New NaqqaliTyranny and Liberation · A5.5
Zahhak and Kaveh the Blacksmith
A coerced certificate of justice meets a father who will not sign. Kaveh’s refusal escapes the court, gathers a people and gives royal hope a material sign made from work-leather.
The chapter in five texts
| Text | Chapter treatment and distinctive choices |
|---|---|
| F&R English | Ninety-eight couplets give Kaveh’s grievance and refusal dramatic room, then turn the apron into a royal standard before prayer and weapon-making. |
| Moscow | Printed pp 61–66 preserve compelled testimony, protest, the banner and the forge. The fuller grievance must be distinguished from the shorter main presentation. |
| Mohl | Printed pp 43–47 supply the eighteen sons, extended petition, inward-breaking fear and the concluding justice promise, supporting substantial English material. |
| Ganjoor | Sh7 has 86 couplets. The grievance and fear are shorter; the final justice couplet is absent, and several later actions combine or expand in English. |
| Khaleghi | Printed pp 66–71 retain the core public sequence. Extended grievance material is preserved in the pp 67–68 apparatus; a closing justice-and-Creator couplet remains in the main text. |
Parallel text
English left · Persian right. Ganjoor is the reference except where a row names a printed source. Select a number to open the relevant note. G identifiers distinguish digital sections across chapter boundaries.
1+
Zahhak would speak Fereydoon’s name with dread;
Its echo never ceased within his head.
چنان بُد که ضحاک را روز و شب
به نام فریدون گشادی دو لب
Ganjoor z7 1
2+
His stature bent beneath that inward strain,
A king in form, yet captive to his pain.
بر آن برز بالا ز بیم نشیب
شده ز آفریدون دلش پر نهیب
Ganjoor z7 2
3+
One day he sat upon his ivory throne,
With turquoise crown, those serpents fully grown.
چنان بُد که یک روز بر تخت عاج
نهاده به سر بر ز پیروزه تاج
Ganjoor z7 3
4+
He summoned chiefs from every land afar,
To brace his tottering rule with bolt and bar.
ز هر کشوری مهتران را بخواست
که در پادشاهی کند پشت راست
Ganjoor z7 4
5+
“O wise and noble lords,” Zahhak began,
“A hidden foe pursues me: find the man.
از آن پس چنین گفت با موبدان
که ای پرهنر باگهر بخردان!
مرا در نهانی یکی دشمن‌ست
که بر بخردان این سخن روشن است
Ganjoor z7 5,6
6+
Though young in years, this foe is wise and keen;
No common youth like him has yet been seen.
به سال اندکی و به دانش بزرگ
گوی بدنژادی دلیر و سترگ
Ganjoor z7 7
7+
His numbers may be few, his forces slight;
A little foe neglected gathers might.
اگر چه به سال اندک ای راستان
درین کار موبد زدش داستان
که دشمن اگر چه بود خوار و خُرد
نبایدت او را به پی بر سپرد
Ganjoor z7 8,9
8+
Though weak he seems, I do not doubt his rise;
I fear what fate may bring before my eyes.
ندارم همی دشمن خُرد خوار
بترسم همی از بد روزگار
Ganjoor z7 10
9+
I need more troops, a greater force arrayed
Of fearless men and Divs and paris made.
همی زین فزون بایدم لشکری
هم از مردم و هم ز دیو و پری
یکی لشگری خواهم انگیختن
ابا دیو مردم برآمیختن
بباید بدین بود هم‌داستان
که من ناشکیبم بدین داستان
Ganjoor z7 11,12,13
10+
Now sign this scroll and bear your witness clear:
Our king acts justly, righteous and sincere.”
یکی محضر اکنون بباید نوشت
که جز تخم نیکی سپهبد نکشت
Ganjoor z7 14
11–12+
The scroll declared: “I sow no evil seed;
I never turn from justice in my deed.
I speak but truth, a king who tells no lies.”
Too cowed with fear to answer or advise,
نگوید سخن جز همه راستی
نخواهد به داد اندرون کاستی
Ganjoor z7 15
13+
Their hands obeyed, their hearts refused assent;
They signed the scroll, but none believed its intent.
ز بیم سپهبد همه راستان
بر آن کار گشتند هم‌داستان
بر آن محضر اژدها ناگزیر
گواهی نوشتند برنا و پیر
Ganjoor z7 16,17
14+
Then from outside the palace gate there came
A voice that cried aloud in grief and blame.
هم آنگه یکایک ز درگاه شاه
برآمد خروشیدن دادخواه
Ganjoor z7 18
15+
They brought the man before the kingly seat,
The silent nobles staring at their feet.
ستم دیده را پیش او خواندند
بر نامدارانش بنشاندند
Ganjoor z7 19
16+
Zahhak in anger said, “Now speak your claim!
Who wronged you so? Declare to me his name.”
بِدو گفت مهتر به روی دژم
که بر گوی تا از که دیدی ستم؟
Ganjoor z7 20
17–18+
The man beat on his head before them all,
His fury shaking that unjust king’s hall:
“My name is Kaveh! I demand my right;
I come in grief, compelled by bitter plight.
خروشید و زد دست بر سر ز شاه
که شاها منم کاوهٔ دادخواه
Ganjoor z7 21
19–27+
If justice lives, then let it here be shown;
A righteous act will strengthen every throne.
I have endured oppression at your hand;
My heart is pierced by deeds none should withstand.
If such injustice springs not from your will,
Why drag my son away from me to kill?
I once had sons; eighteen in number born;
Now one remains, the rest from me are torn.
Have mercy! Witness now the grief I bear,
My soul is full of sorrow past repair.
If I have sinned, then let the charge be known;
But spare the guiltless! Leave my boy alone!
My back is bent with age and heavy care,
My youth is spent, my life stripped almost bare.
No bond is closer than a child to man,
Yet all are lost by this destructive plan.
Oppression has a measure, start and end;
What cause have you such cruelty to defend?
اگر داد دادن بود کار تو
بیفزاید ای شاه مقدار تو
مرا بوده هژده پسر در جهان
از ایشان یکی مانده است این زمان
ببخشای بر من یکی در نگر
که سوزان شود هر زمانم جگر
مرا روزگاری چنین ژنده کرد
دلی بی امید و سری پر ز درد
Mohl I p 44: selected excerpts from the fuller grievance, including eighteen sons; Khaleghi I pp 67–68 apparatus
28+
A harmless smith am I, who works for bread;
Yet from the Shah fire falls upon my head.
یکی بی‌زیان مرد آهنگرم
ز شاه آتش آید همی بر سرم
Ganjoor z7 22
29–31+
If Seven Climes acknowledge you as king,
Why does our grief increase beneath your ring?
If all the world must bow before your power,
Why must the hardship crush us hour by hour?
You still must answer what must be most just,
Though everything lies crushed beneath your dust.
