English
The Gifts of Garsivaz
Garsivaz brought the treasure, so much of it that the whole earth seemed adorned by it.
Riding hard, he reached the banks of the Oxus, and chose one of the warriors as his messenger.
He sent him to bring word to the king that Garsivaz had come with such splendor.
In a single day he crossed the water by boat, and rode toward Balkh with an eager heart.
The messenger came to the king's court and announced that Garsivaz was on his way.
Siyavash summoned the mighty Rustam and spoke with him at length about this matter.
When Garsivaz arrived at the king's court, Siyavash ordered the way opened for him.
Siyavash saw him and rose to his feet, smiled, and offered many courtesies.
From a distance Garsivaz kissed the ground, his face full of shame and his heart full of fear.
Siyavash seated him below the throne and questioned him closely about Afrasiyab.
When Garsivaz took his place in the new court, he beheld the young king's crowned head.
He said to Rustam: When Afrasiyab learned of you in haste,
he sent a token to the king, which I have now brought along the road.
He gave the order, and the curtains were drawn back and everything was laid out before Siyavash's eyes.
From the city gate to the palace hall there were coins and horses and servants and crowns.
No one could reckon how much it all was, the gold, the crowns, and the lofty thrones.
The servant boys all wore caps and belts, and the attendants gold bracelets and golden collars.
It pleased Siyavash greatly; his face brightened as he looked, and he heard the message out.
Rustam said to him: Be glad and stay a week, until we can give our answer.
This request calls for much thought, and also for consulting everyone.
When the far seeing Garsivaz heard this, he kissed the ground and gave his blessing.
They prepared a house for him, furnished with brocade, and called for cooks to serve him.
The two men sat wide awake together, weighing the matter, its greater and lesser parts.
Rustam grew suspicious of the whole affair, of the way Garsivaz had come rushing in like this.
They sent out scouts in every direction and made ready as the need required.
Siyavash asked Rustam: Let us bring this secret out of hiding.
Why is he seeking this peace? Look and find the antidote to this poison.
Among his own kin who share his blood, see which hundred of them are men of renown,
and let him send them as hostages to us; that will clear up this murky plan of ours.
We must not grow anxious out of fear that he is beating a war drum in secret beneath a blanket.
Once we have settled this with the king, we should send a good and trustworthy messenger.
He will carry word of these matters to Afrasiyab, in hope of emptying his mind of hatred.
Rustam said: This is the right course; no other path will hold the treaty together.
At dawn Garsivaz came to the door, fully dressed with his crown and belt.
He came before Siyavash, kissed the ground, and offered praise to the prince.
Siyavash said to him: I was deeply troubled by your affair and by your words.
Now the whole plan is settled on this: that we should wash our hearts clean of hatred.
You will send a reply to Afrasiyab: if your head has been rushing toward vengeance,
anyone who foresees a bad ending should turn back from his evil deeds.
A heart adorned with wisdom becomes a treasury full of riches.
If there is no poison beneath the honey, your heart has no share of pain and loss.
If you truly mean to make this pact, that we will seek neither harm nor hatred,
then of the champions whom Rustam knows, whose names he will read out to you,
you will send them to me as gifts of goodwill, as witnesses that your words are true.
And besides that, whatever belongs to the land of Iran, those cities you now hold in your hand,
you will give them up and return to Turan, and rest a while from war and vengeance.
There will be nothing but honesty between us; I will not gird myself for hatred.
I will send a letter to the king, in hope that he will call the army back with peace.
At once Garsivaz sent off a messenger, one like a roaring lion.
He told him: Do not foolishly lay your head down to sleep; ride hard to Afrasiyab.
Tell him: I hurried swiftly, and everything I sought I have obtained.
The prince asks hostages from the king, if you want him to turn away from battle.
The messenger came and delivered the word from the prince and from the noble Garsivaz.
When the king heard what the messenger said, he twisted in anguish and lost his way.
He kept saying: a hundred of my own kinsmen, if they are taken from our gathering,
a breach will come upon this court, and no well-wisher will be left to me.
But if I say, Do not seek hostages from me, then everything I said will seem a lie to him.
I must send them to him as a gift, if he will not agree without hostages.
So, just as Rustam had named them, he counted out nearly a hundred of his close kin.
He sent them to the king of Iran, and gave them many robes of honor and kindness.
He ordered the war drums and trumpets sounded, and the royal pavilion was lowered.
From Khara, Sughd, Samarkand, and Chach, from Sepijab, that land, and the ivory throne,
he cleared out and marched with his army toward Gang; he made no excuse, no trick, no delay.
When Rustam learned of his departure, his mind was freed from its worry.
He came to Siavash swift as the wind and recalled all the things he had heard.
He told him: since matters have been set right, it is fitting that Garsivaz should return.
He ordered a robe of honor prepared, and called for armor, a helmet, and a belt.
An Arabian horse with golden trappings, and an Indian sword in a golden sheath.
When Garsivaz saw the king's robe of honor, you would think he had seen the moon come down to earth.
He set off with a tongue full of praise, so swift you would think he was rolling up the earth beneath him.
Siavash sat upon the ivory throne, the crown suspended above it.
He took counsel with a smooth talker, one who gives words their color and scent.
He was seeking a brave horseman from the army who could arrange an audience with the king.
The mighty champion said to him: who could dare open speech at that door?
Kavus is just as he was before; his temper will not lessen nor his will yield.
Perhaps I should go before the king of the world and lay bare to him what lies hidden.
If you command it, I will cross the land; I see nothing but good in going.
Siavash was glad at his words, and the matter of the envoys settled like the wind.
The commander and Rustam sat together and spoke of every thing, great and small.
