Kubad (Shirwi)

Now when Shirwi sat on the goodly throne,
And donned the royal crown so much desired,
The leaders of the Iranians each drew near
To proffer him the homage due to kings,
Exclaiming : " Worshipful and honoured Shah !
Know, God gave thee the crown, and now thou sittest
Securely on the throne of ivory,
And may thy sons and scions have the world."

Kubad replied : " Be ever conquering
And happy. Never will we practise ill.
How good is justice with benevolence !
The world will we keep peaceful and cut off
The works of Ahriman by every right,
Ancestral precedent that greateneth
The Glory of our Faith. I will dispatch
A message to my sire and tell him all.
He is in evil odour in the world
Through his ill deeds: let him excuse his faults
To God and turn to custom and the way.

If he shall heed me he will not resent
My conduct. Then will I devote myself
To state-affairs and strive to compass justice
Both publicly and privily, do good
Where good is due, and break no poor man's heart.
I need two honest men of goodly speech,
Whose memories are charged with ancient lore."

He asked the assembly : " Whom shall I employ ?
Who is most shrewd and honest in Iran ?

The warriors all suggested by their looks
Two men of lore if they should give consent.
Kubad perceived whom the Iranians
Agreed to choose : one of them was Ashtad,
The other was Kharrad, son of Barzin,
The old—two sages eloquent and heedful.
Kubad addressed them thus: " O ye wise men,
Ye chiefs experienced and veteran !
Deem not the conduct of the world too toilsome,
Because the Great by travail compass treasure.
It is for you now to approach the Shah ;
Perchance through you he may conform himself.
Appeal to him by instance new or old
As there is need."

With tears unwillingly
Those sages made them ready. When Kharrad,
Son of Barzin, and when Ashtad, who had
Gashasp for sire, had mounted on their steeds,
As bidden, Kubad said: " Now with right good will
'Tis yours to take the road to Taisafun,
To carry to my glorious sire a message,
And bear it all in mind from first to last.
Say: 'Twas no fault of ours nor did the Iranians
Cause this, but having left the way of Faith
Thou hast thyself incurred God's chastisement,
For, first, no son legitimate will shed
His sire's blood though impure or give assent
Thereto and fill the hearts of upright folk
With pain. Again, thy treasures fill the world,
And thine exactions reach all provinces,
While, thirdly, many horsemen brave and famed
Within Iran who gladdened there have left
Son, country, and their own pure kith and kin,
Have parted, this to Chin and that to Rum,
And now are scattered o'er each march and land.
Again, when Caesar, who had done and borne
So much for thee, had given thee a host
And daughter too with treasure and much else,
Desired of thee the Cross of Christ for Rum,
So that his land might be revived thereby,
How did the Cross of Jesus profit so
Thy treasures when complaisance on thy part
Would have made Caesar glad ? But thou didst not
Restore it, hadst not wit enough for that,
Or one to guide thee to humanity,
Again, thy greed was such that wisdom's eye
Was all obscured in thee, and thou didst seize
The chattels of the poor whose curses brought
Ill on thy head. Thou slewest thy mother's brothers,
Two loyal men who gave thy throne a lustre.
Moreover thou hadst sixteen sons whose days
And nights were passed in prison while no chief
Could sleep secure from thee but hid in fear.
Know, that which hath befall'n thee is from God ;
Reflect on thy foul deeds. As for myself,
I am but as the instrument in all
This wrong, am but the heading of the tale.
By God, 'twas not my fault, no aim of mine
To wreck the Shah's throne! Now for all seek grace,
And say so to these chieftains of Iran ;
Turn from ill deeds to God—the Guide to good—
Who may abate the woes that thou hast brought
Upon thyself.'
On hearing this the twain
Departed with their hearts all seared and sore
Till, sorrowful and weeping, they arrived
At Taisafun and in that city sought
The palace of Marusipand for there
The exalted king resided. Galinush
Sat at the palace-gate : thou wouldst have said :—
" Earth is convulsed before him!" He was armed
In helm and breastplate, all the Arab steeds
Wore bards, and all his soldiers were drawn up,
Equipped, and sword in hand. He grasped a mace
Of steel, his heart all fire and storm. Now when
Kharrad, son of Barzin, and when Ashtad,
Son of Gashasp, those sages twain, dismounted,
He rose forthwith, rejoiced to look on them,
And gave them place befitting, hailing them
As famous chiefs. The eloquent Kharrad
First laved his tongue in valour and then said
To Galinush : " Kubad the glorious
Hath donned in peace the Kaian crown. Iran,
Turan and Rum have tidings that Shirwi
Is seated on the throne of king of kings.
Why this cuirass and helm and massive mace ?
Who is thine enemy ?"
Said Galinush : —

" O veteran! may all thy doings prosper.
Thou art concerned about my tender frame
Because I am in iron garniture.
I bless thee for thy kindness; thou deservest
That I shall sprinkle jewels over thee.
Thy words are naught but good, and may the sun
Be thine associate in the world. Declare
Why thou hast come, then look for my reply."

He thus gave answer: " Glorious Kubad
Commissioned me to bear Khusrau Parwiz
A message and if now thou wilt ask audience
I will deliver what the world-lord said—

That monarch of the flock."

Said Galinush ;—
" Who can remember words so well as thou,
O worshipful ? Yet nathless Shah Kubad
Gave me full many a counsel touching this,
And charged me, saying : ' Let none have by day
Or night an audience of Khusrau Parwiz
Unless thou hearest what the messenger
Hath got to say in Persian new or old. "
Ashtad said: " I hold not my message secret,
O fortunate! It is: 'The sword is fruiting,
And nuzzling princes' heads.' In this regard
Now ask for audience of Khusrau Parwiz
That we may tell the message of the Shah,"
This hearing Galinush arose, made fast
His mail, went to the Shah with folded arms,
As servants should, and said thus : " Live for ever,
O Shah! May evil never vex thy heart.
There cometh by Ashtad and by Kharrad,
Son of Barzin, a message from the Shah
From court."

