Now will I make the diadem and throne
Of Sháh Urmuzd as brilliant as the moon
Upon the day whose name and his are one.*

His reign had but one fault—it ended soon.
Whenas great Sháh Urmuzd had ta'en his seat
The sheep and wolf alike came to his cistern.
He thus addressed the noble men of lore,
And chieftains veteran and experienced:—
“I shall pursue the just and right, for he
That keepeth in his mind his sire's advice
Is blest. Since God, the Giver of all good,
Hath given good to me, and therewithal
The crown that is upon the head of kings,
I would by kindness win you as my friends,
And share your secrets. Know that self-willed men
Are hated by the mighty; led away
By their impatience they have ne'er enough,
For envy is the scimitar of fools,
And fortune ever mocketh them. Again,
Short will the life and provand be of one
Ashamed to work. Avoid the common folk
If so thou canst, their hearts are doors of greed.
Pass not in life his portal whom thou findest
Devoid of knowledge; but the men of wisdom,
With prudence and good rede, confirm the throne.
May thy heart live by prudence and good sense;
Do thou thine utmost to avoid all ill.
Knowledge and wisdom are like earth and water,
And should combine. What marvel if the heart
Of any king that putteth from him love
Shall darken? May my subjects all rejoice
And worship God, may He approve of them,
And wisdom aid them inly and without.

The sage, conversing with the devotee
About the Sháh, should weigh his utterance,
Because good speech is never out of date;
Speak but good words thyself and list to none
That speaketh ill; the great king's heart will note
Thy secret, and his ear will hear thy voice,
For ‘Walls have ears,’ as one that could both speak,
And listen, said.”

The whole assembly blessed

That Sháh so shrewd of heart and pure of Faith,
And broke up glad in that o'ershadowing Cypress.
That wise Sháh kept the precepts of Shápúr,
The son of Sháh Ardshír, and all the world
Rejoiced in him. How good are kings when just
And generous! He ruled with modesty
And justice till a while had passed, and then
The place of musk with camphor was o'erspread,
And in the garth the Cercis-bloom lay dead.