English
The King's Letter to Tus
He wrote a letter and sent it off to Tus, his heart full of blood, his face pale as amber.
First he gave praise to the just Creator, from whom he had gained strength, fortune, and skill.
Lord of victory and royal glory, Lord of the imperial crown.
From the leg of a gnat to the wing and talon of the eagle, like the elephant on land and the whale in water.
Nothing steps outside His pact and command; no creature counts even its own breath without His will.
From the king of the world, Yazdegerd the Great, son of the renowned and mighty sovereign.
Commander of God's victorious host, guardian of all that lives and of the land and its borders.
Of the seed of the great, the God-fearing ones, who owe their crowns to the favor of the stars.
Through whom the face of the earth was made prosperous, the crown, throne, and signet made bright.
To the frontier lords with their treasure and thrones, men of glory, stature, justice, and right conduct.
Of Shemiran, Ruyin Fortress, and Rabeh Mountain, of Kalat by another hand and another company.
May God be our guardian, and may you stay safe from the evils of the age.
May the high heavens bring you no harm, nor the ruinous strife of the demon.
Surely the proud chiefs have heard this word, for it rang out through all the world.
That toward the warrior and the man of noble birth our heart is full of respect, love, and justice.
Especially toward your lineage, whose hardships weigh more with kings than any treasure.
When Bahram Chubineh rose up, he rebelled against the command of our crown.
Your hearts turned away from the broad cities, from garden, field, and palace.
On these ancient uplands and high mountains you built your homes for fear of harm.
If the Creator grants us strength, and time turns to our heart's desire,
We will multiply the reward for goodness, and offer thanks for this readiness of yours.
Surely word has reached you of what the stars have brought down upon us.
From these snake-eating men with demon faces, devoid of wisdom and shame,
Who care nothing for treasure, or name, or throne, or lineage, they mean to give the world to the wind.
Much treasure and jewels have been scattered, and many heads have been buried in the dust.
So the compass of the high wheel has turned, that harm should fall upon this kingdom.
From these crow-natured men, colorless and dull, without sense or knowledge, without name or honor.
For Nushirvan had seen this in a dream, that color and luster would flee this throne.
He saw that a hundred thousand Arabs, on frenzied camels with broken reins,
Crossed the Arvand River, and left no warp or weft standing on this land.
In Iran and Babylon there would be no sowing or reaping, and dark smoke would rise to the sphere of Saturn.
The fire would die in the fire-temple, and Nowruz and the Sadeh feast would grow dark.
From the palace of the world's king the battlements would all crash down into his courtyard.
Now the meaning of that dream has appeared: fortune will turn its neck away from us.
Everyone who is honored will be scorned, and the base-born will see their fortune rise.
Evil will spread through the world, harm out in the open and goodness hidden away.
In every land a tyrant will arise, and some vile monster will appear.
The signs of the dark night have come; the light is about to fly away.
Now, with a guiding counsel, along with all the pure-minded champions,
We have set our face toward Khorasan, toward the frontier lords who seek the crown.
Let us see what the turning of time will say to this uncertain plan.
So now, for the sake of the frontier lord of Tus, we have led our elephants and war-drums this way.
Farrokhzad is of one skin with us, and by kinship he is also our friend.
He is now at Baltuniyeh, ready for battle, having turned his face toward war with the enemy.
Now Kashmagan, son of that warrior, has come to us at this court.
He told all that spoke of worthiness, of loyal service, and of duty.
We heard all that he said of these frontiers, their heights and lows, their caves and hidden places.
The domed fortress on the mountain up to Khormaneh, and the other, Lajvardin, meant for the stores.
That heart-piercing man described them in every way, and out of goodwill told all that was in his heart.
From this place men went out in every direction, investigating matters front and back.
Such a great army as we have cannot settle in these cramped fortresses.
We sat down and took counsel; all the champions gathered together.
We spoke and debated in every way, and at last we all settled on this.
That of crown and throne, of seal and signet, and the robes of Rome, Kashmir, and China,
Of every precious thing that came to hand, from Rome and Taif, all that there is,
And everything of ours not yet scattered, whether garments or things to be laid aside,
Of gold-work and uncut cloth, of anything not fit to be worn,
And of foods of every kind of preparation that we may need,
Of oxen that draw wagons, forty thousand, brought with great effort so they may be of use,
And then twelve thousand kharvars of wheat in the ear, brought in loads,
And millet, pistachios, and pomegranate seeds, a knowing priest should bring them,
Ten thousand camel-loads of each, let the Bactrian camels carry the burden,
And a thousand wagons of salt drawn by oxen, let them bring it, to see how the heavens turn,
A thousand of dates and a thousand of sugar, weighed out and reckoned exactly,
Twelve thousand of honey and manna, let them carry it all together to the fortresses,
Some forty thousand salted, cured hides, let them bring what may be of use,
Three hundred camel-loads of the king's gold brocade, let them bring on their burdens over two months,
Let a priest come with a company from the seat of Shemiran and from Rabeh Mountain,
To meet with the elders and the learned, the great ones among the frontier lords.
Within two days let them file the accounts in the fortresses, and give one copy to our treasurer,
And let the great ones of that assembly keep another with themselves.
Surely on those uplands and high mountains no harm will come from Turk or Arab.
In this dire age you will be one great support to us.
Our skilled and eloquent minister now gives this order to our treasurer:
That whoever does not find this a burden should be sent five Persian robes.
And a fine headband figured in gold, they shall receive at the end of this task.
In this ruined and gloomy time, each shall receive from our treasurer forty dirhams.
By weight, whoever is a subordinate, if he receives one of these dirhams,
From that sixty, upon its face, six dangs and four, let him bring what is written and read it aloud.
On one side the name of the pure God, from whom comes hope and from whom fear and awe.
On the other, its stamp bears our crown and face, the earth made fruitful by our love.
It is adorned with Nowruz and Mehr; these are two great feasts, and worthy ones.
The greeting of the world to the man who does little harm, to anyone who remembers our crown.
A rider of high fortune, a seeker of renown, came bearing the king's letter in his hand.