Khusrau Parwiz laughed out and said :—

" Speak wiser words for if he be the king
Then what am I, and. why am I within
This narrow prison, and why need'st thou ask
That I shall grant an audience unto any,
Be their words false or true ? "
So Galinush
Returned to those two warriors, reported
The answer of the paladin, and said :—
" Now go with folded arms, declare your message,
And hearken his reply."

Those sages twain
Of honest speech inswathed their visages
In sashes brought from Chin and, when they saw
The Shah, did reverence and waited long
What while he sat upon a lofty throne
Adorned with effigies of sheep and wolves,
Impleached with gold and gems, with under him
A couch of yellow broidery. He leaned
On cushions hued like lapis-lazuli,
Held a fine quince and drowsed there all amort.
When he beheld those chiefs supreme in wisdom
He roused himself and secretly invoked
God's help. He laid that fine quince on the cushions
That he might welcome those two wayfarers.
The quince slipped from the cushions, rolled unbruised
Upon the couch and thence from throne to floor.
Ashtad ran, took it up, wiped off the dust,
And laid the quince upon his head. The world-lord
Turned from Ashtad that he might neither see
Nor scent the quince. They set it on the throne,
And stood themselves. The matter of the quince
Perturbed Khusrau Parwiz who boded ill,
Looked up to heaven, and said: " O truthful Judge!
Who can establish one whom Thou o'erthrowest,
Who join what Thou hast broken? When bright
fortune
Departeth from a race it bringeth sorrow
Because the day of joy is passed away."

Then to Ashtad : " Now for thine ambassage
From mine unnatural child of ill repute,
And from that handful of conspirators,
My hateful and black-hearted enemies.
Malignant fools are they and in their folly
Most wretched. Fortune will desert our race ;
None will rejoice again; the crown and throne
Will pass to those unfit; this royal Tree
Will be destroyed; the Base will be exalted ;
The spirits of the Great grow sorrowful.

The majesty will bide not with our sons,
Or with our kindred or posterity ;
Their friends all be their chiefest enemies,
Revilers and destroyers of the race.

This quince hath made the secret evident ;
The throne of king of kings will bear no fruit.

Now tell to me the words that thou hast heard :

I count his less than water in the stream."

Then those two men released their tongues to speak,
And told all that Kubad, his son, had said,
Not keeping e'en a whisper back from him.
The king of kings, when he had heard the message,
Writhed with distress and heaved a deep, cold sigh.
Then said he to those chiefs : " Hear my response.
And bear it to the young prince, every word.
Say: 'Quit thine own misdeeds ere blaming others.'
What thou hast uttered are they words of thine ?

A murrain on the prompter! Speak not so
As to rejoice thy foe with thy fool's talk,
And let him learn that thou hast not the wisdom
To furnish speech with knowledge from thy brains.
If thy trust is in words that profit not
Thou mak'st default in soul and wisdom too.
He that shall call thee wicked, then acknowledge
Thee to be world-lord, should not sit before thee,
And order matters whether great or small.
Think not in future of such messages
Or thou wilt cause thy foemen to rejoice.
My state hath been appointed me by God ;
My hopes are set upon the other world,
And thou by these thy charges which are lies
Wilt gain no glory in the nobles' eyes."

" Now will I make full answer that thou mayst
Repeat my words in public. They will serve
As my memorial when I am gone—
A truthful statement of my case—and thou
Wilt know, when I reveal my grief and travail,
That all my treasures were derived from toil.
Thou speakest in the first place of Hurmuzd,
His anger with me, and those bygone days :
My father's wrath against us was aroused
By slanderer's words and thus confusion came.
When I had learned what occupied his thoughts
I left Iran by night, avoiding roads.
He sought my death by poison; I perceived
No antidote but flight and so I fled,
And was not taken in the net of bale.
I heard that ill had come upon the Shah,
And quitted Barda' when the news arrived.
That knave Bahram Chubina with his troops
Opposed us on the battlefield. I fled
From him too on the day of fight that I
Might fall not in his clutches. Afterwards
I came a second time and bravely fought,
My troublous fortune passed away and all
The realm that I had lost returned to me.
My contest with him was no brief affair ;
The whole world were spectators of the strife.
By the command of God who multiplieth
His benefits on us, and is the Guide
In good and ill, Iran and Turkistan!

Submitted and Bahram Chubina's plans
Were foiled. Released from war with him I hasted,
First, to take vengeance for my father's death.
Bandwi and Gustaham, my mother's brothers,
Men that had not a peer in any land,
Had risked their lives for me and were all mine
In love as well as kinship, but there were
My father's death and mine own grief thereat ;
I was not sluggish to avenge his blood.

I lopped Bandwi both hand and foot for he
Had made the Shah's place dark, while Gustaham,
Who disappeared and sought some distant nook,
Was slain all unawares by my command :

Those murderers' lives and aims all came to naught.
Next, as to what thou said'st of thine own case,
Of thine own strait confinement and affairs ;
It was to keep my sons from evil deeds
That would recoil upon themselves. Ye were
Not straitly bound in prison, not misprized,
And had no harm to fear. I did not then
Treat you with scorn but held my treasury
At your disposal, acting as the Shahs
Had done before, not idly or without
A precedent. Chase, minstrelsy, and polo—

All that befitteth chiefs—were yours at will,
With hawks and cheetahs, jewels and dinars.
Your so called prison was a palace where
Ye lived in joy. I dreaded thee moreover
Through what the readers of the stars had said.
That was the cause of thine imprisonment
That thou mightst do us naught of injury—

The very injury that thou art doing.

