English
The Reign of Qobad
When the fortunate Qobad took the throne, he placed the great crown upon his head.
He went from the city of Estakhr toward Ctesiphon, the pride of every free and noble soul.
When he sat on the victorious throne, he said: hide nothing from me.
The way to me is open to you, through the white days and the black nights alike.
Great is the one who speaks the truth, who adorns his tongue and shuns all crookedness.
When someone shows mercy even in the midst of anger, the leaders of the righteous call him their guide.
He builds a throne of contentment in the world, and through justice he earns the praise of the great.
He keeps his heart far from spite, and both the high and the low bless him.
Whenever a king becomes a speaker of lies, his crookedness turns him into a maker of war.
First one must listen to what is said; once you understand, the right answer comes.
When a knowing person is ruled by greed, his knowledge bears no fruit.
When a wise man is rash and hasty, his learning is no better than wine gone to his head.
Just as a soldier's heart should stay steady, so a lesser man's harshness only earns blame.
When a rich man is stingy with his wealth, he sinks even lower than the beggar.
When an ignorant beggar plays the lord, such a verdict looks like sheer madness.
When a person recognizes his own faults, he does not dwell so much on the faults of others.
Patience is the pillar of wisdom; when a person flares up, he ends in disgrace.
If you are content with what God has given, you become rich, single-hearted and pure of judgment.
If you keep your body free of toil, a man free of suffering is worth more than treasure.
Whoever is generous with others, though his body dies, his good name lives on.
Reach out your hands to goodness, every one of you, and do not hand the world over to evil.
All the nobles offered their blessings and scattered green gems upon his crown.
He was young, just sixteen years old, and his share of true kingship was small.
Sufaray managed the affairs of the world; Qobad was not truly the master in Iran.
The commander ran everything himself and let no one stand above the king.
He had no priest and no lawgiver of his own; the world ran by Sufaray's command.
It stayed this way until he turned twenty-three, when the wine in his cup glowed like a tulip.
Then Sufaray came before the crowned king to ask leave to return to his own home.
The commander readied himself and his army, beat the war drums and set out for Shiraz.
He journeyed joyfully toward his own city, having taken his fill of every desire.
All of Fars had become like his servant, and he sat with the crown of the king of kings.
It was because I, the king, had seated him there and blessed him with the throne.
If anyone spoke ill of him to me, he would answer coldly and drive them away.
He collected tribute from every province, from every noble and every chief.
When word reached Qobad from Shiraz, about the workings of justice and injustice,
everyone was saying that of Iran the king held nothing but the name, not the treasury nor the army.
He had no say in anything, no authority; the whole world had become the slave of Sufaray.
Whoever was a confidant of Qobad kept reminding him of these matters:
'Why, exalted king, have you been content with only the name of kingship?'
'His treasury is more heaped up than yours; his sway over the world must be cut short.'
'All of Fars has become his servant, and the great men have become his worshippers.'
These bitter words wounded Qobad's heart, though he let no sign of the hurt show.
He kept thinking: 'If I send an army, he will turn his head and seek battle.'
'Since I would be making an enemy through the matter of the treasury, I must expect much pain and grief from him.'
'Everyone recalls his deeds, but no one knows the secret of his dealings.'
'I do not have a single warrior in Iran who would march out from here against him with an army.'
The wise counselor said to him: 'Do not worry about this, for such a man will earn only blessings as a ruler.'
'You have servants and a commander whose hands reach up to the turning heavens.'
'When Shapur of Ray comes from his place, he will bring grief to the heart of the evil-doer Sufaray.'
The king heard these words and took heart; he washed away his flaws and gathered his skills within.
At once the world-experienced Qobad ordered that a rider set out swift as the wind,
to go to Shapur of Ray under the pretext of the hunt and sport,
and immediately mount him up and summon him from Ray to the court.
The messenger came to Ray on relays of horses, like an autumn wind in the depth of winter.
When the chief usher saw him, he greeted him and received from him the king's letter.
He came and delivered it to Shapur, ushering the proud horseman before him.
He read out Qobad's letter to him, and Shapur, of Mehrak's line, smiled.
For he had no enemy in the world, openly or in secret, except Sufaray.
From every place he summoned those who obeyed him, and marched his army swiftly toward Ctesiphon.
When he brought his army near the king, at once they opened the way for him.
When the king saw him, he welcomed him warmly and seated him on the turquoise throne.
He told him: I gain nothing from this crown; my fame in the world is only in my emptiness.
All the power belongs to Sufaray; from being king I keep only the title.
For all this justice and injustice on my shoulders, one day my body will pay the price.
In Iran my own brother was the ruler in truth, while I hold only the name because of that tyrant Sufaray.
Shapur said to him: O king, do not trouble your heart with this matter.
One harsh letter must be written; you have the name, the glory, the lineage, and the backing.
Say that from the throne of kingship my only share is hardship and an empty treasury.
You are the one who collects the taxes, and I am the one blamed; I no longer wish you to call me king.
