Section 7: The King's Letter to Mahuy

The king summoned the wise scribe to his side and poured out all the sorrow that filled his heart. When the king turned his course toward Merv, toward Mahuy Suri, the governor of Merv, he wrote a letter full of grief and anger, his heart brimming with longing, his eyes with tears. First he gave praise to the Creator, the wise Lord who nurtures all things. Lord of the turning Mars and the sun, Lord of the elephant and Lord of the ant. When He wills it, He makes something out of nothing, and needs no teacher to show Him how. He wrote: see what has befallen us, how the color and fragrance have drained from this realm. Since Rostam was slain on the day of battle, the world has closed in on us with grief. Killed by the hand of one named Saad-e Vaqqas, a man of no homeland, no lineage, no learning, no worth. Now, while the army still holds Ctesiphon, that same mottled crow keeps pressing forward. So ready your army for war, and rally your troops to this cause. And I, right behind this letter, swift as the wind, will come to you, pure and noble one. He chose another messenger from the gathering, clear-sighted and wise in counsel.