تو شاهی و گر اژدها پیکری
بباید بدین داستان داوری
که گر هفت کشور به شاهی تو راست
چرا رنج و سختی همه بهر ماست؟
Ganjoor z7 23,24
32–34+
Between us now accounts remain unpaid;
The truth will stand though all the world be swayed.
Now set the reckoning before us all;
Let every man hear justice in this hall.
Of all who live beneath the turning sky,
Why must my sons be chosen still to die?
شماریت با من بباید گرفت
بدان تا جهان ماند اندر شگفت
مگر کز شمار تو آید پدید
که نوبت ز گیتی به من چون رسید
Ganjoor z7 25,26
35–36+
Why does the turn fall always on my door,
To feed your serpents with the sons I bore?
My sons as well your serpents’ maws have fed;
Must I be bled till all my house is dead?”
که مارانت را مغز فرزند من
همی داد باید ز هر انجمن
Ganjoor z7 27
37+
The monarch heard and marveled at his tone;
Such words had rarely pierced the guarded throne.
سپهبد به گفتار او بنگرید
شگفت آمدش کآن سخن‌ها شنید
Ganjoor z7 28
38–39+
He freed the son and tried with measured speech
To calm the father, soften grief’s sharp reach.
They brought his son and sought to make amends;
Zahhak spoke softly, as if they were friends.
بِدو باز دادند فرزند او
به خوبی بجستند پیوند او
Ganjoor z7 29
40+
But when he urged him sign the scroll with all,
Kaveh read through and raised a furious call:
بفرمود پس کاوه را پادشا
که باشد بران محضر اندر گوا
چو بر خواند کاوه همه محضرش
سبک سوی پیران آن کشورش
Ganjoor z7 30,31
41+
“You pillars of the Divs, corrupted here,
Your hearts have lost the World-Creator’s fear.
خروشید کای پای مردان دیو
بریده دل از ترس گیهان خدیو
Ganjoor z7 32
42+
You turned your faces toward the road of hell;
On Zahhak’s words your captive spirits dwell.
همه سوی دوزخ نهادید روی
سپردید دل‌ها به گفتار اوی
Ganjoor z7 33
43+
I will not sign, nor bow to such a lord,
Nor lend my name to prop a reign abhorred.”
نباشم بدین محضر اندر گوا
نه هرگز براندیشم از پادشا
Ganjoor z7 34
44+
He tore the lying scroll from end to end,
Then trampled it, too furious to bend.
خروشید و برجست لرزان ز جای
بدرّید و بسپرد محضر به پای
Ganjoor z7 35
45+
With son before him, fierce in wrath and cry,
He thundered from the court with head held high.
گرانمایه فرزند او پیش اوی
ز ایوان برون شد خروشان به کوی
Ganjoor z7 36
46+
The courtiers asked the king with anxious breath:
“May heaven guard your throne from harm and death.
مهان شاه را خواندند آفرین
که ای نامور شهریار زمین!
ز چرخ فلک بر سرت باد سرد
نیارد گذشتن به روز نبرد
Ganjoor z7 37,38
47+
Why was this man admitted to your side?
He shamed your court, then turned and left in pride.
چرا پیش تو کاوهٔ خام‌گوی
به سان همالان کند سرخ روی
Ganjoor z7 39
48–49+
He tore your pledge and cast your words aside,
Then left as though with Fereydoon allied.
He spoke before you as an equal man,
And shattered what your own command began.”
همه محضر ما و پیمان تو
بدرّد بپیچد ز فرمان تو
Ganjoor z7 40
50+
The king replied, “A strange and troubling sight:
When first he spoke, I felt a sudden fright.
کیِ نامور پاسخ آورد زود
که از من شگفتی بباید شنود
که چون کاوه آمد ز درگه پدید
دو گوش من آواز او را شنید
Ganjoor z7 41,42
51–52+
Between us rose an iron mountain high,
Within the eyvan, looming toward the sky.
It towered between us, iron-hard and vast;
My courage failed before the shade it cast.
میان من و او ز ایوان درست
تو گفتی یکی کوه آهن برست
Ganjoor z7 43
53–54+
When both his hands struck hard upon his head,
Something within me broke; my heart knew dread.
My strength went out; no answer could I find,
As though his cry had struck my heart and mind.
همیدون چو او زد به سر بر دو دست
شگفتی مرا در دل آمد شکست
Mohl I p 45: additional account of Zahhak’s fear
55+
What end awaits I cannot clearly know;
The secrets of the heavens none can show.”
ندانم چه شاید بدن زین سپس
که راز سپهری ندانست کس
Ganjoor z7 44
56+
When Kaveh left, the market roared aloud,
And men surged in to form a swelling crowd.
چو کاوه برون شد ز درگاه شاه
بَرو انجمن گشت بازارگاه
Ganjoor z7 45
57+
He raised his voice and called on all to rise,
To stand as one against the tyrant’s lies.
همی بر خروشید و فریاد خواند
جهان را سراسر سوی داد خواند
Ganjoor z7 46
58+
He seized his apron, blackened, rough, and worn,
And raised it on a spear, though poor and torn.
از آن چرم کآهنگران پشت پای
بپوشند هنگام زخم درای
Ganjoor z7 47
59+
He raised it high and strode the market way,
While dust rose thick and swallowed up the day.
همان کاوه آن بر سر نیزه کرد
همان‌گه ز بازار برخاست گَرد
Ganjoor z7 48
60+
He cried, “O men of name who worship God,
Cast off his chains and break the tyrant’s rod!
خروشان همی رفت نیزه به دست
که ای نامداران یزدان‌پرست!
Ganjoor z7 49
61–62+
Let those who seek release from chains of pain
Now gather round Fereydoon upon the plain.
Come all together, rally to his side;
Beneath his royal farr let hope abide.
کسی کاو هوای فریدون کند
دل از بند ضحاک بیرون کند
Ganjoor z7 50
63–64+
This king is Ahriman upon the throne,
His serpent-fed injustice widely known.
Within his heart the World-Creator’s foe
Has made his home and filled the world with woe.”
بپویید کاین مهتر آهرمن است
جهان آفرین را به دل دشمن است
Ganjoor z7 51
65+
That simple leather, rough and poor to see,
Became the sign of truth and loyalty.
بدان بی‌بها ناسزاوار پوست
پدید آمد آوای دشمن ز دوست
Ganjoor z7 52
66+
Around him gathered many, bold and strong,
Resolved no more to bear the tyrant’s wrong.
همی رفت پیش اندرون مرد گرد
جهانی بَرو انجمن شد نه خُرد
Ganjoor z7 53
67+
Kaveh knew well where Fereydoon would stay;
He led the swelling multitude that way.
بدانست خود کافریدون کجاست
سر اندر کشید و همی رفت راست
Ganjoor z7 54
68+
He led them forth and toward Fereydoon came,
And cries of welcome rang to greet his name.
بیامد به درگاه سالار نو
بدیدندش آن جا و برخاست غو
Ganjoor z7 55
69–72+
The young prince saw the banner and its sign,
And read within it heaven’s clear design.
