§ 5

How an Archmage questioned Núshírwán and how he made Answer

There was an elder versed in our old speech,
And antiquate with action and discourse,
Who from a volume in the ancient tongue
Saith that an archmage asked of Núshírwán:—
“In what way should the worshipper invoke
In secret prayer the Master of the world
That He may give an answer and bestow
Withal fair fortune on his suppliant?
A man, with arms outstretched toward the sky,
May make request before the Lord of time,

C. 1767

Yet gain not his desire for all his prayers,
And hath but tearful eyes and furrowed face.”
The conquering Sháh replied: “Be moderate
In thy requests to God; when they pass bounds
A heart o'ercharged will come of that desire.”
The archmage asked: “What man deserveth good,
And who is worthiest of the name of ‘Great?’”
The Sháh replied: “He that amasseth treasure
Without exertion, and bestoweth not,
Is unfit for the throne; from time to time
His fortune will grow dark, but well is he
That giveth. Give, if wealth be thine, and hoard not.”
“What is the base of wisdom?” asked the arch-mage,
“And who rejoiceth in its boughs and leaves?”
“The sage rejoiceth,” Núshírwán replied;
“So doth the modest man of noble birth.”
The archmage asked: “Who profiteth by knowledge,
And who is witless and calamitous?”
The Sháh replied: “The cherisher of wisdom
Will cherish life which profiteth thereby
When it aboundeth, but its lack entaileth
Grief, care, and loss.”

The archimage inquired:—

“Is knowledge better than the Grace of kings,
For Grace and majesty adorn the throne?”
“A sage possessed of Grace,” replied the Sháh,
Will take the whole world underneath his wing.
Thou needest wisdom, Grace, renown, and birth;
With these four heaven will keep thee still in mind.”
“In kingship who illustrateth the throne?”
The archmage said. “Who is unfortunate?”
And Núshírwán made answer: “One that seeketh
First for the aidance of the King, the World-lord,
* For bounty, knowledge, and right usages
Will make him tender toward the suppliant.
Next let him give authority to those,
Who merit such distinction by their worth.
Then let him see that nothing in the world
For good or evil is concealed from him.
He should distinguish, fourthly, foe from friend:
'Tis well that kings should be without offence.
When he hath Grace and wisdom, Faith and fortune,
Then he is worthy of the crown and graceth
The throne, while if thou findest such things lacking
Good sooth! thou wilt behold him lustreless;
He after death will leave an evil name,
And win not jocund Paradise at last.”
*

C. 1768

The archmage asked: “How many modes of speech
Are there and what are they, because o'er some
One needs must weep while others are crown, treasure,
And reputation, those grief, these content?”
Said Núshírwán: “The sage hath classified
The modes of speech and thought the matter out.
First, profitable speech; the sweet-voiced sage
Saith that it is the harmless. Secondly,
That which thou callest the deliberate
Know to be that of shrewd and fluent men,
For they speak largely to the point and leave
Their memory in the world. Next is the speech
Of one ambitioning the word in season;
He will abide in honour all his years;
And, fourthly, that of one called by the sage
Delectable—the competent reciter,
Who uttereth all, both new and old, in verse;
While, fifthly, is the warm deliverance
Of one of sweet tongue and harmonious voice,
Who when he hath impleached his web of words
Attaineth verily his heart's desire.”
The archmage said: “In spite of all thy lore,
And thou hast kindled all thy soul with knowledge,
Yet thou still questionest the little worth!
Dost say then: ‘How shall knowledge have an end?’”
The Sháh replied: “From all that I have learned
I have attained my soul's desire and wisdom.
Avoid wrong-doing then and look to knowledge—
A thing more precious than the crown and throne.”
The archmage said: “I have seen none so praised
And eminent for lore that one could say:—
‘Such is his eminence that no wise man
Can teach him any further.’”

Thus the Sháh

Replied: “Can treasure satiate a man
Until he lieth underneath the dust?
The way of knowledge is more glorious
Than wealth, more precious in the sage's eyes.
Our words remain as our memorial:
Compare not wealth with knowledge.”

