Fereydoon and His Sons · A6.2

Jandal Goes to Yemen

The marriage embassy turns private succession into diplomacy: Fereydoon seeks three sisters for three sons, while Jandal must reconcile royal purpose with another father’s attachment.

F&R English · 81 couplets · 8 commentary entries

Parallel text ↓Commentary ↓

The chapter in five texts

Text	Chapter treatment and distinctive choices
F&R English	Eighty-one couplets expand the embassy’s persuasion and paternal psychology; naming statements become betrothal language in two places.
Moscow	The embassy and Yemen’s resistance appear in the reign narrative. Its printed presentation is a comparison text, not an independent vote alongside every digital reading.
Mohl	The fuller family-centered petition on pp 61–62 helps explain the English’s greater extent.
Ganjoor	Sh2 has 70 couplets and explicitly describes the sons and daughters as not yet named.
Khaleghi	The marriage embassy occupies the main text; its account also retains naming language, so the English substitution should remain visible.

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.

1–8+

When fifty years had passed beneath the sky,

Three cherished sons stood tall before his eye.

Two spotless sons from Shahrnaz were born,

And with their grace the royal house adorned.

The youngest Arnavaz had brought to light,

Fair-cheeked, radiant to his father’s sight.

All three were tall as cypresses in spring,

And bore the form and likeness of the king.

Not yet betrothed, they strode in youthful pride,

Like elephants in stature, side by side.

The Shah saw body, mind, and age had grown,

And manhood’s full maturity was shown.

He called for Jandal, wakeful, pure of mind,

Smooth-tongued in speech, accomplished and refined.

In every delicate affair he knew

The path of service and remained most true.

ز سالش چو یک پنجه اندر کشید

سه فرزند‌ش آمد گرامی پدید

به بخت جهاندار هر سه پسر

سه خسرو نژاد از در تاج زر

به بالا چو سرو و به رخ چون بهار

به هر چیز مانندهٔ شهریار

از این سه دو پاکیزه از شهرناز

یکی کهتر از خوب چهر ارنواز

پدر نوز ناکرده از ناز نام

همی پیش پیلان نهادند گام

فریدون از آن نامداران خویش

یکی را گرانمایه‌تر خواند پیش

کجا نام او جندل پرهنر

به هر کار دلسوز بر شاه بر

Ganjoor · f2:1-7

9–17+

The Shah said, “Travel through the world for me,

And search each land with care from sea to sea.

Seek three fair sisters, born of one same pair,

One father and one mother, noble, fair.

Let noble blood and chastity appear;

Let pari-faces make each daughter dear.

Let height and beauty match from face to face,

So none seems less in stature, form, or grace.

Their father must have pledged no daughter’s hand;

Such brides alone will answer my command.”

Jandal received the charge with steady heart,

Shrewd, pure of mind, accomplished in his art.

With trusted well-wishers he took his way,

And searched through every kingdom day by day.

In secret he inquired from place to place

Of daughters sheltered in each noble race.

He learned their names, their lineage, and fame,

And tested every house that rumor named.

بدو گفت برگرد گرد جهان

سه دختر گزین از نژاد مهان

سه خواهر ز یک مادر و یک پدر

پری چهره و پاک و خسرو گهر

به خوبی سزای سه فرزند من

چنان چون بشاید به پیوند من

به بالا و دیدار هر سه یکی

که این را ندانند ازان اندکی

چو بشنید جندل ز خسرو سخن

یکی رای پاکیزه افگند بن

که بیدار دل بود و پاکیزه مغز

زبان چرب و شایستهٔ کار نغز

ز پیش سپهبد برون شد به راه

ابا چند تن مر ورا نیکخواه

یکایک ز ایران سراندر کشید

پژوهید و هرگونه گفت و شنید

به هر کشوری کز جهان مهتری

به پرده درون داشتن دختری

نهفته بجستی همه راز‌شان

شنیدی همه نام و آواز‌شان

Ganjoor · f2:8-17

18–29+

Yet nowhere among nobles rich and great

He found a house that matched the royal state.

At last to Yemen’s royal court he came,

Where Sarv the Shah possessed a noble name.

