New NaqqaliShah of Iran · House of Sasan
Bahram Goorبهرام گور
bah-RAHM GOORalso Bahram
The Sasanian king famed for hunting, feasting and his adventures in disguise.
- His story
- From D9.2, Bahram Goor Is Born and Raised by an Arab, to D10.39, Bahram Calls the Gypsies from Hindustan
- Named
- 313 times, in 55 dastans
- Parents
- Yazdegard (son of Shapur)
- Children
- Yazdegard (son of Bahram Goor)
- Plates
- Vol III: I, Vol III: IV, Vol III: V
His story, in the poem’s own sections
10 sections, with the summary from the Notes. Open any one to read it in full here; tap a couplet number to cite it or suggest a better one.
D9.2
Bahram Goor Is Born and Raised by an Arab
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In Yazdegard’s eighth year Bahram is born under happy stars, and the astrologers foretell that the seven climes will bow to him. Fearing the father’s nature, the Mobadan urge fostering him abroad. Yazdegard gives him to Monzer, who has him nursed, schooled and horsed.
137 couplets · Bahram Goor named 9 times · in the full poem
When seven years of Yazdegard had passed,Oppressed, the Mobadan stood pale, aghast.
In Farvardin, when year eight had begun,The world beheld the Faith’s returning sun.
On Ormozd’s day he had a child whose birthBore happy stars and omens bright for earth.
His father named him Bahram, and the boyFilled all his father’s heart with boundless joy.
At court were astrologers, skilled and wise;A prudent king should heed their searching eyes.
The Indian lord Soroush stood at his side,With judgment clear and wisdom as his guide.
An Iranian, Hushyar, versed in that lore,Could bridle heaven with the skill he bore.
These prudent seekers of the Way drew near,Before the Shah when summons reached their ear.
They gauged the stars with astrolabes in hand,And read the Roman tables, closely scanned.
They read his hidden fortune in the sky:The child would rule the world, his station high.
The seven climes would bow beneath his might;A glad and pious king would guard the right.
They came before the Shah without delay,With charts and astrolabes in full array.
They said, “We gathered knowledge of each kind,And searched the heavens with instructed mind.
We learned that heaven loves this noble child;Its favor on his infant fortune smiled.
The seven climes shall bow before his name;His mighty reign shall win enduring fame.”
The Shah rejoiced to hear the words they bore,And gave them royal jewels from his store.
When they had left, the chiefs remained behind,With ministers and Mobadan combined.
They sat in counsel, seeking how to raiseThe child in wisdom and in righteous ways.
If he escaped his father’s evil way,He would become a just king in his day.
“If he should share that nature,” said the wise,“He will bring ruin under royal skies.
The Mobadan and Pahlevans will grieve;His soul no joy or brightness shall perceive.”
Then all the Mobadan, with loyal care,Approached the Shah and laid their counsel bare.
They said, “This lively child is free from blame;No charge or slander can approach his name.
The world now rests beneath your royal hand;Each clime pays tribute, pledged to your command.
Seek out a land where learned men abound,And through their knowledge peace and ease are found.
Choose there a fosterer of honored name,Whose country blesses him for all his fame.
Let this good prince gain virtue from his guide,And let his rule spread joy on every side.”
The Shah, on hearing this, called envoys near,And sent them far beyond each known frontier.
To Rum, to Hind, to Chin, and distant lands,He sent his messengers with firm commands.
A chief went to the Arabs to discernWhat good or ill their country might return.
A crier went through every distant place,To seek a tutor fit for Bahram’s grace.
An eloquent and learned scribe they sought,Who read the stars and kept what he was taught.
From every clime wise Mobadan then came,Accomplished and renowned in art and name.
As each one reached the court and royal sight,He sought to guide the prince and teach him right.
He questioned them, and honored every guest,And settled them in homes from east to west.
At night went Numan, Monzer at his side,With Arab spearmen famous far and wide.
When all these chiefs in Pars had gathered round,They came before the Shah on royal ground.
They said, “We are your slaves who wait your will,To answer and obey your counsel still.
Such times require a noble man to raiseThe royal son in learning’s worthy ways.
To take him in and teach him what is right,And clear his heart of darkness through that light.
From Rum and Hind and Pars, men here are wiseIn measured forms and motions of the skies.
Philosophers and speakers, versed in lore,And men of practice stand before your door.
We all are dust beneath your royal feet,And guides to knowledge, if you find us meet.
Look well, and choose which one is fit for you,And who can make your purpose sound and true.”
Then Monzer spoke: “We are your slaves, your own;We live for nothing but the royal throne.
The Shah knows all our skills; within his keep,He is the shepherd, we his flock of sheep.
We ride with courage, skilled in horse and spear,More than a match for sages gathered here.
We have no readers of the stars or signs,No men who track the sky with figured lines.
Our hearts are full of love for him who reigns;Beneath us Arab horses race the plains.
We serve your son, and praise his royal name;His greatness is the glory we proclaim.”
When Yazdegard had heard what Monzer said,He weighed the matter deeply in his head.
He saw the end within the first design,And gave him Bahram, child of royal line.
The Shah commanded robes of honor brought,And raised Monzer in rank beyond all thought.
They robed the king of Yemen in the hall,Then brought his royal mount before them all.
From Yazdegard’s high court toward the plainWent camels, horses, litters in a train.
With slaves and nurses in a countless throng,The train through every marketplace stretched long.
The roads through every bazaar were hung bright,From gate to court, with color, wealth, and light.
When Monzer entered Yemen once again,The roads were thronged by women and by men.
Once he had reached his home, he searched for rareAnd noble women, capable and fair.
From Arab and Iranian houses great,He sought among the rich of honored state.
From these great houses he chose women four,Whose birth and skill were plain in all they bore.
Two Arabs, two of Kayanian descent,To nurse the child with all their skill were sent.
They nursed the child and tended him four years,With careful love, protecting him from fears.
When milk had filled him out and strength now grew,They weaned him, though the task was hard to do.
They reared him delicately, day by day,Until at seven he spoke in princely way.
He said, “O chief, no suckling child am I;Do not still nurse me while my years go by.
Entrust me to the learned; do not slightMy need to learn, or leave my mind in night.”
Monzer replied, “Not yet, my prince, not yet;The hour for formal learning is not set.
When that time comes and you are fit to learn,I will not let you idly from it turn.
But play now shapes the body as it grows,And gives the child the strength the warrior knows.”
Bahram replied, “Do not suppose me slow;Though young in years, I know what I should know.
Though neck and chest are not yet fit to fight,My mind is strong and reaches toward the light.
Your years are many, but your wisdom small;You do not know my nature well at all.
Who seeks the fitting time must first discernWhich task comes first, and which must wait its turn.
If you seek out the time amiss, you findThat anxious thoughts consume your heart and mind.
Work out of season bears no fruit to claim;The head stands first within the human frame.
Teach me whatever suits a king to know,So I may learn the worth his acts should show.
True knowledge must come first; blessed is the oneWho sees the end before the work’s begun.”
Then Monzer gazed at him with deep surprise,And whispered praise to God beneath the skies.
He sent a chief on dromedary’s backTo Sursan, urging haste along the track.
The envoy found three Mobadan of renown,Accomplished, learned, esteemed within that town.
One came to teach the young prince how to write,And flood his heart’s dark corners with clear light.
The second taught the hawk and cheetah’s art,A skill to kindle gladness in the heart.
Then polo, bow, and arrow trained his hand,With wheeling swordplay, swift at his command.
He learned to turn the reins both left and right,To raise his spear and stand erect in fight.
The third instructed him in kingly arts,Administration, rule, and all their parts.
He taught him all a monarch should recall,The forms and duties needed to rule all.
When these three Mobadan reached Monzer’s court,They spoke with him at length and made report.
He placed the prince beneath their learned rule,And, learned warrior, taught him in their school.
Bahram, that royal seed, became so trainedThat every manly art was soon attained.
Whenever some new art was brought to sight,He longed to master it with keen delight.
At twelve the warrior shone as shines the sun,And every course his teachers set was done.
In books, in polo, with the hawk in flight,And cheetah, he required no further light.