Said the archmage:—

“What with their learning and remembering
The sages cannot be but ancient men.”
The Sháh replied: “Although the man be old
His knowledge faileth not to keep him young.
Thou wilt prefer him to the foolish youth,
Whose dust is only valued for its tomb.”
The archmage asked: “It was thy wont to speak
About the fortune of the kings of kings
Before the Great,* and more than ever now
Thou namest them but with a deep cold sigh?”
The Sháh said: “It was never in my heart
That I should praise a process such as this—
To govern this world with the scimitar
Of justice, then pass on and vilely die.”

C. 1769

“Thy usage,” said the archmage, “in the past
Was this—to speak to all in nobler words.
Now thou despisest them and sayest naught
About the past or present.”

Núshírwán

Made answer saying: “I have talked enough,
And now I purpose to depend on deeds.”
The archmage said: “Thy prayers in former times
Before the Fire were not so long as now.
Thy praises too are longer than they were,
Thy plaints and supplications more profuse.”
He gave this answer saying: “Holy God
Exalteth from the dust His worshipper,
Doth favourably dispose the sky toward him,
And maketh all the world to be his slave.
If this slave faileth to appreciate,
Let him not scape from hardship and distress.”
The archmage asked: “Since thou becamest king
What greater cause for thankfulness hast thou
Toward thy Maker? Hath that eminence
Increased thy joy and filled thy foemen's hearts
With blood?”

He answered thus: “Thanks be to God,

Our fortune hath been good. None in my presence
Hath ever sought for the supremacy,
But at my chastening washed his hands of ill.
My foemen have grown feeble in the fight
When they beheld mine onset and my mace.”
The priest went on: “When warring in the West
Thou wast both quick of clutch and valorous,
But when thou wast campaigning in the East
Thou wast long-suffering and deliberate.”
And Núshírwán made answer thus: “The youth
Accounteth not of pain and toil of mind,
But when a man hath come to sixty years
He must assume a gentler attitude.
Thanks to the World-lord who is all-providing,
The Author of the good and ill of fortune,
That I had prowess in my youthful days,
And recked not if my luck were good or bad.
Now knowledge, treasure, generosity,
And rede, accompany my days of age,
The world is 'neath my rule and usages,
And circling heaven my breastplate in the fight.”
Said the archmage: “The Sháhs of long ago
Desired to hold discourse on all affairs;
Thy words are briefer and thy secrets more,
Yet thou surpassest those famed men of old.”
He made this answer, saying: “Every king,
That doth believe in Him who giveth all,
Is not concerned about himself for He,
Who made the world, still watcheth over it.”
“I see the kings who should be glad of heart,”
The archmage said, “most anxious in our times.”
And Núshírwán replied: “The man of sense
Hath ever at his heart the fear of loss.”
The archimage rejoined: “The Sháhs of old
Allowed not care and fight to mar their feasts.”

C. 1770

He made this answer saying: “In their cups
They ever grew forgetful of their fame,
But fame hath triumphed o'er the cup with me,
My spirit is beforehand with the time.”
The archmage said: “Sháhs used to tend themselves,
Employing drug and leech and remedy,
Lest they should have to soil themselves with tears.”
“A man, whose time is not yet come,” he said,
“Not yet o'ertaken by the turning sky,
Will stand secure, and drugs will profit naught,
Because the chance of time protecteth him,
But when the hour for passing is at hand
Then no precaution will avert his fate.”
The archmage said: “Thou praisest much and prayest
The Maker, yet at heart thou art not glad
The while, but ever hast a soul all care.”
“There is no care at all,” said Núshírwán,
“The Sháh's heart is at one with turning heaven;
I fear that those who offer praise to me,
And shower benedictions on my Faith,
Affect a greater fervour than they feel:
Mine object is to read my subjects' hearts.”
“Why joy we in our children,” asked the arch-mage,
“And why do we desire a family?”
“The man that leaveth children in the world
Will not become forgotten,” he replied.
“If he have children he will relish life,
And for that reason will abstain from vice,
While if he pass away the pang is slight,
Because a child's eyes watch his paling face.”
“Who liveth at his ease,” the archmage asked,
“And who repenteth of his own good deeds?”
He thus replied: “The worshipper of God
Will take the reins of fortune in his hands
And, seeking no addition, is at ease,
Who if he sought it would be full of fear.
Then as for what thou said'st about good deeds,
And secret inclinations to do good,
Know, no one is more mortified than he
That meditateth good for thankless folk.”
“The evil-doer dieth,” said the archmage,
“The world removeth from the roll his name.
The righteous man will likewise pass away,
And destiny account his every breath.
What need is there for praising excellence
Since death is here to reap both good and bad?”
And Núshírwán made answer thus: “Good deeds
Will find a ready market everywhere.
He that doth good deeds dieth not though dead,
But resteth, giving up his soul to God;
He that doth fail therein will have no rest,
And leave behind an evil memory.”