There three fair daughters lived within his hall,

In them he found the answer to it all.

In birth and beauty, stature, face, and grace,

The three fulfilled each measure he could trace.

Then like a pheasant moving toward a flower,

He came before King Sarv within his bower.

He kissed the ground and offered homage due,

With polished praise, as royal servants do.

King Sarv replied, “May praise attend your name;

Now state the cause and purpose why you came.

Are you an envoy with a message sealed,

Or one whose noble rank should be revealed?

Is this command or counsel that you bring,

And in whose name do you address the king?”

Jandal replied, “May joy be always near,

And may all sorrow vanish far from here.

I am a servant sent from Iran’s throne;

Great Fereydoon has made his greeting known.

He sends his greeting through my voice today;

I bear his royal wish without delay.

ز دهقان پر مایه کس را ندید

که پیوستهٔ آفریدون سزید

خردمند و روشن‌دل و پاک‌تن

بیامد بر سرو شاه یمن

نشان یافت جندل مر اورا درست

سه دختر چنان چون فریدون بجست

خرامان بیامد به نزدیک سرو

چنان چون به پیش گل اندر تذرو

زمین را ببوسید و چربی نمود

برآن کهتری آفرین برفزود

به جندل چنین گفت شاه یمن

که بی‌آفرینت مبادا دهن

چه پیغام داری چه فرمان دهی

فرستاده‌ای گر گرامی رهی

بدو گفت جندل که خرم بدی

همیشه ز تو دور دست بدی

از ایران یکی کهترم چون شمن

پیام آوریده به شاه یمن

درود فریدون فرخ دهم

سخن هر چه پرسند پاسخ دهم

ترا آفرین از فریدون گرد

بزرگ آن‌کسی کو نداردش خرد

Ganjoor · f2:18-28

30–41+

He said: ‘Go seek King Sarv in Yemen’s land,

And place my greeting in the sovereign’s hand.

So long as musk gives fragrance to the air,

May grief be scattered far from all your care.

May evil stars not darken your domain;

May fortune guard your life and bless your reign.

Among the Arab kings stand first in fame,

And may good fortune ever guard your name.

What sweetness in this mortal world can live

Beyond the joy that life and children give?

To live in peace beneath a righteous king,

And rear one’s children is life’s sweetest thing.

No bond beneath the turning heaven’s span

Is dearer than a child can be to man.

If any man possessed three eyes to see,

My three sons would those three eyes be to me.

Indeed, they are still dearer than my sight,

For seeing them makes all the world seem bright.

A sage once said: I never join a line

Unless I wish its fortune above mine.

The wise seek equals when they choose a friend;

The good with worthy hearts their fortunes blend.

However rich and prosperous life appears,

A king without good sons still harbors fears.

مرا گفت شاه یمن را بگوی

که بر گاه تا مشک بوید ببوی

بدان ای سر مایهٔ تازیان

کز اختر بدی جاودان بی‌زیان

که شیرین‌تر از جان و فرزند چیز

همانا که چیزی نباشد به نیز

Ganjoor f2:29–30 + selected Mohl excerpt, pp 61–62

42–51+

My realm has treasure, manhood, strength, and power;

Good fortune guards my kingship every hour.

Three sons are mine, all worthy crown and throne,

With wisdom, knowledge, means, and merit shown.

Whatever noble end their hearts require,

They have the means to reach their full desire.

For these three princes I seek wives of worth,

Three sisters joined to them by equal birth.

Within your hall, my messengers report

Three daughters fit for princes of my court.

Your daughters are not pledged in marriage yet;

No bridal match for any son is set.

Two kinds of precious jewels now we hold;

Let both be joined, more precious than fine gold.

Let worthy join with worthy, house with house;

Three royal sons each take a royal spouse.

Such is my word. I send it with respect;

Now let your wisdom answer and direct.’”

When Sarv had heard, his heart sank under woe,

Like jasmine plucked from water’s cooling flow.