In battle he could turn the reins at speed,Or charge and wheel and urge his racing steed.
He said to Monzer, “Man of honest thought,Send home the masters; all their work is wrought.”
Monzer bestowed great gifts on every one,And they returned rejoicing, duty done.
Then said the prince, “Call spearmen’s steeds to me,And let all the horsemen wheel bold and free.
Bid them couch lances, ride before my eyes,Then name the price of any steed I prize.
Whatever horse I favor in that band,I shall pay what its owners may demand.”
Monzer replied, “Accomplished noble youth,A prince who seeks a name through skill and truth,
My keeper of the steeds is yours to guide;I, too, their master, serve here at your side.
If you must buy Arabian steeds with gold,Why trouble me to find what can be sold?”
Bahram replied, “May all your honored yearsBe filled with good and emptied of all fears.
I want a steed to spur down mountain height,That never needs the bridle drawn in fright.
When sure of foot, he must in battle flyPast lesser steeds, like wind that races by.
If any steed has not been tried before,Do not press hard or force his pace for more.”
Then Monzer ordered Numan, “Go and seekThe finest steeds for battle, swift and sleek.
Go through the desert where the spearmen ride,And bring the finest chargers far and wide.”
He hurried out and soon again returnedWith one full hundred steeds whose mettle burned.
Bahram beheld them and rode on the plain,And wheeled among them, testing heart and rein.
Yet every horse, though fleet from side to side,Seemed wingless once the prince had climbed astride.
At length he chose a chestnut broad of breast,Whose wind-like feet outstripped the tested best.
A second, branded differently, he chose,A bay, as dread as some nahang that rose.
Its shoes flashed fire beneath its thundering tread,And from its ruddy breast fell drops of red.
Then Monzer paid what both those steeds were worth;In Kufa’s woodland lay their native earth.
Bold Bahram took the pair with watchful care,Bright as Azargashasp, a blazing flare.
He kept them like fresh apples, prized and sound,Lest any harmful wind should sweep around.
One day the prince sought Monzer to implore:“O bright of mind, well versed in wisdom’s lore,
You keep me here, though cause you cannot show,And leave me burdened by this inward woe.
In every heart a hidden longing lies;No heart is free of what it hides from eyes.
Through grief a man grows yellow in the face;Through joy his body gains in strength and grace.
A fair-faced woman offers sweet relief,And comes to aid the heart in every grief.
To prince or Pahlevan in youthful might,She brings both solace and the heart’s delight.
She guides his faith and leads his soul to light;Through her, God’s faith endures, his deeds grow right.
Command that five or six fair maids appear,Like lovely suns in beauty gathered here.
Perhaps one or two will win my heart’s embrace,And bring my troubled thoughts a quiet place.
Perhaps I too may have a child one day,To ease my heart and drive some care away.
May God be pleased with me, and may men raiseMy name in every gathering with praise.”
Old Monzer heard the prince and blessed his name,And praised the words that from the young heart came.
He sent a man to seek the dealer’s stand;The man sped to his house at that command.
The dealer showed him forty maids of Rum,Each fit to grace a home and soothe its gloom.
He chose two rosy maids to call his own,Beneath whose skin lay gleaming ivory bone.
Each stood as tall and straight as cypress trees,And bore a charm that every eye could please.
One played the harp; one, tulip-cheeked, shone farIn beauty, like Yemen’s Canopus star.
Tall as a cypress, kamand-haired and fair;Old Monzer paid the price for both the pair.
Bahram laughed out and thanked him, full of cheer;His face, a Badakhshan gem, shone bright and clear.
He cared for polo and the hunt alone;No other work or pastime was his own.
D9.13
Bahram Slays the Lions and Takes the Throne
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Khosrow pleads his age and lets Bahram go first. With an ox-head gorz Bahram kills both lions, takes the crown from the ivory throne and seats himself; Khosrow submits and the chiefs shower jewels. A snowbound winter passage then closes the chapter.
32 couplets · Bahram Goor named 3 times · in the full poem
Bahram Goor and Khosrow crossed the plain,And faced the lions, hearts weighed down with pain.
When Khosrow saw the crown between the beasts,He turned to speak before the gathered priests:
“Who seeks the sovereignty should first advance;Let him be first to face this royal chance.
He is still young, while I am old and weak,Too frail to face the death those lions seek.
Let him employ his youth and vigor first,And prove the claim for which his heart has thirst.”
Bahram replied, “Your answer pleases well;No just proposal would I now repel.”
He took an ox-head gorz into his hand,While wonder spread through all the watching land.
A Mobad said, “O king of wisdom, brightWith knowledge, walking in the path of right,
Who bids you fight these lions? What rewardBeyond the crown can such a fight afford?
Do not give up your life for kingship’s sake,Or feed the fish through such a vain mistake.
No blame is ours; this venture is your own;The world’s whole heart inclines toward your throne.”
Bahram replied, “O guardian of the creed,You and the rest are blameless in this deed.
I am the man to face these lions’ might;To battle with the brave is my delight.”
The Mobad said, “Before you face that test,Seek God in prayer, and cleanse your sinful breast.”
He did as told, repenting of his sin,And cleansed his heart of all the stains within.
Then came the wise Shah, resolute of face,With ox-head gorz in hand, and took his place.
When those fierce lions saw the hero near,One snapped its chain and charged without a fear.
The king struck hard upon the lion’s head,And dimmed its eyes and left the creature dead.
He struck the second lion’s skull; it bled;From eyes to breast its blood ran dark and red.
He sat upon the ivory seat and pressedThe heart-delighting crown upon his crest.
Then Khosrow came before him, bowed his head,And to the king these words of blessing said:
“Blessed be your reign upon the royal seat;May every hero bow before your feet.
You are the Shah; we are your slaves today,And shall advance your purpose every way.
In God, the Refuge, let us seek our stay,Who guides all those who from the path would stray.”
The mighty men showered jewels on his crown,While blessings from the gathered world poured down.
In Azar, on Soroush’s day, the cheerRose from the world and rang to heaven’s sphere.
A cloud has risen and obscured the moon;From its black heart the falling snow is strewn.
No stream, no plain, no upland meets my eye;The raven’s plumes are swallowed by the sky.
No firewood, salted meat, nor barley storeRemains till barley harvest brings us more.
Amid this gloom and dread of tax, the snowMakes earth an ivory mountain here below.
My whole estate can scarcely longer stand,Unless some faithful friend should grasp my hand.
Now hear the strangest tale I can convey;No greater wonder could my words portray.
D10.3
Bahram Visits Lambak the Water-Carrier
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An old man tells Bahram of two townsmen, Baraham the rich miser and Lambak the generous water-carrier. The king forbids the market to buy Lambak’s water, then lodges with him three nights as a stray captain, watching him pawn his gear each day to feed his guest.
61 couplets · Bahram Goor named 11 times · in the full poem
One day Bahram Goor rode out on his way,With chosen warriors, seeking lion prey.
An old man, staff in hand, approached the king,And said, “God-fearing Shah, hear what I bring.
Within our town two men are known by name;One rich, one poor, their fortunes not the same.
Baraham the Jew, a miscreant knave,Has gold and silver, more than hearts could crave.
But Lambak bears men water and is kind,A gracious host, warm-hearted and refined.”
Bahram asked his attendants to explainThe old man’s words, and make their meaning plain.
A worthy said, “Great king of noble name,Lambak’s good words and welcome earn acclaim.
He carries water, generous and kind,With food to share and friendliness of mind.
Half of each day he bears his water round;The rest he seeks where travelers may be found.
He leaves no store behind for days unborn,But gives as though for giving he was born.
Baraham’s heart is barren, hard, and cold;His grasping nature plainly could be told.
He has great hoards of dirhams, locked and sealed,Brocaded furnishings, and gold concealed.
Yet no one sees his bread or tastes his meat;He hates the guest who enters from the street.”
The Shah then bade a herald cry aloud:“Go to the market; tell the gathered crowd:
‘Whoever buys from Lambak at the wellShall feel the Shah’s fierce wrath; let none rebel.’”
