The Words of Azad Sarv

There was an old man named Azad Sarv, who lived with Ahmad Sahl in Merv. His heart was full of knowledge, his mind full of words, his tongue full of the old stories. He held the book of the kings, and had the body and bearing of a champion. His lineage went back to Sam, son of Nariman, and he kept many of Rostam's battles in memory. Now I will tell what I learned from him, weaving the words one into another. If I still remain in this passing world, with soul and wisdom as my guides, I will complete this ancient book and leave a lasting tale in the world. In the name of the world's ruler, Mahmud the king, Abol Qasem, that glory of crown and throne. Lord of Iran, of the lands of fire, and of India; from his glory the world shone like fine Roman silk. With his giving he scatters treasure abroad, and with his wisdom he fills his treasury with fame. He is great, and when the years have passed, whoever has wisdom will speak of him. Through his war and feasting, his giving and his hunt, and through his justice the world grew like a joyful spring. Happy is the one who sees his crown, his court, and his army. My two ears and two feet have gone lame; poverty has come, and age has taken hold of me. In this way I have wrestled with hostile fortune; I lament my bad luck and these hard years. Night and day I keep singing praise for that just king of the earth. The whole city stands with me in this, except those who are false in faith and evil in nature. For since he sat upon the royal throne, he closed the door on malice and the hand of evil. He humbles the one who grasps for more, however far his greed may reach. He shows mercy to the one who has wisdom and does not step beyond the measure of the day. I will leave a memorial of him in the world that, as long as people exist, will not be forgotten. Within this book stand the kings of old, the great ones and the warrior riders. It is all battle and feasting, counsel and speech, of many an age long gone. It holds knowledge and faith, restraint and judgment, and guidance for the world to come. Whatever pleases him among these things will prove useful to him this very day, for it will be a keepsake from those noble ones, and a companion for his days. I keep hoping through these days that I may receive gold coins from the king. And I hold another hope for the world to come: that forgiveness will reach me from God. So that after my death a sign of me will remain, along with the treasure of the king of proud rulers. Now I return to the words of Sarv, that shining light of Sahl of Mahan in Merv.