مرا پادشاهی آباد هست

همان گنج و مردی و نیروی دست

سه فرزند شایستهٔ تاج و گاه

اگر داستان را بود گاه ماه

ز هر کام و هر خواسته بی‌نیاز

به هر آرزو دست ایشان دراز

مر این سه گرانمایه را در نهفت

بباید کنون شاهزاده سه جفت

ز کار آگهان آگهی یافتم

بدین آگهی تیز بشتافتم

کجا از پس پرده پوشیده روی

سه پاکیزه داری تو ای نامجوی

مران هرسه را نوز ناکرده نام

چو بشنیدم این دل شدم شادکام

که ما نیز نام سه فرخ نژاد

چو اندر خور آید نکردیم یاد

کنون این گرامی دو گونه گهر

بباید برآمیخت با یکدگر

سه پوشیده رخ را سه دیهیم جوی

سزا را سزاوار بی‌گفت‌وگوی

فریدون پیامم بدین گونه داد

تو پاسخ گزار آنچه آیدت یاد

پیامش چو بشنید شاه یمن

بپژمرد چون زاب کنده سمن

Ganjoor · f2:31-42

52–61+

He thought, “If these three moons depart my sight,

My bright day will be turned to blackest night.

If I no longer see them by my side,

The rose of joy within my heart has died.

I should not answer such a weighty call

Until I take the counsel of them all.

Those who have shared my fortune, good and ill,

Must help me judge with clear and steady will.”

He lodged the envoy with abundant care,

With rank and service fitting the affair.

Then Sarv dismissed the court and sat apart,

The thought of those three moons oppressed his heart.

He summoned chiefs well tested under arms,

Spear-bearing men inured to battle’s harms.

Before them all he set his grief in view,

And told them what the Shah now sought to do:

“My marriage gave me daughters, only three,

Three shining candles, all the joy in me.

Now Fereydoon has spread a lovely lure

To take the three bright lights I keep secure.

همی‌گفت گر پیش بالین من

نبیند سه ماه این جهان‌بین من

مرا روز روشن بود تاره شب

بباید گشادن به پاسخ دو لب

سراینده را گفت کای نامجوی

زمان باید اندر چنین گفت‌گوی

شتابت نباید به پاسخ کنون

مرا چند راز‌ست با رهنمون

فرستاده را زود جایی گزید

پس آنگه به کار اندرون بنگرید

بیامد در بار دادن ببست

به انبوه اندیشگان در نشست

فراوان کس از دشت نیزه‌وران

بر خویش خواند آزموده سران

نهفته برون آورید از نهفت

همه راز‌ها پیش ایشان بگفت

که ما را به گیتی ز پیوند خویش

سه شمع‌ست روشن به دیدار پیش

فریدون فرستاد زی من پیام

بگسترد پیشم یکی خوب دام

Ganjoor · f2:43-52

62–69+

He asks alliance, seeks a royal tie,

His sons and my three daughters to ally.

I need your counsel, fearless, plain, and clear;

Before I answer him, let truth appear.

If I say yes while no is in my breast,

A king who lies brings shame upon his crest.

A lie is not the proper road of kings;

It stains the royal tongue from which it springs.

Yet if I grant the Shah what he desires,

My heart will burn with sorrow’s inner fires.

If I refuse the sovereign of the land,

I risk the fury carried in his hand.

Travelers have told how Zahhak lost his crown,

When Fereydoon’s great gorz had struck him down.

So speak: what path can wisdom recommend?

What counsel leads this matter to an end?”

همی‌کرد خواهد ز چشمم جدا

یکی رای باید زدن با شما

فرستاده گوید چنین گفت شاه

که ما را سه شاه‌ست زیبای گاه

گراینده هر سه به پیوند من

به سه روی پوشیده فرزند من

اگر گویم آری و دل زان تهی

دروغم نه اندر خورد با مهی

وگر آرزو‌ها سپارم بدوی

شود دل پر آتش پر از آب روی

وگر سر بپیچم ز فرمان او

به یک سو گرایم ز پیمان او

کسی کو بود شهریار زمین

نه بازی‌ست با او سگالید کین

شنیدستم از مردم راه‌جوی

که ضحاک را زو چه آمد بروی

ازین در سخن هر چه دارید یاد

سراسر به من بر بباید گشاد

Ganjoor · f2:53-61

70–81+

The veteran chiefs replied, “We do not go

Wherever every passing wind may blow.