He waited till the sun began to fade,Then rode a swift horse through the evening shade.
Like wind he came to Lambak’s humble gate,And struck the ring, though night was growing late.
He cried, “A captain of Iran am I;I missed the Shah as darkness filled the sky.
Grant me a lodging underneath your roof;Of kindness that would be a noble proof.”
Pleased by the voice that spoke so fair and clear,Lambak rejoiced, that friendly speech to hear.
He said, “Come, Pahlevan; be welcome here!May you be one the Shah holds ever dear.
Had ten companions come with you instead,Each would have been a moon above my head.”
Bahram dismounted; Lambak took the steed,And tended it with glad and careful heed.
He rubbed it down and tied the horse, then passedA cord around its neck to hold it fast.
When Bahram sat, his host ran up to bringA chessboard, which he set before the king.
He furnished all things needful with delight,And found the means to feed his guest that night.
He said, “My noble guest, put play aside;Leave chess, and eat the meal I now provide.”
When they had eaten, and their spirits soared,The host brought wine, and merry cheer was poured.
The Shah was filled with wonder at the feast,The kindly words, the cheer that never ceased.
He passed the night there; at the break of day,His host’s voice woke him as asleep he lay.
He said, “Your horse, in truth, fared ill last night;Its needs were not attended to quite right.
Stay one more day; if company would please,A friend shall come to put you at your ease.
We shall provide what may delight you all;Stay happily today within my hall.”
The king replied, “My tasks today are few;I have no pressing business to pursue.”
He took his skins and went to sell his store,But found no buyers for the load he bore.
Distressed, he pulled his shirt off, then drew nearAnd gathered to his breast his carrying gear.
He pawned his linen sash without delay,And bought fresh meat and curds and came away.
He set the pot upon the fire to boil,While Bahram marked his generous care and toil.
Lambak prepared the meal; they ate their fill,Then sat with wine in friendship and goodwill.
All night Bahram drank deep and freely poured;Wine-loving Lambak kept him at the board.
At dawn he hurried in to greet his guest,And spoke with warmth, and made this glad request:
“Be merry always; may all toil depart,And trouble never weigh upon your heart.
Spend one more day with me, and I shall holdYour company as dear as life and gold.”
Bahram replied, “God grant that I may stay,Nor lose, with such a friend, this third glad day.”
The water-carrier blessed him: “May you keepA wakeful heart, and Fortune never sleep.”
He pledged his very water-skin in trade,And on his gear a final bargain made.
He bought what he required and homeward sped,Rejoicing as he brought the meat and bread.
He said to Bahram, “Help prepare the meat;For nourishment, a man has need to eat.”
Bahram took up the meat and cut it through,Then cooked it on the fire, and made the stew.
When they had eaten, wine and cups were brought;The king of kings came first in toast and thought.
When they had drunk, he made his guest a bed,And set a candle near his resting head.
The fourth day, when the sun dispersed the gloom,Bahram awoke within the humble room.
His host approached and said, “O man of mark,You have stayed in this house, so cramped and dark.
You find no comfort here; yet if you seeNo cause to fear Iran’s Shah, stay with me.
Stay two weeks more within my mean abode,If such a wish should draw you from the road.”
Then Shah Bahram blessed him and replied,“May mirth and happiness with you abide.
Three days within this house were spent in glee,While cups were raised to kings of each degree.
Elsewhere I shall recount all you have done,To brighten heart and mind with joy thus won.
Your hospitality shall yield you fruit;Persist, and crowns and thrones may follow suit.”
Swift as the dust, he saddled up his steed,And gladly sought the chase with eager speed.
He hunted till night veiled the mountainside,Then from his group of men he turned aside.
D10.9
Bahram Weds the Miller’s Daughters
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Riding home by night, Bahram finds village girls singing by a mill. One toasts Bahram Goor and explains his name. He calls for wine, hears four maidens sing, and asks their father the miller for all four, refusing any dowry. Next morning the village learns its luck.
66 couplets · Bahram Goor named 10 times · in the full poem
A week passed by; the monarch rode to chaseThe mountain game, with all his lordly race.
With Mobadan then gathered at his side,A month he drank and hunted far and wide.
He reveled with his noble hunting train;Their catch passed measure on the hills and plain.
Rejoicing, back toward the town he turned;Night fell, and scarce a pathway was discerned.
The chiefs rode on together on their way,And spoke of Shahs as evening died away.
Bahram beheld a fire that lit the night,Such as a king at Bahman’s feast might light.
The king of kings peered closely at the blaze,And saw a village, pleasant to his gaze.
A mill stood near it, and beside the flame,The village chiefs sat gathered, each by name.
The maidens feasted, gathered close and fair,With crowns of roses set upon their hair.
The minstrels sat around; the maidens sangOf royal wars until the valley rang.
Each sang in turn; their voices rose and fell;Their moonlike faces cast a lovely spell.
Their locks were curled, their voices sweet and clear,And musk seemed breathing from their presence near.
They sat ranked on the grass beside the mill,Each with a posy, bright and singing still.
Half-flushed with wine and merriment, they cried,And one gave Bahram’s toast with royal pride.
She said, “To Shah Bahram, whose farr is bright,Whose stature, love, and mien command the sight.
Through him the wheeling heavens hold their place;Wine seems to trickle from his glowing face.
His black hair breathes out musk; he hunts no preyBut lions and wild asses on his way.
Therefore the people name that monarch sureBy his great hunting title: Bahram Goor.”
On hearing this, he rode toward that fair throng,And saw the moon-faced maidens ranged along.
He saw the road to town was long that night,And called for wine and friends to share delight.
They brought him wine and friends at his command,And set a crystal goblet, rich and grand.
Four maidens then, the highest of that band,Came forth together, walking hand in hand.
Moshknaz came, with Moshkanak beside,Then Naztab and Susanak in their pride.
With cheeks like spring, in stately step they drew,And sang the praises that to kings are due.
They praised the king of kings, the wise and great;Their beauty left his heart in troubled state.
He asked, “Whose daughters are you, roses bright?And why have you set this great fire alight?”
One said, “O Pahlevan of cypress height,So like a king in bearing and in sight,
Our father is an aged miller here,Who hunts for game upon the mountain near.
He will return now that the night has grown,For darkness makes the hunter’s path unknown.”
The miller and his men then came with game;His eyes fell on Bahram’s commanding frame.
He rubbed his face upon the dusty ground,Then stood before him, all his men around.
The Shah commanded, “Bring the old man cheer,And set a golden goblet for him here.”
He said, “Why keep these four with sunny face?Is it not time they found a marriage place?”
The old man praised him: “We have found no groom;So they have lingered in their father’s room.
They still are maidens, chaste; they claim no gold,For virtue is the only wealth they hold.
This is all I possess and all I say;No dowry stands to send them on their way.”
Bahram replied, “Give me these daughters four;Why should they wait as maidens anymore?”
The old man said, “Do not withdraw your word;Let what you promised stand as I have heard.
We have no cups, no land, no crops to store,No silver, house, or ox or ass; no more.”
Bahram replied, “No wealth need come with them;I ask no goods, no coin, no precious gem.”
The miller said, “The four shall be your wives,And serve within your chambers all their lives.
Your eye has seen whatever good or illThey bear, and still approves them by your will.”
Bahram replied, “From God, who gives us all,I take these maidens at His gracious call.”
He spoke and rose; the steeds began to neigh,And all his escort stirred to move away.
He bade the eunuchs of his train to bearThose idols to the women’s royal care.
The troops streamed through the fields throughout the night;The miller stood amazed at such a sight.
He mused all night and said then to his wife,“What moonlike lord has entered thus our life?
With such a stately form and princely grace,How did he find by night our humble place?”
She said, “He saw the fire’s distant light,And heard the daughters singing in delight.
He brought us wine and minstrels for the feast,Drawn by the merry songs that had not ceased.”
The miller said, “Advise me, O my spouse;Will good or ill come to this humble house?”
She said, “All comes from God; he saw each face,And did not ask about their blood or race.
He sought four moons, not wealth that rank could bring,Nor wished to wed the daughter of a king.