He dressed it then in Roman brocade bright,
With jewels and gold that flashed against the light.
Red, yellow streamers, others violet-dyed;
Their jeweled tassels fell from either side.
He gave the standard its enduring name:
Derafsh-e Kaviani rose to fame.
چو آن پوست بر نیزه بر دید کِی
به نیکی یکی اختر افگند پی
بیاراست آن را به دیبای روم
ز گوهر بر و پیکر از زر بوم
بزد بر سر خویش چون گرد ماه
یکی فال فرخ پی‌افکند شاه
فرو هشت ازو سرخ و زرد و بنفش
همی خواندش کاویانی درفش
Ganjoor z7 56,57,58,59
73–76+
Thereafter every king who gained the crown
Added new jewels to its old renown.
Fine brocade and treasure decked its fold,
The once-poor leather bright beneath the gold.
It shone like sunlight through the darkest night,
It filled the world’s heart with new hope and light.
What once was leather, cast aside and worn,
Became a blazing sign of glory born.
از آن پس هر آن کس که بگرفت گاه
به شاهی به سر بر نهادی کلاه
بر آن بی‌بها چرم آهنگران
برآویختی نو به نو گوهران
ز دیبای پرمایه و پرنیان
بر آن گونه شد اختر کاویان
که اندر شب تیره خورشید بود
جهان را ازو دل پر امید بود
بگشت اندرین نیز چندی جهان
همی بودنی داشت اندر نهان
Ganjoor z7 60,61,62,63,64
77+
When Fereydoon saw Zahhak’s world was lost,
He girded for the fight at any cost.
فریدون چو گیتی بر آن گونه دید
جهان پیش ضحاک وارونه دید
Ganjoor z7 65
78+
He placed the Kay cap firmly on his head,
Then sought his mother, Faranak, and said:
سوی مادر آمد کمر بر میان
به سر بر نهاده کلاه کیان
Ganjoor z7 66
79+
“I go to battle; prayer is yours to give;
Ask God to guard me so that I may live.
که من رفتنی‌ام سوی کارزار
تو را جز نیایش مباد ایچ کار
Ganjoor z7 67
80+
All strength for goodness comes from God alone;
By His command the path of right is shown.”
ز گیتی جهان‌آفرین را پرست
ازو دان بهر نیکی زور دست
Ganjoor z7 68
81+
Tears from Faranak’s lashes fell like rain;
Her heart ran blood with mingled fear and pain.
فرو ریخت آب از مژه مادرش
همی خواند با خون دل داورش
Ganjoor z7 69
82–84+
She raised her tearful eyes and called in prayer:
“O God, receive my son into Your care.
Turn every sorcerer’s evil hand aside,
And let no dark enchantment reach his side.
To You I give my son with all my heart;
Preserve his life from every evil art.”
به یزدان همی گفت زنهار من
سپردم تو را ای جهاندار من
Ganjoor z7 70
85+
She prayed He cleanse the world of foolish ways,
And end the senseless evil of their days.
بگردان ز جانش بد جاودان
بپرداز گیتی ز نابخردان
Ganjoor z7 71
86–87+
Then Fereydoon prepared himself to go,
But kept his purpose hidden from the foe.
He told no one the road that he would take,
And guarded every word for caution’s sake.
فریدون سبک ساز رفتن گرفت
سخن را ز هر کس نهفتن گرفت
Ganjoor z7 72
88–89+
He called his elder brothers to his side;
Kianush, Parmayeh, his strength and pride.
Both brothers, noble-born, were blessed that day,
Fereydoon addressed them without delay.
برادر دو بودش دو فرخ همال
ازو هر دو آزاده مهتر به سال
یکی بود ازیشان کیانوش نام
دگر نام پرمایهٔ شادکام
Ganjoor z7 73,74
90+
“Be glad and bold; the heavens turn our way;
The crown of greatness soon shall come to stay.
فریدون بریشان زبان برگشاد
که خرم زیید ای دلیران و شاد
که گردون نگردد به جز بر بهی
به ما بازگردد کلاه مهی
Ganjoor z7 75,76
91+
Now bring me smiths who know the forge and flame;
I need a heavy gorz to end this shame.”
بیارید داننده آهنگران
یکی گرز فرمود باید گران
Ganjoor z7 77
92+
The brothers hurried to the smiths’ bazaar;
They summoned masters skilled in forge and bar.
چو بگشاد لب هر دو بشتافتند
به بازار آهنگران تاختند
Ganjoor z7 78
93+
Renowned smiths gathered at the prince’s call;
The finest craftsmen stood before his hall.
هر آن کس کز آن پیشه بُد نام‌جوی
به سوی فریدون نهادند روی
Ganjoor z7 79
94+
With compass Fereydoon drew on the ground
An ox-head gorz, broad-horned and iron-bound.
جهان‌جوی پرگار بگرفت زود
وزان گرز پیکر بٕدیشان نمود
نگاری نگارید بر خاک پیش
همیدون به سان سر گاومیش
Ganjoor z7 80,81
95+
The smiths obeyed and forged the gorz entire;
It shone like the high sun, not earthly fire.
بر آن دست بردند آهنگران
چو شد ساخته کار گرز گران
به پیش جهان‌جوی بردند گرز
فروزان به کردار خورشید بُرز
Ganjoor z7 82,83
96+
He gave them robes, and silver, gold besides,
And praised the skill that in their craft resides.
پسند آمدش کار پولادگر
ببخشیدشان جامه و سیم و زر
Ganjoor z7 84
97+
“When I cast down the Dragon to the ground,
No dust of grief shall on your heads be found.
بسی کردشان نیز فرخ امید
بسی دادشان مهتری را نوید
که گر اژدها را کنم زیر خاک
بشویم شما را سر از گرد پاک
Ganjoor z7 85,86
98+
For justice will prevail, and right be won,
And truth will rise to greet the coming sun.”
جهان را همه سوی داد آوریم
چو از دل همه نام دادار آریم
Mohl I p 47: concluding promise of justice; compare Khaleghi I p 71
Narrative and poetic form
The petition’s fuller form earns its length through escalating demands: name the offense, spare innocence, explain the unequal burden and account publicly for power. The eventual refusal matters because the child has already been returned; the father’s integrity cannot be bought with relief.
The transformation of a smith’s protective leather into the Kaviani standard connects labor, collective action and royal legitimacy. Printed support for the longer grievance and fear-images lets the commentary defend the English’s substantial form without pretending all main texts are equally long.
Couplet commentary
Quoted text · evidence · interpretation1–9A king governed by the enemy’s name
1
Zahhak would speak Fereydoon’s name with dread;
Its echo never ceased within his head.
چنان بُد که ضحاک را روز و شب
به نام فریدون گشادی دو لب
Ganjoor z7 1
2
His stature bent beneath that inward strain,
A king in form, yet captive to his pain.
بر آن برز بالا ز بیم نشیب
شده ز آفریدون دلش پر نهیب
Ganjoor z7 2
3
One day he sat upon his ivory throne,
With turquoise crown, those serpents fully grown.
