Šāh-nāmah - The Šahnama of Firdausi, Volume 7

Whenas Balásh had mourned one month, with dust
Upon his head and lacerated cheeks,
The people and the high priest came to him
With valiant warriors and famous sages.
They spake with him at large by way of counsel
In profitable words, then seated him
Upon the throne of kingship, showering gold
And jewels over him abundantly.
When seated on the throne he said: “O chiefs!
Acquire the secrets of the sages' hearts,
And ye shall have advancement at my hands
When my dark counsels brighten. Frustrate not
The purpose of well-doers in the world.
As for the wicked and malicious man,
He shall not partner me, but first will I
Enrich him with advice and, if that faileth,

What time Pírúz was going to the war
He sought a paladin—a man of counsel
And weight—to watch o'er crown and throne, and be
A friend to young Balásh. Now Súfarai—
A man of great estate and good withal—
Was fitted for that task, experienced,
A native of Shíráz, a general,
A man exalted both in heart and head,
And likewise marchlord in Zábulistán,
Kábulistán, Ghaznín, and Bust. When tidings
About Pírúz, uncounselled and unguided,
Came his eye-lashes drenched his cheeks with tears,
He rent his raiment of a paladin,
The warriors doffed their helmets and sat mourning
Through sorrow for the Sháh, while Súfarai
Exclaimed: “How shall Balásh, youth that he is,
Seek vengeance for Pírúz?” for well he knew

And from Zábulistán advanced toward Marv.
He chose him out a wary messenger,
Who by his words could mollify the heart,
And spake on this wise to a scribe: “Arise,
Because thy pen hath stirring work to do,
Indite to Khúshnawáz and say: ‘O fool,
And knavish doer of the work of dívs!
Thou art in God's sight guilty, and thy shirt
Shall wail for thee. Whoe'er did deed like thine,
Thou faithless one? Thou shalt behold anon
The sword of tribulation. Thou hast slain
A man without offence—the king of kings,
The grandson of the world-lord Sháh Bahrám—
And hast set up a new feud in the world,
A feud to be forgotten nevermore.
Why, when the din of tymbals rose, didst thou
Not come and fawn upon him like a dog?
Thy grandsire was a poor man of thy tribe,
Thy sire was like a slave before Bahrám.
Lo! I have come to Marv to seek revenge,
And I will waste the Haitálians utterly.
The captives and whatever booty came
Within thy grasp upon that battlefield,
I will exact all with the sword of vengeance,
And bear to Marv Túrán's dust, suffer not
The world to be thy son's, burn all thy kith
And kin, cut off thy head by God's command,
And make thy kingdom like a sea of blood.

The envoy with the letter

Of Súfarai went like a mighty lion,
Came in an angry mood to Khúshnawáz,
Appeared before his throne, did reverence,
And gave the letter, while the captains present
Withdrew. The monarch gave it to a scribe,
And said: “Read out to me in confidence
Both good and ill.”

The scribe thus answered him:—

“This letter is all arrow, mace, and sword,”
And sorely grieved was valiant Khúshnawáz
At that long letter writ by Súfarai,
Then set himself without delay to answer
The good and ill there written and began:—
“I live in fear of God and fortune's changes.
A worshipper of His would not have broken
The compact of the Sháhs. I sent Pírúz
A letter of advice besides the treaty
Of that great king,¹⁷⁵

but he despised my words,
And spurned the old king's pact. When he assailed me,
And put me to a shift, and when the hosts
Met face to face, the stars raged at Pírúz,
And by no will of ours thy Sháh was slain.
Or e'er he broke the pact of righteous Sháhs
His youth had not another day of joy;
He found^175a

no favour in the Maker's eyes;
Thou wouldst have said: ‘Earth took him by the
heel.’^175b

The man that breaketh his forefather's treaty,
And flingeth underfoot the head of right,
Is like Pírúz upon the battlefield,
Pashed in a dusty ditch. So shalt thou be
If thou shalt come; my wealth and warriors fail not.”
Departing with the letter and apace
The envoy in a week reached Súfarai,
Who read and loosed his tongue in malisons.
Then from the plain the people heard the blare
Of trumpets and the clash of brazen cymbals,
And Súfarai led forth to Kashmíhan
A host so great that Sol was lost in heaven.
'Twas thus they crossed the stream—an armament
That made itself at home where'er it went.

On his side vengeful Súfarai

Came onward like a blast. When it was night
That leader of the army occupied
All the approaches with fresh elephants.
The outposts went their rounds in both the hosts,
The world resounded with the warriors' shouts,
The challenge of the sentries and the clang
Of bells rose from both armies, front and rear,
Till Sol rose o'er the peaks and made the dales
And deserts like white crystal. Both arrays
Prepared for strife; each raised the flag of greatness.
Then dragons' livers sundered at the shouting
Of valiant warriors while feathered shafts
Made air all vultures' plumes, and earth became
A bath of chieftains' blood. Where'er one gazed
Lay heaps of warriors slain. Then Súfarai
Charged from the centre with his troops amain,
While Khúshnawáz on his side with his sword
Of vengeance spurred down from his vantage-ground;
But when he saw that fortune proved unkind
He turned his rein and showed his back, pursued
By Súfarai as 'twere a raging blast,
Who followed with a head-transfixing spear.
He captured many nobles; many more
Were slain by arrow and by scimitar.
He sped till he reached Kuhandizh and saw
No lack of slain and wounded on the way.
Then from the ramparts Khúshnawáz beheld
His troops spread o'er the desert's hills and dales;
The way was strewn with dead and things of price
So that the plain was decked out like a garden.
The soldiers carried off to Súfarai
The harness, lances, coronets of state,
The battle-gear, the girdles, steeds, and slaves,
And made a heap as high as Mount Alburz.
He paid no heed to all that Turkman spoil,
But gave the whole in largess to his troops,
And thus harangued the host: “To-day's affair
Hath prospered for us to our hearts' content
Through fortune's favour, but what time the sun
Shall lift its hand in heaven we must not bide

The troops replied: “'Tis thine to bid,

And thine to stipulate the terms of peace.
None knoweth better in Írán than thou:
Thou art our king, our leader, and our lord.”
Thus to his noble chiefs spake Súfarai:—
“The only policy for us to-day
Is this—to seek no more to fight with them.
I will lead back the army to Írán
With speed, because Kubád,¹⁷⁹

son of Pírúz,
One of the royal race, is in their hands
With the high priest Ardshír and army-leaders,
Both young and old. If we fight Khúshnawáz
The matter will be long and profitless,

His soldiers blessed him, saying:—

“That is the treaty, precedent, and Faith
For us.”

The paladin then called the envoy,

And thus addressed him with a dulcet tongue:—
“It was the act of God—enough! This world
Designeth evil and appriseth none.
The great men of Írán that have been taken
Are these—Kubád and the high priest Ardshír.^179a

These with the rest that have their feet in fetters
Dispatch to me in honourable fashion.
Moreover all the booty in your hands—
Dínárs and crowns and wealth of every kind—
Dispatch in full to me, and let it come
In presence of the chieftains of this host.
We will not stretch our hands to spoil and slay
Because we have no need and worship God.
Within ten days we will recross Jíhún,
And take no warlike step thenceforth. Give ear
To that which I have said and tell it all,
On thy return, to Khúshnawáz.”

The envoy

Returned forthwith to Khúshnawáz in triumph,
And gave the message. Khúshnawáz rejoiced,
And instantly released Kubád from bonds
With the high priest Ardshír and all the other
Íránian prisoners, collected all
The booty found upon the day of battle,
Besides the throne and crown of Sháh Pírúz,
And what was scattered 'mongst his troops, and sent
All by a trusty man to Súfarai.
Now when the soldiers looked upon Kubád
They joyed to see him, the high priest Ardshír,
And all the other captives young and old.
The mighty men came from their tents and all
Stretched out their hands to heaven in gratitude
That they beheld the king of kings' own son
Unhurt with all the rest that most they prized.
Forthwith the chief broke up the camp, took horse,

When tidings reached the country of Írán
About that fortunate and glorious chief,
About his war and strife with Khúshnawáz,
And all his wonder-working policy:—
“He hath returned glad and victorious
From war, Kubád hath been released from fetters,
And Súfarai hath brought withal Ardshír,
The high priest, and the Íránian prisoners;
Just now he crossed o'er the Jíhún, his host
Is on the plains and mountains of Írán,”
Such shouts ascended that thou wouldst have said:—
“They deafened those that heard.” The prudent
magnates
Arose and gat themselves in readiness
To go forth with their welcome while Balásh
Prepared a golden throne to seat Kubád,
And that chief paladin. When Súfarai
Arrived within the realm the great men all
Met, while the Sháh prepared the welcoming,
Set forward with such forces as he had,
And when he saw Kubád released from bonds,
Glad and victorious, embraced him quickly
With joy and cursed the people of Haitál
And Chín. They passed within the royal palace
With hearts still sore and eager for revenge.
Balásh commanded and they spread the board,
And called for wine and harp and minstrelsy;
But there was little gladness at that feast
Through sorrow for magnanimous Pírúz.
The singers lauded Súfarai and sang
Upon the harp the war against Túrán.
He was the Cynosure of all the chieftains,
Who entertained high hopes and joyed in him.
The country rallied to him, those at least
That longed to take revenge on Khúshnawáz.
The hearts of all the paladins rejoiced
In Súfarai; they freed their souls from care.
Thus was it till four years had passed away,
And he had not his equal in the world.
Naught happened but according to his will,
And what he would he did. Now when his word
Prevailed throughout the world he had Balásh
Removed, albeit gently, from the throne,
And said to him: “Thou rulest not the realm;
Thou knowest not the good men from the bad;
Thou turnest all the empire to a jest
Through thy perversity and carelessness.
Kubád is wiser far than thou and hath
Much more authority within the realm.”
Balásh withdrew to his own house, for he
Dared not make answer: “Get thee gone,” but said:—
“This throne will vex not when I sit thereon;
'Tis free from travail, pain, and malison.”