If idol-makers out in Chin saw these,Their idols would no longer hearts appease.”
They spoke of men of good and evil ways,Till sun on Raven’s back brought morning’s rays.
At dawn the village chief came hurrying near,And said, “Good fortune paid a visit here.
Your tree’s green branches now have borne their fruit;Bahram rode by here, homeward from pursuit.
He saw your fire and turned toward your gate;Your daughters now reside in royal state.
They rest secure as wives within his hall;His private chambers now receive them all.
In face and hair and carriage bright and rare,You raised them for the Shah’s own royal care.
Bahram is now your son-in-law; your nameWill spread through every country with your fame.
He gives this province to you as your part;Let grief and fear no longer press your heart.
We all are now your subjects, yours to lead;Your servants, who your least command will heed.
Give your commands; each one we shall fulfill.We are your servants, subject to your will.”
The miller and his wife, amazed, were stirredTo call on God; the village khan was heard:
“Such locks and faces, splendid in their bloom,Would draw the fourth-sphere sun down as a groom.”
D10.14
Bahram Slays Lions and Weds Arezu
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Bahram kills two lions, hears from a herdsman of a jeweler’s harp-playing daughter, and rides alone to the house as “Gushasp.” Arezu sings to him and chooses him over the king himself; they are married by dawn. Meanwhile Rozbeh lectures the chiefs on the king’s excess with women.
223 couplets · Bahram Goor named 24 times · in the full poem
The Shah urged Shabdiz onward through the plain,And came upon a forest’s green domain.
Before the wood two savage lions stood;He strung his bow and faced them where he could.
His arrow tore the lion’s breast and foundIts way, both point and feathers, to the ground.
Then Bahram turned his bow, devoid of fear,And shot the lioness, his skill made clear.
He pinned her breast and loins with one clean blow,Then laughed and spoke in scorn above the foe:
“That shaft lacked feathers, and its point was worn;Yet through the lioness its path was borne.”
His escort praised him: “Famous king of earth,No throne has seen a Shah of equal worth.
With featherless shafts you lions overthrow;The roots of flinty mountains too would go.”
The monarch rode in splendor through the land,And saw great flocks across a meadow stand.
He saw the shepherds fleeing in their fright,Afraid of beasts that haunted that green site.
The chief herdsman, long plagued by beasts and fear,Perceived Bahram as he was drawing near.
The Shah said, “Who has driven sheep to grazeIn such unlikely woods and dangerous ways?”
The herdsman answered, “Sir, none walks this trackSave me, who guards these flocks from beasts’ attack.
They are a jeweler’s sheep, whose wealth is known;I drove them yesterday from slopes of stone.
The owner fears the beasts despite his hoard;He has gem-loads and silver richly stored.
He owns gold, trinkets, wealth of every kind,And peace because the Shah is just in mind.
He has one daughter, skillful on the harp,With raven curls and wit both keen and sharp.
From her own hand alone he takes his wine;No richer elder in this land can shine.
How could he keep such hoards, and rest secure,But that Bahram’s just reign the land keeps pure?
The king of kings is not concerned for gold;His Mobadan are not unjust or cold.
But tell me who has slain these beasts today;May God uphold the hand that cleared the way.”
Bahram replied, “A hunter brought them low,A man whose arrows never miss their foe.
He slew those gallant beasts and rode away,With seven brave riders in his bright array.
Where is the jeweler’s mansion? Show the road,And hide from us no path to his abode.”
The chief herdsman said, “Proceed; beyond this groundA thriving village, newly built, is found.
Its sounds reach to the city, borne alongNear Bahram’s palace in a tide of song.
But when the sky puts on its dark attire,He comes to feast, with music to inspire.
Remain, and you will hear the lyre’s sound,And revelry will fill the mansion round.”
Bahram then called for garments fit to wear,For royal raiment and his charger fair.
He parted from his minister and train,And eager rode alone across the plain.
Rozbeh said to the chiefs, “Mark where he rides:He seeks the village where his purpose hides.
He means to knock and lift the jeweler’s latch,And ask the daughter’s hand, a royal match.
He doubtless crowns her with a crown of gold,And takes her where his women are enrolled.
He will send Barzin’s other three away,And let this newest moon command the day.
He never has enough of love’s delight;His partner flees from him in deepest night.
He has above a hundred ladies’ bowers,And spends among them all his royal hours.
A king of kings should not be ruled by this;His pleasure overwhelms his sober bliss.
A eunuch counted in the palace hallsOne hundred thirty damsels behind walls.
Each wore a jeweled crown; each, richly dressed,Had maids to serve her at her least behest.
The Shah demands his tribute far and wide;One month consumes the tribute Rum supplied.
Alas for shoulders, breast, and height like his,A face that lights the court where glory is.
None will behold his like in strength or frame,Or in the splendor gathered round his name.
He pins two Gur-e-Khars with one clean throw,Yet lust will drain the strength such feats bestow.
Too much with women mars the strongest man;He soon will pale and weaken in his span.
His eyes grow dim, his cheeks lose all their red;His lips turn lapis-blue, his strength has fled.
The scent of women whitens youthful hair;With whitened hair, few hopes on earth are fair.
The young man’s upright back grows bent and bowed;Through lust, afflictions gather in a crowd.
Once in a month should satisfy desire;More drains the blood and dims the body’s fire.
A prudent youth should husband strength and seed,For children’s sake and future household need.
In such excess lie weariness and loss,And feebleness that turns life’s gold to dross.”
They turned back to the palace, speaking still;One said, “The sun has passed beyond the hill.”
Bahram, with one slave to mind his steed,Rode through the dark toward his hidden need.
When near the house, he caught the harp-string’s tune,And spurred his steed beneath the cooling moon.
Toward the merchant’s house he rode at speed,And knocked, invoking God in word and deed.
A kindly handmaid asked, “Who knocks so late?Why pound so hard upon my master’s gate?”
Bahram replied, “At dawn the Shah’s arrayRode to the hunting-grounds to spend the day.
My horse went lame; I fell behind the line,And now no escort sees this trail of mine.
Here, in this thoroughfare, thieves lie in wait,To seize my steed and harness at the gate.
Therefore I need your shelter and your aid,Before this night has left me robbed and frayed.”
The handmaid told her lord, “A man asks grace;He fears for horse and harness at our place.
He says his horse and golden harness hereWill tempt a thief; he seeks relief from fear.”
Mahiyar answered, “Open, let him stay;Have I not seen a guest before today?”
The maid made haste to open wide the door:“Come in, my son, and be afraid no more.”
The Shah stepped in and saw on every sideAttendants standing ready, far and wide.
He said within himself, “O God alone,You guide me to the good that You have shown.
May I be just in conduct evermore,And keep covetousness from my door.
Let arrogance not be my ruling creed;Let justice govern every act and deed.
Let all my subjects’ hearts rejoice and sing,And live in dignity beneath their king.
If knowledge and my justice grow in worth,My memory will shine beyond the earth.
May all my subjects, like this jeweler, hearThe harp and revelry without a fear.”
On entering that lofty hall he sawThe jeweler’s daughter and was held in awe.
The noble, seeing him, rose up and bowed,And hailed the guest with welcome warm and proud.
“Good evening, noble Pahlevan,” he said;“May all your foemen’s hearts be filled with dread.”
The host spread out a mat of woven pile,And set a cushion, greeting him the while.
He gazed with joy upon his guest’s bright face,Then ordered food brought forth with fitting grace.
A sumptuous board was spread with hot and cold,With dishes worthy of the great of old.
One faithful servant then secured the steed,And gave it lodging, grooming, rest, and feed.
Elsewhere they lodged Bahram’s attendant well,And showed him courtesies no words could tell.
They set a lower seat for Mahiyar,Who sat beside his guest, the hidden star.
He then addressed his guest, sincere and warm,And spoke with honest heart, in kindly form:
“Brave Pahlevan, you are my guest tonight;My life and soul are yours by friendship’s right.
When we have eaten, we must drink, then sleep;Dark night is deep, and royal wines we keep.
When you have drunk your measure, take your rest;At dawn return to service, honored guest.”