'I never parted with thy horoscope
Till I had sealed and given it to Shirin.
When I had reigned for six and thirty years,
And thou past doubt amidst such pleasant days
Gav'st all the matter to the wind, although
Much time had passed o'er us, there came to thee
A letter out of Hindustan but not
Without my cognizance. The chief of Rajas
Sent us a letter, jewels, divers stuffs,
An Indian scimitar, white elephant,
And all that I could hope for in the world,
And with the scimitar was gold brocade
With all varieties of gems uncut.

To thee the letter was on painted silk ;
So when I saw the Indian script I called
An Indian scribe, a fluent, heedful speaker,
Who when he read the Indian Raja's words
Wept for the letter ran : ' Live joyfully
For thou art worthy both of joy and realm,
And on the day of Dai in month Azar
Thou wilt be king and ruler of the world.

Thy sire will reign for eight and thirty years,
For so the stars ordain. Good times will shine
Upon thee; thou wilt don the crown of greatness.

These words have been fulfilled to me to-day,
But we should wash not from our hearts affection.

I was aware that fortune had decreed
That when thy throne had gained its brilliancy
Mine only portion would be toil and pain,
And that my bright day would be turned to gloom ;
But as I gave, had Faith, made friends, and loved
I did not lour by reason of that letter.

I gave it, having read it, to Shirin,
And pondered much upon it. In her keeping
Are both the letter and the horoscope,
And no one great or small is ware thereof.

If thou wouldst see it make request of her ;
Thou haply mayst regard it more or less.

I wot that seeing it thou wilt repent,
And seek to heal the past. For what thou said'st
Of bonds and of imprisonments, and how
We have done others hurt, "tis this world's way,
And that of former chiefs and kings of kings,
And if thou know'st it not speak with an archmage ;
He will enlighten thee thereon and tell thee :—

'Tis ill to keep God's enemy alive.'

Those that were in our prison were mere divs
Complained of by the righteous. Neither bloodshed
Nor utter harshness ever was our trade.

I shut up criminals and did not hold
Of small account wrongs done by them to others :
But now I hear that thou hast freed these men—
Men worse than dragons—and for this thou art
A sinner guilty both in word and deed
In God's sight. Now that thou art lord be prudent,
And if thou know'st not how consult the wise.
Forgive not those that vex thee though thou hopest
For wealth through them, and what can better bonds
For one in whom thou seest naught but harm ?

In talking of my wealth thou hast not shown
Good sense and wisdom. We have never asked
For more than toll and tax. When these were paid
If any were still rich, though men might say
That they were foes and miscreants of the seed
Of Ahriman, we thought of God and passed
Such matters lightly by. From Him I had
The crown and throne, and they have cost me dear.
The Maker of the world, the righteous Judge,
Hath willed this change of fortune. In the world
His will is paramount, so when He would
Our minishment we seek not for addition,
We sought to please our Judge, but by our toils
Have not evaded His apportionment,
And when He asketh me I will tell all.

That Questioner is wiser than thou art,
And one more potent in all good and ill,
The miscreants that stand before thee now
Are not thy friends or kin, and what they say
Of me that also will they say of thee
Before thy foes. They are but slaves of gold
And silver: thou wilt find in them no helper.

They have possessed thy heart and there instilled
Each fault of mine. Such words as these are not
In thy philosophy and will not profit
Those miscreants' minds, but I have uttered them
For my foes' sake that they who read this letter,
Writ in the ancient tongue, may know that lies
Lack lustre even from the mouths of Shahs.

'Twill be too a memorial in the world,
A consolation to the man of wisdom,
And after our decease whoe'er shall read
These words of ours will learn our policy.

I gathered armies from Bartas and Chin,
And everywhere appointed generals,
Then made attacks upon mine enemies
Till none dared raise his head. When they were
scattered
Our treasuries were all filled. The whole land toiled
For us, and from the sea so many gems
Were brought us that the shipmen grew aweary.
Plain, sea, and mountain, all were mine. Now when
The treasury of drachms had been expended
The coffers were refilled with new dinars,
With precious stones and royal jewelry,
As well as clothes and implements of war,
And when our crown was twenty-six years old
Our treasuries were rich with many gems.
I struck a new die for my drachms and turned
To joy and merriment. That year when I
Had ta'en account I found the total sum
Ten million of dinars. Paidawasis,
In Persian reckoning, I spent and squandered.
Each purse contained twelve thousand in dinars,
And those thus spent were royal, while besides
The tribute and dinars from Hindustan,
The realm of Rum and land of sorcerers ;
Besides from every province gifts and tribute
From all the sovereigns and potentates ;
Besides New Year and Autumn offerings,
The gifts of horses and of fair-faced slaves ;
Besides cuirasses, helmets, axes, swords,
Which every one sent to us liberally ;
Besides musk, camphor, sables, beaver-skins,
Red weasels' and white wolves', our subjects all
set suchlike loads upon their beasts and sought
Our court in haste; none was recalcitrant.
Abundant toil of all sorts have we spent
To amass a treasure—one additional
To those known as Khuzra and as 'Arus,
Reserved by me against an evil day.
We long discussed what name the hoard should have,
And in the end we called it Bad Awar.
Thus in my six and twentieth year of reign
Heaven till the eight and thirtieth favoured me :
My chieftains were all safe, my foes all quaked,
And now I hear that thou art sovereign —
An evil juncture this for all the world,
Which reft of pleasure must perforce be mute.
Thou wilt make earth calamitous, fulfilled
With suffering and profitless. Moreover,
Those same injurious persons that surround thee,
And are the Light of thy dark nights, will give
Thy throne up to the wind that thou mayst not
Enjoy the world. Were there with thee a Sage,
So that thy darkened mind might be illumed,
Thou wouldst not do amiss in giving gifts
So that thy wealth might reach the poor. My son,
Whose days are few, whose wisdom is but scant!
Solicitude will rob thy soul of Joy.