Kubád ascends the throne and harangues the chiefs. Súfarai continues for a time at the head of affairs and then is disgraced and executed. The Íránians revolt in consequence, hand Kubád over to Súfarai's son, Rizmihr, and make Kubád's brother, Jámásp, Sháh. Rizmihr acts with extreme loyalty, protects Kubád, and escapes with him to the Haitálians. On the way thither Kubád marries a thane's daughter who becomes the mother of Kisrá. Provided with an army by the king of the Haitálians Kubád regains the throne. He wars against Rúm, builds cities, and becomes a convert to the teaching of Mazdak who, however, is worsted in a public disputation by Kisrá and put to death with his followers. Kubád appoints Kisrá, to whom the folk give the name of Núshírwán, his successor and dies.

According to Mír Khánd, Kubád (Kobad, A.D. 488-531) was known as “the well-intentioned.”¹⁸³

Historically the events of his reign, as set forth in the Sháhnáma, may be revised as follows. Súfarai remained at the head of affairs until the revolt occurred that drove the Sháh to take refuge with the Haitálians. This revolt was brought about by the conversion of Kubád to the doctrines of the heresiarch Mazdak, who had a large and increasing following. Kubád seems to have been sincere in his adoption of Mazdakism, but at the same time used its subversive principles as a means of reducing the power of, and of humbling, the great nobles. The official hierarchy, however, took alarm, Kubád was dethroned and shut up in the “Castle of Oblivion” in Susiana, and Jámásp, his brother, reigned in his stead. Kubád, however, by the help of his sister, wife, or both, or of Súfarai himself, managed to make good his escape to the Haitálians with whom he had stayed for some two years as a hostage during the lifetime of his father.¹⁸⁴

During his second sojourn among them he married his own niece—the offspring, by the Haitálian king, of the captive daughter of Pírúz.^184a

Helped by his royal father-in-law Kubád managed to recover his throne and placed Súfarai again at the head of affairs, but at length, finding him too powerful, called in the aid of his rival—Shápúr of Rai, the captain of the host—and had him put to death. Kubád never seems to have abandoned his personal regard for Mazdakism, in spite of the fact that it had cost him the temporary loss of his crown, until nearly the end of his long reign. Probably after his restoration he was content to hold it as a pious opinion only, no longer as a weapon to be used against the nobility or in a manner provocative of the Magi. The Maz-dakites, however, not unnaturally became concerned about the future—what would happen on Kubád's death? Accordingly they attempted to secure the succession for one of Kubád's sons whom they knew that they could trust. Kubád, however, had made up his mind already in favour of another heir, and a great massacre of Mazdakites ensued. This seems to have taken place at the end of A.D. 528 or the beginning of A.D. 529. Kisrá in consequence of the share that he took in exterminating the Communists received the name of Núshírwán.¹⁸⁵

This account, from which all irrevelant history has been omitted, differs widely, as will be seen, from that given in the Sháhnáma: Mazdak and his evangel have been replaced in their proper historical context, the story of the birth of Kisrá has been omitted, and so has all reference to Rizmihr, Súfarai's son.

§§ 2 and 3. Tabarí tells us that when, at the instance of Kubád, Shápúr of Rai overthrew Súkhrá (Súfarai), a saying, which became a proverb, grew current and ran thus: “Súkhrá's wind is gone; now a wind has risen for Mihrán.” Mihrán was the name of one of the great Arsacid families that played an important rôle, and held high office, in Sásánian times, and its employment in the above proverb has led Nöldeke to suspect that “Súkhrá” also must be the title of a family, not the name of an individual, as otherwise the two halves of the proverb would not have balanced properly. He is inclined therefore to the opinion that Súkhrá and Zarmihr— the Rizmihr of Firdausí—were not two individuals standing in the relation of father and son to each other, but one and the same person—Zarmihr of the family of Súkhrá of the house of Káran.^185a

This house, like that of Mihrán, was probably of Arsacid descent, but in Íránian tradition, as we learn from the Sháhnáma, claimed a much older origin and looked upon Káwa, the smith, who raised the standard of revolt against the tyranny of Zahhák, as the founder of its fortunes.^185b

However this may be, the rivalry between two great families, and the employment by the Sháh of one of them to deliver himself from the overgrown authority of the other would be natural enough. It is to be noted that Shápúr of Rai is described in the poem as being descended from Mihrak—the mortal enemy of Ardshír Pápakán and evidently for some reason or other a very important personage in Íránian legend. He is said to have been of Jahram in Párs, while Rai, with which his descendant Shápúr is associated, was the centre of Arsacid power in popular tradition.^185c

Not very long ago we had a Mihrán as treasurer to Yazdagird son of Shápúr,¹⁸⁶

quite lately we found another—Ruhhám—helping Pírúz in his struggle against his brother Hurmuz,^186a

presently we shall come upon a third as the opponent of Belisarius,^186b

a fourth as a general in Núshírwán's host,^186c

while a fifth—Mihrán Sitád—goes on a mission to the Khán.^186d

In Kubád's plans for escape to the Haitálians he associates himself with six others. Seven is a favourite number in Persian story. We have the Seven Climes, the Seven Courses or Stages of Rustam and Asfandiyár, the Fight of the Seven Warriors, the Seven Feasts of Núshírwán, and other instances.^186e

§ 4. According to Tabarí, Kubád fled twice to the Haitálians, once on the occasion of his unhistorical contention with Balásh^186f

and again, historically, here. On both occasions he is said to have contracted a marriage on his journey and to have been accompanied by Zarmihr (Rizmihr). This is stated by Tabarí with regard to the first flight and by Dínawarí and Firdausí as to the second.^186g

§ 5. In the above accounts the birth of Kisrá is chronicled in connection with both flights. This duplication does not make the story any the more probable, and, as a matter of fact, Kisrá appears to have been the son of the sister of one of Kubád's generals who served in the Roman war, A.D. 502-506.^186h

In view of the subsequent importance of Kisrá it was incumbent that Kubád should ask and receive satisfactory assurances as to the descent of the mother of his son. The name Kisrá is the Arabic form of the Persian Khusrau which, with the exception of twelve years, was the name of the Sháhs from A.D. 531 to A.D. 627, if we leave out of account the usurper Bahrám Chubína.

Jámásp who, according to Mír Khánd, was known as “the proud,”¹⁸⁶ⁱ

appears to have reigned for two years, A.D. 496-498, and it is to be feared that his brother's treatment of him after his deposition was not so amiable as Firdausí would have us believe. The same remark would apply to Jámásp's adherents, whom also the poet tells us were pardoned. One account at all events states that Kubád “killed the Great” when he regained the throne.^186j

According to Tabarí, Zarmihr (Rizmihr) was put to death by Kubád some time after his restoration.^186k

The story of the Sháh's ingratitude to the father is duplicated in the case of the son, which in itself is suspicious, as is the almost superhuman loyalty displayed by the latter in § 3. It may be laid to the account of the legitimist view that obtains in this part of the poem.¹⁸⁷

If Súfarai be the Persian commander-in-chief called Seoses in Procopius he was not put to death till about A.D. 519.^187a

Until war broke out in A.D. 502 there had been, with one slight exception in the reign of Yazdagird son of Bahrám Gúr,^187b

a period of peace for eighty years between the Persian and Eastern Roman Empires. To both the defence of the passes in the Caucasus against the incursions of northern Barbarians was equally important, and the understanding was that both should contribute equally to that end. This arrangement formed one of the terms of the peace concluded by Yazdagird with the younger Theodosius after the brief war, above mentioned, in A.D. 442. The Romans, however, were very remiss in carrying out their part of the undertaking, and their money contribution was in arrear. Both parties seem to have been inclined to look upon the money as tribute to be exacted or refused according to circumstances, and this added to the difficulty of an agreement which probably is responsible for the notion often found in Íránian legend that Rúm was tributary to Írán. Kubád, after his restoration, found himself in want of money to pay his Haitálian allies and applied to the Emperor Anastasius for the arrears due for the defence of the passes. Anastasius refused, his motive being, it is said, the hope of embroiling Kubád with his northern mercenaries, and the Sháh declared war. At first he was very successful, taking Theodosiopolis in Roman Armenia and Amida in northern Mesopotamia, but the generals whom he left to carry on the war, when he himself was called off to resist an Haitálian invasion, were less successful, and Kubád commissioned his brother-in-law, the uncle of Kisrá, to negotiate a peace.^187c

