English
The Fall of Hormoz
From there he went to his father, both eyes brimming with tears and his heart bleeding.
When he saw his father's face he bowed low, and stood before him a long while.
He said to him: This warrior on horseback whom you chose and favored, my king,
came on like kings who carry glory, and brought a vast army with him.
I said every word of counsel I could find, but my advice did him no good.
War and strife were all his desire, may his very name and soul never survive.
Against my will a hard battle was fought, and many were wounded by ill fortune.
The whole army turned away from me; it was as if they saw me only on the road, passing by.
They call Bahram their king now, blind to how such a beginning must end.
So now, all the way to the bridge of Nahravan, he has brought an army heavy as a mountain.
When things went bare and hopeless I fled, so as not to hang myself in the snare of ruin.
Now, weighing gain and loss, I see that none will help us but the Arabs.
If the king commands, I will bring countless Arab horsemen to our side.
Hormoz said to him: This is not wise, for you have no firm footing now.
The Arabs will not help you when they see no profit or loss to gain.
With grieving heart they will hand you, wretched, over to the enemy for a price.
In this business God has been your support, and fortune has smiled beside you.
Since you mean to leave this land, go from here, not to the Arabs, but to Rome.
When you arrive, tell Caesar, one by one, the words of this scheming servant.
For there is faith and hope, and his weapons and army are ready and arrayed.
The line of Fereydun are also your kin; when your plight grows hard they will stand with you.
When Khosrow heard this he kissed the ground and offered many silent blessings.
To Banduy, Gorduy, and Gostahm he said: We are now wedded to grief and pain.
Get ready, load up the baggage at once, and leave the land of Iran to the enemy.
He said this, and from his eyes came a cry: O king of good fortune, justice, and truth.
A dark cloud of dust rose along the road, and a banner flashed in the midst of an army.
A banner whose emblem was a dragon, which Chubineh had raised at Nahravan.
When Khosrow heard, he came to the gate and fled away from before his father.
He rode toward Rome like the wind, an azure banner behind his back.
He twisted his neck and shoulders and looked back, watching for Gostahm and Banduy.
Those two were riding slowly, softly; Khosrow shouted at them in a hot voice:
It seems your chiefs have come to meet you, and your enemy has come as a friend.
If not, why ride so slowly, when Bahram is close upon your backs?
Banduy said to him: My king, do not trouble your heart over Bahram.
He cannot even see our dust from the road, for that black banner is far from here.
This is what your comrades say: there is no cause for us to gallop like this.
When Chubineh reaches the royal palace, he will at once give the crown and throne to Hormoz.
He will sit as his minister at his side, and his cast net will reach all the way to the sea.
He will write a letter to Caesar from the king, saying: this worthless servant
has fled from this land, and he must not be allowed to find rest in Rome.
The very moment he set himself right, our share became misery and ruin.
When he reaches your border, chain him, and wound that joyful heart of his.
Send him back to this court; do not let him rise to glory.
Bind him at once, army and all, and send him weeping to this place.
Khosrow answered: from this bad luck, whatever befalls us is only fitting.
The words are long and the matter is harsh; now we turn our backs and trust in God.
He spurred his horse and said: whatever, fair or foul, the Maker has written on our brow
will come to pass; brooding will not turn it back. May we never be reduced to begging from an enemy.
When he had ridden on, those two evildoers turned back from him with hate-filled minds.
By that road they came to the royal palace, full of malice, their hearts heavy with guilt.
When they reached the throne from the gate, they drew the bowstring back hard.
Suddenly they cast a cord around his neck and hanged that precious body.
Gone was that crown and throne of kings; you would think Hormoz had never lived in the world.
Such is the way of the turning age: sometimes it bears sweet fruit, sometimes poison.
If this is all it offers, seek no profit from it, for in the seeking only pain will come to you.
When the turning of Hormoz's days came to an end, that blessed throne was left empty.
At once the war drums rose, and the faces of the killers turned pale as amber.
That same moment the commander's banner appeared on the road, in the midst of the army.
The treacherous Gostahm and Banduy quickly seized their route of escape from that palace.
So the two men reached Khosrow; when the world-seeker saw their pale faces,
he understood that these two, hearts full of secret guilt, had turned against the king; but why?
His cheeks turned yellow as a marigold, yet he did not reveal that thought to his warriors.
He said to them: turn away from the king's road, for the army has come into a tight place.
Choose the desert and the long way, and let none of you spare himself from hardship.