New NaqqaliFereydoon Battles Zahhak
A provisioned army meets a sealed river crossing, then a palace whose grandeur unsettles its challenger. The narration carries old heroic geography through later names and languages.
The chapter in five texts
| Text | Chapter treatment and distinctive choices |
|---|---|
| F&R English | Thirty-seven couplets follow departure, denial of boats, mounted crossing and palace entry. The third-mil distance is a local difference. |
| Moscow | Printed pp 67–69 follow the shorter departure-to-river sequence and the confrontation with the river keeper; palace approach and entry follow. |
| Mohl | Printed pp 47–50 include an additional angelic-instruction and brother-betrayal episode before the river, then the boat refusal and palace entry. That episode is absent from this English sequence. |
| Ganjoor | Sh8 and sh9 total 37 couplets, with direct local correspondence. Like the English, the digital poem body omits Mohl’s longer intervening journey episode. |
| Khaleghi | Printed pp 71–75 follow the shorter main journey, with fuller journey material preserved in the apparatus. The palace is viewed from one mil in the inspected 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.
Narrative and poetic form
The English preserves practical obstacles within heroic movement: supplies, officers, seals, boats and a dangerous current. The palace’s brilliance then creates an instant of uncertainty before the mounted entry.
Two source distinctions deserve visibility. Mohl’s longer journey is absent from both this English sequence and Ganjoor’s poem body. The third-mil measurement differs from the inspected main readings; its small scale should not obscure the preserved action.
Couplet commentary
Quoted text · evidence · interpretation1–6An auspicious departure and provisioned army
Ganjoor z8 1–6; Mohl I p 47; Moscow I p 67; Khaleghi I pp 71–72.
Khordad here names a day in the calendar, not necessarily the month or a modern date. Elephants and buffaloes convey supplies, so the army’s movement has a logistical basis as well as royal splendor. The younger brother leads the elder pair. The source balances a head full of vengeance with a heart full of justice; the English foregrounds the vengeance at this particular point.
7–9Arvand, Dijla and the narrator’s layered geographyLonger Mohl journey recorded separately
Ganjoor z8 7–9; Mohl I p 48; Moscow I p 67; Khaleghi I pp 72–73. Mohl’s preceding journey includes an angelic instructor and the elder brothers’ attempt on the sleeping hero; the corresponding shorter main narratives here omit that episode.
The poem itself equates Arvand with Dijla and names Baghdad. The English preserves that geographical layering instead of silently replacing it with a reconstructed Bronze Age map. These are features of the narration, not evidence for a historical Baghdad in Fereydoon’s supposed lifetime. The longer journey episode belongs in the edition record: its absence from this English sequence agrees with Ganjoor’s shorter presentation and must not be confused with an accidental missing couplet.
10–16Permission to cross: a seal before a mosquito
Ganjoor z9 1–7; Mohl I p 49; Moscow I pp 67–68; Khaleghi I pp 73–74.
The river keeper refuses vessels under the ruler’s prior instruction. Even a mosquito needs a valid pass and seal: the hyperbole makes the restriction unmistakable. The English keeps speech and command distinct, so the keeper is an enforcing officer rather than a newly invented independent enemy. Ship and skiff preserve the range of vessels requested.
17–21Crossing without the boats
Ganjoor z9 8–12; Mohl I p 49; Moscow I p 68; Khaleghi I p 74.
The response is a mounted plunge followed by the companions. Water reaches the saddles, a concrete sign of danger that the English retains. The source names the horse by its rose or chestnut coloration, Golrang; “swift charger” generalizes that particular detail. “Flight” is the speed of the mounted entry, not literal airborne passage. The river crossing remains a bodily exploit rather than an unmentioned bridge.
22–25The Holy House and the fortress-name
Ganjoor z9 13–16; Mohl I p 49; Moscow I p 68; Khaleghi I p 74.
Bait al-Muqaddas and the Persian fortress-name are given as equivalent names within the narration. “Holy House” makes the Arabic meaning accessible without stripping away the name. The forms and historical identifications of Gang Dezh-Hokht are difficult; retaining the English’s received form is preferable to pretending this passage resolves every geographical question. The poem’s layered naming should remain distinct from a modern verified route.
26–28A palace at one third milLocal distance difference
Ganjoor z9 17 gives one mil, as do the inspected Mohl I p 49 and Khaleghi I p 74 main texts. Jupiter and Saturn follow in z9 18–19.
“One third mil” differs from those inspected readings; no supporting fractional-distance variant is asserted here. The discrepancy is a small measurement detail, while the palace’s planetary scale is preserved. Mil is a transmitted unit and should not be silently converted to a modern mile. The Jupiter-like brilliance and Saturn-surpassing height produce the intimidating impression that motivates the next speech.
29–32Admiration is a reason for haste
Ganjoor z9 20–23; Mohl I p 49; Moscow I pp 68–69; Khaleghi I p 75.
Fereydoon recognizes the tyrant’s house and worries that the world may have a hidden alliance with its possessor. The English retains the uncertainty rather than turning palace wealth into a guaranteed sign of divine favor. “Strait” carries the difficult or constricted situation; it need not denote a geographical sea passage. The conclusion is tactical haste, not retreat.
33–37The novice hero enters on horseback
Ganjoor z9 24–28; Mohl I pp 49–50; Moscow I p 69; Khaleghi I p 75.
The gorz, released rein, fire comparison and disappearance of the gatekeepers keep the advance kinetic. The guards are no longer present at the entrance; the passage does not separately state exactly how each one died. The invocation of the World-Creator belongs to Fereydoon. “Time had not yet tried” naturally carries the source’s world-untried youth, preserving the audacity of a first great entry.