English
Part 15
Word reached Bizhan at last: Mahuy had seized the royal throne.
He had sent his seal and signet in every direction, bringing the land under his rule.
Now he had turned toward the Jayhun, spoiling for battle with a warrior army.
Bizhan asked who had handed him the crown, and the messenger explained the whole affair.
Barsam said to him: O king, when I led so many horsemen out of Chach,
and brought so much baggage from Merv, Yazdgerd was left utterly alone.
You had been promised his golden throne and his jewel-studded armlet,
and I would send his treasure and crown to Chach; the ivory throne of the world was to be yours.
In Merv I fought three days, and on the fourth, when the world-lighting sun rose,
with a heavy heart I fought hard, and cruel Mahuy turned and fled.
Then Mahuy brought the treasure of his own master, easily gained, and laid it before them.
Once a worthless coward is stuffed with riches, he acts as though he had never even met you.
The army stayed two months in Merv, and he never once looked kindly upon us.
In secret he killed his master, a king so great in the world,
a horseman who, they said, in the midst of the army raised his head above the wheeling moon.
None of the Turks dared face his mace; the hearts of famous warriors split with fear of him.
When that king was slain, Mahuy took the crown and behaved with such wickedness.
The scout keeps warning: the army is coming; they must not cut off our path.
When a warlike enemy reaches your very pillow, you must not lie at rest with your troops.
May no such flower ever grow in the garden of kings; and if it grows, let no one recall that garden.
When Bizhan heard this, he gathered his army, the Turkish riders fit for the day of battle.
He came rushing from Qajqar Bashi, wasting no time at all along the way.
When he neared the city of Bukhara, his forces spread across the whole plain of Nakhshab.
He told his companions: now do not hurry until he reaches this side of the water.
Let him bring his army against us in battle, so we may avenge the king's blood upon him.
Then he asked whether any child of the noble king remained who could be of use,
for the world-ruling king had a brother; and if he had no son, surely he had a daughter,
so that we might bring him forth and support him, and give him victory over Mahuy.
Barsam said to him: O king, the days of this royal line have come to their end.
The Arabs now hold sway over those cities; neither king nor worshipper of God remains.
When Bizhan heard this, he moved his army and, in grief at the state of the world, put his hand to his head.
The scout came saying: the enemy army has arrived, making its battlefield at Paykand.
An army so vast crossed the water by boat that the sun was lost behind their dust.
Commander Bizhan came to the front of his army to array the battlefield.
When Mahuy Suri saw the army, it was as though his soul flew from his body.
So many coats of mail, helmets, and golden shields, so many spears, maces, and Chach-made axes,
that he grew sick with dread and drew up his ranks; the air turned indigo, the ground vanished from sight.