A se'nnight passed, the Sun lit up his crown,
And came and sat upon the ivory throne,
Together with the high priest, the grandees,
The world-aspiring and shrewd-hearted sages,

With Sáda and with Yazdagird, the scribe,
And as their leader the astute Bahman.
Then spake the Sháh to Búzurjmihr and said:—
“Adorn our hearts and show to us the way.
Speak truth about me as thou knowest it,
And seek not this world's honours by deceit.
How should men give obedience to my hest,
Observe my counsels, and act loyally?
Speak at thine ease and speak without reserve:
Dress not plain words with colour and with scent.”
Thus Búzurjmihr, the shrewd, said to the Sháh:—
“O more exalted than the azure vault!
The service of the monarch of the earth
Is, saith the sage, the path-way of the Faith.
The orders of the Sháh brook no delay,
Because the Shah's heart never must be straitened,
And every one that is his enemy
Is in his soul the liege of Áhriman.
The heart that loveth not the monarch's person
Should forfeit brain and skin. Know that the Sháh
Is the world's peace, and when thou dost aright
He will advance thee. Both for good and ill
The power is his, he taketh not revenge,
And injureth none. Wish not his son to fill
His room but hold his dear face as thy life.
Want never findeth entrance to the soil
Of states whose monarch is their well-beloved.
His Grace will fend thee from all ill, for why
His fortunes nurse all virtue. When a king
Hath God's Grace on his face the world's heart laugheth
For joy. As thou partakest of his favours
Strive ever to give ear to his commands.
If thou shalt grow disloyal, e'en in thought,
That moment fortune will abandon thee.
If he associate with thee be not proud,
And if he banish thee revile him not.
Mark that a subject toiling for his king
Will in the toil find treasure and renown.
He that shall praise the monarch is of God,
And he that is of God will praise the monarch.
The liege must neither weary of his work,
Nor yet be slack in fight, must keep concealed
The counsel of the Sháh and tell it not
To sun and moon. One that is slack to do
The Sháh's commands doth outrage to himself.
Accurséd are the blossoms of the tree
That scattereth naught but leaves o'er crown and
throne.
Calumniate not his lieges to the Sháh,
Or thou wilt minish thine esteem with him:
Great liars get small lustre in kings' eyes.
Let no one utter in the royal presence
Words that are not conformable with wisdom;
But, if the Sháh shall ask thee, speak, not losing
Thy credit with him by loquacity,
Because there is more knowledge in the world
Than ears can hear in public and in private.
He whom the monarch of the world misprizeth,
That soul will be in pain for evermore,
While he will be in high esteem on whom
The Sháh's lips smile. If he shall show thee favour
Hug not thyself, old servant though thou be,
For, though thy service may have lasted long,
Know that thou art not indispensable,
And if he favoureth another man
'Tis doubtless one as loyal as thyself.
If he shall be displeased with thee in aught
Make thine excuses ere thou drawest breath,
And if thou wottest naught of thine offence
Lay bare thy heart in presence of the Sháh,
While if thou hast a grievance in thy heart
Break it but show not unto him thy face,
Lest by God's Grace he should discern thy secret,
Discern thy heart perverse and clouded mind.
Thereafter thou wilt get no good of him,
Not hearken to his accents warm with love.
Account the Sháh's court as a sea where lieges
Are sailors, and accomplishments are vessels
With words for anchors and with wits for sails.
A wise man, who is voyaging o'er that sea,
Will make his sails robust because they are
A source of strength and shelter to himself.
The accomplished man, whose wisdom is to seek,
Should tread not on the portal of the Sháh.
Although the Sháh should be a mount of fire
Still would his servants find existence good,
For if such fire burn at the time of wrath
It will but shine the more when gratified.
The Sháh at whiles is milk and honey, whiles
A biting bane. His acts are like the sea;
The moon is bright in heaven at his behest.
One getteth from the sea a pinch of sand,
Another hath the pearl within the shell.
Be all the world alive in Núshírwán,
And circling heaven aye subject to his will,
For he doth head the monarchs of the world,
And ornament the empire with all good.”
To Búzurjmihr's oration Núshírwán
Gave heed, heart-joyed to look on him. The king
Was wont to give his largess on this wise:
If he said “Good!” the largess was four purses,
But whensoe'er he said: “Good! very good!”
The gift amounted in that case to forty,
And when the treasurer reckoned with the Sháh
Each purse was taken at ten thousand drachms.*

The king of kings had said: “Good! very good!”
A speech equivalent to all that coin.
The treasurer brought with visage sunny-clear
The purses full of drachms to Búzurjmihr.