چنان بُد که یک روز بر تخت عاج
نهاده به سر بر ز پیروزه تاج
Ganjoor z7 3
4
He summoned chiefs from every land afar,
To brace his tottering rule with bolt and bar.
ز هر کشوری مهتران را بخواست
که در پادشاهی کند پشت راست
Ganjoor z7 4
5
“O wise and noble lords,” Zahhak began,
“A hidden foe pursues me: find the man.
از آن پس چنین گفت با موبدان
که ای پرهنر باگهر بخردان!
مرا در نهانی یکی دشمن‌ست
که بر بخردان این سخن روشن است
Ganjoor z7 5,6
6
Though young in years, this foe is wise and keen;
No common youth like him has yet been seen.
به سال اندکی و به دانش بزرگ
گوی بدنژادی دلیر و سترگ
Ganjoor z7 7
7
His numbers may be few, his forces slight;
A little foe neglected gathers might.
اگر چه به سال اندک ای راستان
درین کار موبد زدش داستان
که دشمن اگر چه بود خوار و خُرد
نبایدت او را به پی بر سپرد
Ganjoor z7 8,9
8
Though weak he seems, I do not doubt his rise;
I fear what fate may bring before my eyes.
ندارم همی دشمن خُرد خوار
بترسم همی از بد روزگار
Ganjoor z7 10
9
I need more troops, a greater force arrayed
Of fearless men and Divs and paris made.
همی زین فزون بایدم لشکری
هم از مردم و هم ز دیو و پری
یکی لشگری خواهم انگیختن
ابا دیو مردم برآمیختن
بباید بدین بود هم‌داستان
که من ناشکیبم بدین داستان
Ganjoor z7 11,12,13
Textual evidence
Ganjoor z7 1–13; Mohl I p 43; Moscow I pp 61–62; Khaleghi I pp 66–67.
G z7 1 ↗ G z7 10 ↗ G z7 11 ↗ G z7 12 ↗ G z7 13 ↗ G z7 2 ↗ G z7 3 ↗ G z7 4 ↗ G z7 5 ↗ G z7 6 ↗ G z7 7 ↗ G z7 8 ↗ G z7 9 ↗ Moscow p 61 ↗ Moscow p 62 ↗ Moscow p 63 ↗ Moscow p 64 ↗ Moscow p 65 ↗ Moscow p 66 ↗ Mohl p 43 ↗ Mohl p 44 ↗ Mohl p 45 ↗ Mohl p 46 ↗ Mohl p 47 ↗ Khaleghi p 66 ↗ Khaleghi p 67 ↗ Khaleghi p 68 ↗ Khaleghi p 69 ↗ Khaleghi p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 71 ↗
Interpretation
The compression retains Zahhak’s fear of a young but formidable opponent and his demand for a larger mixed force. The source includes the king’s hostile characterization of Fereydoon’s birth; the English does not reproduce that insult. Small enemies must not be despised is Zahhak’s anxious political wisdom here. The narration need not endorse his cause for the maxim to be intelligible.
10–13A document compelled to certify justice
10
Now sign this scroll and bear your witness clear:
Our king acts justly, righteous and sincere.”
یکی محضر اکنون بباید نوشت
که جز تخم نیکی سپهبد نکشت
Ganjoor z7 14
11–12
The scroll declared: “I sow no evil seed;
I never turn from justice in my deed.
I speak but truth, a king who tells no lies.”
Too cowed with fear to answer or advise,
نگوید سخن جز همه راستی
نخواهد به داد اندرون کاستی
Ganjoor z7 15
13
Their hands obeyed, their hearts refused assent;
They signed the scroll, but none believed its intent.
ز بیم سپهبد همه راستان
بر آن کار گشتند هم‌داستان
بر آن محضر اژدها ناگزیر
گواهی نوشتند برنا و پیر
Ganjoor z7 16,17
Textual evidence
Ganjoor z7 14–17; Mohl I pp 43–44; Moscow I p 62; Khaleghi I p 67.
G z7 14 ↗ G z7 15 ↗ G z7 16 ↗ G z7 17 ↗ Moscow p 61 ↗ Moscow p 62 ↗ Moscow p 63 ↗ Moscow p 64 ↗ Moscow p 65 ↗ Moscow p 66 ↗ Mohl p 43 ↗ Mohl p 44 ↗ Mohl p 45 ↗ Mohl p 46 ↗ Mohl p 47 ↗ Khaleghi p 66 ↗ Khaleghi p 67 ↗ Khaleghi p 68 ↗ Khaleghi p 69 ↗ Khaleghi p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 71 ↗
Interpretation
Mahzar is a written attestation or public testimonial. The English’s scroll is an accessible physical realization. The contrast between obedient hands and refusing hearts develops the source’s fear and compulsion into a clear statement of coerced assent. The passage is not evidence of a free vote that Zahhak has governed well. Its documentary pretense makes Kaveh’s later destruction of the paper especially forceful.
14–18The claimant enters the ceremony
14
Then from outside the palace gate there came
A voice that cried aloud in grief and blame.
هم آنگه یکایک ز درگاه شاه
برآمد خروشیدن دادخواه
Ganjoor z7 18
15
They brought the man before the kingly seat,
The silent nobles staring at their feet.
ستم دیده را پیش او خواندند
بر نامدارانش بنشاندند
Ganjoor z7 19
16
Zahhak in anger said, “Now speak your claim!
Who wronged you so? Declare to me his name.”
بِدو گفت مهتر به روی دژم
که بر گوی تا از که دیدی ستم؟
Ganjoor z7 20
17–18
The man beat on his head before them all,
His fury shaking that unjust king’s hall:
“My name is Kaveh! I demand my right;
I come in grief, compelled by bitter plight.
خروشید و زد دست بر سر ز شاه
که شاها منم کاوهٔ دادخواه
Ganjoor z7 21
Textual evidence
Ganjoor z7 18–21; Mohl I p 44; Moscow I p 62; Khaleghi I p 67.
G z7 18 ↗ G z7 19 ↗ G z7 20 ↗ G z7 21 ↗ Moscow p 61 ↗ Moscow p 62 ↗ Moscow p 63 ↗ Moscow p 64 ↗ Moscow p 65 ↗ Moscow p 66 ↗ Mohl p 43 ↗ Mohl p 44 ↗ Mohl p 45 ↗ Mohl p 46 ↗ Mohl p 47 ↗ Khaleghi p 66 ↗ Khaleghi p 67 ↗ Khaleghi p 68 ↗ Khaleghi p 69 ↗ Khaleghi p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 71 ↗
Interpretation
The interruption is a demand for justice from outside the court. Kaveh identifies himself by that demand before the narrative makes his trade a political emblem. English 15’s nobles staring down gives the room’s silence a bodily form; the source places him among the leading men without specifying every gaze. His beating his head is grief and protest, not an attack on the king.
19–27Eighteen sons and the fuller grievanceLonger petition has printed support
19–27
If justice lives, then let it here be shown;
A righteous act will strengthen every throne.