So now I am sending a commander; how long must I keep trembling because of your deeds?
When the letter reaches him written like this, with me as his enemy and a war-ready army behind me,
I will not let him even blink; I will say nothing to him except in anger.
They summoned the scribe and seated him near Shapur.
He spoke the words the king had given; the amber-colored pen joined itself to black ink.
When the king had sealed the letter, Shapur set his army on the road.
He then chose every famous warrior scattered throughout the king's army.
Himself and his battle-seeking champions, he turned his face toward the city of Shiraz.
When Sufaray learned of this, he at once brought his army up from its ground.
He came out to meet him with a heavy force of chosen riders clad in armor.
The two proud lords drew near, one to the other, and then dismounted.
When Shapur sat down with Sufaray, they debated much, weighing good counsel and bad.
Then he handed him the king's letter; every kind of harsh and humbling word was exchanged.
When the champion read that letter, he wilted and grew slow and dark in spirit.
When he had read the letter, Shapur said: now the matter must not be hidden.
The king of the world has ordered you bound. Sufaray lamented long before the nobles.
Just as you have read in the letter, you yourself know this self-willed king of kings.
The champion answered him: the king of the world knows what I have done,
the toil and hardship I endured for him, when I marched from Zabolestan with an army,
and rescued him from captivity by my valor, letting no harm come to his face.
My story is well known to the king, and known too among the champions of Iran's army.
If chains are to be my reward, then give yourself the right to strike me down in battle.
I will not ask you for time; bind my feet. His chains, if he wills, will do me good.
I feel no shame before God or my army, for I have shed much warm blood in loyal service.
Back when the king himself was imprisoned, I swore a solemn oath to God.
That my hand would grasp nothing but the sword, and in war I would drag the sun down into the clouds.
That I would give my own head sooner than let Khoshnavaz keep his, and by my strength tear him from the throne.
Now that he has ordered chains, the chains are just; my useless words have earned this.
Never turn away from his command; know that a chain on a man's leg is an ornament.
When Shapur sat, he bound his feet, sounded the brazen trumpet, and mounted his horse.
He brought him from Fars before Kavad; Kavad gave no thought to the past.
He ordered him taken to prison, delivered into the hands of fools.
He ordered that in Shiraz, all that there was, of men, treasure, sown fields and harvest,
Be brought entirely to Ctesiphon, and the guide handed it over to his treasurer.
When a week had passed, the counselor kept debating every plan about Sufaray with the mobed.
The guide then said to the king: 'All of Ctesiphon stands with him.'
'All the army and our subjects, from the landed lords to the courtiers,
If he remains alive in Iran, you must wash your hands of the crown.'
'An enemy of the world's king is better dead; the fortune of an ill-wisher is better overturned.'
When the ruler heard the mobed's words, he rushed toward the new and turned against the old.
Then he ordered that they take his life, and wring the heart and eyes with grief over him.
So they destroyed the hero; that wise and well-meaning champion was gone.
When word reached the Iranians that the mighty warrior's time had ended,
A cry of grief rose from Iran; woman, man, and child all lamented.
Iran was thrown into turmoil and dust rose up; everyone made ready for war.
Each one said: the throne of Kavad, if it cost Sufaray, may it never be in Iran.
Soldiers and townsfolk became one; they hardly spoke Kavad's name at all.
They marched as one to the king's palace, full of pain against the slanderer and crying for justice.
Whoever had slandered the king, wished him ill and sought to bring him ruin,
They killed and dragged from the palace, and they searched for some trace of Jamasp.
Who was the younger brother, and noble; Kavad had raised him in comfort and favor.
They chose him and set him on the throne, hailing him king with praise.
Then they clapped Qobad's feet in iron, giving no thought to his glory or his royal blood.
Such is the way of this ancient world: you can never see clearly where anything begins.
Sufzai had a chosen son, wise, pure, and worthy of praise,
a gentle young man named Zarmehr, whose love made his father happy.
They handed the bound king over to him, for such was the plan of the enemy.
They meant that this loving son, to avenge Sufzai, would let the king die of grief.
But gentle Zarmehr, the worshipper of God, never raised a hand in harm against the ruler.
He served Qobad faithfully and never brought that old wrong to the king's mind.
The king was amazed by him and drew kindness from his conduct.
Qobad kept apologizing: 'My enemy has thrown my star and moon into turmoil.
If I ever escape these chains, I will be useful to you against every harm.
I will lift all resentment from my heart for you, and my eyes will brighten at the sight of you.'
Zarmehr said to him: 'O king, do not trouble your tongue with such words.
If my father did not do what he should have, his son still mourns his death with warmth and grief.
I am like a servant to you; I stand before you to serve.
If you ask, I will swear an oath that I will never break my loyalty to you.'
Qobad's heart found safety in him, and he grew glad at that wise man's words.
Then he opened his secret to him and said: 'I will hide no thought from you.
My secret is known to only five men; no one else has heard my voice.
I owe this crown and throne to you; I will be forever grateful to you.'