This know, that these our treasures are thy stay ;
The opportunity is in thy grasp.

They are the appanage of royalty ;
A world that is all moneyless is lost.

A pauper Shah will be unjust, and he
Whose hand is empty hath no strength or worth.
Without the means of largess he by all
Will be declared a fraud and not a Shah.
Moreover, if thy riches reach thy foes,
And all the idols come to Brahmans' hands,
The worshippers will turn from God, thy name
And fame be spurned. If thou art treasureless
Thou wilt not have an army, and thy subjects
Will hail thee not as Shah. The dog is good
At begging bread, but if thou fillest him
He threateneth thy life. Again, thou said'st
About my strategy that I have stationed
The troops along the roads, and blamest me
Through ignorance, not knowing gain from loss.
The answer is that by my toil I gathered
My splendid treasures, captured foreign cities,
And shattered all my foes that we might sit
Without vexation, toil, or injury
In peace upon the pleasant throne. I scattered
My horse about the frontier, and (to show
The difference twixt the worthless and the worthy)
When thou recall'st the troops from every side
The foe will see the road clear, for Iran
Is like a garden in the jocund Spring,
Whose happy blossoms never fail to flower,
A garden of pomegranate and narcissus,
Of apples and of quince; but when the orchard
Becometh void of men the enemy
Will root up all the marjoram and snap
All branches of pomegranate and of quince,
Iran's walls are its troops and gear of war,
Its thorns all arrows on its battlements,
And if in wantonness thou flingest down
The garden-wall the garden is as waste,
As sea or upland. Cast not down its wall
Or thou wilt break the Iranians' hearts and backs,
For then will raid and ravage, horsemen's shouts,
And all the incidents of war ensue.
Expose not thou our children, wives, and land
To trouble: let but one such year elapse,
And sages will describe thee as a fool.
Now I have heard that thou dost give high place
To men unworthy. Know that Nushirwan,
Son of Kubad, recorded in his Letter
Of Counsel that whoe'er doth give his arms
To foes doth give himself to slaughtering,
Since, when he asketh back those arms for use,
The enemy will fight. As for the message
Of Caesar, which hath made thee call me heartless,
And self-willed, thou recallest not the facts :
Thy words were prompted by some counsellor,
As for my tyranny and his good faith,
Canst thou discern good faith from tyranny ?
Receive mine answer, thou of little wit !
But let me say withal, as is but right,
Thou art the plaintiff and the witness too—
A thing no man of wisdom would allow.
When Caesar washed off from his face the dust
Of bale he chose me as his son-in-law
For valour's sake. Whoever walketh not
The earth for ill, and hath some share of wisdom
Within him, knoweth that Bahram Chubina
Began the feud and that the Iranians
Took sides with him. The Rumans did not triumph
O'er him ; the drifting sand can not bind fast
The mountain! But in that fight God vouchsafed
To aid me, and the armies of the world
Were naught to me. The Iranians have heard
Of those events, and thou shouldst hear from them.
As for myself, I did whate'er I could,
Upon the day of fight, for Niyatus
With kindness and with magnanimity,
But have not reckoned that day's recompense,
And Farrukhzad will tell thee just the same:
Look not upon the world with boyish eyes.
Gashasp, who was our treasurer, can tell,
And that good archimage, our minister,
That I bestowed upon the Ruman troops
A hundred thousand purses from our treasures.
I gave to Niyatus a thousand nuggets,
With earrings and red gold. Each nugget's weight
Was as a thousand treasury-miskals
I reckoned. I bestowed on him withal
Fine watered pearls that experts had found flawless,
And every one worth thirty thousand drachms
To jewellers, and five score noble steeds,
Selected from my stables—fifty saddled,
The others very choice, housed in brocade,
Mates for the wind upon the waste. I sent
All these to Caesar with my thanks withal.
For what thou said'st about the Cross of Christ,
That bit of old wood flung among my treasures—
A matter of no loss or gain to me—
Thou hast been listening to some Christian's talk.
I mused that one like Caesar, great and mighty,
Surrounded as he is by learned men—
Philosophers and potentates and priests—
Should call one that was executed God!
While as for this dry, rotten wood, if this
Mere useless Cross were God 'twould be Urmuzd,
Whose name we give to every month's first day,
And would have vanished from our treasury
As Christ himself departed from the world.
Again for what thou said'st : ' Make thine excuse,
Amend thy conduct and ensue God's path,
I answer : ' May the two hands of Kubad,
His feet and lips and tongue rot! It was God
Who placed the crown upon my head: I took,
And revelled in the gift. I have returned it
Since He demanded it. What next I wonder ?
To Him will I confess, not to a boy
scarce able to distinguish good and ill.'
All that God doth is welcome unto me
Though I have seen much woe and bitterness.
For eight and thirty years have I been Shah,
And none among the kings hath been my peer.
He that bestowed this world on me may give
Another but will have no thanks of mine !
I will pronounce a blessing on the realm :—
'May earth be ever teeming with the wise.'
So long as God shall help and succour us
None will dare curse."

Then said he to Kharrad :—
"O Memory of the great ones of the world !
Say to that foolish and impetuous boy :—
'The lustre of our countenance is dimmed :
Farewell to thee for ever. As for me,
May all our converse be henceforth with sages.'
As for yourselves, illustrious messengers,
Ye Persians eloquent and eminent !
To both of you I also bid farewell.
Say nothing but the words that ye have heard.
I give my blessing to the world at large,
Which we have looked on as a passing thing.
All mother-born must die—whome'er thou hast
In mind—Khusrau Parwiz back to Kubad.