Though Fereydoon is world-Shah without peers,

No ring of servitude has touched our ears.

Plain speech and struggle are the ways we tread;

Whatever comes, we face it without dread.

The bridle and the spear are ours to wield;

We meet the issue openly afield.

With khanjars we can make the earth run wine;

The field runs red beneath our battle line.

With lifted spears we make the air appear

A reed-bed thick with shafts from van to rear.

If your three daughters are your heart’s delight,

Open the purse and keep your lips shut tight.

But if you fear the world-Shah’s greater might,

And seek another path to guard your right,

Demand a costly task beyond men’s skill,

A deed no living man could hope to fill.

Set such a trial before every son

That none could hope the task might yet be done.”

King Sarv heard what the seasoned chiefs advised,

But found their counsel weak and ill-devised.

He saw no head or base in what they planned;

Their counsel gave no path on which to stand.

جهان آزموده دلاور سران

گشادند یک‌یک به پاسخ زبان

که ما همگنان آن نبینیم رای

که هر باد را تو بجنبی ز جای

اگر شد فریدون جهان شهریار

نه ما بندگانیم با گوشوار

سخن‌گفتن و کوشش آیین ماست

عنان و سنان تافتن دین ماست

به خنجر زمین را میستان کنیم

به نیزه هوا را نیستان کنیم

سه فرزند اگر بر تو هست ارجمند

سر بدره بگشای و لب را ببند

و گر چارهٔ کار خواهی همی

بترسی ازین پادشاهی همی

ازو آرزو‌های پرمایه جوی

که کردار آنرا نبینند روی

چو بشنید از آن نامداران سخن

نه سر دید آن را به گیتی نه بن

Ganjoor · f2:62-70

Narrative and poetic form

The expansion is most persuasive where it sustains the exchange between two fathers. The clear reservation concerns naming: a reasonable narrative emphasis on marriage should not erase the Persian’s explicit preparation for the later naming scene.

Couplet commentary

Quoted text · evidence · interpretation

1–8Three sons and the question of namesLocal semantic difference

1–8

When fifty years had passed beneath the sky,

Three cherished sons stood tall before his eye.

Two spotless sons from Shahrnaz were born,

And with their grace the royal house adorned.

The youngest Arnavaz had brought to light,

Fair-cheeked, radiant to his father’s sight.

All three were tall as cypresses in spring,

And bore the form and likeness of the king.

Not yet betrothed, they strode in youthful pride,

Like elephants in stature, side by side.

The Shah saw body, mind, and age had grown,

And manhood’s full maturity was shown.

He called for Jandal, wakeful, pure of mind,

Smooth-tongued in speech, accomplished and refined.

In every delicate affair he knew

The path of service and remained most true.

ز سالش چو یک پنجه اندر کشید

سه فرزند‌ش آمد گرامی پدید

به بخت جهاندار هر سه پسر

سه خسرو نژاد از در تاج زر

به بالا چو سرو و به رخ چون بهار

به هر چیز مانندهٔ شهریار

از این سه دو پاکیزه از شهرناز

یکی کهتر از خوب چهر ارنواز

پدر نوز ناکرده از ناز نام

همی پیش پیلان نهادند گام

فریدون از آن نامداران خویش

یکی را گرانمایه‌تر خواند پیش

کجا نام او جندل پرهنر

به هر کار دلسوز بر شاه بر

Ganjoor · f2:1-7

Textual evidence

Ganjoor says that the sons are grown and that their father has not yet given them names. English 5 gives “Not yet betrothed.” The sons’ naming is narrated explicitly in A6.6.

Interpretation

The English directs attention toward the marriage plot, which is the immediate subject, but betrothal is not the lexical meaning of the source’s naming statement. The note preserves that distinction without disturbing the verse.

Return to parallel text

9–17Jandal’s commission

9–17

The Shah said, “Travel through the world for me,

And search each land with care from sea to sea.