When pure-minded Zarmehr heard this, he quickly unbound the chains from Qobad's feet.
He sent for the five men and told them everything.
In the dark night they slipped out of the city, out to the open plain, away from the enemy's eyes.
They turned toward the king of the Hephthalites, worn down by worry and searching for the road.
In this bewildered state, the seven men rode toward Ahvaz, swift as dust.
Hurrying, they reached a prosperous village, where lived a well-known chief.
They lodged at that landowner's house and stayed there a week to rest.
The landowner had a daughter, lovely as the moon, black musk-dark hair beneath her cap.
When the king saw the girl's face, all reason vanished from the young man's mind.
Right then he came to Zarmehr and said,
I have something to tell you in secret.
Go and share my secret with the landlord:
perhaps this lovely girl will become my wife.
He set off quickly and told the landlord:
your daughter has no husband yet,
and a pure and worthy match has come her way,
a man who will one day be lord over Ahvaz.
The noble landlord answered Zarmehr:
this beautiful daughter has no husband,
and if this man is truly under your command,
give her to the one who desires her.
The wise man came before Qobad and said:
may this moon-faced girl be your wife.
You approved of her and saw her at once,
and seeing her, you found her pleasing.
Qobad summoned that fairy-faced girl
and seated her, the warrior, upon his knee.
He had with him only a single ring,
whose worth no one in the world could measure.
He gave it to her and said: keep this stone;
a day will come when someone will ask for it.
For that moon-faced girl he stayed in that village
a week, and on the eighth day set out on his road.
Kai Qobad went to the king of the Hephthalites
and recounted to him all that had passed.
He told what the Persians had done,
how, one by one, they had girded themselves for evil.
The kind-voiced king said to him: from that wrong
has your need for this day surely arisen.
By pledge I will hand you an army,
each of them a crown upon their captains' heads,
so that if you win back the treasure and the crown,
Chaghan will remain your loyal friend.
This borderland is mine, but at your command,
and you shall never regret what you have done.
Smiling, Qobad said to the mighty king:
never will we lay a claim upon this land.
When you wish, I will send you an army beyond count.
Who is Chaghan to reach out for the throne?
When the two proud men made their pact,
the king opened his treasury of gold and coin.
He gave the world-ruling king herds,
weapons for his riders, and a whole army.
Qobad accepted thirty thousand swordsmen,
all famed heroes, bold and mounted.
With the Hephthalites he marched toward Ahvaz,
and the whole world was filled with talk of him.
When he drew near the landlord's house,
many people ran out from their homes.
They brought glad news to Qobad:
may this son be blessed upon the king.
One night your wife gave birth to a son
who was scarcely less bright than the moon.
When he heard, he entered the house full of joy,
and at once they named the child Kesra.
Then Qobad asked the landlord:
O fortunate one, from what lineage do you come?
He replied: from the hero Fereydun,
who seized the throne from the line of Zahhak.
My father spoke this way, and so did I: that we should give our blessing to Fereydun.
That speech made Qobad happier than the day he first set the royal crown on his head.
He readied a litter and set out on the road, the king's wife seated inside it beside him.
He led his army toward Tisfun, his heart brimming with blood over the suffering of the Iranians.
Throughout Iran the aged chieftains gathered, sitting down with the renowned and wise.
They said: this quarrel between two proud princes will drag on and on for us.
Now armies will come from Rome and China, and much blood will be spilled on this land.
We must go to Qobad, so that perhaps he will let those old grievances go.
Let us bring young Jamasp, only ten years old, who makes dew equal to a pearl.
Perhaps then we can turn away from bloodshed and pillage, and step aside from war.
They all went straight to Kay Qobad and said: O king of royal blood,
if hearts have been wounded by you, and eyes and spirits washed clean with insolence,
now enjoy your reign as you wish, for the king of the world rules over the world.
On foot, they all ran before him, their faces smeared with dark dust.
The king forgave the nobles their offense, and apologized for the blood that had been shed along the way.
He pardoned Jamasp in the same manner, and the great ones sang his praises.
He came and sat upon the royal throne, and Jamasp became his devoted servant.
So the years passed until Kasra grew great, a child who became bold and mighty.
He handed his son over to the teachers, that fruitful branch of his lineage.
He set in order all the affairs of Iran and Turan, and raised the crown of majesty up to the heavens.
After that he led his army into Rome, and its fortress melted like a lump of wax.
They set fire to all its lands and homes, and the Romans clutched their heads in despair.
He turned that whole region into a wasteland; two cities begged him for mercy.
One was Mandia and the other Farqin; he taught them the Zand and established the faith.
In that region he founded fire temples, and gave honor to Nowruz and the feast of Sadeh.
He founded Madain as the seat of kings, spending much on it, at great gain and cost.
From Ahvaz to Pars he built a single city and raised up a hospital there.
Qobad named that city Aran, which the Arabs now call Holvan.
Everywhere they opened channels for water, and the land filled with places of rest and repose.