English
Afrasiab's Nightmare
When one watch of the dark night had passed,
as if someone whispers secrets in a fever,
a cry burst out from Afrasiab;
his rest and sleep trembled where he lay.
The attendants sprang up in a rush,
raising an uproar and a clamor.
When the news reached Garsivaz
that the royal crown had gone dark with dread,
he came quickly to the king
and found him sprawled on the ground beside his path.
He took him in his arms and asked,
'Tell this tale to your brother.'
He answered, 'Do not question me;
say nothing to me at this moment.
Wait until I recover my wits;
hold me close and steady me a while.'
A while passed, and when he came to himself,
the worldly king was still moaning and crying out.
They set a lamp, and he climbed onto the throne,
trembling like a tree in the wind.
The renowned Garsivaz asked him,
'Open your lips and tell me this strange thing.'
The noble Afrasiab spoke thus:
'No one has ever seen such a dream,
the like of what I saw this dark night,
nor have I heard of it from young or old.
In my dream I saw a desert full of snakes,
the world thick with dust, the sky full of eagles.
The earth was dry and cracked, as if the sky
had never shown its face to it since time began.
My royal pavilion was pitched on the plain's edge,
with an army of brave warriors around it.
A wind rose up, thick with dust,
and toppled my banner upside down.
On every side ran a river of blood;
my pavilion and tents were thrown to the ground.
And of my army, more than a thousand
had their heads cut off, their bodies flung in shame.
An army from Iran came roaring like the wind,
some with spears in hand, some with bow and arrow.
Every one of their spears bore its fruit,
and each horseman had a severed head at his side.
Horsemen charged at my throne,
dressed in black, a hundred thousand spearmen.
They tore me up from where I sat
and dragged me along with my hands bound.
I looked hard in every direction,
but not one of my own people stood before me.
A famous, hot-headed champion
ran and hauled me before Kavus.
There stood a throne like the shining moon,
and on it sat the son of King Kavus.
He was no more than two weeks old,
yet when he saw me bound before him,
he thundered like a roaring storm cloud
and cut me in two at the waist with his blade.
I screamed and screamed from the pain,
and my moaning and agony woke me.'
Garsivaz said to him, 'This dream of the king
can only mean the wish of one who loves you well.'
You will have all your heart desires, both crown and throne,
while fortune turns its back on your enemy.
Someone must interpret this dream, a person
with a deep measure of knowledge.
Let us summon the wise-hearted priests,
the astrologers and men of good sense.
Everyone who knows this art, scattered though they be,
should come to the king's court.
They gathered at the ruler's gate,
wondering why he had called for them.
He called them in and seated each with honor,
and spoke with every one at length.
He said to the famous priests:
'You pure-hearted, righteous men of wisdom,
if I hear from anyone in this world,
openly or in secret, of this dream and my words,
I will not leave a single head joined to its body
if any of them breathes a word of this.'
He gave them boundless gold and silver,
so that no one would live in fear of him.
Then he told them what he had seen in his sleep;
when the priest heard these words from the king,
he grew afraid and begged the king for safety,
asking how he could speak this dream truthfully.
'Unless the king makes a pact with his servant,
and holds his tongue accountable for the answer,
so that whatever knowledge we have on this,
we may open to the king and be treated justly.'
The king gave his word to grant them safety,
that he would find no fault in them for the bad news.
He was an eloquent, deeply thoughtful man,
who unfolded his fine words beautifully.
He said: 'From the king of the world's dream
there came, in waking life, a mighty army.
A prince marches at its head,
experienced, with many guides beside him.
Under such a star the king sent him forth,
that this land will be ruined for us.
If the king goes to war with Siyavash,
the face of the world will run red like silk.
Not one Turk will be left untouched,
and the king will be grieved by his war.
And if the prince is killed by the king's hand,
no crown, throne, or dignity will remain in Turan.
The whole earth will fill with turmoil,
war and vengeance, all for the sake of Siyavash.