Bahram replied, “Who finds, in darkest night,A host whose welcome shines with such delight?
We must be ever grateful to our God;The thankless always walk beneath His rod.”
The handmaid, awed to see the guest’s bright mien,Brought bowl and ewer and a napkin clean.
Their hands were washed; then came the wine-cup’s turn,And mirth and peace began in hearts to burn.
The handmaid brought a flagon and strong wine,With cups and flowers of fenugreek in line.
The noble first reached out, took up the cup,Then drank, and washed it clean, and raised it up.
With musk and rosewater he cleansed the bowl,And gave Bahram the cup that cheered the soul.
He said, “What is my boon-companion’s name?Let friendship bind us in a loyal claim.
I take Bahram the Shah as surety here,That we shall share the cup in loyal cheer.”
The king laughed heartily and then replied,“Gushasp is what men call me far and wide.
I came here, drawn by harp-song through the night,Not merely seeking lodging till the light.”
His host replied, “This daughter of my soulUplifts my head and makes my gladness whole.
She is my cupbearer, and she sings too;She scatters care when grief comes into view.”
The maiden’s name was Arezu, his light;She served his wine and was his heart’s delight.
He told that cypress, “Bring your harp in here;Before Gushasp, our Pahlevan, appear.”
The harpist came before the monarch’s face,Like Yemen’s star Suhayl in stately grace.
She said, “O mighty Pahlevan, whose frameBefits a man who bears a kingly name,
Know that this feasting house belongs to you;My father is host and treasurer too.
May all your darkest nights be blessed instead;Above the rain-cloud may you raise your head.”
He said to her, “Sit down, take up the harp;Let song begin at once, both sweet and sharp.
Tonight old Mahiyar shall be a youth,And pledge his soul to fellowship and truth.”
The harpist clasped her harp and, with rare skill,Played the Magians’ chant, and all grew still.
As silken chords rang out through all the room,An odor came as jasmine comes in bloom.
She sang to Mahiyar, her noble sire,And plaintive music trembled from the wire:
“You stand, a cypress by the flowing stream;Your locks, once musk-dark, now like camphor gleam.
Your tongue is warm, your heart has love of peace;May hardship never from your foeman cease.
Let wisdom be the nourishment you prize;Your nature, like Fereydoon’s, great and wise.
I wait upon you as a handmaid true;Called Arezu, I joy in guests like you.
Our guest has made me joyful as a kingWhose troops, triumphant, news of conquest bring.”
Her first song done, she turned her eyes his way,And sang to plaintive chords a second lay:
“Sincere and brave, high-starred, whose peer is none,Who has not seen Bahram should see the sun
Of your bright face, and find his image here:The Pahlevan all cherish and revere.
At court, you are the only match for him,A cypress tall, your waist reed-like and slim.
You have a pheasant’s carriage, lion’s heart,And elephantine strength in every part.
Full two farsangs in war you fling your spear;Your cheeks like pomegranate blooms appear.
Who washed those blossoms red in wine’s bright glow?Your arms like camel thighs in power show.
You trample Mount Bistoon beneath your feet;Your strength can cast that mountain from its seat.
I see no man to rival you in strife;May Arezu serve you faithfully through life.”
Her skill in harp and song, her charm and ease,Her stature, beauty, art, and power to please,
So worked on Bahram that one might have saidHis joys had fled, and longing ruled instead.
When Mahiyar grew drunk before his guest,Bahram addressed his friend with frank request:
“Give me your daughter, let her be my own,And praise shall crown you when the deed is known.”
Mahiyar asked her, “From this warrior here,What marriage gift would please you, daughter dear?
See if he pleases you, and if it is wellFor you to go with him where fortunes dwell.”
Arezu replied, “Good father, hear me say:If you would give me to a man today,
Gushasp alone is fit to be my mate;Why turn to Bahram for a different fate?”
Her words displeased her father, and he saidTo Bahram, “Warrior whom all foemen dread,
Regard her form and judge if she will suit:Her skill, discretion, knowledge, branch and root.
See whether she is pleasing to your heart;True sight is better than conjecture’s art.
She is accomplished and no beggar maid;I speak the truth; no false account is made.
If all my gems were counted and weighed out,They would surpass the Shah’s own bags, no doubt.
Be not too swift; tonight take rest instead,And, if you must, more wine to warm your head.
Great men make no agreements over wine,Especially for brides of noble line.
Wait till the sun has climbed the eastern sky,And noble men awake with watchful eye.
We then will call far-seeing elders near,Detached and learned, to judge the compact clear.
Such night-time business is no proper way;Fereydoon’s custom calls for light of day.
It is ill-omened, wedding over wine,Or sealing contracts before the sun can shine.”
Bahram replied, “This omen-talk is wrong;Do not draw omens when the heart is strong.
This harpist pleased me deeply in the night;So deem the matter fortunate and right.”
The father said, “Arezu, say what is true:Do looks and manners both approve him too?”
She said, “I do approve him, heart and mind;Since first I saw him, I have been inclined.
Complete the work; trust God to be our guide;No heavenly feud hangs where we reside.”
Her father answered, “You are now his wife;Know you are joined beneath the law for life.”
He gave her then to Bahram as his bride;By dawn the marriage bond was sealed and tied.
The Shah’s attendant hung the royal whipAbove the gate, with jeweled thong and grip.
Arezu went to her chamber, while aroundThe sleeping village lay without a sound.
Mahiyar went to plan with eager zealFor Pahlevan Gushasp’s next morning meal.
He told a servant, “Bolt the doors, then takeA fattened lamb and dress it for his sake.
No board should lack a lamb when guests arrive;Choose one well-fed, the fattest still alive.
Wait on Gushasp; when he wakes, draw near,And bring him ice with foaming, cooling beer.
Bring camphor and rosewater in a bowl,To scent his chamber and delight his soul.
I am as drunk as I was late last night;This old gem-seller cannot bear wine’s might.”
He spoke, drew up his cloak around his head,And sought the rest that wine bestows in bed.
When sunlight raised its crown above the skies,And earth like shining ivory met all eyes,
With shields and double-headed spears in hand,The troops came seeking Bahram through the land.
The escort gathered round the jeweler’s gate,As though it were the Shah’s own court of state.
All who recognized the whip drew near,And bowed before it with submissive fear.
The porter saw the vast assembled crowd,The swordsmen and the spearmen calling loud.
He ran and roused his sleeping lord from rest,And sobered him with news that struck his breast.
He said, “Rise up; shake off your drunken sleep.Take heed: this is no hour for slumber deep.
The world’s king came to this poor house to stay;Here you caroused and drank the night away.”
The jeweler’s heart beat wildly at the word;He cried, “What say you? What have you heard?
How have you traced the footsteps of the king?”Then truth descended with a sudden sting.
He sprang up from the bedclothes with a shout,And scolded hard the porter in his doubt.
“These are not words of wisdom or of age;What dream has made you speak in such a rage?”
The slave replied, “Experienced man, attend:Who made you monarch of Iran, my friend?
So vast a crowd has gathered at your gateThat no man could pass through, however great.
Each man who comes salutes our screen; they allBow as though in the king of kings’ own hall.
At dawn, before the sun began to shine,The guest’s attendant hung a jeweled sign.
A whip of gold and gems above our gate;Now hill and dale have sent their men to wait.
Around that jeweled whip the people press;Rise now, before the crowd brings more distress.
Do not let wine confuse your mind or face;The king himself is hidden in this place.”
The shrewd old man was troubled in his breast:“Why did I drink before so great a guest?
Why did I let my daughter serve the wine,When such a guest had come beneath this sign?”
To Arezu’s own chamber then he drew,And said, “My gracious Moon, I speak to you.
It was Bahram, the king of kings, last night,Who came disguised and entered out of sight.
Returning from the chase, he turned his rein,And entered here across the darkened plain.
Rise now and don brocade of Roman thread;Set last night’s crown upon your moonlike head.
Make him an offering worthy of his state:Three royal rubies of surpassing weight.
When you behold his sunlike face, stand low,And let your folded arms your reverence show.
Keep your eyes lowered; do not stare his way;Hold him as dear as life and breath each day.
