voice, he rose from the water, weeping and full of grief.
He swam through the sea with steady strokes and came to the place where there was firm ground.
When he heard his brother's cry from the shore, what he saw was worse to him than death.
When Garsivaz saw him in the water, his eyes full of blood and his heart racing,
he cried out: king of the world, chief of the famous, crown of the great,
where is all your custom and ceremony and throne? Where is your crown and your vast army?
Where is all your wisdom and strength of hand? Where are those nobles who served their king?
Where is your glory and fame in battle? Where is your delight and cup at the feast?
That now you are reduced to needing the sea; such a cruel, tardy star has risen over you.
When Afrasiab heard this, he wept and let bloody tears fall into the water.
He answered thus: I have wandered the whole world, openly and in secret,
hoping to escape this evil fate, yet worse than the worst has now come down on my head.
Life has become worthless to me now; my soul is filled with pain and sorrow.
The grandson of Fereydun and the son of Pashang has his head snared in the jaws of the crocodile.
They tear the skin from him with the hide, and I see no one whose eyes hold any shame.
The tongues of the two great men were full of talk, while the devout man's soul was full of searching.
When God's servant saw him and heard their bitter lament,
he came out along the island's edge, when he had spotted him a little from afar.
He loosed that royal lasso from his waist and came bent double like a raging lion.
He threw the coiled lasso, and the king's head fell into its noose.
He dragged him onto dry land from the sea's water, and strength and sense left the ruler Afrasiab.
The man of faith seized him by the hand, pulled him from the sea in disgrace, and bound him.
He handed him over to them and turned back, as if he had become one with the wind.