Then you will remember this truth,
when the country lies ruined by its losses.
Even if the world-ruler became a bird and flew,
he could not escape this turning wheel of fate.
This is how the heavens will keep turning,
sometimes full of wrath, sometimes full of love.'
Afrasiab grew troubled when he heard this,
and made no haste to seek out war.
He opened his secrets to Garsivaz,
and shared many hidden thoughts with him.
'If I do not march my army against Siyavash,
no one will come seeking revenge.
Neither will he be slain in battle, nor I,
and this whole affair will finally rest.'
Kavus will not seek vengeance against me, nor will chaos overrun the whole earth.
Instead of chasing the world and making war, let me have no task but making peace.
I will send him silver and gold, along with a crown, a throne, and countless jewels.
Perhaps then these troubles will pass me by, for I fear my very soul will wither away.
If I shut fate's eye with treasure, then perhaps the heavens will spare me from suffering.
I want nothing from time but what it has already written; one must live the way God has shaped things.
When half the turning sky had passed, the shining sun revealed its face.
The nobles came to the king's court, servants and lords crowned in their finery.
He gathered a council of wise men, sober and seasoned chieftains.
He told them: I see no gain from these days but endless war.
So many famous men have perished by my hand in the battles of this gathering.
Many a city has turned into a house of the sick, and many a garden into a field of thorns.
Many an orchard has become my battleground, marked on every side by traces of my army.
When the king of the world rules unjustly, even hidden goodness withers away.
The wild ass gives birth out of season, the falcon's chick is born with blind eyes.
The prey's cub gets no milk from the lioness's teat, and the water in its own spring turns to pitch.
The springs of the world run dry, and the musk pod holds no scent of musk.
Honesty flees from crookedness, and decline shows itself on every side.
Now let us remember wisdom and justice, and bring justice in place of grief and pain.
Let the world find some rest through us, so that death does not strike us suddenly.
Two thirds of the world lie beneath my feet; my dominion covers Iran and Turan.
Consider how so many warriors bring me heavy tribute every year.
If you all agree with me, I will send a message to Rostam.
I will seek peace with Siavash too, and send him gifts beyond measure.
One by one the chiefs gave their reply, all wishing for what was good and right.
They said: you are the king and we are like your servants, set on obeying whatever you command.
They all went back with minds full of justice, and no one held onto grief or pain.
Then the king said to Garsivaz: get everything ready and prepare for the road.
Set out quickly and do not delay; choose two hundred riders from the army.
Head to Siavash with a treasury adorned with every kind of precious thing.
Arabian horses with golden bridles, and Indian swords in golden sheaths.
A crown fit for a king, set with jewels, and a hundred camel loads of fine carpets.
Two hundred servants and maids as well. Tell him: I have no quarrel with you.
Greet him warmly and say to him: we have not turned toward Iran.
The land as far as the Oxus is mine; I hold Sogdia, and this kingdom stands apart.
It has been so ever since bold Tur and Salm turned the world upside down.
Ever since Iraj, killed though innocent, when the minds of the great were stripped of reason.
Once there was no divide between Turan and Iran, no acquaintance with hatred and war.
From God I hope for this: that greetings, peace, and good news may come.
God raised you up from the land of Iran because he saw kindness in you among the brave.
Through your good fortune the world will find rest; war and wickedness will fade away.
When Garsivaz comes to you, your dark thoughts will turn back to light.
Just as in the days of noble Fereydun, who divided the world and gave it to his heroes.
Let us share it out and bring back that wisdom, and pull our feet back from war and hatred.
You are a king; speak with the king of Iran, so perhaps the warrior's head may soften.
Speak your words to the mighty champion; use smooth persuasion and tell him many tales.
In the same way, send a message to Rostam: a servant, a horse, and golden bridles.
Carry gifts like these to him as well, so that the matter may be settled well.
Only the golden throne is denied him, for he is no king, and a champion has no place at the royal gate.