I have endured oppression at your hand;
My heart is pierced by deeds none should withstand.
If such injustice springs not from your will,
Why drag my son away from me to kill?
I once had sons; eighteen in number born;
Now one remains, the rest from me are torn.
Have mercy! Witness now the grief I bear,
My soul is full of sorrow past repair.
If I have sinned, then let the charge be known;
But spare the guiltless! Leave my boy alone!
My back is bent with age and heavy care,
My youth is spent, my life stripped almost bare.
No bond is closer than a child to man,
Yet all are lost by this destructive plan.
Oppression has a measure, start and end;
What cause have you such cruelty to defend?
اگر داد دادن بود کار تو
بیفزاید ای شاه مقدار تو
مرا بوده هژده پسر در جهان
از ایشان یکی مانده است این زمان
ببخشای بر من یکی در نگر
که سوزان شود هر زمانم جگر
مرا روزگاری چنین ژنده کرد
دلی بی امید و سری پر ز درد
Mohl I p 44: selected excerpts from the fuller grievance, including eighteen sons; Khaleghi I pp 67–68 apparatus
Textual evidence
Mohl I p 44 prints a substantially longer petition than Ganjoor z7 21–22. Khaleghi I pp 67–68 records extended grievance material in the apparatus, including the eighteen-son tradition. The parallel row quotes selected excerpts rather than the whole longer petition.
Moscow p 61 ↗ Moscow p 62 ↗ Moscow p 63 ↗ Moscow p 64 ↗ Moscow p 65 ↗ Moscow p 66 ↗ Mohl p 43 ↗ Mohl p 44 ↗ Mohl p 45 ↗ Mohl p 46 ↗ Mohl p 47 ↗ Khaleghi p 66 ↗ Khaleghi p 67 ↗ Khaleghi p 68 ↗ Khaleghi p 69 ↗ Khaleghi p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 71 ↗
Interpretation
The number eighteen has printed support and should not be dismissed as an English invention. “One remains” concerns the son whose threatened death brings Kaveh to court; the later restoration of that son is coherent. This is the petitioner’s individual history, not a replacement for the regime-wide two-victim pattern.
The extended English speech builds from accountability to innocence, bereavement and the limits of oppression. Its fuller basis is visible in Mohl. Modern presentation should distinguish this transmitted enlargement from exact agreement among all edited main texts.
28–36A smith brings the king to account
28
A harmless smith am I, who works for bread;
Yet from the Shah fire falls upon my head.
یکی بی‌زیان مرد آهنگرم
ز شاه آتش آید همی بر سرم
Ganjoor z7 22
29–31
If Seven Climes acknowledge you as king,
Why does our grief increase beneath your ring?
If all the world must bow before your power,
Why must the hardship crush us hour by hour?
You still must answer what must be most just,
Though everything lies crushed beneath your dust.
تو شاهی و گر اژدها پیکری
بباید بدین داستان داوری
که گر هفت کشور به شاهی تو راست
چرا رنج و سختی همه بهر ماست؟
Ganjoor z7 23,24
32–34
Between us now accounts remain unpaid;
The truth will stand though all the world be swayed.
Now set the reckoning before us all;
Let every man hear justice in this hall.
Of all who live beneath the turning sky,
Why must my sons be chosen still to die?
شماریت با من بباید گرفت
بدان تا جهان ماند اندر شگفت
مگر کز شمار تو آید پدید
که نوبت ز گیتی به من چون رسید
Ganjoor z7 25,26
35–36
Why does the turn fall always on my door,
To feed your serpents with the sons I bore?
My sons as well your serpents’ maws have fed;
Must I be bled till all my house is dead?”
که مارانت را مغز فرزند من
همی داد باید ز هر انجمن
Ganjoor z7 27
Textual evidence
Ganjoor z7 22–27; Mohl I p 44; Moscow I pp 62–63; Khaleghi I pp 67–68.
G z7 22 ↗ G z7 23 ↗ G z7 24 ↗ G z7 25 ↗ G z7 26 ↗ G z7 27 ↗ Moscow p 61 ↗ Moscow p 62 ↗ Moscow p 63 ↗ Moscow p 64 ↗ Moscow p 65 ↗ Moscow p 66 ↗ Mohl p 43 ↗ Mohl p 44 ↗ Mohl p 45 ↗ Mohl p 46 ↗ Mohl p 47 ↗ Khaleghi p 66 ↗ Khaleghi p 67 ↗ Khaleghi p 68 ↗ Khaleghi p 69 ↗ Khaleghi p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 71 ↗
Interpretation
The smith’s harmless labor and fire falling from the Shah make a pointed occupational image. Universal kingship is challenged by the unequal distribution of suffering. The English gives the reckoning several couplets: it amplifies a public demand already present rather than inventing a new constitutional procedure. Sons feeding the snakes joins personal bereavement to the system’s bodily appetite.
37–45A restored son does not purchase a signature
37
The monarch heard and marveled at his tone;
Such words had rarely pierced the guarded throne.
سپهبد به گفتار او بنگرید
شگفت آمدش کآن سخن‌ها شنید
Ganjoor z7 28
38–39
He freed the son and tried with measured speech
To calm the father, soften grief’s sharp reach.
They brought his son and sought to make amends;
Zahhak spoke softly, as if they were friends.
بِدو باز دادند فرزند او
به خوبی بجستند پیوند او
Ganjoor z7 29
40
But when he urged him sign the scroll with all,
Kaveh read through and raised a furious call:
بفرمود پس کاوه را پادشا
که باشد بران محضر اندر گوا
چو بر خواند کاوه همه محضرش
سبک سوی پیران آن کشورش
Ganjoor z7 30,31
41
“You pillars of the Divs, corrupted here,
Your hearts have lost the World-Creator’s fear.
خروشید کای پای مردان دیو
بریده دل از ترس گیهان خدیو
Ganjoor z7 32
42
You turned your faces toward the road of hell;
On Zahhak’s words your captive spirits dwell.
همه سوی دوزخ نهادید روی
سپردید دل‌ها به گفتار اوی
Ganjoor z7 33
43
I will not sign, nor bow to such a lord,
Nor lend my name to prop a reign abhorred.”
نباشم بدین محضر اندر گوا
نه هرگز براندیشم از پادشا
Ganjoor z7 34
44
He tore the lying scroll from end to end,
Then trampled it, too furious to bend.
خروشید و برجست لرزان ز جای
بدرّید و بسپرد محضر به پای
Ganjoor z7 35
45
With son before him, fierce in wrath and cry,
He thundered from the court with head held high.
گرانمایه فرزند او پیش اوی
ز ایوان برون شد خروشان به کوی
Ganjoor z7 36
Textual evidence
Ganjoor z7 28–36; Mohl I pp 44–45; Moscow I p 63; Khaleghi I p 68.