Answer meekly when he questions you;Let every word be modest, clear, and true.
I shall not come unless the Shah commands,And gives me place among his courtly bands.
I sat beside him as though I were his peer;I wish that I had disappeared from here.
In drunkenness I matched myself with him;Wine makes the minds of every man grow dim.”
Just then a slave came hurrying to say,“The Shah, that ardent spirit, wakes today.”
When Bahram woke, refreshed from restful sleep,He went to bathe where garden waters sweep.
He prayed before the sun, with trust in God,Then crossed the fragrant garden’s morning sod.
Returning to the hall in royal state,He bade a servant bring the wine, not wait.
He heard his retinue had come that day,And bade them turn and take the road away.
He called Arezu, whom his heart desired;She came with wine and gifts as he required.
A handmaid bore her crown and earrings bright;Arezu bowed and kissed the ground outright.
The Shah smiled: “Where were you? You went away,And left me drunk, alone with wine to stay.
Your harp and song are all I ask of you;Let women’s gifts go elsewhere, as they do.
Come sing to me of chase and royal fight,Of spearhead-blows and war in armored light.”
He said, “Where is the jeweler? We were oneIn wine together till last night was done.”
His daughter called her father when she heard,Amazed the Shah recalled each drunken word.
Mahiyar came with arms across his breast,Before the sunlike king, a humble guest.
He cried, “O Shah, O chief, O wise and great,May all the world turn toward your crown and state.
The man who drinks the cup of folly needsTo guard his tongue and curb his reckless deeds.
I erred through ignorance, not evil will;Distressed, I fear you think my mind is ill.
Grant pardon, make my face and fortune bright;I stand, a foolish slave, before your sight.”
Bahram replied, “The wise give no beliefTo drunken words, nor hold them cause for grief.
If wine brings sorrow, let that drinker fleeIts very scent and color, and be free.
I saw no ill behavior in you here;Now listen to Arezu’s music clear.
Let song excuse you; raise the cup today,And leave tomorrow’s troubles far away.”
Mahiyar kissed the ground and spread the board,And fetched the nobles gathered near his lord.
Arezu saw the strangers and withdrew,Her brow drawn tight among the guests so new.
She stayed until the sky was clothed in night,And stars around the moon came into sight.
Called back, Arezu took a golden seat,And sang of chase and war in accents sweet.
“O fearless king, the lion, put to shame,Will leave the woods on hearing your great name.
Shah, victor, breaker of the battle-line,Tulip on jasmine makes your features shine.
No earthly ruler matches you in height;Your face outshines the moon in heaven’s light.
When armies see your helmet in the fight,Their hearts and minds are torn apart by fright.
Their senses fail them, and they cannot knowThe heights above them from the depths below.”
When they had eaten, wine had made them glad,And cup on cup renewed the joy they had.
Then Rozbeh came with pomp to greet his lord;They lodged him by the gate, with bed and board.
They brought a litter, forty eunuchs too,All moon-faced, for the bride’s departure due.
Their Roman faces shone like rich brocade,And all the countryside seemed newly made.
A jeweled crown adorned the maiden’s head;Toward Bahram Goor’s bower Arezu then sped.
D10.18
Bahram’s Gur-e-Khar Hunt before the Princes
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Before his nobles Bahram drives an arrow through a buck so that neither point nor feathers show, and cleaves a female Gur-e-Khar in two. He rings three hundred beasts’ ears with gold engraved with his name and frees them, holds open court for the poor, then returns to feasting.
72 couplets · Bahram Goor named 2 times · in the full poem
Next day, when sun displayed its golden crown,The Shah rode forth to hunt Gur-e-Khar down.
The soldiers strung their bows across the plain;The Shah himself rode in the rearward train.
He said, “Let every archer hunting gameDraw back his bow and take a steady aim.
The shaft should strike behind and pierce the chest,And prove the archer’s mastery at its best.”
A Pahlevan replied, “O king of grace,Look through the ranks assembled in this place.
Among your friends or foes, no hand is knownTo match the strength that you possess alone.
May head and crown live ever; when you wieldThe bow, the gorz, the sword, our spirits yield.
Your royal farr and stature bring us shame;Our hands grow weak, and none can take his aim.”
The Shah said, “God has given me this skill;What strength has Bahram save through Heaven’s will?”
He urged Shabdiz and neared a buck at speed;Then loosed his shaft while racing on his steed.
The arrow struck exactly as he meant;Through haunch and breast its deadly passage went.
When it fell dead, the golden-belted came,And marveled at the shot and praised his name.
They could not see the arrow’s point or vane;Both lay concealed within the creature slain.
The warlike Pahlevans praised what they saw,And one addressed the Shah in wondering awe:
“O king, may evil never venture near;You are a horseman; we ride asses here.
We lack the skill that donkey riders show;Beside their art, our own stands far below.”
The Shah replied, “That arrow was not mine;The All-conqueror granted force divine.
No man beneath the sky is more forlornThan one whom God abandons to His scorn.”
He spurred his horse, which seemed to soar from view,As though on wings of the homa it flew.
A female Gur-e-Khar stood in his track;Her foal had gone ahead; she lingered back.
He struck the beast and clove it clean in two;His blade cut through her middle, straight and true.
The chiefs and sworded nobles reached his side,And saw that stroke with wonder, awe, and pride.
A sage exclaimed, “What swordsmanship is here!May evil never cross this monarch’s sphere.
No likeness has he but the moon on high;All chiefs beneath his royal Fortune lie.
The heavens bow beneath his scimitar,And lower than his arrow flies each star.”
The troops behind him cleared the plain of game;Then Bahram gave command to mark his name.
He bade them fashion rings of shining gold,And grave his royal name for all to hold.
He ringed the creatures’ ears and let them go,That all the world his royal name might know.
Three hundred beasts he loosed to range the waste,Each ringed, as royal quarry to be chased.
A herald rode among the troops to say:“Give all these Gur-e-Khars as gifts away.
Let merchants take them freely from the plain;Let no man sell his quarry here for gain.”
From Barkooh and from chiefs of Jaz they broughtAbundant furs and brocades richly wrought.
He took their gifts and bade their taxes cease;Though they could pay, he granted them release.
Their poor and laborers grew rich thereby,Through royal bounty poured beneath the sky.
Many gained crowns and thrones by his command;He came back from the chase into the land.
A week he passed in mirth among his men,Then held his open court and judged again.
It was his custom on the riding groundTo sit where troops and suppliants gathered round.
A herald sought the needy everywhere,And voiced the king’s decree for all to share:
“You seekers of your rights,” the herald cried,“From men, seek God, and let Him be your guide.
If through our rule you lie in pain tonight,Or have no share of wealth, come claim your right.
Come to the king upon the riding ground;Perhaps your Fortune shall be newly found.
If one is old, past work, and weak with years,Or young but crippled by disease and tears,
If any of the people lives in debt,And whom relentless creditors beset,
If children have been left without a sire,Yet will not beg although their needs are dire,
Or if their mothers hide their need from sight,And bear their secret poverty at night,
Or if some wealthy man has died and leftYoung children by a faithless guard bereft,
An overseer who sets his heart on gold,Whom neither shame nor fear of God can hold,
Conceal from me no matter of this kind;I will not have the poor conceal their mind.
I will make poor men wealthy, free from fear,And those who hide their need may seek me here.
The straying I will lead to Faith, and saveThe poor from debts that drag them toward the grave.
If officers of mine commit a wrong,And rob the fatherless though weak or strong,
I will hang the unjust alive for allTo see how those who wrong the helpless fall.”
Then royal treasure flowed through open doors;The poor grew wealthy from the royal stores.
The Shah, grown wise, left hunting grounds behind,And reached Baghdad with gladness in his mind.
The haughty chiefs came forth before his sight,Both kin and strangers, men of lordly might.
He bade the army turn and ride away,And sought the palace where he meant to stay.
They decked the golden bower for delight;The handmaids called for musk and wine that night.
The idols sang and made their harp strings ring;They cleared the hall of strangers for the king.
With harp and wine and pipe and singing sound,Their music seemed to bless the air around.