The Persians received a lump sum and gave up the captured cities. Towards the end of Kubád's reign war again broke out, A.D. 526, and lasted till his death. It was in this war that Belisarius rose to fame and fought twice with one of the Mihráns named Pírúz.^187d

Procopius, who had become secretary to Belisarius in A.D. 527, gives a correspondence purporting to have passed between the two generals.^187e

Hulwán was situated north-west of Kirmánsháh at Sar-i-pul-i-Zohab. ^187f

Kubád merely renamed it as he also renamed a town called Aragán on the borders of Ahwáz and Párs not far from the present Bihbihán. He changed Aragán to Rámkubád.¹⁸⁸

§§ 6 and 7. In the Vendídád there is a reference to “the ungodly fasting Ashemaogha” (heretic), to which the Pahlaví commentary on the Zandavasta adds: “like Mazdak, son of Bámdát.”^188a

In the late Pahlaví Text known as the Bahman Yasht the names are given of six priests whom Núshírwán summoned to his aid in his disputation with Mazdak.^188b

Two of them are recognisable in Firdausí's Hurmuzd and Mihr-Ázar. Mazdak's place of birth is quite uncertain, and his historical importance began and ended with the reign of Kubád. The poet omits to mention two of Mazdak's principles —the prohibition of bloodshed and of flesh-eating—but in other respects his account of that heresiarch's doctrines seems to be substantially correct—Zoroastrianism with private property and the family abolished. To this anarchical Faith doubtlessly he did his best to win over Kubád's recognised heir, failing in which he schemed to alter the succession and perished in the attempt. This seems to be the obvious explanation of the catastrophe. Mání and his followers in their time fared no better.^188c

Núshírwán was far too able and practical to be led away by Mazdak, and on coming to the throne tried his best to repair the mischief that had been done.^188d

seat he said: “Conceal
Naught from me. By bright day and darksome night
The way to me is open unto you.
The man is great who ordereth his tongue
To right discourse and seeketh not deceit,
While since he will be merciful in wrath
The best of men will welcome him as guide.
He setteth up the throne of acceptation
Within the world, receiving from the great
Just commendation. If thou keep'st thy heart
Far from revenge both great and small will praise
thee,
But when the great king is a double-dealer
His double-dealing is a call to strife.
First hear a matter through for thus apprised
Thou wilt reply aright. When any sage
Is covetous his knowledge will not fruit;
When he is headstrong it will be to him
Like water in a salt marsh. Furthermore
'Tis well to get a soldier's heart and bear
Reproach submissively.¹⁸⁹

The rich, hard man
Is lower even than a mendicant;
But when a foolish mendicant hath sway
His rule is simple madness. He that knoweth
His own defects will not be eloquent
On those of others. Patience is the pillar
Of wisdom: to be wroth is but to make
Oneself despised. Submission to God's justice
Will make thee rich, sincere, and honourable,
For thou art freed from care. The body of him
That hath no greed is better than a treasure,
While that man whose viaticum is knowledge
Will die in person but in name live ever;
So put ye all your hands to good alone,
And walk not on this whirling world for ill.”
The nobles all called blessings down on him,
And showered emeralds upon his crown.
He was a youth of sixteen years, and bore
As yet but little part in government,

Thus in the cup the wine was tulip-like
Until Kubád was twenty-one¹⁹⁰

years old;
Then Súfarai came in before the king
For licence to go home and thereupon
He gat him ready with his retinue,
Struck up the drums, and started for Shíráz,
Returning to his country, full of joy,
As one that had obtained his whole desire.
All Párs was as it were a slave before him,
And, save the throne of empire, all was his.
His thoughts were these: “I have set up the Sháh,
And done him homage as my sovereign,
So now if any man shall slander me
He will rebuke that man and banish him.”
He levied tribute on the provinces,
On all the men of name and all the chiefs.
When tidings of his just and unjust deeds
Came from Shíráz to glorious Kubád,
The people said: “The Sháh hath but the crown,
And not the troops and treasure in Írán,
Hath no authority, is not consulted;
The world is all the slave of Súfarai.”
All those that shared the secrets of Kubád
Repeated to him what the people said,
And added: “Why, exalted king! art thou
Contented merely to be king in name?
His treasury is better filled than thine:
Thou shouldst release the world from his oppression.
All Párs hath grown as 'twere a slave to him,
The great men have become his thralls.”

These words

Seduced Kubád's¹⁹¹

heart, which became forgetful
Of all the services of Súfarai;
He said: “If I shall send an army forth
He will revolt and seek to be avenged,
I shall but use my wealth to make a foe,
While he will cause much trouble and much toil.
The people all are talking of his deeds,
Unwitting of his secret purposes.
I know not any warrior of Írán
To march against him with a host to battle.”
A wise man answered thus: “Think not that he
E'er will be recognised as king. Thou hast

For Súfarai had not a foe like him
In public and in private. Thus apprised
Shápúr convoked his lieges and led forth
His army in all haste to Taisafún.
When he had brought his army to the Sháh
They gave him audience instantly. The world-lord,
On seeing him, received him graciously,
Caused him to sit upon the turquoise throne,
And said: “I have no portion in this crown,
Am noted 'mongst the foolish in the world.
All power is with Súfarai; I see
But sovereignty in name. Late in the day
My body shrinketh from the weights that press
With justice or injustice on my neck.
E'en were my brother master of Irán
'Twere better than this unjust Súfarai.”
Shápúr replied: “O king! be not aggrieved
At heart on this account. Thou shouldest write
A letter in harsh terms to him, for thou
Hast Grace and fame, high lineage and support.
Say: ‘Of the crown of king of kings my share
Is travail and an empty treasure-house.
Thou takest tribute, and I bear the blame.
I will not have thee call me Sháh henceforth.
Lo! I have sent to thee a paladin
In that thy conduct causeth me to wail.’
When he shall get a letter thus conceived,
And I am there with troops prepared for fight,
I will not leave him time to wink an eye,
Or speak a word to him unless in wrath.”
They called to them a scribe and seated him
Before Shápúr, who said again the words
As spoken in the presence of the Sháh:
The writer wrote them, grieving secretly.
Shápúr, whenas the Sháh had sealed the letter,

The paladin

Replied: “The monarch of the world is ware
What toil and hardship I have borne for him
That marching from Zábulistán with troops
I set him free from bondage by my valour,
And suffered no calamity to come
Upon him. I had influence with the Sháh,
And with the chieftains of the Íránian host,
But since bonds are to be my recompense,
And my resistance will be troublesome
To thee, I ask no respite. Bind my feet:
The fetters of Kubád will profit me.
Doth he not shame before God and the host,
For I shed freely my warm blood for him?
What time the Sháh was in captivity
I swore by God a mighty oath, and said:—
‘My hand shall look but on my falchion's hilt,
And I will cloud the sun in fight, till I
Shall give my head or bring down from the throne
The head of Khúshnawáz between the shears.’
And now he biddeth me be bound! Is't right?
Receive I but derogatory words?
Still turn not aught from his commands, for know
That bonds but ornament a hero's feet.”
Shápúr, on hearing this, made fast the fetters,
Then bade the trumpet sound and gat to horse.
From Párs he carried Súfarai before
Kubád, who thought not of past services,
But bade men bear him to the prison-house,
Near where the madmen were, and gave command
To carry from Shíráz to Taisafún
What wealth soever he possessed—his folk,
His treasures, and the produce of his fields—
By those appointed to the treasurer.

Now when these tidings reached the Íránians:—
“He of the elephantine form is dead,”
A cry of anguish went up from Írán,
Men, women, children, all alike bewailed;
The tongue of every one was steeped in curses,
And secret thoughts found public utterance.
Írán was all convulsed, the dust went up,
While all folk made them ready for the fight,
And thus they said: “Since Súfarai is gone
Let not Kubád's throne be within Írán.”
The soldiers and the citizens agreed,
They would not bear the mention of Kubád,
But marched upon the palace of the Sháh,
Vexed at his ill advisers, for redress.
These men—all malice and intent on evil—
They took, dragged from the palace, and then sought
With diligence for traces of Jámásp,
His younger brother and a noble youth,
One whom Kubád had cherished tenderly.
They chose him, seated him upon the throne,
And called down blessings on him as their Sháh;
But made Kubád's feet fast in iron fetters,
Unheedful of his Grace and noble birth.
Now Súfarai had one son well beloved,
A wise man, holy and illustrious,
A youth without offence, Rizmihr by name,
Whose fame had made his father well content.
To him the people gave Kubád in bonds,
As unto some malicious enemy,
And thought: “Through grief the loving son will take
Revenge upon the king for Súfarai.”
The good Rizmihr, the worshipper of God,
Laid not his hand for ill upon the world-lord,¹⁹⁶

The good Rizmihr, on hearing this, anon
Released Kubád from fetters. From the city
They fared forth to the plain by night, unseen
By foes, and made toward the Haitálians,
Wrung with anxiety and hurrying.
On this wise sped the seven like flying dust
Until with dizzy heads they reached Ahwáz,
And entered on their steeds that wealthy town—
A town wherein a famous chieftain dwelt.
Dismounting at the dwelling of the thane
They tarried there and breathed themselves awhile.
He had a daughter moonlike, crowned with musk,
And, when Kubád beheld her face, all wisdom
Fled from his youthful brain. He went forthwith,
And told Rizmihr: “I have a privy word

Said Kubád while smiling

At him who thus dictated terms: “I never
Will give that land a thought and, when thou wishest,
Will send thee troops in numbers numberless.
What is Chaghán that I should look that way?”
When they had made their pact the Haitálian king
Unlocked his treasury and gave Kubád
Dínárs and arms, and two score thousand swordsmen,
All famed as warriors and cavaliers.
Thus to Ahwáz from the Haitálians went
Kubád; the whole world rang with that event.