G z7 28 ↗ G z7 29 ↗ G z7 30 ↗ G z7 31 ↗ G z7 32 ↗ G z7 33 ↗ G z7 34 ↗ G z7 35 ↗ G z7 36 ↗ Moscow p 61 ↗ Moscow p 62 ↗ Moscow p 63 ↗ Moscow p 64 ↗ Moscow p 65 ↗ Moscow p 66 ↗ Mohl p 43 ↗ Mohl p 44 ↗ Mohl p 45 ↗ Mohl p 46 ↗ Mohl p 47 ↗ Khaleghi p 66 ↗ Khaleghi p 67 ↗ Khaleghi p 68 ↗ Khaleghi p 69 ↗ Khaleghi p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 71 ↗
Interpretation
Restoring the child is followed by a demand for endorsement. The English rightly keeps that sequence: relief does not turn Kaveh into a witness for the regime. His attack addresses the courtiers as supports of the Div, then refuses the document and the king’s intimidation. Tearing and trampling turn a private conscience into an unmistakable public act.
46–55The iron mountain and the tyrant’s broken nerveAdditional fear image supported
46
The courtiers asked the king with anxious breath:
“May heaven guard your throne from harm and death.
مهان شاه را خواندند آفرین
که ای نامور شهریار زمین!
ز چرخ فلک بر سرت باد سرد
نیارد گذشتن به روز نبرد
Ganjoor z7 37,38
47
Why was this man admitted to your side?
He shamed your court, then turned and left in pride.
چرا پیش تو کاوهٔ خام‌گوی
به سان همالان کند سرخ روی
Ganjoor z7 39
48–49
He tore your pledge and cast your words aside,
Then left as though with Fereydoon allied.
He spoke before you as an equal man,
And shattered what your own command began.”
همه محضر ما و پیمان تو
بدرّد بپیچد ز فرمان تو
Ganjoor z7 40
50
The king replied, “A strange and troubling sight:
When first he spoke, I felt a sudden fright.
کیِ نامور پاسخ آورد زود
که از من شگفتی بباید شنود
که چون کاوه آمد ز درگه پدید
دو گوش من آواز او را شنید
Ganjoor z7 41,42
51–52
Between us rose an iron mountain high,
Within the eyvan, looming toward the sky.
It towered between us, iron-hard and vast;
My courage failed before the shade it cast.
میان من و او ز ایوان درست
تو گفتی یکی کوه آهن برست
Ganjoor z7 43
53–54
When both his hands struck hard upon his head,
Something within me broke; my heart knew dread.
My strength went out; no answer could I find,
As though his cry had struck my heart and mind.
همیدون چو او زد به سر بر دو دست
شگفتی مرا در دل آمد شکست
Mohl I p 45: additional account of Zahhak’s fear
55
What end awaits I cannot clearly know;
The secrets of the heavens none can show.”
ندانم چه شاید بدن زین سپس
که راز سپهری ندانست کس
Ganjoor z7 44
Textual evidence
Ganjoor z7 37–44; Mohl I p 45 adds the impact of Kaveh’s hands striking his head and Zahhak’s inward fracture.
G z7 37 ↗ G z7 38 ↗ G z7 39 ↗ G z7 40 ↗ G z7 41 ↗ G z7 42 ↗ G z7 43 ↗ G z7 44 ↗ Moscow p 61 ↗ Moscow p 62 ↗ Moscow p 63 ↗ Moscow p 64 ↗ Moscow p 65 ↗ Moscow p 66 ↗ Mohl p 43 ↗ Mohl p 44 ↗ Mohl p 45 ↗ Mohl p 46 ↗ Mohl p 47 ↗ Khaleghi p 66 ↗ Khaleghi p 67 ↗ Khaleghi p 68 ↗ Khaleghi p 69 ↗ Khaleghi p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 71 ↗
Interpretation
The courtiers’ criticism reveals how extraordinary the safe departure appears. The iron mountain is Zahhak’s account of what seemed to rise between himself and Kaveh. It is not independently narrated masonry inside the hall. The fuller inward-breaking image supports English 53–54. Repeating height and iron in English 51–52 gives the perceived barrier time to overwhelm him, while the unresolved heavenly secret closes his explanation.
56–64A work-apron becomes a rallying sign
56
When Kaveh left, the market roared aloud,
And men surged in to form a swelling crowd.
چو کاوه برون شد ز درگاه شاه
بَرو انجمن گشت بازارگاه
Ganjoor z7 45
57
He raised his voice and called on all to rise,
To stand as one against the tyrant’s lies.
همی بر خروشید و فریاد خواند
جهان را سراسر سوی داد خواند
Ganjoor z7 46
58
He seized his apron, blackened, rough, and worn,
And raised it on a spear, though poor and torn.
از آن چرم کآهنگران پشت پای
بپوشند هنگام زخم درای
Ganjoor z7 47
59
He raised it high and strode the market way,
While dust rose thick and swallowed up the day.
همان کاوه آن بر سر نیزه کرد
همان‌گه ز بازار برخاست گَرد
Ganjoor z7 48
60
He cried, “O men of name who worship God,
Cast off his chains and break the tyrant’s rod!
خروشان همی رفت نیزه به دست
که ای نامداران یزدان‌پرست!
Ganjoor z7 49
61–62
Let those who seek release from chains of pain
Now gather round Fereydoon upon the plain.
Come all together, rally to his side;
Beneath his royal farr let hope abide.
کسی کاو هوای فریدون کند
دل از بند ضحاک بیرون کند
Ganjoor z7 50
63–64
This king is Ahriman upon the throne,
His serpent-fed injustice widely known.
Within his heart the World-Creator’s foe
Has made his home and filled the world with woe.”
بپویید کاین مهتر آهرمن است
جهان آفرین را به دل دشمن است
Ganjoor z7 51
Textual evidence
Ganjoor z7 45–51; Mohl I pp 45–46; Moscow I pp 63–64; Khaleghi I pp 68–69.
G z7 45 ↗ G z7 46 ↗ G z7 47 ↗ G z7 48 ↗ G z7 49 ↗ G z7 50 ↗ G z7 51 ↗ Moscow p 61 ↗ Moscow p 62 ↗ Moscow p 63 ↗ Moscow p 64 ↗ Moscow p 65 ↗ Moscow p 66 ↗ Mohl p 43 ↗ Mohl p 44 ↗ Mohl p 45 ↗ Mohl p 46 ↗ Mohl p 47 ↗ Khaleghi p 66 ↗ Khaleghi p 67 ↗ Khaleghi p 68 ↗ Khaleghi p 69 ↗ Khaleghi p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 71 ↗
Interpretation
The source specifies the leather with which smiths protect their lower legs or feet during hammering. “Apron” is a functional English name for this protective work-leather, not evidence that the poem describes a modern waist-apron’s exact cut. Raising it on a spear turns a material of labor into a collective sign. Calling the king Ahriman belongs to Kaveh’s mobilizing speech; the narrative need not require a literal identity transformation.
65–72From protest to the Kaviani standard
65
That simple leather, rough and poor to see,
Became the sign of truth and loyalty.
