English
The Opening: Nowshirvan's Counsel
I heard that as his soul was slipping away, Nowshirvan said this to Hormoz:
Care for the hearts of the poor; do not chase only your own comfort.
No one in your land will rest if you seek nothing but your own ease.
The wise never approve of a shepherd asleep while the wolf tears the sheep.
Go, protect the needy and the poor, for a king wears his crown only through his people.
The people are the roots and the king the tree; my son, a tree is only as strong as its roots.
As long as you can, do not wound the hearts of the people; if you do, you are digging out your own roots.
If you want a straight path, follow the way of the devout: hope and fear.
A man becomes wise through the hope of good and the fear of evil.
If both of these are found in a king, his realm and reign will have a firm foundation.
For he shows mercy to those who hope, hoping himself for the mercy of God.
He will not approve harming others, since he fears harm coming to his own realm.
But if this trait is not in his nature, there is no scent of peace in that country.
If you are tied to the place, learn to accept it; but if you can ride free, save yourself and go.
Do not expect prosperity in a land where you see the people bitter toward their king.
Fear the arrogant and the reckless; the man who does not fear God, fear him.
It is another thing to dream of a flourishing land while the hearts of its people lie in ruins.
Ruin and disgrace come from tyranny; let the far-sighted weigh these words deeply.
The people should not be killed through injustice, for they are the shelter and support of the throne.
Treat the farmer well, for your own sake, since a contented laborer does more work.
It is not decency to do harm to someone from whom you have received much kindness.
I heard that Khosrow said to Shiruyeh, in the moment his eyes closed forever:
Strive so that whatever you intend, you keep the welfare of the people in view.
Do not turn your head away from justice and good judgment, so that the people do not slip from your grasp.
The people flee from a tyrant and spread his ugly name across the world.
It is not long before the one who laid a bad foundation sees his own foundation torn down.
The swordsman causes destruction, but not as much as the smoke rising from the hearts of a child and a woman.
A lamp lit by a widow, as you have often seen, can burn a whole city down.
Who in all the world is more blessed than the one who ruled his kingdom with fairness?
When his time comes to leave this passing world, people send mercy upon his grave.
Since both the good and the wicked pass away, it is better that they speak your name with kindness.
Set a God-fearing man over the people, for the pious one is the builder of a kingdom.
He is your enemy and the people's bloodsucker who seeks your gain by tormenting the people.
It is a mistake to place power in the hands of those whose hands drive people to raise their hands to God.
One who fosters the good sees no harm; if you foster the wicked, you become your own enemy.
Do not punish a harmful man with a mere fine, for his roots must be torn out from the ground.
Do not be patient with an official who loves oppression, for once he grows fat you will have to flay him.
The wolf's head should be cut off at the very start, before he mangles people like sheep.
How well the captive merchant spoke, when bandits surrounded him with arrows:
When bravery comes from highway robbers, what does it matter, an army of men or a troop of women?
The king who wounds a merchant has shut the door of prosperity on his city and his army.
Why would the wise ever go there again, once they hear the report of such bad ways?
If you want a good name and to earn goodness, treat the merchant and the envoy well.
Great men cherish the traveler with all their heart, so that they carry a good name through the world.
That kingdom will soon fall to ruin from which the stranger leaves with a wounded heart.
Be a friend to strangers and a lover of travelers, for the traveler carries a good name far and wide.
Treat the guest and traveler with honor, but also be on guard against harm from them.
It is wise to be wary of the stranger, for an enemy can come dressed as a friend.
A stranger whose head is full of mischief: do not harm him, but drive him out of your country.
It is fine if you do not lash out at him in anger, for his own evil nature dogs him like an enemy.
But if his homeland is Persia itself, do not banish him to Sana'a, or the Slav lands, or Rome.
Do not even grant him safety there until midday; it is not right to unleash a plague upon others.
For they would say: cursed be that soil from which such people come.
Raise the standing of your old servants, for one who has been nurtured never turns to treachery.
When your servant has grown old in your service, do not forget the claim of his years.
If old age has stilled his hand from service, your hand is still free to be generous.
I heard that Shapur fell silent when Khosrow struck his name off the pension roll.
When his condition was ruined by poverty, he wrote this tale to the king:
Since I spent my youth in your service, do not drive me away in my old age.
If you give an office, entrust it to a man of means, for a pauper feels no fear of the king.
Once a pauper bows his neck under the yoke, nothing comes from him but wailing.
When an inspector withdraws his hands from honesty, an overseer must be set over him.
And if that overseer too conspires with him, dismiss both the inspector and his overseer.
The keeper of a trust must be God-fearing; a trustee who fears only you, do not trust him.
The trustworthy man should be one anxious about God's judgment, not merely afraid of the court, the whip, and death.
Weigh, count, and stay watchful, for out of a hundred you will not find one who is honest.
Two old companions of the same kind should not be posted together in one place.
How do you know they will not join hands and become allies: one the thief, the other the one who covers for him?
When thieves are wary and fearful of one another, a caravan passes safely between them.
When you dismiss someone from his post, after some time has passed, forgive his fault.
Fulfilling the wish of one who hopes is better than breaking a thousand chains.
If the pillar of a clerk's office collapses, do not let it sever the rope of his hope.
A just king grows angry with his subjects the way a father grows angry with his son.
Sometimes he strikes him until it hurts, and sometimes he wipes the tears from his eyes.
If you are too gentle, your foe grows bold; if you show only anger, they grow weary of you.
Firmness and gentleness together are best, like the lancer who is both surgeon and healer.
Be brave, good-natured, and generous; as God pours upon you, pour upon others.
No one has come into this world and stayed, except the one who left behind a good name.
He has not died who leaves behind him a bridge, a well, a caravanserai, or an inn.
Whoever leaves no memorial after him: the tree of his life bore no fruit.
And if he passed away leaving no trace of good, there is no point in reciting a blessing after his death.
If you want your name to last forever, do not hide the good names of great men.
Read this same lesson about the age after your own that you have seen in the age of the kings before you.
They too held all this pleasure, luxury, and joy; in the end they left it all and were gone.
One carried a good name out of the world; from another, a bad legacy remained forever.
Do not listen with approval to slander of anyone; and if it is spoken, get to the bottom of it.
Grant the offender the excuse of forgetfulness; when they beg for mercy, give them mercy.
If an offender comes seeking shelter, it is no rule to kill him for a first offense.
When you have advised him once and he ignores the counsel, discipline him with prison and chains.
And if neither counsel nor chains work on him, he is a poisonous tree: pull him out by the roots.
When anger rises in you over someone's fault, think long and hard before you punish.
For it is easy to shatter a ruby of Badakhshan, but once broken it can never be joined again.