English
The Letter to Sa'd
Like lightning and thunder, the messenger too
was sent racing toward Sa'd.
A scribe wrote out a letter on white silk,
bright and gleaming like the sun.
Its heading: from the son of King Hormozd,
the world's champion, the goodwilled Rostam,
to Sa'd ibn Waqqas, seeker of war,
who has made the world tight and dark upon himself.
The letter opened: in the name of the pure Lord of the world,
let us live with awe and dread of Him.
From Him the wheeling heavens stand upright;
all kingship, justice, and love come from Him.
May His blessing fall upon the king
who is worthy of the crown, the throne, and the seal,
who by his glory keeps the devil bound,
master of the sword and the high crown.
This unwelcome business has now arisen,
this pointless suffering and this war.
Tell me now: who is your king?
What kind of man are you, what is your creed and your way?
From whom do you seek power and standing,
with a naked commander and a naked army?
You fill up on a single loaf, yet stay hungry,
with no elephant, no throne, no baggage, no gear.
Just staying alive in Iran should be enough for you,
for the crown and the seal belong to someone else,
who has elephants and treasure and splendor,
a renowned king, king after king before him.
In beauty no moon in the sky matches him;
in stature no king on earth stands beside him.
Whenever he laughs at a feast,
his lips part to show teeth like silver.
He could hand out gifts worth every Arab head,
and his treasury would suffer no loss from it.
His hounds and cheetahs and hawks number twelve thousand,
decked with bells and gold and earrings.
In a whole year, all the spearmen of the plain,
from end to end, could not eat what they eat.
For he needs the cheetah and the hound
to run down the game across the plain in the chase.
His hounds and cheetahs eat more than that,
and the king counts it as nothing at all.
Is there no shame in your eyes,
no love or reverence born of wisdom?
With that face, that breeding, that nature and temper,
how did you come to crave a crown and throne like this?
If you would measure the world truly,
you would not speak such empty words.
Send us a man who can speak,
seasoned in the world, brave and worthy.
So that he may say what your purpose is,
and who guides you toward the throne of kings.
We will send a rider to the king,
and ask him for whatever you wish. Ask.
Do not seek war with such a monarch,
for its end will bring you only grief.
The grandson of the world's ruler Anushiravan,
by whose justice the old grow young again,
king after king before him, and himself a sovereign,
the age holds no memory of his equal.
Do not fill a world with curses against yourself;
do not turn suspicious of your own faith and way.
Without noble lineage on the royal throne,
no lord will pursue culture and justice.
Look well at this letter full of counsel;
do not shut your eyes, your ears, your mind.
When the letter was sealed and given rightly
to the victorious Shapur of blessed lineage,
the champion went off to Sa'd ibn Waqqas,
along with the bright-souled nobles of Iran,
all sheathed in armor, silver and gold,
with golden shields and golden belts.