بدان بی‌بها ناسزاوار پوست
پدید آمد آوای دشمن ز دوست
Ganjoor z7 52
66
Around him gathered many, bold and strong,
Resolved no more to bear the tyrant’s wrong.
همی رفت پیش اندرون مرد گرد
جهانی بَرو انجمن شد نه خُرد
Ganjoor z7 53
67
Kaveh knew well where Fereydoon would stay;
He led the swelling multitude that way.
بدانست خود کافریدون کجاست
سر اندر کشید و همی رفت راست
Ganjoor z7 54
68
He led them forth and toward Fereydoon came,
And cries of welcome rang to greet his name.
بیامد به درگاه سالار نو
بدیدندش آن جا و برخاست غو
Ganjoor z7 55
69–72
The young prince saw the banner and its sign,
And read within it heaven’s clear design.
He dressed it then in Roman brocade bright,
With jewels and gold that flashed against the light.
Red, yellow streamers, others violet-dyed;
Their jeweled tassels fell from either side.
He gave the standard its enduring name:
Derafsh-e Kaviani rose to fame.
چو آن پوست بر نیزه بر دید کِی
به نیکی یکی اختر افگند پی
بیاراست آن را به دیبای روم
ز گوهر بر و پیکر از زر بوم
بزد بر سر خویش چون گرد ماه
یکی فال فرخ پی‌افکند شاه
فرو هشت ازو سرخ و زرد و بنفش
همی خواندش کاویانی درفش
Ganjoor z7 56,57,58,59
Textual evidence
Ganjoor z7 52–59; Mohl I p 46; Moscow I p 64; Khaleghi I pp 69–70.
G z7 52 ↗ G z7 53 ↗ G z7 54 ↗ G z7 55 ↗ G z7 56 ↗ G z7 57 ↗ G z7 58 ↗ G z7 59 ↗ Moscow p 61 ↗ Moscow p 62 ↗ Moscow p 63 ↗ Moscow p 64 ↗ Moscow p 65 ↗ Moscow p 66 ↗ Mohl p 43 ↗ Mohl p 44 ↗ Mohl p 45 ↗ Mohl p 46 ↗ Mohl p 47 ↗ Khaleghi p 66 ↗ Khaleghi p 67 ↗ Khaleghi p 68 ↗ Khaleghi p 69 ↗ Khaleghi p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 71 ↗
Interpretation
The poor leather distinguishes adherents from opponents in the source; “truth and loyalty” interprets the allegiance it makes visible. Kaveh knows where to go, and Fereydoon recognizes an auspicious sign. Roman brocade, jewels, gold and red, yellow and violet streamers transform rather than erase the material origin. The English preserves that movement from labor to royal ceremony. The source also places the standard above the king like the moon; the grouped alignment retains this detail even though the English does not separately narrate it.
73–76An emblem accumulates history
73–76
Thereafter every king who gained the crown
Added new jewels to its old renown.
Fine brocade and treasure decked its fold,
The once-poor leather bright beneath the gold.
It shone like sunlight through the darkest night,
It filled the world’s heart with new hope and light.
What once was leather, cast aside and worn,
Became a blazing sign of glory born.
از آن پس هر آن کس که بگرفت گاه
به شاهی به سر بر نهادی کلاه
بر آن بی‌بها چرم آهنگران
برآویختی نو به نو گوهران
ز دیبای پرمایه و پرنیان
بر آن گونه شد اختر کاویان
که اندر شب تیره خورشید بود
جهان را ازو دل پر امید بود
بگشت اندرین نیز چندی جهان
همی بودنی داشت اندر نهان
Ganjoor z7 60,61,62,63,64
Textual evidence
Ganjoor z7 60–64; Mohl I p 46; Moscow I pp 64–65; Khaleghi I p 70.
G z7 60 ↗ G z7 61 ↗ G z7 62 ↗ G z7 63 ↗ G z7 64 ↗ Moscow p 61 ↗ Moscow p 62 ↗ Moscow p 63 ↗ Moscow p 64 ↗ Moscow p 65 ↗ Moscow p 66 ↗ Mohl p 43 ↗ Mohl p 44 ↗ Mohl p 45 ↗ Mohl p 46 ↗ Mohl p 47 ↗ Khaleghi p 66 ↗ Khaleghi p 67 ↗ Khaleghi p 68 ↗ Khaleghi p 69 ↗ Khaleghi p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 71 ↗
Interpretation
Later kings add precious decoration to the same leather. This is the poem’s account of the standard’s accumulated royal history, not a claim that a single physically unchanged textile can be documented across all those reigns. The sun in darkness and hope in the world are explicit source images. English 76 restates the leather’s transformation, while Ganjoor 64 instead pauses on time holding future events hidden; that is a small thematic redistribution.
77–85The warrior asks for prayer
77
When Fereydoon saw Zahhak’s world was lost,
He girded for the fight at any cost.
فریدون چو گیتی بر آن گونه دید
جهان پیش ضحاک وارونه دید
Ganjoor z7 65
78
He placed the Kay cap firmly on his head,
Then sought his mother, Faranak, and said:
سوی مادر آمد کمر بر میان
به سر بر نهاده کلاه کیان
Ganjoor z7 66
79
“I go to battle; prayer is yours to give;
Ask God to guard me so that I may live.
که من رفتنی‌ام سوی کارزار
تو را جز نیایش مباد ایچ کار
Ganjoor z7 67
80
All strength for goodness comes from God alone;
By His command the path of right is shown.”
ز گیتی جهان‌آفرین را پرست
ازو دان بهر نیکی زور دست
Ganjoor z7 68
81
Tears from Faranak’s lashes fell like rain;
Her heart ran blood with mingled fear and pain.
فرو ریخت آب از مژه مادرش
همی خواند با خون دل داورش
Ganjoor z7 69
82–84
She raised her tearful eyes and called in prayer:
“O God, receive my son into Your care.
Turn every sorcerer’s evil hand aside,
And let no dark enchantment reach his side.
To You I give my son with all my heart;
Preserve his life from every evil art.”
به یزدان همی گفت زنهار من
سپردم تو را ای جهاندار من
Ganjoor z7 70
85
She prayed He cleanse the world of foolish ways,
And end the senseless evil of their days.
بگردان ز جانش بد جاودان
بپرداز گیتی ز نابخردان
Ganjoor z7 71
Textual evidence
Ganjoor z7 65–71; Mohl I p 46; Moscow I p 65; Khaleghi I p 70.
