English
Rudabeh's Heart Catches Fire
It happened one morning at dawn that Mehrab
left and then returned from the royal court.
He passed toward his own private chambers,
walking through the gardens of his home.
Two suns shone within his palace hall:
Sindokht and moon-faced Rudabeh.
Both adorned like a garden in spring,
from head to toe full of fragrance, color, and beauty.
He stood in wonder at Rudabeh,
and called out God's name upon her.
He saw a cypress crowned with a face like the moon,
wearing a cap of amber upon her head.
Dressed in silk and jewels,
like a paradise brimming with every treasure.
Sindokht questioned Mehrab,
parting her ruby lips over pearly teeth.
She asked how his day had gone and how he had returned,
may every wicked hand be kept far from you.
What kind of man is this old son of Sam?
Does he still think of a throne, or does a wild lair suit him?
Does he have any human kindness in him?
Does he follow the path of famous heroes?
Mehrab answered her like this:
O silver-bodied cypress with the face of the moon,
Among all the brave champions of the world,
no one can match the trail of Zal the golden-haired.
With his hand and reins he is a painting on a palace wall;
you will never see a rider like him in the saddle.
He has the heart of a lion and the strength of an elephant;
his two hands are like the flooding Nile.
On the throne he scatters gifts like pearls;
in battle he scatters the heads of his foes.
His face puts the red blossom to shame;
he is young in years, sharp-eyed, and blessed with youthful fortune.
In vengeance he is a crocodile of ruin;
in the saddle he is a sharp-clawed dragon.
In battle he lays foes in the dust and blood,
swinging his gleaming, water-bright blade.
The only flaw fault-finders can name of him
is that his hair is white.
Yet the whiteness of his hair only becomes him;
you would say it steals hearts away.
When Rudabeh heard this talk,
she flushed, her face turning the color of pomegranate blossom.
Her heart filled with fire from love of Zal;
food, calm, and peace all deserted her.
When longing took the place of reason,
she was changed in mind, in manner, and in nature.