So too Hushang, Jamshid, and Tahmuras—

To all the world the founts of fear and hope—
Whom div and beast acknowledged, passed and died
When their day ended. Faridun, the blest,
Who banned ill, close or open, from the world,
And stayed Zahhak the Arab's hand from evil,
Escaped not by bravery the clutch of fate.

So was it with Arish whose arrow's flight
Was one farsang ; victorious Karan,
The capturer of cities; Kai Kubad,
Who having come from Mount Alburz became
Through manhood world-lord over all the folk,
And built himself a world-famed house of crystal,
Adorned with lustrous pearls and gates of gems.
So was it with Kaus, that man of might,
Who took the world by skill and policy,
He that adventured toward the sky above,
Unwitting of the processes of time ;
So too with Siyawush, that lion famed,
Who slew two tigers in his youthful days,
And built Gang-dizh with toil but gat therefrom
No treasure. Where are now Afrasiyab,
The Turkman king, whose semblance e'en in dream
None seeth : where Rustam, Zal, Asfandiyar,
Whose fame is their memorial with us;
Gudarz and his choice sons, three score and ten,
Those cavaliers upon the riding-ground,
And lions of the fray ; where Kai Khusrau,
The noble lion-man who in the fight
Made lions prisoners ; and Shah Gushtasp,
The convert to 'The Good Faith,' he by whom
Grace was renewed : where went renowned Sikandar,
Who overturned the world, and where Jamasp,
Who shone in astrologic lore more brightly
Than Sol or Venus ? Where is that famed Shah,
Bahram Gur, matchless in his strength and courage ?
No Shah was like him in munificence ;
The turning heaven dared not to touch his head.
Where is that Shah, my grandsire, bright of soul
Who ruled the world as Kisra Nushirwan ?
Where are the seven and forty world-lords ? Gone
Is all their work, gone are the Great and Wise,
The warrior-horsemen and the men of lore,
These passing those in prowess and those these
In years ? They all have left this spacious world,
Left palace, hall, and riding-ground. Midst Shahs,
Though some were older far, I had no peer.
I walked the world for good and ill, and held
The evil day aloof. 'Twas mine to traverse
Full many a rugged path and sweep away
Full many a foe. My treasures fill all lands ;
Where earth and water are my toil is seen.
When with me too the world shall cease, and all
The nobles' hopes grow dim, with my son also
The throne will not abide, for he will quit it,
And all his fortune end. What time the angel
That taketh souls approacheth I shall say :—
'Take my soul gently.' I will clear my heart
By penitence, and freedom from offence
Shall be my breastplate. Well have men of wisdom,
Good, veteran, learned, declared : ' If wakeful fortune
Decline one must expect fears manifold,
And he whose day of greatness hath gone by
Is foolish if he asketh its return.'
This is my message to the world, to mean
And mighty too: ere long the Shah and all
His famous troops will fall to slaughtering
Each other and fling fire on field and fell;
Then sires will fall by sons and sons by sires ;
Our enemies, the people that discoursed
Of evil deeds and chilling words, will pay
The smart when we are gone and not for long
Enjoy the world. Since rule and greatness end
With me what reck if Lion or another
Shall have the sway ? "
Ashtad and brave Kharrad,
Son of Barzin, those sages, when they heard
The message of that leader, were heart-pierced,
And smote their heads. Both sorrowed for their
words ;
They buffeted their faces, rent their robes
In grief, and scattered dust upon their heads.
Those ancients fared forth from his presence, weeping,
In anguish, with their hearts all arrow-points.
With furrowed faces and in sore distress
They went before Shirwi and every whit
To that man brainless and incompetent
Detailed the message that the Shah had sent.

Shirwi wept bitterly on hearing this ;
His heart quaked for the crown and throne, and when
The company dispersed that had dismayed him
With foul words clamouring for his father's blood,
And burning the youth's heart, he left the throne
Of kingship, clasped with honoured hands his head,
And wept blood on his breast. News of that weeping
And of the lamentation of the king,
Came to the host and all were in dismay.
They met, discussed Khusrau Parwiz, and cried :—
" If he shall sit upon the throne again
He will disgrace the captains of the host."

Whenas the sun rose o'er the darksome hills
The malcontents awoke and went to court.
The Shah, on hearing of it, took his seat
Upon the throne, and those of high degree,
Akin or alien, approached the presence.
They took their seats with scowls but no one spoke.
The king said: " Gibbeting is the desert
Of him that mourneth not my father's woes.
I call such misbegotten and a knave.
Let none depend on such because that man
Is rottener than a rotten willow-tree."

He gat this answer from the men in fault :—
" Call whosoever saith : ' I serve two Shahs '
A fool at heart and vile whate'er his rank."

Shirwi rejoined : " For Shahs no wealth no troops !
For one month we will utter pleasant words,
And give no hint of duress to my sire ;
He may make statements that will gladden us
Because his treasures are in every coast."

On hearing this they rose to seek their homes.

Then Shah Shirwi gave orders to the cooks :—
" Let nothing be denied Khusrau Parwiz :
Serve up his food upon a golden service,
And let the food itself be rich and grateful."

The servers brought it but he would not eat
The viands that were proffered, hot or cold.
Shirin's hand brought to him all that he ate
Because she sorrowed with him in his grief.

She was his sole good friend and soothed his woes
Both day and night, shared all his hopes and fears,
And quaked for him like willow in the wind.

A month passed and meanwhile Khusrau Parwiz
Was full of pain and anguish night and day,
His faults and crimes recalled to memory,
And little relish of that life had he.