Seek three fair sisters, born of one same pair,

One father and one mother, noble, fair.

Let noble blood and chastity appear;

Let pari-faces make each daughter dear.

Let height and beauty match from face to face,

So none seems less in stature, form, or grace.

Their father must have pledged no daughter’s hand;

Such brides alone will answer my command.”

Jandal received the charge with steady heart,

Shrewd, pure of mind, accomplished in his art.

With trusted well-wishers he took his way,

And searched through every kingdom day by day.

In secret he inquired from place to place

Of daughters sheltered in each noble race.

He learned their names, their lineage, and fame,

And tested every house that rumor named.

بدو گفت برگرد گرد جهان

سه دختر گزین از نژاد مهان

سه خواهر ز یک مادر و یک پدر

پری چهره و پاک و خسرو گهر

به خوبی سزای سه فرزند من

چنان چون بشاید به پیوند من

به بالا و دیدار هر سه یکی

که این را ندانند ازان اندکی

چو بشنید جندل ز خسرو سخن

یکی رای پاکیزه افگند بن

که بیدار دل بود و پاکیزه مغز

زبان چرب و شایستهٔ کار نغز

ز پیش سپهبد برون شد به راه

ابا چند تن مر ورا نیکخواه

یکایک ز ایران سراندر کشید

پژوهید و هرگونه گفت و شنید

به هر کشوری کز جهان مهتری

به پرده درون داشتن دختری

نهفته بجستی همه راز‌شان

شنیدی همه نام و آواز‌شان

Ganjoor · f2:8-17

Textual evidence

The instruction asks for daughters of one father, royal lineage and beauty appropriate to the princes. Ganjoor’s commission occupies a shorter space than the English.

Interpretation

The pairing of three brothers and three sisters is a designed dynastic symmetry. The English makes selection criteria explicit while preserving the envoy’s subordinate role: Jandal searches and reports; he does not choose the marriages independently.

Return to parallel text

18–29An envoy’s praise as diplomatic argument

18–29

Yet nowhere among nobles rich and great

He found a house that matched the royal state.

At last to Yemen’s royal court he came,

Where Sarv the Shah possessed a noble name.

There three fair daughters lived within his hall,

In them he found the answer to it all.

In birth and beauty, stature, face, and grace,

The three fulfilled each measure he could trace.

Then like a pheasant moving toward a flower,

He came before King Sarv within his bower.

He kissed the ground and offered homage due,

With polished praise, as royal servants do.

King Sarv replied, “May praise attend your name;

Now state the cause and purpose why you came.

Are you an envoy with a message sealed,

Or one whose noble rank should be revealed?

Is this command or counsel that you bring,

And in whose name do you address the king?”

Jandal replied, “May joy be always near,

And may all sorrow vanish far from here.

I am a servant sent from Iran’s throne;

Great Fereydoon has made his greeting known.

He sends his greeting through my voice today;

I bear his royal wish without delay.

ز دهقان پر مایه کس را ندید

که پیوستهٔ آفریدون سزید

خردمند و روشن‌دل و پاک‌تن

بیامد بر سرو شاه یمن

نشان یافت جندل مر اورا درست

سه دختر چنان چون فریدون بجست

خرامان بیامد به نزدیک سرو

چنان چون به پیش گل اندر تذرو

زمین را ببوسید و چربی نمود

برآن کهتری آفرین برفزود

به جندل چنین گفت شاه یمن

که بی‌آفرینت مبادا دهن

چه پیغام داری چه فرمان دهی

فرستاده‌ای گر گرامی رهی

بدو گفت جندل که خرم بدی

همیشه ز تو دور دست بدی

از ایران یکی کهترم چون شمن

پیام آوریده به شاه یمن

درود فریدون فرخ دهم

سخن هر چه پرسند پاسخ دهم

ترا آفرین از فریدون گرد

بزرگ آن‌کسی کو نداردش خرد

Ganjoor · f2:18-28

Textual evidence

The journey, discovery of Yemen’s three daughters, royal audience and initial praise correspond to the reference sequence. Jandal’s description of Fereydoon is formal reported speech.