G z7 65 ↗ G z7 66 ↗ G z7 67 ↗ G z7 68 ↗ G z7 69 ↗ G z7 70 ↗ G z7 71 ↗ Moscow p 61 ↗ Moscow p 62 ↗ Moscow p 63 ↗ Moscow p 64 ↗ Moscow p 65 ↗ Moscow p 66 ↗ Mohl p 43 ↗ Mohl p 44 ↗ Mohl p 45 ↗ Mohl p 46 ↗ Mohl p 47 ↗ Khaleghi p 66 ↗ Khaleghi p 67 ↗ Khaleghi p 68 ↗ Khaleghi p 69 ↗ Khaleghi p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 71 ↗
Interpretation
Fereydoon returns to his mother before departure. His statement that strength for goodness comes from the Creator deliberately differs from Jamshid’s boast that all good originates in himself. Faranak’s longer English prayer gives shelter from sorcery its own cadence. The request to clear the world of folly remains collective as well as maternal. Her tears do not imply that she now opposes the prepared campaign.
86–90Secrecy and the elder brothers
86–87
Then Fereydoon prepared himself to go,
But kept his purpose hidden from the foe.
He told no one the road that he would take,
And guarded every word for caution’s sake.
فریدون سبک ساز رفتن گرفت
سخن را ز هر کس نهفتن گرفت
Ganjoor z7 72
88–89
He called his elder brothers to his side;
Kianush, Parmayeh, his strength and pride.
Both brothers, noble-born, were blessed that day,
Fereydoon addressed them without delay.
برادر دو بودش دو فرخ همال
ازو هر دو آزاده مهتر به سال
یکی بود ازیشان کیانوش نام
دگر نام پرمایهٔ شادکام
Ganjoor z7 73,74
90
“Be glad and bold; the heavens turn our way;
The crown of greatness soon shall come to stay.
فریدون بریشان زبان برگشاد
که خرم زیید ای دلیران و شاد
که گردون نگردد به جز بر بهی
به ما بازگردد کلاه مهی
Ganjoor z7 75,76
Textual evidence
Ganjoor z7 72–76; Mohl I pp 46–47; Moscow I pp 65–66; Khaleghi I pp 70–71.
G z7 72 ↗ G z7 73 ↗ G z7 74 ↗ G z7 75 ↗ G z7 76 ↗ Moscow p 61 ↗ Moscow p 62 ↗ Moscow p 63 ↗ Moscow p 64 ↗ Moscow p 65 ↗ Moscow p 66 ↗ Mohl p 43 ↗ Mohl p 44 ↗ Mohl p 45 ↗ Mohl p 46 ↗ Mohl p 47 ↗ Khaleghi p 66 ↗ Khaleghi p 67 ↗ Khaleghi p 68 ↗ Khaleghi p 69 ↗ Khaleghi p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 71 ↗
Interpretation
The source says he conceals his intention from others; the English extends this into guarding his route and words. Kianush and Parmayeh are explicitly older, although Fereydoon leads. The greeting and confidence in a favorable turn of heaven prepare practical preparation at the forge. Their apparent solidarity belongs to this account; a fuller alternative journey episode must be recorded separately rather than smuggled into these lines.
91–95The ox-head gorz is designed and made
91
Now bring me smiths who know the forge and flame;
I need a heavy gorz to end this shame.”
بیارید داننده آهنگران
یکی گرز فرمود باید گران
Ganjoor z7 77
92
The brothers hurried to the smiths’ bazaar;
They summoned masters skilled in forge and bar.
چو بگشاد لب هر دو بشتافتند
به بازار آهنگران تاختند
Ganjoor z7 78
93
Renowned smiths gathered at the prince’s call;
The finest craftsmen stood before his hall.
هر آن کس کز آن پیشه بُد نام‌جوی
به سوی فریدون نهادند روی
Ganjoor z7 79
94
With compass Fereydoon drew on the ground
An ox-head gorz, broad-horned and iron-bound.
جهان‌جوی پرگار بگرفت زود
وزان گرز پیکر بٕدیشان نمود
نگاری نگارید بر خاک پیش
همیدون به سان سر گاومیش
Ganjoor z7 80,81
95
The smiths obeyed and forged the gorz entire;
It shone like the high sun, not earthly fire.
بر آن دست بردند آهنگران
چو شد ساخته کار گرز گران
به پیش جهان‌جوی بردند گرز
فروزان به کردار خورشید بُرز
Ganjoor z7 82,83
Textual evidence
Ganjoor z7 77–83; Mohl I p 47; Moscow I p 66; Khaleghi I p 71.
G z7 77 ↗ G z7 78 ↗ G z7 79 ↗ G z7 80 ↗ G z7 81 ↗ G z7 82 ↗ G z7 83 ↗ Moscow p 61 ↗ Moscow p 62 ↗ Moscow p 63 ↗ Moscow p 64 ↗ Moscow p 65 ↗ Moscow p 66 ↗ Mohl p 43 ↗ Mohl p 44 ↗ Mohl p 45 ↗ Mohl p 46 ↗ Mohl p 47 ↗ Khaleghi p 66 ↗ Khaleghi p 67 ↗ Khaleghi p 68 ↗ Khaleghi p 69 ↗ Khaleghi p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 71 ↗
Interpretation
The hero requests smiths, draws the shape with a compass on the ground and receives the finished weapon. This practical sequence connects kingship to skilled labor, continuing Kaveh’s occupational significance. The source likens the model to a buffalo head; “ox-head” is the consistent English weapon-name rather than a zoological claim about the model’s precise species. Its solar brilliance belongs to the finished object, not proof it is made of light.
96–98Reward and promised justiceClosing promise has printed support
96
He gave them robes, and silver, gold besides,
And praised the skill that in their craft resides.
پسند آمدش کار پولادگر
ببخشیدشان جامه و سیم و زر
Ganjoor z7 84
97
“When I cast down the Dragon to the ground,
No dust of grief shall on your heads be found.
بسی کردشان نیز فرخ امید
بسی دادشان مهتری را نوید
که گر اژدها را کنم زیر خاک
بشویم شما را سر از گرد پاک
Ganjoor z7 85,86
98
For justice will prevail, and right be won,
And truth will rise to greet the coming sun.”
جهان را همه سوی داد آوریم
چو از دل همه نام دادار آریم
Mohl I p 47: concluding promise of justice; compare Khaleghi I p 71
Textual evidence
Ganjoor z7 84–86; Mohl I p 47 and Khaleghi I p 71 also include a closing justice-and-Creator remembrance couplet absent from Ganjoor.
G z7 84 ↗ G z7 85 ↗ G z7 86 ↗ Moscow p 61 ↗ Moscow p 62 ↗ Moscow p 63 ↗ Moscow p 64 ↗ Moscow p 65 ↗ Moscow p 66 ↗ Mohl p 43 ↗ Mohl p 44 ↗ Mohl p 45 ↗ Mohl p 46 ↗ Mohl p 47 ↗ Khaleghi p 66 ↗ Khaleghi p 67 ↗ Khaleghi p 68 ↗ Khaleghi p 69 ↗ Khaleghi p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 71 ↗
Interpretation
Clothes, silver and gold are concrete rewards for craft. The promise to cleanse heads of dust can mean relief from abjection or grief, and the English makes that ethical reward legible. The final couplet’s justice is source-supported. “Truth will rise to greet the coming sun” adds a culminating image; it is not a separate event in the Persian.