Now list the lamentation of Barbad,
And grow forgetful of the world at large.
On hearing that the Shah, not by advice
And 'gainst his will, no longer filled the throne,
That " men are seeking how to murder him ;
The soldiers are renouncing fealty,"
Barbad came from Chahram to Taisafun
With tearful eyes and heart o'ercharged ; he came
To that abode and saw the Shah whereat
His tulip-cheeks became like fenugreek.
He bode awhile in presence of the Shah,
Then went with wailing to the audience-hall.
His love flamed in his heart, his heart and soul
Burned in his anguish for Khusrau Parwiz ;
His eyes rained like a cloud in Spring and made
His bosom as the margent of the sea.
He fashioned him a dirge upon the harp,
And to that dirge he sang a mournful plaint.

With visage wan and heart fulfilled with grief
He thus lamented in the olden tongue :—

"O Shah ! O noble chieftain! O Khusrau!

O great! O strong! O hero ne'er cast down !
Where are thy mastery and greatness now,
Where all thy Grace, thy fortune, and thy crown ?

" Where that imperial circlet, towering height ?

Where are thine armlets and thine ivory throne?
Where all thy manliness, thy Grace, and might,
Who 'neath thy wings hadst this world for thine
own ?

"Oh! whither are thy dames and minstrels gone,
Gate, audience-hall, and leaders of thy day,
The diadem and Kawa's gonfalon,
And all the blue-steel falchions, where are they ?

" Where are the head, the crown that loved it well—
Mate of the earrings and the throne of gold ?
Where are Shabdiz, his stirrups and his sell—
The steed that 'neath thee ever caracol'd ?

Where are thy helmet, head, and habergeon
All golden and compacted gem to gem,
Thy cavaliers in gold caparison,
Whose swords made enemies the sheaths for them?

" Where all the camels for thy progresses,
The golden litters and attendance rife,
Led steeds, white elephants, and dromedaries ?
Have one and all grown hopeless of thy life ?

" Where are thy fluent tongue and courteous,
Thy heart, thy purpose, and thine ardent soul ?
Why reft of all art thou abandoned thus ?
Hast read of such a day in any roll ?

" Oh! trust not to this world whose remedy
Is weaker than its bane. 'Twas thy desire
To have a son to aid and succour thee :

Now through the son the gyves are on the sire !

" It is by sons that kings obtain their might,
And are unblemished by time's travailings ;
Yet ever as his sons increased in height
Both Grace and vigour failed the king of kings.

" None that shall lend an ear while men recall
The story of Khusrau Parwiz must dare
To trust the world. Account as ruined all
Iran and as the pards' and lions' lair.

" Of the Sasanian race the Shah was head—

One peerless in the sight of crown and state:
The foeman's wishes are accomplished,
And, like Iran, the race is desolate.

" No man possessed a larger host than he,
Yet who had cause for justice to beseech ?
The great protector brought the misery,
And now the wolves are making for the breach !
" ' O Shah devoid of shame ! ' thus tell Shirwi,
" Such conduct is not worthy of this court.
Count not upon thy troops' fidelity
When war is rife on all sides." God support
"Thy soul, my master! and it is my prayer
That He thy foemen's heads may headlong fling.

By God and by thy life, my king! I swear
By New Year's Day, by sun, and jocund Spring,
" If e'er this hand of mine again shall turn
To harping may no blessing light on me ;
Mine instruments of music will I burn
That I may ne'er behold thine enemy."

He cut four fingers off and grasped the stumps
Within his other palm. Returning home
He kindled fire and burned his instruments,
While those about Kubad both day and night
At all that might befall them quaked with fright.

Shirwi, a timid, inexperienced youth,
Found that the throne beneath him was a snare,
While readers of mankind saw that 'twas time
For men of might. Those that had done the ill,
And had produced that coil, went from the hall
Of audience to the presence of Kubad
To mind him of their infamous designs :—

" We said before and now we say again
Thy thoughts are not on government alone.
There are two Shahs now seated in one room,
One on the throne and one on its degree,
And when relations grow 'twixt sire and son
They will behead the servants one and all.
It may not be, so speak of it no more."

Shirwi was frightened and he played poltroon
Because in their hands he was as a slave.
He answered: " None will bring him to the toils
Except a man whose name is infamous.

Ye must go homeward and advise thereon.
Inquire : ' What man is there that will abate
Our troubles secretly ? "
The Shah's ill-wishers
Sought for a murderer to murder him
By stealth, but none possessed the pluck or courage
To shed the blood of such a king and hang
A mountain round his own neck. Everywhere
The Shah's foes sought until they met with one
Blue-eyed, pale-cheeked, his body parched and hairy,
With lips of lapis-lazuli, with feet
All dust, and belly ravenous ; the head
Of that ill-doer was bare. None knew his name
Midst high and low. This villain (may he never
See jocund Paradise !) sought Farrukhzad,
And undertook the deed. " This strife is mine,"
He said. "If ye will make it worth my while
This is my quarry."

" Go and do it then
" If thou art able," Farrukhzad replied.
" Moreover open not thy lips herein.
I have a purse full of dinars for thee,
And I will look upon thee as my son."

He gave the man a dagger keen and bright,
And then the murderer set forth in haste.
The miscreant, when he approached the Shah,
Saw him upon the throne, a slave attending.
Khusrau Parwiz quaked when he saw that man,
And shed tears from his eyelids on his cheeks
Because his heart bare witness that the day
Of heaviness was near. He cried: " O wretch!
What is thy name? Thy mother needs must wail
thee."
The man replied: " They call me Mihr Hurmuzd,
A stranger here with neither friend nor mate."