Kubád approached the thane's abode and saw
In every street a scattered populace,
Who all apprised him of the joyful news:—

Then there arose a man by name Mazdak,
Learned, eloquent, judicious, and commanding,
Of noble birth, a trafficker in knowledge,
And brave Kubád gave ear to him. This man
Became the king of kings' chief minister,
The treasurer and the guardian of the treasure.
Then famine visited the world through drought,
A famine that afflicted great and small;
No sign of snow appeared upon the sky,
And none saw snow or rain-fall in Írán.
At length the nobles of the world begged bread
And water at the portal of Kubád.
Mazdak returned them this reply: “The Sháh
Will manifest to you a way of hope,”
Then came himself in haste before the king,
And said to him: “O upright Sháh! I fain
Would question thee upon a point if thou
Wilt condescend to answer.”

Eloquent

Kubád replied: “Say on and make my lustre
Fresh in the world.”

“A man,” Mazdak rejoined,

“Is bitten by a snake; his life is passing;
Another man hath got the antidote
Whereof the bitten can obtain no share.
What then should be the guerdon of the man
That hath it? Money will not purchase it.”
The Sháh replied: “He is a murderer,
And should be slain to avenge the other's blood
Before my gate whenever the pursuer
Shall take him.”

Hearing this Mazdak went forth

To those petitioners and told them thus:—
“I have discussed the matter with the Sháh.
Wait till the dawn, and I will show you how
To right yourselves.”

At dawn with stricken hearts in deep affliction.
Mazdak, when he beheld those chiefs from far,
Ran from the portal to the Sháh and said:—
“O thou victorious Sháh and eloquent,
Unsleeping, and the glory of the throne!
Thou gavest me an answer, when I spake,
And by that answer oped my bolted door,
So now with thy permission I will speak
A word to guide thee.”

“Speak,” the Sháh replied,

“Lock not thy lips because thy words will help me.”
Mazdak said: “Noble king! suppose a man,
Whom thou hast bound, but they withhold from him
All food until he dieth, thus perforce
Surrendering sweet life. Now how should one
Be punished who had bread yet left that captive
In destitution? Will the great king say:—
‘This man was wise and holy?’”

Said the Sháh:—

“Rend such to pieces, for through his neglect
He is a murderer.”

On hearing this

Mazdak, when he had kissed the ground, went forth,
And from the portal thus harangued the crowd:—
“Go to the magazines where grain is stored,
And help yourselves while if the owners ask
Its value give them gold.”

His own possessions

Within that city he gave up to pillage
In order that all folk might have their share.
Then all the hungry rabble fared in haste
To plunder every magazine of corn,
Owned by the citizens or by Kubád,
Who had none left to bless themselves withal.
The officers, when they perceived this, went
Before the watchful world-lord and thus said:—
“The mob have sacked the Sháh's own granaries,
But all the fault recoileth on Mazdak.”
Kubád bade call that man of eloquence,
And talked with him about the pillaging.
Mazdak replied: “Mayst thou be fortunate,
And may thy words be wisdom's daily food.
I only told the wretched market-folk
The words which I had heard the monarch speak.
I asked the Sháh about the snake and poison,
And of the man who had the antidote.
The Sháh returned this answer to his servant
Concerning him that had and him that sought it:—
‘If any die of snake-bite in the city,
Unhelped by one who hath the remedy,
For such they shall require that niggard's blood.’
The Sháh's authority must not be slighted.
Bread is the antidote for hungry men—
An antidote not wanted by the full.
If thou art one that judgest right, O Sháh!
Shall not the corn in store be put to use?

It happened that Mazdak at dawn one day
Went from his house and came before the Sháh,
And thus he said: “Of those that hold our Faith,
As well as of our lieges pure of heart,
A crowd of chiefs are at the door; shall I
Admit them or shall they depart?”

Kubád,

On hearing, bade the chamberlain admit them,
Whereat Mazdak said to the noble Sháh:—
“This house is narrow and the crowd is great,

They agreed and so departed.

The exalted Sháh returned to his own palace.
Kisrá dispatched a man to every quarter
To look for sages and auxiliaries.
An envoy went to Khurra-i-Ardshír
To cause the old Hurmuzd to come to court,
While from Istakhr came Mihr-Ázar of Párs
With thirty friends. These seekers after knowledge
Held session and discussed the case at large,
And then these men of lore and ancient sages
Presented their conclusions to Kisrá,

for when the way
Of Farídún, of Esdras, and of Christ,
And all the Zandavasta, shall prove wrong,
And when the doctrine of Mazdak shall stand,
The world must take him for its only guide.
If, on the other hand, his words are false,
And he ensueth not God's holy way,
Then turn thee from the pathway of his Faith,
Put far from thee this sorry Creed of his,
And give him with his followers to me;
God grant that none of them keep brain and skin.”
He took as witnesses Rizmihr, Kharrád,
Bihzád, Bandwí, and Fará'in, and thence
Departed to his palace and observed
The righteous covenant that he had made.
At dawn, what time the sun displayed its crown,
And earth was like a sea of ivory,
The world-king's son, that man of eloquence,
Set forth with chieftains and with archimages.
They went together to the royal palace.
Their speech was fluent and their quest the Way.
That youth—the Joy of hearts—came to Kubád,
And oped the case, whereon an archimage
Addressed Mazdak before the throng and said:—
“O seeker after wisdom! thou hast framed
A new religion in the world and made
Community of women and of goods.
How will a father recognise his son,
The son in like wise recognise his father?
When every man is equal in the world,
And great and little are no more discerned,
Who then will serve, and how can any rule?²⁰⁸

Who then will labour for us, thee and me,
And how shall good men be discerned from bad?
When one shall die to whom will appertain
His house and goods when toiling slave and Sháh
Are equal? This will desolate the world;
Such evil must not come upon Írán.
When all are masters who will be the servant?
When all have treasure who be treasurer?
None of the leaders of the Faith spake thus,
And thou art mad although thou hidest it.
Thou leadest all mankind to Hell, and thou
Accountest not all evil-doing wrong.”
Kubád, when he had heard the archmage's words,
Was wroth and then gave sentence on the case.
The illustrious Kisrá supported him,
The impious one grew full of fear at heart,

Kisrá

Had at his court a pleasure-ground whose wall
Was higher than a crow could fly. Around
The circuit of that wall he dug a trench
Wherein he set those men at intervals.
They planted them like trees and firmly fixed
Their feet aloft, their heads below. Kisrá
Addressed Mazdak on this wise: “Visit thou
The entrance of my noble garth. The seed
That thou hast scattered all this while hath brought
Fruit forth to thee, O thou insensate one!
Thou shalt see trees such as none e'er beheld,
Or heard described by shrewd men heretofore.”
Mazdak went, oped the portal of the garden,
And thought maybe to see fruit-bearing trees,
But seeing what he did he gave a cry,
And then all consciousness abandoned him.
Kisrá gave orders for a lofty gibbet
To be set up and at the top to fasten
A twisted lasso. Thereupon he hung
That impious wretch head-downwards and alive,
And after slew him with a shower of arrows.
If thou art prudent follow not Mazdak!
The chiefs felt reassured about their wealth,
Their women, children, and their pleasances.
Kubád remained ashamed for many days,
And cursed Mazdak, gave mendicants much largess,
And offered gifts before the Fane of Fire.
He gladdened at Kisrá exceedingly
Because that Bough of his bare fruit of gems.
From that time forth the father sought alway
The son's advice and heard what he would say.

Now when Kubád had reigned for forty years
The grief of death's day came upon his heart.
He had a writing fairly drawn on silk
In that befitting and engaging script,²¹⁰

Now when Kisrá ascended his new throne
The people hailed him as their new-made Sháh,
Called praises down on him as sovereign,
And time and earth submitted to his sway.

Folk said:—
“May this Sháh live for ever. May his Grace
Surpass Jamshíd's.”

His goodness and his justice,

His institutions, Faith, and far-famed knowledge
Were such that people called him Núshírwán,^211b

For love and signet were both young with him.
The story of Kubád is at an end,
And henceforth to Kisrá my thoughts I bend.

The poet tells of the accession of Núshírwán, his internal administration, his repression of marauding tribes, his first war with Rúm, the revolt and death of his son Núshzád, of the rise to power and wisdom of Búzurjmihr, the fall of Mahbúd, the Sháh's marriage with the daughter of the Khán, Búzurjmihr's discourse on good words and deeds, the introduction into Persia of the game of chess and the Fables of Bidpai, the legend of the invention of the former and that of the game of nard, the fall and the restoration to favour of Búzurjmihr, the wisdom of Núshírwán, his last war with Rúm, his appointment of his successor, and death.