In every chamber, dancers every nightPerformed to keep the monarch’s spirit bright.
Two weeks he spent in mirth and opened wideHis treasury, and all who came supplied.
He scattered largess, then to Istakhr rode,And crowned himself: the jeweled circlet glowed.
He unlocked Kharrad’s bower, and richly dressedThe idols’ chambers, furnished with the best.
He gave the women dinars from his store,Then found their furnishings required more.
If one lacked crown or throne of ivory white,The monarch grumbled at that sorry sight.
He bit his lip at Rozbeh in disdain,And spoke of tribute from Khazar’s domain.
“The tribute paid by Rum and Khazar’s landI give these women by my own command.
Bring ass-loads of dinars; let taxes flowFrom Rey and Isfahan, the sums they owe.
Such poor provision in the women’s wingIs never worthy of Iran’s great king.”
They spread brocade and raised new tax in lands,And gathered wealth through royal officers’ hands.
Thus for a while he lived in ease and peace,And felt the toil and strife of warfare cease.
His days were spent in hunting and in feast;His joy with every passing day increased.
D10.20
Bahram’s Assault on the Khan’s Army
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Learning that the Khan lies feasting at Marv, Bahram marches a light column across northern Iran, surprises the Turkish camp at Kashmihan at dawn, and takes the Khan captive with three hundred chiefs. He pursues the fleeing for thirty farsang and divides the spoil.
27 couplets · Bahram Goor named 2 times · in the full poem
The news reached Bahram: Marv was where they lay,The Khan and all his troops in vast array.
From Azargashasp he led his men away,No baggage train to hinder or delay.
Each man had two strong horses for the road;Their Roman helms above their armor showed.
In cuirasses, their weapons all complete,They hurried like the wind on tireless feet.
From Ardabil to Amol rode the force,Like mountain torrents rushing on their course.
Then onward through the Gorgan lands he passed,And bore his nobles’ hardship to the last.
He reached the town of Nisa with his men;An upright guide went on before them then.
Through mountains, waterless and trackless ground,Through night and far into the day they wound.
He posted lookouts through the light of day,And guards by night to watch along the way.
No pheasant flew as fast as he drew nearTo Marv; a scout brought news for him to hear:
“The Khan is heedless of affairs,” he said;“The hunt at Kashmihan fills all his head.
He thinks of nothing else by night or day;His counselor is Ahriman, they say.”
Bahram rejoiced to hear the runner’s word;His weariness was gone, his spirit stirred.
One day he rested there, till man and steedWere fresh again for sudden battle’s need.
Then, rested, to Kashmihan’s field he pressed;At dawn the sun rose crowned above the crest.
The karnays filled each ear with cries of might;And colored banners filled each warrior’s sight.
The uproar rose from all the hunting ground;Both king and army heard the mighty sound.
The uproar split the lion’s ears; the soilRan red with blood amid the battle’s toil.
One might have said, “The clouds are hailing stone,”Or, “From the moon a rain of blood is thrown.”
Roused from his hunt, the Khan was caught that day;Khazarvan took him captive in the fray.
Three hundred noble chiefs from Chin were caught,Then bound to saddles and as captives brought.
From Kashmihan to Marv the Shah pressed on,His horses lean, their flesh by hard rides gone.
At Marv they slew the men of Chin they found;He chased those fleeing from the killing ground.
For thirty farsang he pursued their flight;Behind him Gharan followed through the fight.
Back at the hunting ground, he shared the spoilAmong the troops who bore the battle’s toil.
Victorious over Chin, he raised his face,And knew all his success was Heaven’s grace.
God grants both good and evil strength to rise,And rules the sun and moon within the skies.
D10.26
Bahram’s Embassy to Shangul of Hind
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A vizier warns that Shangul of Hind is raiding toward Iran. Bahram has a letter written demanding tribute, then carries it himself in the guise of an envoy. He reaches Ghanooj, is admitted to the crystal-roofed hall, and delivers his own message to Shangul.
77 couplets · Bahram Goor named 9 times · in the full poem
A wise wazir arose in council-hall,And spoke of justice, clear before them all.
“O king of justice, evil men no moreMake earth afraid as in the days before.
Our borders now are free from war’s distress,Yet famed Shangul persists in wickedness.
From Hindustan to Chin’s remotest lands,He fills the roads with many robber bands.
He reaches toward Iran with ill intent;Let swift and prudent counsel now prevent.
You are the Shah; he only governs Hind,Why should he tax both distant Chin and Sind?
Consider this, and search his hidden aim;Let no new harm arise from Shangul’s claim.”
The Shah, on hearing this, in thought withdrew;The world became a forest to his view.
He answered, “I will act without a word;By no one shall my secret plan be heard.
I will observe his army with my eyes,His kingship, court, and throne beneath disguise.
I will approach him as an envoy sent,While none in Iran knows my true intent.
O holy Mobad, write to Hind’s great kingOf love and hatred, and the claims they bring.”
His pious minister and scribe withdrew,With those whose help was needed, just a few.
They studied all the matter, weighed it well,With page, musk ink, and pen their thoughts to tell.
They wrote a letter rich with counsel’s seed,With praise of God and warnings fit to heed.
It opened thus: “May God His blessing bringTo those who seek it from creation’s King.
He rules what is and is not, He alone;All things are paired; no peer to God is known.
Of every gift that God bestows below,No light exceeds what wisdom can bestow.
No greater gift can bless the heart or mind;It guides both king and subject, all mankind.
The man whom wisdom gladdens in his breastWill not choose evil as his worldly quest.
Who chooses good will not regret or shrink;From wisdom’s stream the wicked cannot drink.
Through wisdom men escape disaster’s pain;May no one ever suffer in its chain.
Wisdom’s first mark is this: to fear all wrong,And know oneself through all one’s lifetime long.
Then with the eye of wisdom search the earth;For wisdom gives the crown of kings its worth.
It decks the chiefs; the wise know wrong from right,Pursue the just, and turn from evil’s blight.
You know not your own measure or your place;You plunge your soul in blood to your disgrace.
Since I am monarch of the age, the weightOf good and ill lies with my royal state.
With you as king, how little right remains;On every side, some fault or failing reigns.
It is not kingly to conduct such raids,Or join the evil-hearted in their trades.
Your father’s father served; your father tooWas slave before the Shahs who held their due.
None of our kings allowed Hindustan’s landTo fall behind in tribute or command.
Now mark the fortune of Chin’s Khan, who roseAgainst Iran, and failed before his foes.
He lost as spoil the wealth his army brought,And writhed beneath the evil he had wrought.
I see you set upon that selfsame course,With like perversity and kindred force.
Now I have arms and treasures for the war;My loyal troops stand ready by the score.
You cannot stand before my gallant men;No sepahbod in Hind will save you then.
You trust your strength too much; how can it beYou bring your narrow stream against the sea?
Behold, I send an envoy to your side,Of knowledge, eloquence, and noble pride.
Send tribute, or in folly choose to fight;Prepare for war and draw your girth-straps tight.
May blessings rest on those whose lives uniteThe threads of wisdom and of what is right.”
When air had dried the ink upon the sheet,The scribe then folded it, the work complete.
He then addressed it, naming king and crown,And Bahram’s rule, which struck all evil down:
“From Bahram Goor, who worships God on high,Whose rule extends beneath the spacious sky,
Who took the Kayanian crown from YazdegardIn month Khordad, upon the day of Ard,
Chief of the marches, guardian of the realm,Whose hand directs the crown and steers the helm,
To whom Rum and Saklab their tribute bring,This letter goes from king to distant king,
To Shangul, lord of Hind, this word I send,Whose bounds from Ghanooj’s stream to Sind extend.”
The monarch sealed the letter and, disguisedAs one who hunts, told none what he devised.
None in the army knew the Shah’s intent;With him, his noblemen alone now went.
Toward Hindustan he rode with all his band,Past Jadustan’s waters, in the sorcerers’ land.
When Shangul’s palace rose before his sight,The audience hall stood splendid in the light.
Its gate and curtain rose before the sky;The lofty palace seemed to climb on high.