C. 1771

The archmage further said: “No ill is worse
Than death. If so, then what is our resource?”
The Sháh replied: “On leaving this dark earth,
The life which then thou wilt have gained is pure.
Whoe'er lived here in fear and care must needs
Bewail that life but, whether Sháh or subject,
Thou wilt be quit of this world's fear and pain.”
The archmage asked him: “Which is worst of these
In filling us with anguish and chagrin?”
The Sháh made answer: “Reckon mountain-heavy
The troubles that descend on us in troops,
And what is fear except the fear of troubles,
Than which there is naught stronger in the world?”
“How can we 'scape from these?” the archmage asked,
“For this world's doings give us cause to weep?”
He thus made answer: “Knowledge is the way:
The sage is ever cheerful.”

“Which of us,”

Inquired the archmage, “hath most store of treasure?”
The Sháh made answer: “He that hath least toil.”
The archmage asked: “Which is the foulest fault,
One alien most from worth and Paradise?”
The Sháh made answer: “In the case of women
A strident voice and lack of modesty;
But, in the case of men, to be a fool,
And thus to spend a lifetime as in prison.”
The archmage asked: “Who hath most confidence?”
“He that hath least remorse,” replied the Sháh,
“And goeth soiled in body, and with heart
Black with iniquity, before his God.”
The archmage said: “Who is the upright man,
Whose heart is proven by his soul and wisdom?”
The Sháh thus answered: “He that toileth on
Through gain and loss and compasseth no ill.”
The archmage asked: “Who is the best of men,
The crown upon the head of all mankind?”
“The meek to whom a crown availeth naught,”
The Sháh replied; “not one intent on profit,
Not even though he be of lofty aims;
Next, he whose greatness is its own reward—
The generous man whose heart is purged from darkness—
And, thirdly, he that hath a zeal divine,
Proceeding from integrity and wisdom.”
“What,” said the archmage, “is the heart's chief dread?”
“The troubles that we bring upon ourselves,”
The Sháh replied.

“What giving is the best,”

The archmage said, “so that the man who giveth
May be exalt and great?”

“In gain and loss,”

The Sháh rejoined, “keep naught from the deserving.”
The archmage asked concerning this world's doings:—
“Declare its process open and concealed.
Whate'er the manner of that action be,
For loss or profit, shall we acquiesce?”