Kisrá, surnamed Núshírwán (Chosroës I, A.D. 531-578), ruled contemporaneously with three Eastern Roman Emperors—Justinian (A.D. 527-565), Justin II (A.D. 565-574), and Tiberius II (A.D. 574-582). Justin resigned the rule to Tiberius, the captain of the guards, in A.D. 574, but did not die till A.D. 578, the year of Núshírwán's death. Núshírwán was perhaps the greatest of the twenty-nine Sásánian Sháhs, at least it is not easy to assign that title to any other unless we reserve it for the founder of the dynasty, Ardshír Pápakán, who has to his credit the overthrow of a long-standing foreign domination, the re-establishment of a national dynasty, and all the toil of political reconstruction that his successful revolt against the last Arsacid involved.

It will be seen that the poet had plenty of material for this portion of his undertaking. The subject-matter falls naturally into certain well-defined divisions; accordingly we have broken up the reign, as in the case of that of Gushtásp,²¹³

into Parts, but there is no such arrangement in the original.

Kisrá will be referred to throughout by his popular title of Núshírwán.

The principal historical events recorded by Firdausí in his account of the reign may be placed in approximate chronological order as follows:—

The fall of Mahbúd.

The reorganisation of the kingdom, finances, and army.

The chastisement of barbarous frontier-tribes.

The fortification of Darband.

The first war with Rúm (A.D. 540-562).

The revolt of Núshzád (A.D. 551).

Núshírwán's marriage with the daughter of the Khán.

The introduction into Persia of the Fables of Bidpai (about A.D. 570).

The birth of Muhammad (about A.D. 571).

The second war with Rúm (A.D. 572).

The first eight of these are included in the present volume.

Núshírwán ascends the throne and makes an oration to the people. He divides the realm into four provinces, and takes order for all matter civil and military. He builds a wall in the Caucasus and represses the Aláns and the men of Balúch and Gílán. He espouses the cause of Munzir, the Arab, against Cæsar, invades Rúm, takes cities, and compels Cæsar to sue for peace and to pay tribute. On a false report of the Sháh's death his son, Núshzád, a Christian, attempts to seize the crown. Núshírwán writes to his general, Rám Barzín, instructing him how to proceed, and Núshzád is defeated and slain.

§ 2. Núshírwán's accession to the throne was not universally popular and gave rise to a formidable conspiracy in favour of one of his nephews.²¹⁴

§ 3. Núshírwán's division of his empire into four satrapies differs in details in the different authorities, but seems to have been suggested by the names of the four winds. According to Dínawarí the East included Khurásán, Sístán, and Kirmán; the North Ispahán, Kum, Media Magna, and Ázarbáiján; the South Párs and Ahwáz; the West 'Irák to the Roman frontier.^214a

Firdausí includes the Khazars in the South division—a mistake. They lived beyond the Caucasus.^214b

He includes too Rúm in the West division on the assumption, for which there was certainly some justification at this time, that Rúm was tributary to Írán. A peace or truce concluded between Justinian and Núshírwán involved almost as a matter of course a money-payment from the former to the latter. It did not follow that Justinian always got the worst of the bargain. For instance, in the definite treaty of peace between the two empires in A.D. 562, Núshírwán's renunciation of Lazica (Mingrelia and Imeritia), and consequently of his dream of a fleet and of assailing Rúm by sea, was well worth the thirty thousand pieces of gold to be paid annually by Justinian though it did lay the Emperor open to the imputation of being tributary to the Sháh. Traditional instances of such payments crop up in the Sháhnáma as far back as the days of Dáráb and Failakús.²¹⁵

The popular version of the origin of Kubád's resolve to alter the system of taxation has been given already.^215a

It was left to Núshírwán to carry it out. According to Tabarí the taxes imposed were as follows:—On every garíb of corn-land, i.e. sown with wheat or barley, a ground-tax of one drachm was imposed, on every garíb of vineyard eight, and of lucerne seven; on four Persian date-palms, six common date-palms, provided that they grew in plantations or in numbers, and on six olives, one drachm. Single, seattered trees were not taxed. On all men between the ages of twenty and fifty a poll-tax varying, according to the fortune of a man, was imposed. The people were arranged in classes and paid twelve, eight, six, or four drachms according to their means. The taxes were paid yearly in three instalments at intervals of four months. Schedules of the taxes were drawn up, one of which was kept at the royal chancery, one sent to each collector, and one to each district-judge. The judges were priests and were charged particularly with the duty of seeing that the collectors did not exceed the tariff, and also, in cases where the crops had been damaged, with the duty of remitting taxation to a proportionate amount. The nobility, soldiers, priests, scribes, and others in the royal service, were exempt from the poll-tax.^215b

They were supposed to render their due to the State in other ways.

§ 6. Farídún had his capital in Mázandarán. See Vol. i. pp. 177, 230. For the vegetation of that region, which is very luxuriant, see Vol. ii. pp. 27, 31.

For the fortifications at Darband, see p. 187 and Vol. i. p. 16. Mas'údí's two accounts of Núshírwán's wall, as given in the French translation, are as follows:—“Appelé dans le pays d'El-Bab et dans le Caucase par les incursions des rois du voisinage, il bâtit sur le mer (Caspienne), à l'aide d'outres de cuir gonflées, une muraille de rochers, qu'il consolida avec le fer et le plomb. Ces outres s'enfonçaient dans l'eau, à mesure que le construction s'elevait; lorsqu'elles s'arrêtèrent sur le fond et que la muraille dépassa le niveau de l'eau, des plongeurs, armés de poignards et de coutelas, crevèrent les outres; la muraille, entrant profondémont dans le sol sous-marin, atteignit alors la hauteur du rivage. Elle existe encore aujourd'hui, en 332,²¹⁶

et toute la partie de cette muraille dont les assises plongent dans la mer est nomée el-kaïd (la chaîne), parce qu'elle arrête les bâtiments ennemis qui ten-teraient d'aborder sur cette côte. On continua le même travail le long du rivage, entre le Caucase et le mer; on pratiqua des portes donnant sur le territoire infidèle, et l'on prolongea la muraille sur le mont Caucase, ainsi que nous l'avons dit ci-dessus, en décrivant cette montagne et la ville d'El-Bab.”^216a

The other account referred to is this:—“Le Kabkh est une grande chaîne de montagnes qui renferme, dans sa vaste étendue, un nombre considérable de royaumes et de tribus: en effet, on n'y compte pas moins de soixante et douze peuplades, qui ont chacune leur chef et parlent une langue qui leur est propre. Ces montagnes sont sillonnées de gorges et de vallées; c'est à la tête de l'un de ces défilés que se trouve la ville de Bab-el-Abwab, bâtie par Kosroës Enouchirwân, sur un point intermédiaire entre le pays montueux et la mer des Khazars. Le même souverain construisit cette célèbre muraille qui, d'une part, s'avance dans la mer, jusqu'à une distance d'environ un mille des côtes, et, d'autre part, s'élève sur les sommets abruptes des montagnes et descend dans leur gorges profondes, sur une longueur de quarante parasanges, jusqu'à ce qu'elle aboutisse à une place forte nommée Tabarestân. De trois milles en trois milles à peu pres, suivant l'importance de la route sur laquelle elle s'ouvrait, il plaça une porte de fer, près de laquelle il installa, dans l'intérieur de l'enceinte, une peuplade chargée de veiller à sa garde et à celle de la muraille. Ce rempart devait opposer une barrière infranchisable aux attaques des tribus voisines du Kabkh, telles que les Khazars, les Alains, les Tures, les Serirs et les autres peuplades infidèles.”^216b

One of the terms of peace made between Núshírwán and Justinian, after the death of Kubád, was that Persia should be paid the sum of eleven thousand pounds of gold towards the maintenance of the defences in the Caucasus and should undertake the actual defence herself.^216c

For Sikandar's wall, built, according to the legend, with a similar purpose, see Vol. vi. p. 163.

§ 7. Núshírwán's dealings with the Aláns and the folk of Gílán are historical, but Firdausí substitutes the Balúchís, who made themselves very troublesome in his time, for another tribe, mentioned in his authorities but unknown to him, which dwelt north of the Caucasus.²¹⁷

It is very unlikely that any of the Sásánian Sháhs ever got as far East as Hindústán.

§§ 8-10. The accession of Núshírwán found Persia and the Eastern Roman Empire at war, but a year or two later he concluded what was known as the “the endless peace” with Justinian. The title was somewhat unfortunate, as in A.D. 540 war again broke out owing, according to Firdausí and Tabarí, to the treatment of Munzir, prince of Híra (A.D. 505-554), by the Romans. He was Núshírwán's protégé and had a dispute with Hárith bin Jabala, the Ghassánian and Justinian's protégé, about a pasturage for sheep south of Palmyra. Hárith, as Tabarí states, attacked Munzir, made a great slaughter of his people, and carried off much booty. Munzir appealed to Núshírwán, who could get no accommodation from Justinian, and war ensued between the two empires.^217a

Historically of course there were other reasons, one of the chief being that Justinian, secured on his Persian frontier by the “endless peace,” had availed himself of the opportunity and the services of Belisarius to extend and almost double his possessions by conquests in the West. “Both his friends and his enemies said, with hate or admiration, ‘The whole earth cannot contain him; he is already scrutinising the æther and the retreats beyond the ocean, if he may win some new world.’”^217b

Justinian's success threatened to upset the balance of power. Probably, too, there were always “pin-pricks” going on between the two empires.

