English
Manuchehr Takes the Throne
For a week Manuchehr lay in grief, his eyes brimming with tears and his face gone pale.
On the eighth day King Manuchehr came forth and set the royal crown upon his head.
All the champions of the earth, with one voice, sang his praises.
When he placed the diadem of kingship on his head, he brought glad tidings to the whole world.
With justice, with tradition and manliness, with goodness, purity, and wisdom.
He said: I sit on the throne of the turning heavens; in me are both wrath and war, and both justice and love.
The earth is my servant and the sky my ally; the heads of crowned kings are my prey.
Mine are faith and the divine glory; mine are both good fortune and good sense.
On the dark night I am the one who hunts down vengeance; I am the sharp, burning fire itself.
Master of the sword and the golden boots, raiser of the banner of Kaveh.
Kindler who scatters the storm clouds, wielder of the cutting blade; in battle I do not spare my own life.
At the feast my two hands are like a sea of bounty; at my seat the fire loses its breath before me.
I cut short the hand of the wicked from their evil; in vengeance I dye the earth the color of rich brocade.
Wielder of the mace and bearer of the crown, brightener of the kingdom on the ivory throne.
Yet with all these gifts I am but a servant; I worship the Creator of the world.
We beat our hands upon our weeping faces; every tale we tell begins with God.
For from Him come the crown and throne, from Him my army; from Him my thanks, and in Him my refuge.
We walk the path of blessed Fereydun; though we are new, our forebears are ancient.
Anyone in the seven regions of the earth who strays from the right path and turns from the faith,
who prolongs the suffering of the poor, who degrades his own people,
who lifts his head high through greed and treasure, and heaps more pain on the already suffering,
all of them, in my eyes, are unbelievers, and worse than the evil-doing Ahriman.
Whoever follows anything but this faith earns the curse of God and of me.
And then I will reach for the sword and lay every land and border low.
All the champions of the earth called down blessings upon Manuchehr,
saying: Your blessed grandfather, O well-wisher, has given you kingship, throne, and crown.
May the throne of the noble be yours forever, and the crown, and the glory of the sages.
Each of our hearts is at your command; our very lives lie under your covenant.
The world's champion Sam rose to his feet and said: O king of true justice,
for me the joy of kings is simply to behold you; from you comes justice, and from us, approval.
Father to father, you are the king of Iran; you are the chosen of horsemen and lions.
May the pure God keep you safe; may your heart be glad and your fortune ever watchful.
You are the keepsake of the ancient days to me; on the royal throne you are my springtime.
In battle you are an enduring lion; at the feast you are a shining sun.
May earth and time be the dust beneath your feet, and the turquoise throne your place.
You have cleansed the earth with your Indian sword; now sit at ease and choose delight.
From now on war is our turn; yours is the throne, and joy, and the feast.
I will roam the world once more and bring back a few of the enemy in chains.
Your grandfather made me a champion; your wisdom, love, and counsel gave my heart its strength.
The king blessed him again and again, and gave him much of his royal treasure.
When Sam strode away from before the throne, the champions fell in behind him.
He moved off toward his resting place, while the world went on in his own order and way.