There at the gate were arms in full array,And every sign of splendor on display.
Horsemen and elephants stood ranked in lines,With bells and karnays sounding royal signs.
Bahram stood amazed and deep in thought,Then spoke to those who kept the gate he sought:
“I am an envoy to this court today,Sent by conquering Bahram from far away.”
The chamberlain then passed behind the screen,And told the king what stranger had been seen.
They raised the curtain at Shangul’s command,And brought the envoy in with honor grand.
Bahram advanced with stately step and care,And saw a chamber crystal-roofed and fair.
As he drew near, he saw Shangul, crowned high,With royal majesty that filled the eye.
The throne stood raised on gold and crystal bright,Its gleaming supports flashing back the light.
The silver facing, worked with gold, was setWith gems on every side, a jeweled net.
Bahram beheld the brother seated low,A crown of jewels upon his head aglow.
The minister sat near the royal seat;The king’s son stood before it on his feet.
The Shah drew near, bowed low, and paused awhile,Then loosed his tongue in courtly, measured style.
“As envoy, on this silk a letter I bring,Writ in Pahlavi for Hind’s mighty king.
It comes from Bahram, who stands first in might,And worships God, the source of truth and right.”
When Shangul heard the words Bahram had said,They placed a golden seat for him ahead.
They seated him; then from the outer gateHis comrades entered in their ordered state.
Then Bahram said, “Exalted king, command;May good and greatness flourish in your hand.”
“Proceed,” said Shangul. “Speak your message clear,For heaven blesses words that all may hear.”
“That Shah is sprung from kings of noble birth,Whose equal no one’s mother bore on earth.
That prince, the state’s high glory, strong and sure,Through justice turns each bane into a cure.
All potentates pay tribute at his court;The lion is his quarry and his sport.
When battle calls, the scimitar in hand,He pours a sea of blood across the sand.
His bounty falls like springtime’s cloud-borne rain,While gold and dinars earn his deep disdain.
To Hind’s great king, as envoy, I conveyHis silk-writ words in Pahlavi today.”
D10.32
Shangul Gives His Daughter to Bahram
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Shangul asks his council how to have the envoy killed; a sage forbids it. Instead he offers his daughter and command of his troops. Bahram, seeing a lion caught in a fox’s net, consents, chooses Sapinud from the three princesses, and a week of feasting follows.
43 couplets · Bahram Goor named 9 times · in the full poem
When night came on, he summoned one sage wise,With friends and strangers, men of practiced eyes.
He said, “This man who comes in Bahram’s nameBears mastery and mighty strength of frame.
He will not stay, though I have plied each art;I tried all means; he still resolves to part.
If he returns to Bahram’s royal side,And stands where Iran’s conquering troops abide,
He will belittle all my men and sayThat Hind has not one horseman fit for fray.
My foe may raise his head at what is said;This envoy must be killed; I want his head.
In secret I intend to have him slain;What course would you advise? Make counsel plain.”
The sage replied, “O king, do not bring griefUpon your heart through such a dark belief.
To slay an envoy of a royal courtIs senseless; spurn a deed of such a sort.
No thoughtful man would choose so dark a way;O king of Hind, dismiss this thought today.
Among great rulers, this would stain your name;A chief owes to his people his acclaim.
An army out of Iran will quickly come,With Shah Bahram, whose wrath will strike us dumb.
Not one of us would then escape the blow;Do not forsake the good you ought to show.
This man delivered us from dragon’s breath;His toil deserves not recompense by death.
He slew the wolf and dragon; let him live,For life, not death, is what you ought to give.”
When Shangul heard, his heart grew dark with doubt;He sat, confounded, turning it about.
So passed the night; at dawn he sent a manTo summon Bahram for his secret plan.
When they had met apart, and none was by,No minister stood near, no watchful eye,
He said, “O joy of hearts, your wealth is great;Seek nothing more; be pleased with your estate.
I mean to give my daughter now to you;My deeds shall prove the words I speak are true.
When this is done, remain with me and stay;You have no leave to take the homeward way.
I shall put all my troops at your command,And grant you royal power throughout the land.”
Bahram was struck with wonder at the word;Thoughts of his throne, birth, shame, and battle stirred.
“I cannot fight him here and hope to win;No shame will come from taking him as kin.
No shame will follow if I take this bride;Her hand may save my life here at his side.
Perhaps I will once more see Iran’s soil;Too long we have remained in foreign toil.
As matters stand, the lion is held fast,Caught in the fox’s net so slyly cast.”
He said to King Shangul, “I give consent;I will obey your word and its intent.
Yet choose a daughter; let me see her face,And offer praise for all her charm and grace.”
The king of Hind rejoiced at his reply,And Chinese silks adorned the palace high.
Shangul’s three daughters entered like the spring,With scents and colors fit to grace a king.
He said, “Prepare to see a wondrous sight,A beauty fresh with grace and royal light.”
Bahram Goor went and saw the splendid hall,And moon-faced maidens standing one and all.
He chose one radiant as spring renewed,The maiden known at court as Sapinud.
All grace and modesty, all charm and wit,She seemed for royal fortune fashioned fit.
To Bahram Shangul gave his daughter bright,A cypress, like a smokeless candle’s light.
His richest treasury he opened wide,And gave its key to that fair moon-faced bride.
He called Bahram’s companions to attend,And richly honored each man as a friend.
He gave them gold, with dirhams and dinars,With camphor, aloe, ambergris in jars.
He decked the hall with jewels for the feast;Ghanooj’s famed men came, from great to least.
They walked into the banquet hall with cheer,And gathered, glad to find the monarch near.
A week they sat in joy, with wine in hand,And gladness filled the gathered noble band.
With Shah Bahram, fair Sapinud shone bright,Like wine that fills a crystal cup with light.
D10.39
Bahram Calls the Gypsies from Hindustan
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Bahram asks his sages who suffers; the poor answer that they have wine but no roses and no music. He sends to Shangul for ten thousand Luri lute-players and settles them with oxen, asses and seed-wheat. Within a year they have eaten it all and taken to the road.
22 couplets · Bahram Goor named 1 time · in the full poem
Thereafter Bahram wrote to every sage,And sent his questions on the written page.
He clothed the poor and asked, “Throughout my land,Who lives at ease, whom does distress command?
Who now is penniless, in want and need?Speak truth to me, and hide no word or deed.
Tell me how matters stand throughout the earth,And guide my heart toward wisdom, light, and worth.”
Replies came back from sages of the realm,From noble chiefs who held the kingdom’s helm:
“The face of earth is prosperous; it teemsWith constant blessings, like abundant streams.
Save that the poor complain of Fortune’s wrong,And of the Shah, whose arm is just and strong.
They say, ‘The rich wear roses while they dine,And hear the lute while drinking fragrant wine.
But as for us, they count us not as men;We drink, but hear no strains of music then.
No rose is ours, no lute beside the bowl;The wealthy tend the pleasures of their soul.’”
The Shah laughed heartily at this report,And sent a camel-post to Shangul’s court.
He wrote, “O king, whose generous gifts are famed,Let ten thousand skilled Luris now be named.
Choose men and women who can play the lute;Let all be masters of that skilled pursuit.”
When they arrived, the Shah received the folk,And gave to each an ox to bear the yoke.
An ass he gave to each for loads to bear,And bade them farm the land with skill and care.
His officers gave wheat enough to sow,A thousand loads, to make their harvest grow.
“They shall use ox and ass to work the field,And sow this wheat to make the harvest yield.
Besides, they shall make music for the poor,And ask no fee, that pleasure may endure.”
The Luris ate the wheat and oxen too;A year passed; pale of face, to him they drew.
The Shah said, “Yours was not the farmer’s toil,To scatter seed and reap the fruitful soil.
Your asses still remain; now load and sing,And make the silken strings of music ring.”
Thus, seeking bread, they wandered on their way,And roamed as thieves by night as well as day.
Family
- Parents
- Yazdegard (son of Shapur)
- Children
- Yazdegard (son of Bahram Goor)
On the maps
Where he appears
Named mentions by book, from the Universe Registry. Titles such as “the Shah” and epithets are not counted.