§ 11. The Fire-temple visited by Núshírwán before beginning his campaign was probably not one at Tabríz but the more famous one at what is now Takht-i-Sulaimán, about one hundred miles to the South. It was to this latter that the Sásánian Sháhs were wont to resort at important epochs in their lives.^217c

It will be noticed that a Mihrán commands the centre of Núshírwán's host—another instance of the prominent part played by this family of Arsacid descent in Sásánian times. Cf. p. 185.

§ 12. Crossing the Euphrates Núshírwán marched along its western bank till he reached Sura, the Greek ◌ ◌ and the Shúráb of Firdausí, which was taken without difficulty, sacked, and burnt. The Sháh then advanced to Hierapolis, the Áráyish-i-Rúm of the Sháhnáma, which was allowed to ransom itself for two thousand pounds of silver.²¹⁸

Hierapolis sounds somewhat like Áráyish, which means “ornament,” so it would seem that the poet converted the name of that city into Áráyish-i-Rúm or “Ornament of Rúm.”

§ 13. On leaving this city Núshírwán, according to Firdausí, encountered and defeated a Rúman army led by Farfúriyús. Historically, the Persians in their advance on Antioch, in the course of which they held Chalybon-Beroea (Aleppo) to ransom, appear to have been unopposed. The occupation of Kálíniyús (Callinicus) did not take place till the third campaign (A.D. 543) when the city made no resistance, and the inhabitants were led away captive. It was situated on the eastern bank of the Euphrates. In A.D. 531, however, Belisarius, after foiling an attempt of a combined force of Persians and Arabs to raid Antioch, was worsted in a battle at Callinicus; so the two campaigns may have become confused in tradition. Germanus, Justinian's nephew, had been at Antioch before the Persians reached and stormed it in A.D. 540, but had withdrawn as he considered the existing fortifications could not be held with success. The taking of Antákiya (Antioch) was Núshírwán's crowning achievement in this his first campaign against Rúm, and he returned home by another route, compelling various cities to ransom themselves on his way. Farfúriyús is probably Firdausí's rendering of a Byzantine title. Belisarius took no part in the campaign of A.D. 540; he only returned from Italy in that year.

§ 14. That Núshírwán built a new Antioch on the Tigris, not far from Ctesiphon, as a residence for his Roman captives is no doubt historical, though we need not commit ourselves to Tabarí's statement that the new town was so exactly a reproduction of the original that the captives, on arriving, went to their own houses as naturally as if they never had left home.^218a

The cordwainer from Callinicus would be a later arrival.^218b

The new Antioch was also known as Rúmiya or “The Rúman” and by other names.

§ 15. Negotiations for peace had been going on even during the first year of the war, though they came to nothing, but five years later a suspension of hostilities was agreed upon for five years. Justinian had to give Núshírwán two thousand pounds of gold.^218c

Firdausí does not carry the story of the war further. Peace was made, after the resumption of the war which was followed by another five years' truce, definitively in A.D. 562.

§§ 16-19. The revolt of Núshzád, “Immortal-born,” is historical, and the circumstances attending it may be stated fairly correctly perhaps as follows. He seems to have been Núshírwán's eldest son, and to have been brought up as a Christian by his mother, who was in that Sháh's seraglio and of course a Christian herself. On account of his religion, or for some other reason, he was interned by his father at Gund-i-Shápúr,²¹⁹

which contained a strong Christian element and was the seat of the Nestorian Metropolitan—the next in rank to the Patriarch.^219a

When the news, false as it turned out, of his father's death reached him he had every reason to bestir himself. In the circumstances there was a likelihood of his being passed over in the matter of the succession. His father's known disapproval, the rivalry of his brothers, and his own religion, were obstacles which had to be faced promptly if at all, while as the eldest-born it was only natural that he should aspire to the vacant throne. At the time when his rising occurred (A.D. 551) there was a five years' truce in force between Persia and the Eastern Roman Empire, so it is not likely that he got much help from that quarter. Probably Justinian never heard of the affair till it was all over. The Christian inhabitants of Gund-i-Shápúr naturally would support Núshzád, and it is interesting to find that the leader of his troops is Shammás—a word meaning a Christian priest or deacon. The general Persian opinion of Christians is shown by the word “tarsá,” which means a Christian because its primary meaning is “cowardly,” but it does not appear that Firdausí shared that view; on the contrary, when obviously putting his own words into the mouths of his characters, he treats the Church militant, especially the episcopacy, with much respect.^219b

It is very unlikely therefore that the derogatory words concerning Christianity in the utterances of Núshírwán and Pírúz were the poet's own. Neither are they characteristically Muhammadan. Firdausí found them in his authorities translated from the Pahlaví. Historically, Núshzád does not appear to have fallen in the fight: he fell into his father's hands, was blinded probably, imprisoned, and disappeared from history. The concluding scene of the story may be regarded therefore as the poet's own contribution to it. There is nothing polemical there, but all is characterised by dignity and good feeling.^219c

“O lofty Cypress, thou that ravishest
The heart! oh! wherefore art thou thus opprest?
With pleasure, Grace, and luxury anear
Why is thine ardent heart fulfilled with fear?”
Said to the questioner the Cypress-tree:—
“I was in joy ere age o'ermastered me.
I yield me to the puissance of three-score,
Forbear then and contend therewith no more,
For it hath dragon's breath and lion's claw,
And whomsoe'er it flingeth it will gnaw.
It hath the might of wolf, and thunder-breath,
In one hand care and in the other death.
It maketh stoop the Cypress that subdued
All hearts, it maketh jasmine amber-hued;
It giveth saffron's tint to cercis-bloom,
And, after saffron's tint, a toilful doom.
The runner's foot is bound though fetterless,
The precious body turned to wretchedness;
The lustrous pearls begin to fail with me,
And stoopeth too the noble cypress-tree;
My melancholy eyes bewail and run
Through their debility and travail done;
My blithe, glad heart is full of pain, and thus
These days of mine have grown ungenerous.
Or ever man is weaned his death is nigh,
And people call him old! The sovereignty
Of Núshírwán was forty years and eight;
To look for youth at sixty is too late
For thee, so seek an end to thine affairs,
And wound thy heart no more by gainful cares.”^219d

When Núshírwán^219e

assumed the ivory throne,
And donned the crown—the lustre of the heart—
The great men of the world were gathered there
What time the Sháh sat with his counsellors.
That chief of famous men then loosed his tongue,
Invoked the righteous Giver of all good,
And said: “Be our hearts filled with praise and love
Toward the almighty Ruler of the sky,
From whom are good and ill, fame and desire,
By whom I am made sorrowful and glad,
Of whom are Grace and strength. By His command
The sun is bright in heaven. We will not quit
His counsels and His covenant, or reckon
Our breaths but at His bidding. He that doth
That which is just upon the throne of power
Will have fruition of good fortune here;

Whoever cometh to this court of mine
With just cause whether in or out of season,
No minister of mine will I approve
That keepeth such a matter hid from me.
As for the officers about my court,
And valiant cavaliers among my troops,
As we stint not the stipend due to them
So must they tender mine own name and fame.

The king of kings called unto him the wise,
And settled the affairs of all the world.
The world itself he parted into four,
Assigning that which was inhabited.
He first of all for Khurásán took thought,
And filled thereby the nobles' hearts with joy.
The second part was Kum and Ispahán—
The seat of magnates and the place of chiefs—
Wherewith Ázar Ábádagán, whereon
The Íránians lavished offerings, was comprised.
That Sháh of wary heart²²⁴

included too
Armenia up to Ardabíl and Gíl.