Thus said Khusrau Parwiz: " My time hath come,
And by the hand of an unworthy foe,
Whose face is not a man's, whose love none seeketh."

He bade a boy attending him: " Go fetch,
My little guide! an ewer, water, musk,
And ambergris, with cleaner, fairer robes."

The boy-slave heard, unwitting what was meant,
And so the little servant went away,
And brought a golden ewer to the Shah
As well as garments and a bowl of water,
Whereon Khusrau Parwiz made haste to go,
Gazed on the sacred twigs and muttered prayers :
It was no time for words or private talk.
The Shah put on the garments brought, he made
Beneath his breath confession of his faults,
And wrapped a new simarre about his head
In order not to see his murderer's face.
Then Mihr Hurmuzd, the dagger in his hand,
Made fast the door and coming quickly raised
The great king's robe and pierced his liverstead.

Such is the process of this whirling world,
From thee its secret keeping closely furled !
The blameless speaker and the boastful see
That all its doings are but vanity,
For be thou wealthy or in evil case
This Wayside Inn is no abiding-place ;
Yet be offenceless and ensue right ways
If thou desirest to receive just praise.

When tidings reached the highways and bazars ;—

" Khusrau Parwiz was slaughtered thus," his foes
Went to the palace-prison of the sad,
Where fifteen of his noble sons were bound,
And slew them there, though innocent, what time
The fortune of the Shah was overthrown.

Shirwi, the world-lord, dared say naught and hid
His grief though he wept sorely at the news,
And afterwards sent twenty of his guards
To keep his brothers' wives and children safe ;
Now that the Shah had been thus done to death.

So passed that reign and mighty host away,
Its majesty, its manhood, and its sway
Such as no kings of kings possessed before,
Or heard of from the men renowned of yore.
It booteth nothing what the wise man saith
When once his head is in the dragon's breath.
Call this world " crocodile " for it doth gnaw
The prey that it hath taken with its claw.
The work of Shah Khusrau Parwiz is done ;
His famous hoards and throne and host are gone.
To put one's trust in this world is to be
In quest of dates upon a willow-tree.
Why err in such a fashion from the way
Alike by darksome night and shining day ?
Whate'er thy gains let them suffice thee still
As thou art fain to save thy soul from ill,
And in thy day of strength hold thyself weak ;
For kindly impulses and justice seek,
And be intent on good. For what is thine
To give or spend do as thou dost incline ;
All else is pain and toil. How goodlier
Than we are friends whose faithfulness is clear !
Such faithfulness of friends is greatly dear.

Since I have ended with Khusrau Parwiz
I speak next of Shirwi and of Shirin.

As soon as three and fifty days had passed
Since that whereon that glorious Shah was slain
Shirwi dispatched Shirin a messenger
To say: " Thou wicked, potent sorceress,
Learned but in necromancy and black arts !

In all Iran thou art the guiltiest.

By necromancy didst thou gain the Shah,
And by thy craft thou bringest down the moon.
Quake, guilty one! and come to me. Abide not
Thus in thy palace, joyful and secure."

Shirin raged at his message and abuse
So foul and senseless. Thus she said: ' God grant
That parricides possess not Grace or presence,
I will not see the wretch e'en from afar
At funeral or feast."

That mournful dame
sent for a scribe and had a document
Drawn in the olden tongue, instructing him
Regarding her last wishes and estate.
She kept a little poison in a pyx;
She could not well procure it in the city.
She kept it on her, sewed a winding-sheet
To wrap her form—that cypress of the garden—
And then returned this answer to Shirwi :—
"Exalted Shah, the wearer of the crown !
Now perish all thy words and perish too
The villain's heart and spirit that hath heard
Of witchcraft save by name and joyed therein.

Had Shah Khusrau Parwiz been one to cheer
His soul with sorcery there would have been
A sorceress within his bower, and she
Had seen his face. He kept me for his pleasure,
And when the dawn was peeping he was wont
To call me from the golden bower and joy
At sight of me. Shame on thee for such words !

Such knavish talk becometh not a king.

Remember God, the Giver of all good,
And utter not such words in others' hearing."

They brought the answer to the Shah, Shirwi
Raged 'gainst the guiltless dame and said : " Thou
needs
Must come. None is blood-thirstier than thou.
Come and behold my crown's top. If it be
Magnifical then do it reverence."

Shirin, on hearing this, was full of pain ;
She writhed; her cheeks grew wan. She thus
replied :—
" I will not come to thee save in the presence
Of those wise men that are about thy court,
Men of experience and clerkly skill."

Shirwi dispatched and summoned fifty men
Both wise and old, then sent one to Shirin,
To say: " Arise and come. Enough of talk."

Thereat she robed herself in blue and black,
And drew anear the Shah, approached apace
The Rosary of Revellers — the spot
Wherein those fluent Persians were—and sat
Behind the great king's curtain as became
The virtuous. He sent to her to say :—

"Two months of mourning for Khusrau Parwiz
Are o'er. Now be my wife that thou mayst take
Thy pleasure and avoid a mean estate.

I will maintain thee as my father did,
And e'en with more respect and tenderness."

Shirin replied : " Let me be righted first,
And then my life shall be at thy dispose.
I will not hesitate in answering
The hest and purpose of thy glorious heart."

Shirwi agreed to that fair dame's request,
Whereat the noble lady raised her voice
Behind the royal curtains, saying : " O Shah !
Be happy and victorious. Thou said'st
That I was a bad woman and a witch,
Remote from purity and rectitude."

Shirwi replied : " 'Twas so, but generous folk
Do not take dudgeon at mere hastiness."