He ordered the scribe to come before him and write a letter on silk.
First he gave praise to the Just One, from whom he had received strength, glory, and skill.
The Lord of consciousness, of time and place, who nurtures wisdom along with the soul.
No one can escape His command, no one who turns away from His covenant.
Such a one sees nothing in the world but ruin; with Him lie abundance and truth.
From Him be praise upon the king, the world's ruler, chosen among the renowned.
His judgment reaches every good and ill; praising wisdom has become his measure.
I reached Balkh in its joyful spring, wholly content with my days.
When Afrasiyab got news of me, the sun turned black before his eyes.
He knew his task had grown hard; the world darkened and his fortune fell low.
His brother came bearing gifts and many finely adorned, beautiful maidens.
That he begs for mercy from the king of the world, and will hand over his crown and the throne of the great to him.
He will be content with his own borders in this world, and finally know his true rank and worth.
He will give up the dark soil of Iran's land, and wash his heart clean of hatred and war.
He sent a hundred of his own kin to me, and the elephant-bodied hero came with this same plea.
If you pardon him, it fits your kindness; his face bears witness to the love within him.
When the battle-seeking hero had written his letter, he set out toward King Kavus.
And on the other side, Garsivaz the well-wisher came before the king of the Turanian army.
He told the whole story of Siyavash, that among kings there is none to match him.
Of his handsome looks and his conduct, his wisdom, his heart, his modesty, his speech,
Brave, eloquent, a warrior and horseman; you would think he held wisdom in his very arms.
The king laughed and said to him: A settlement is better than war, my well-wisher.
And also, that dream filled me with dread; from a height I saw the sign of a fall.
Full of pain, I turned back to seek a remedy, so I would not face those heights and falls.
I arranged a solution with treasure and coin, and now it has turned out just as I wished.
And on the other side, when Rostam the lion-man came before the king of Iran swift as dust,
He came forward with hands folded in respect, and the commander rose to his seat.
He asked after him and held him in his arms, asking about his son and the turning of the days,
About the warriors, the battle, and the army's affairs, and why he had turned back from his road.
First he opened his tongue about Siyavash, praised him greatly, and handed over the letter.
When the noble scribe read the letter to him, the face of the world's king turned dark as pitch.
He said to Rostam: I grant that he is young, and no evil has yet befallen him.
But in all the world there is no one like you; lions seek to learn their skill from you in battle.
Did you not see Afrasiab's evils, that we lost our food, our peace, and our sleep?
I should have gone, but I held back; I had a head full of war against him.
I did not go, for they said: Do not leave here; wait until the new ruler prepares himself.
Since divine punishment was destined to come, the reward for evils was to be evil itself.
With that ill-gotten, inherited wealth, in this way his heart was decked out.
Wealth he seized from every innocent person, so that he could twist your hearts from the true path,
By a hundred helpless Turks of vile stock, whose fathers' names you do not even remember.
Now what does he care about the hostages? For him, they are like dust before his eyes.
If you would set your mind to the task, know I am not tired of battle and war.
I will now send to Siyavash a man full of wisdom and cunning.
I will order him: light a great fire, and bind the Turks in heavy chains.
Throw onto that fire everything of value; see that you do not reach for a single thing.
Then send those prisoners to me, for I want to tear their heads from their bodies.
You, with your army eager for war, march at once to his court.
Open your hands and fall on them completely, as a wolf falls upon a lamb.
When you begin to teach him harshness, let your soldiers plunder and burn.
Then Afrasiab will come to fight you, once his rest and sleep turn bitter.
The mighty Rostam said to him: O king, do not let your heart grieve over this.
Listen to me first, my king; then the whole world is under your command.
You said: against Afrasiab, do not drive the army swiftly across the water.
Wait until he comes to fight, for he will rush without delay.
We held back from war a while; it was he who first opened the door to peace.
One who seeks peace, feasting, and celebration should not be met with battle.
And besides, for a king to break his word is not admired by a man of good will.
When Siyavash was victorious in war, he moved like a brave leopard.
What did he seek but the throne, crown, and royal seal, comfort, and the treasure of the land of Iran?
He has gained it all, so do not seek war in vain; do not muddy your bright heart with dark water.
If Afrasiab, with all he has promised, means to conceal a broken word,
we have not grown tired of seeking battle; the sword and the lion's claw remain in place.
Do not demand that your son break his word; do not ask what does not befit a crowned head.
Why must words be spoken in secret? Siyavash will never turn back from his pledge.
And this plan the king has devised will bring turmoil to this renowned court.
When Kavus heard this, he filled with rage; he grew furious at those words and opened his eyes wide.
The king of the world said to Rostam: so, the matter no longer stays hidden.
It is you who planted this in his head; you tore the root of enmity from his heart like this.
In this you sought your own comfort, not the glory of the crown, throne, and seal.
Stay here, then, while the commander Tus straps the war drum onto the elephant for this campaign.
I will now send a courier to Balkh, with a letter full of bitter words.
If Siyavash turns away from my pact and refuses to obey my command,
let him hand the army over to the commander Tus, and return home with his close companions.
If he still holds this quarrel in his head, he will get from me whatever he deserves.
Rostam grew sick at heart and said aloud: 'Let the heavens hide my head from sight.'
'If Tus is a better fighter than Rostam, then take it that Rostam counts for nothing in this world.'
He said this and walked out of the king's presence, his eyes full of anger, his face knotted with rage.
At once the king summoned Tus and ordered him to lead the army onto the road.
When Tus came out from before Kavus, he gave the order for the troops, the trumpets, and the war drums:
to make ready and prepare for the march, and to shorten the road to that battlefield.