Now of former Sháhs—

Sháhs greater or inferior to himself—
All had required a portion of the crops,
And no man thitherto had 'scaped the tax.
The royal portion was a third or fourth
Until Kubád came and required a tenth.
He meant to have reduced it further still,
And strove to make the lowly like the lord,
But fortune gave him not the time.²²⁵

Whilst thou
Art in the stream ne'er trust the crocodile.
The crown of worship came to Núshírwán,
And he remitted all the tenth forthwith.
The sages, chiefs, great men, and archimages,
The shrewd of heart, assembled—all the rulers.
They had the land partitioned and surveyed,
And laid thereon a land-tax of one drachm
So that the owners might not be distressed.
All that lacked seed or beast, when they should be
Preparing for the crops, were subsidised
Out of the treasure of the king of kings
So that they might not let the ground lie fallow.
Land, if untilled, was left out of account;
The previous usages were done away.
On each six fruiting vines a drachm was levied,
Date-palm plantations paid an equal tax,
While each ten stems of olives and of walnuts,
And other trees that bear their fruit in autumn,
Brought one drachm to the treasury, and this
Was made the only burden of the year.
To fruits that ripened in the month Khúrdád
No heed was paid in taxing. From the men
Of means who neither owned nor tilled the soil
The tax-collector every year received
A payment varying from ten drachms to four;
But no one was oppressed because the money
Was paid in three instalments annually,
And thus a third part of the tax was paid
Each four months to the exchequer of the Sháh.
The royal scribes and officers employed
Within the taxing-office passed all count.
The Sháh had these above-named tolls and imposts
Recorded by the archmages in three ledgers,
Whereof he gave one to the treasurer,
And made that minister account for it;
The second was for sending through the realm
To all officials and the men in power;

Of all the Sháhs that erst had throne and crown,
And had been great in treasure and in troops,
There was not one more just than Núshírwán,
And may his soul be young for evermore.
None was more worshipful for manhood, throne,
For diadem and knowledge. He possessed
An archimage, Bábak by name, a man
Of wisdom, shrewd of heart, and fortunate,
Made him the muster-master of the host,
And bade him to prepare himself an office
Of ample size before the palace-gate,
And higher than its top, and furnish it

The standard and the chief of all the noble.
He left the office, mounted on his steed,
And bade the soldiers go back to their quarters.
The turning sky continued on its course,
And when the radiant sun displayed its face
It was proclaimed before the palace-gate:—
“Ye mace-men of the army of Írán!
Go all in full array with arms and bows
And lassos to the office of Bábak.”
They went with lances, helms, and coats of mail;
The army's dust ascended to the clouds.
Bábak looked round upon the host but, since
The Sháh appeared not in his Grace and state,
Thus spake: “Return glad and victorious
In love and duty, each man to his quarters.”
Again the third day rose the proclamation:—
“Ye men of name, of Grace divine and wisdom!
Let there not be one horseman of this host
Without his helmet and cuirass of war,
And let him come and pass before this gate,
And see his name upon the muster-roll.
Let those that are distinguished by a crown,
By Grace, by majesty, and lofty fortunes,
Know that this muster is without respect
Of persons, reticence, and modesty.”
The king of kings gave ear thereto and heeded
The proclamation from Bábak's díván,
Then smiling called for coat of mail and helm,
And held erect the flag of majesty.
The Sháh, with iron helmet on his head,
Proceeded to the office of Bábak.
The chain-mail hung down from his Rúman helm,
And was secured by many a fastening.
Within his hand he had an ox-head mace,
Within his belt four shafts of poplar-wood,
A bow on arm and lasso on the saddle.
While round his loins he had a golden girdle.
He urged his charger, gripping with his thighs,
And laid the massive mace upon his shoulder;
Then, lightly wheeling both to left and right,
Displayed both steed and rider to Bábak,
Who when he had inspected them approved,
And, having come up to the king of kings,

The muster-master went forth from the court,
With money for the chiefs, to every province,
And now in sooth I have adorned the face
Of earth with men prepared to take the field.
I have more knowledge, policy, and method
Than former Sháhs, and greater armaments.”
The archmage, when he heard the Sháh speak thus,
Called praises down upon the crown and throne.
The payment was delayed for forty days,
And then the athelings, equipped for war,
Went to the office and received their pay
While joyance was the order of the day.

Now when the sun displayed its shining face,
When circling heaven unlocked the garden-gate,
And when the Mound of Fenugreek appeared
While dark night's tresses vanished, Núshírwán,
All smiles, glad-hearted, and of youthful fortune,
Sat on his throne, while all that sought redress
Flocked to his court. The king harangued them
thus:—
“Acknowledge that ye have not any helper
Save holy God, the Lord of all, our Guide,
Who leadeth us in both worlds by the hand.
Fear not the throne and crown, the court is open
To all, and ye soe'er that come thereto
By day and night keep not your lips from speech.
If we are quaffing wine in company,
Or busied with advisers, or at polo,

They went

Their ways, glad and rejoicing, and earth's face
Grew like the garden of Iram.²³⁵

Thou hadst not
Seen any one despondent in the world,
While from the clouds came seasonable rain,
The world resembled jocund Paradise,
The clouds sowed tulips in the pleasances,
The dales, the plains, and orchards shone like lamps,
The uplands were like garths, garths like the sun.
Thereafter tidings came to Rúm and Hind:—
“Írán is like fine painted silk of Rúm;
The Sháh hath decked with armaments and justice
The earth till it is like the shining moon.
No one in all the world doth know the sum
Of all his forces save the Sháh himself.
They all are blithe of heart and dight for war,
Have fame and glory and illume the world.”
The kings of all the realms were sore amazed
At heart; their souls were dark through Núshírwán.
Ambassadors arrived from Hind and Chín,
And all kings called down praises on the Sháh;
They saw that they could counter not his might,
And hasted to pay tribute with good will,
Bare them as underlords to Núshírwán,
And gathered slaves and purses for his service.
With golden maces and with golden crowns
The envoys went upon their way. They reached
The court-gate of the monarch of the world,
And brought the toll and tribute of their lords.
The court appeared adorned like Paradise
Through all those purses, slaves, and audience-seekers.
Thus for a while the heavens turned above,
Consorting with the Íránian king in love.

He led the host

Thus to Gurgán and bare with him the crown
And throne of chiefs. Know, justice is no loss:
Sháhs should have prowess, rede, and noble birth.
Now when the nightingales were full of song
They went thence toward Sarí and toward Ámul,
Where hill and plain were elothed with forest-trees,
Which filled the Íránian monarch's heart with thought.
He left the plain and mounting to the heights,
Still seated on his Arab bay looked out
O'er mountain and o'er forest, and observed
Rose, hyacinth and game, and water there,
And thus he said: “O Thou almighty Judge,
The World-lord, Conqueror, and Fosterer!
Thou art the Maker of the sun and moon,
The Guide and the Revealer of the way.
Thou mad'st the world of such delightsomeness
That we distinguish not 'twixt earth and Heaven.
Whoe'er shall worship any save Thyself
Will send his soul to Hell. It was for this
That pious Farídún forwent Írán,
And made his dwelling here, so passing fair
Is this place and delightsome to the heart,
Where water is rose-water and the soil
Is spicery.”

One said: “O righteous judge!

If this were not a highway for the Turkmans
Our hearts would be not empty of delight,
Such are the wealth and glory of this place;
But as it is we cannot raise our necks
For constant murders, sack, and harryings.

The Sháh

Marched thence to Hindústán and sojourned there.
At his commandment all folk came to him,
Came seeking to ingratiate themselves,
And for two miles beside the Indus-bank
Were horses, elephants, brocade, and coin.
The great men all with honesty of heart
And loyalty appeared before the Sháh,
Who questioned them and well entreated them,
And placed them in accordance to their rank.
With jocund heart the Sháh departed thence:
Troops, steeds, and elephants fulfilled the world.
He went his way, and tidings came to him:—
“The world is wasted by the Balúchís,
Till from exceeding slaughter, pillaging,
And harrying, the earth is overwhelmed,
But greater ruin cometh from Gílán,
And curses banish blessings.”

Then the heart

Of Núshírwán, the Sháh, was sorrowful,
And grief commingled with his joy. He said
To the Íránians: “The Aláns and Hind
Were, in their terror of our scimitars,
Like silk. Now our own realm is turned against us:
Shall we hunt lions and forgo the sheep?”
One said to him: “The garden hath no rose
Without a thorn, O king! So too these marches
Are ever troublesome and treasure-wasting.
As for Balúch the glorious Ardshír
Tried it with all his veteran officers,
But all his stratagems and artifices,
His feints, his labours, arms, and fighting failed,
And though the enterprise succeeded ill
He cloaked the failure even to himself.”
This story of the thane enraged the Sháh,
Who went upon his way toward Balúch.
Now when he drew anear those lofty mountains
He went around them with his retinue,
And all his host encircled them about,
And barred the passage e'en to wind and ant.
The troops, like ants and locusts, occupied
The mountain-outskirts to the sandy desert.

Now as he journeyed on appeared afar
A boundless host of wielders of the spear.
A cavalier—one of that great array—
Approached as quick as dust on their behalf,
And, having lighted from his charger, said:—
“Behold Munzir the Arab.”