Shirin addressed the other Persians present
Within the Rosary of Revellers,
And asked: " What have ye seen in me of ill,
Guile, folly, and dark ways? For many a year
I was the mistress of Iran and helped
The Brave in everything. I ne'er ensued
Aught but the right; fraud and deceit I banned.
Through my word many were made governors,
And took their portions of the world full oft.
Who hath beheld my shadow in Iran
Away from home ? If any one hath marked
My shadow, crown, and state let such declare
What he hath seen or heard and by his answer
Reveal the truth."

The magnates in attendance
All spake her fair. "In all the world," they said,
" She hath no peer in public and in private."

Shirin proceeded thus: " Ye lords and chiefs
Both veteran and redoubted ! three things make
The worth of women that bedeck the throne
Of greatness: one is modesty and wealth
Wherewith her husband may adorn his house ;
The next is bearing blessed sons, that she
May e'en exceed her spouse in happiness ;
The third is having beauty and fine form,
Joined with the love of a sequestered life.
When I was mated to Khusrau Parwiz,
And entered on seclusion, he had come
Weak and dispirited from Rum to live
Within our land, but after reached such power
As none had heard of or had looked upon.
Moreover I have had four sons by him
To his great joy—Nastur, Shahryar, Farud,
And Mardanshah, blue heaven's coronal.
Jamshid and Faridun had not such sons ;
May my tongue perish if I lie herein !
Their bodies all are now beneath the dust,
Their spirits roaming in pure Paradise."

Unveiling then her lovely countenance,
And musky hair, " There is my face," she added,
"Such as it is. If there be falsehood show it.
My hair was all my hidden excellence,
For none on earth e'er used to look thereon.
What I display is all my sorcery,
Not necromancy, fraud, and evil bent."

None had beheld her hair before, no chief
Had heard thereof. The elders were astound,
And their mouths watered. When Shirwi beheld
The visage of Shirin his spirit flew
Unmarked away from him. Her face so dazed him
That love of her filled all his heart. He cried :—
" I want none but thyself. If I have thee
For wife Iran can give me nothing more.

I will not go from thy commands, but limn
My loyalty to thee upon mine eyes."

The lady of the lovely face replied :—
" I still need somewhat of the Iranian king.
I have two wants if thou wilt bid me speak,
And may thy king of kingship last for ever."

Shirwi replied: " My soul is thine, thy wish,
Whate'er it be, is granted."

Said Shirin :—
" All treasures laid up by me in this land
Thou shalt assign me as mine own before
This noble company and write thyself
Upon this roll that thou renouncest all,
Both small and great."

Shirwi made haste to do
Her bidding. Having gained her wish she quitted
The Rosary of Revellers, the chiefs
And noble Persians, went home, freed her slaves,
And made them happy with that wealth of hers
Whereof she gave a part to mendicants,
And to her family a larger share.
She gave too somewhat to the Fanes of Fire,
The feasts of New Year's Day and Mihr and Sada,
To ruined homes and caravansarais
Then turned to lions' lairs. All this she gave
As offerings from Khusrau Parwiz, the world-lord,
And joyed his soul thereby. She sought the garden
And taking off her veil sat unadorned
Upon the ground and summoning her folk
Assigned with courtesy a place to each,
Then cried thus loudly : " Hear, ye unaggrieved !
For none will ever see my face again.
Fear ye the Judge of those that seek for justice,
The Lighter of the sun and moon and stars,
And speak but truth; deceit is not for sages.
Since first I came before Khusrau Parwiz,
First made mine entry to his golden bower,
And was chief wife and Glory of the Shah,
Hath any fault at all appeared in me ?
There is no need to speak to save my face:
What booteth that to woman in her need ?"

All rose to make reply : " Famed dame of dames,
So eloquent and wise and bright of soul !
By God! none ever saw thee, ever heard
Thy voice behind the curtains. Verily
Thy like hath sat not on the goodly throne
Since Shah Hushang."

Then all the servitors,
Slaves emulous and vigilant of heart,
Exclaimed : " Exalted lady praised in Chin,
In Rum and in Taraz! who would presume
To speak aught ill of thee ? Could evil-doing
Befit that face of thine ? "
Thus said Shirin :—
"This reprobate, whom heaven above will curse,
Slew his own sire to compass crown and throne,
And may he never more see fortune's face !
Hath he himself shut death out by a wall
Who lightly recked thus of a father's blood ?
He sent a message to me that bedimmed
Mine own shrewd soul. I answered : ' While I live
My heart shall serve my Maker.' I declared
My purpose fully, fearful of my foe :
He may defame me publicly when dead.
Ye are free agents and my slaves no longer."

They wept much at her words and furthermore
Consumed with anguish for Khusrau Parwiz.
Informants went before the Shah and told
What they had heard about that guiltless dame.
He asked: " Hath that good lady further wishes ?

She sent to say: " I have one wish, no more ;
I fain would ope the late Shah's charnel-house ;
I have a great desire to look on him."

Shirwi replied: " So do, 'tis natural."
The keeper oped the door. That pious lady
Began her wailing, went and laid her face
Upon the visage of Khusrau Parwiz,
Spake of the past and took the mortal bane :
She sent the dust up from her own sweet life.
She sat beside the Shah with visage veiled,
Clad in a single camphor-scented robe ;
She set her back against the wall and died ;
She died and won the plaudits of the world.
Shirwi fell sick when he had heard the news,
For such a spectacle affrighted him.
He bade construct another sepulchre,
And make her diadem of musk and camphor.
He shut the old Shah's charnel. Soon they gave
Shirwi the bane; the world had had its fill :
Of Shahs! Thus luckless both in birth and death
He left the throne of kingship to his son.
One reigneth seven months and in the eighth
Doth don the camphor crown! Of earth's good things
To have possession of the throne is best,
Of evils life cut short is evilest.