C. 1772

“The All-knowing,” thus the Sháh replied, “is greater
And higher than this ancient sky although
It knowing be and mindful; He is Lord
Of this world's lords. Become not then perverse,
Avoid disaster, and attribute not
Good fortune and misfortune to the sky.
Know that both ill and good proceed from Him
That hath no peer—the One eternal Cause,
Whose word is ‘Be’ and what He willeth is,
Who was and is and will be evermore.”
“The body is the hostel of the soul:
Which of them feeleth pain?” the archmage asked.
The Sháh replied: “Our mortal bodies suffer
So long as they have brains, but when the soul
Hath filtered through they lose their consciousness,
And when it hath departed are dissolved.”
The archmage questioned him on self-control:—
“In what way can we hide our greed and need?”
The Sháh replied: “'Tis fitting that the sage
Suppress them, yet thou ever wilt be vexed
By greed because ne'er satiate of treasure.”
The archmage asked: “Among the kings of yore,
The men of sense, rede, faith, and precedent,
Whom knowest thou as subject of our praise,
When he is dead, O monarch of the earth?”
“That great king,” this was Núshírwán's reply,
“Who is a worshipper of God and pure,
And thankful to the righteous Lord of all,
Who filleth none with fear of tyranny,
Who giveth to the good a hopeful heart,
And to the bad a heart of fear and pain,
Who furnisheth his troops from his own treasures,
And turneth on malignants their own ill,
Who questioneth the sages of the world,
And keepeth from his foes his bad and good.”
The archmage asked: “Wherein consisteth worship,
And who approacheth to God's holiness?”
“The subtle will direct,” the Sháh replied,
“His soul as by fine hair-breadths and first know
The being and the unity of God,
Which small instruction will make evident,
And he will offer thanks for mercies given,
While putting trust in God and fearing Him,
Who is thy terror when thou seekest ill,
Thy trust when thou dost well. If thou art sound
Of Faith and seek'st the Way all will esteem thee,
While if thou art malign and ill-disposed
Thy soul hath forwarded its packs to Hell.
Feel not at home with this world for 'twill hold
Its secrets from thee. Tend to works of Faith;
Thy good choice will not injure thee. Let wisdom
Instruct thy heart and let not fortune fool thee.
Again, thou shalt consort not with the guilty

C. 1773

In wrong and strife. Loathe secretly at heart
This world because of that which is to come.
Let thy seat ever be among the sages,
A devotee of everlasting joys,
For what we have on earth will pass away,
And reason counteth them no joys at all.
Mayst thou incline to sense and rede. Let wisdom
Guide thee to God. Speak not unmeasured words,
For thou'rt new-fangled and the world is old.
Be drunk not with the pleasures of the day.
Choose not the company of wicked men.
Refrain thy heart from what can never be,
And give such largess as 'tis fit to give.
Withhold not from a friend aught that thou hast,
Though he should ask thine eyes, thy brains, and skin,
And if two friends would take account together
No daysman should be needed for that task.
If thou associate with a foe so act
That he may not obtain a hold upon thee.
When one doth seek the path of right his need
Is parts, humility, and gentleness.
Let not thy tongue exaggerate thy merits,
For falsehood is no merit with the just,
Who hold one's high estate a thing of naught,
Another's poverty no mark for scorn.
If some malicious person talk with thee
Let not his malice anger thee, and then,
When, being well assured that thou art weak,
He useth language that is past all bounds,
Reply to him in measured terms and speak
Words goodly and well-liking. If it be
That thou canst bring him to himself by kindness
He will repent his former speech. Devote not
Thy leisure to indulgence. Idleness
Is naught if thou art wise. Be diligent
In all thine undertakings and give ear
To knowledge. Enter on no enterprise
Whereof the end will cause remorse or anger.
Have pity on the sad in his distress;
Bring not his heart to anguish and disaster.
The sage that traineth his own heart to patience
Is not held worthless in the World-lord's eyes,
But knoweth what he meriteth with Him,
And compasseth all actions with discretion,
For increase from a friend is laudable,
And greatness and integrity will bring
Addition. Furthermore that man of God
Will not begrudge the scattering of treasure,
But turneth him from waywardness and loss,
And maketh right and service his profession—
A stem with boughs whereby God's worshipper,
The virtuous saint, hath proved victorious.
There is but one injunction and one way—
Incline to God and let Him shelter thee.”

C. 1774

If thou, O monarch! art of just intent
Good will remain to be thy monument
As it doth with Sháh Núshírwán whose flesh
Hath turned to dust although his fame is fresh.
Himself unseen his fame is plain to all;
His words survive as his memorial,
And through the righteous deeds that he hath done
His fame past doubt will live while time shall run,
And on his soul shall be, while earth and sky
Abide in place, the sages' eulogy.