When Munzir

Drew near the Sháh all chiefs made way for him.
The Sháh saluted him with signs of joy,
And brightened at his looks. That veteran
Set loose his tongue, discoursed of Rúm and Cæsar,
And said: “If thou art monarch of Írán,
The guardian and the backbone of the brave,
Why do the Rúmans lord it so and prance
Upon the desert of the cavaliers?
While if the Sháh be Cæsar's overlord
That haughty potentate should lose his head.
Now if the noble Sháh will give permission
No more will he behold us asking aid,
And in the fight the horsemen of the desert
Shall triumph o'er the eavaliers of Rúm.”
The Sháh was wroth that Cæsar should exalt
His crown, as said Munzir, and, having chosen
Among the troops a man of eloquence,
And learned in Cæsar's tongue, said thus: “Go thou
To Rúm, take not thine ease in peopled parts,
And say to Cæsar: ‘If thou lackest wisdom
Thy brains will sorrow for thy policy.
The warrior-lion chasing onager
Will batten on them even in a salt-marsh.
For thee to have thy just dues from Munzir
Sufficeth seeing that Vega is his throne.
Discern then 'twixt thy left hand and thy right,
And, when thou knowest, claim what march is thine.
Since I am the distributor of lands
And realms, am highest in the world and chief,
My conduct shall be worthy of myself:
I will let not the wind blow on Munzir.
Since thou hast stretched thy hand upon the Arabs
In fight take privy heed for thine own self.
Moreover all that sovereignty is mine,
And mine is all between the Bull²⁴⁵

and Pisces.
If I shall send an army into Rúm
Thy sword of steel will prove a sword of wax.’”^245a

The ambassador came forth from Núshírwán

That thrusteth both hands in the fire at night.”
He then bade blow the trumpets, and a host
Was gathered unto him from every side;
The din of tymbals went up from the court-gate,
Earth was pitch-hued and air was ebony.
He chose of cavaliers from that famed host
A hundred thousand armed with scimitars,
Entrusted that great army to Munzir,
And bade him: “From the desert of the spearmen
Lead unto Rúm an army of the brave
To set the frontier and the land afire,
For youthful monarch though I be and though
I am but newly famouséd in fight,
Yet fear not Rúm or Rúman, thou! for I
Regard the Rúman as a pinch of dust.
Now will I send me an ambassador—
A man of eloquence—to him. Henceforth,
If thou experience naught calamitous,
That Cæsar should keep Rúm would pleasure us.^246a

The Sháh then called a scribe that was at court,
And bade to write a letter unto Cæsar:—^246b

“From Núshírwán, the Sháh of glorious birth,
The world-lord and successor of Kubád,^246c

To Cæsar, the exalted lord of Rúm—
Guard of the marches of that prosperous land.”
The letter opened with the praise of God
From whom alone all greatness must be sought—
“The Master of the circling sun and moon,
The Source of victory and mastery,

Unto this they set

The Sháh's seal and then chose a cavalier,
Such as was needful, from the court, a man
Persuasive, valiant, shrewd, and veteran.

The envoy with the letter of the king
Came to famed Cæsar, gave it, greeted him,
And told him all the mind of Núshírwán.
When Cæsar heard and had perused the letter
He writhed and was astound. His brow grew wrinkled,
His visage wan at what the exalted Sháh
Had said. He called a scribe, wrote his reply,
And made his meaning clear for good and ill.
The letter first grew musky with the ink
What time he offered praise to God almighty—
“The Artist of the heavens over us,
The Source of warfare, peace, and amity.
He giveth in the world one man a crown
With slaves before him better than himself.
Though turning heaven itself be under thee,
And Jupiter beneath thy scimitar,
Search out thy records, for no son of Rúm
E'er hath paid tribute to thy royal race.
King as thou art I am no less than thou;
I too possess a head, a crown, and realm.
Why must I take so much abuse in fear
Of foot of elephant or din of drum?
I now ask you for tribute and for toll,
And who is there with power to fight with Rúm?
The doings of Sikandar in Írán
Thou knowest, and we claim that noble Sháh.

The king, when he had read the letter, raged
Against the turn of fortune. Then he called
The archmages and the chieftains, one and all,
And spake to them at large about that letter.
He sat for three days with his counsellors
And paladins—the shatterers of hosts—
And on the fourth day was resolved to lead
His troops to fight with Cæsar. At the gate
Arose the blare of trumpets with the din
Of brazen cymbals and of drums. He paused not,
But went to battle in a righteous cause,
Assembled troops, made up the baggage-train,
And called on God, the Giver of all good.
A dust rose such that thou hadst said: “The sky
Hath smirched its visage in a sea of pitch!”
He clad the surface of the earth with horse-shoes,
While silken flags incarnadined the air.
There was no room on earth e'en for a gnat,
No room for wind left in the firmament.
The hubbub of the horsemen and the dust
Of elephants made earth seem like the Nile.
The world-lord marched with Káwa's flag, with crown,
And golden boots. The army's din was heard
Two miles away. Before the host were drums
And elephants, and on this wise the Sháh,
With chiefs behind him and with chiefs before him,
Sped onward to Ázar Ábádagán.
Now when his eyes beheld Ázargashasp
Afar he lighted down and went afoot,
Requested of his pious minister
The sacred twigs and bathed his cheeks with tears.

hid the fields and fells,
And many an aspirant came with gifts
And offerings to the king. Where'er he lighted
There reached him salutations and addresses
From all sides, while where'er he led his host
He still had feast and chase before his eyes,
And 'twas the custom for a thousand chiefs
To come each night to banquet with the king.
When he was near the frontier he made ready
For war and in the first place paid his troops.
His general was Shírwí, son of Bahrám—
A man of rede and self-possessed in battle.
He gave the army's left wing to Farhád,
To whom he proffered many prudent counsels.
Ustád, son of Barzín, was on the right,
Garshasp, the atheling, was o'er the baggage.
Mihrán^251a

was at the centre, for his heart
Was steadfast in the fray. The outpost duty
The Sháh gave to Hurmuzd, son of Kharrád,
Enjoining wisdom to his soul and heart,
While everywhere intelligencers went
That nothing might be hidden. Then the Sháh
Called and advised his veterans much and well.

A herald named Shírzád

Laid up at heart the words of Núshírwán,
And made in haste the circuit of the host,
Went round about tent and pavilion,
And cried: “Ye troops in numbers numberless!
The bidding of the watchful Sháh is this:
Whoever, save in justice, love, and wisdom,
Shall look upon this gloomy earth of ours,
Men shall pour out his blood thereon as one
That hath departed from the will of God.”
A proclamation did not satisfy
The Sháh who night and day employed himself
In going on his rounds about the host,
Observing everything both good and bad,
Receiving tidings of the world's affairs,
And slighting nothing whether good or ill.
When any soldier died upon the march
The Sháh prepared a charnel at the place,
And all the man's belongings—silver, gold,
His bow, his helm, his lasso and his belt,
Or good or bad, were buried with the dead,
Who in the grave had still his goods with him.
The world was lost in wonder at the height
Of majesty attained by Núshírwán.
In every place where he engaged in battle
He showed his counsel, caution, and good sense,
And used to call a trusty messenger,
Who went to foes preparing for resistance,
And if they entered on the path of right
The wise Sháh treated them with clemency;
But, if they fought, that valiant Crocodile
Was very wroth, went forth to fight with them,
And gave their fields and crops to spoil. He wooed
The world with justice and the scimitar.
The conduct of the Sháh was like the sun's,
Which shineth in its course on wet and dry,

He marched upon this wise until he reached
A busy city which was named Shúráb,
Wherein Gushtásp dwelt when he went to Rúm.²⁵⁴

The Sháh beheld it rising in the air,
Fulfilled with men and goods, with harp and song,
With stone-foundations springing from the deep,
And battlements up-builded to the clouds.
The troops beleaguered it but saw no means
Of access to the gate. The Sháh set up
The catapults on all four sides, and then
The ramparts of the Christian crumbled down.
From every quarter came the breath of doom;
Men saw no place of refuge or escape,
And when the shining sun set in the sky
The castle-walls were level with the plain.
The shouts of cavaliers, the dust of troops,
And fume of fire ascended to the moon.
The strong-hold was all trunkless heads and feet,
Elsewhere were headless trunks. The cries for quarter,
And women's shrieks, rose o'er the drummers' din.
The magnates eminent for wealth or valour
They bound and laid upon the elephants,
While wails of woe and cries for quarter rose.
The Sháh spared none in battle-tide, he spared not
His treasures and dínárs in banquet-time.
He marched thence till another hold appeared,
Wherein were Cæsar's treasures, and it had
A mighty man for castellan. 'Twas called
Áráyish-i-Rúm till that Núshírwán

Departing thence the Sháh led on his troops,
And left Áráyish-i-Rúm in his rear.
One came and told him: “Cæsar hath dispatched
A host and lo! it draweth nigh.”

On hearing

Of that great power's approach—all spears and mail—
The Sháh proclaimed the tidings to the troops
That all the host might be prepared. They marched
As 'twere an iron mountain; battle-cries
Ascended and the blast of clarions.
A courier with tidings from the scouts
Appeared before the monarch of the world,
And told him: “Cæsar hath dispatched an army
Formed of his famous men and warriors.
Their leader is a mighty paladin,
Whose name in Rúman is Farfúriyús—
A haughty cavalier with trump and drum—
And all his troops long for the fight like wolves.”
While thus he spake before the watchful Sháh
The dust-clouds of the advancing host appeared.
He smiled and answered thus the messenger:—
“The thing is not unknown to us, for we
Already have prepared the host for battle:
Such thoughts ne'er have been absent from our minds.’
Then with his lips afoam he gave command
That all the army should draw up in line.

Or any sound of pillage, rioting,
And combating, shall reach mine ears at night,
So that but one complain of evil usage,
As soon as such appealeth ye shall see
The skin of the offender stuffed with hay.”^257a

When Sol was stretching out its hand from Cancer,
Had put away fatigue and banished sleep,
The tymbals sounded at the monarch's gate,
Those that were highest in esteem set forth,