Interpretation

The elevated compliments belong to negotiation, where praise prepares a difficult demand. Reading them as the narrator’s unqualified description would flatten the dramatic voice. Rhyming amplification suits an embassy whose force depends on ceremonious persuasion.

Return to parallel text

30–41The value of children: a fuller petition

30–41

He said: ‘Go seek King Sarv in Yemen’s land,

And place my greeting in the sovereign’s hand.

So long as musk gives fragrance to the air,

May grief be scattered far from all your care.

May evil stars not darken your domain;

May fortune guard your life and bless your reign.

Among the Arab kings stand first in fame,

And may good fortune ever guard your name.

What sweetness in this mortal world can live

Beyond the joy that life and children give?

To live in peace beneath a righteous king,

And rear one’s children is life’s sweetest thing.

No bond beneath the turning heaven’s span

Is dearer than a child can be to man.

If any man possessed three eyes to see,

My three sons would those three eyes be to me.

Indeed, they are still dearer than my sight,

For seeing them makes all the world seem bright.

A sage once said: I never join a line

Unless I wish its fortune above mine.

The wise seek equals when they choose a friend;

The good with worthy hearts their fortunes blend.

However rich and prosperous life appears,

A king without good sons still harbors fears.

مرا گفت شاه یمن را بگوی

که بر گاه تا مشک بوید ببوی

بدان ای سر مایهٔ تازیان

کز اختر بدی جاودان بی‌زیان

که شیرین‌تر از جان و فرزند چیز

همانا که چیزی نباشد به نیز

Ganjoor f2:29–30 + selected Mohl excerpt, pp 61–62

Textual evidence

Mohl pp 61–62 carries a fuller argument about children, affection and the fortunate father around the embassy’s petition. The aligned Ganjoor passage is shorter. The Persian excerpt identifies the familial premise without pretending to transcribe the whole longer speech.

G f2 29 ↗ G f2 30 ↗ Moscow p 81 ↗ Moscow p 82 ↗ Moscow p 83 ↗ Moscow p 84 ↗ Moscow p 85 ↗ Mohl p 60 ↗ Mohl p 61 ↗ Mohl p 62 ↗ Mohl p 63 ↗ Khaleghi p 92 ↗ Khaleghi p 93 ↗ Khaleghi p 94 ↗ Khaleghi p 95 ↗ Khaleghi p 96 ↗

Interpretation

The English gives the appeal room to breathe: it approaches Sarv through fatherhood before asking him to surrender his daughters to distant marriages. Its length is therefore part of the diplomatic strategy, not evidence by itself of arbitrary English invention.

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42–51Kinship and an interpretive substitutionNaming versus betrothal

42–51

My realm has treasure, manhood, strength, and power;

Good fortune guards my kingship every hour.

Three sons are mine, all worthy crown and throne,

With wisdom, knowledge, means, and merit shown.

Whatever noble end their hearts require,

They have the means to reach their full desire.

For these three princes I seek wives of worth,

Three sisters joined to them by equal birth.

Within your hall, my messengers report

Three daughters fit for princes of my court.

Your daughters are not pledged in marriage yet;

No bridal match for any son is set.

Two kinds of precious jewels now we hold;

Let both be joined, more precious than fine gold.

Let worthy join with worthy, house with house;

Three royal sons each take a royal spouse.

Such is my word. I send it with respect;

Now let your wisdom answer and direct.’”

When Sarv had heard, his heart sank under woe,

Like jasmine plucked from water’s cooling flow.

مرا پادشاهی آباد هست

همان گنج و مردی و نیروی دست

سه فرزند شایستهٔ تاج و گاه

اگر داستان را بود گاه ماه

ز هر کام و هر خواسته بی‌نیاز

به هر آرزو دست ایشان دراز

مر این سه گرانمایه را در نهفت

بباید کنون شاهزاده سه جفت

ز کار آگهان آگهی یافتم

بدین آگهی تیز بشتافتم

کجا از پس پرده پوشیده روی

سه پاکیزه داری تو ای نامجوی

مران هرسه را نوز ناکرده نام

چو بشنیدم این دل شدم شادکام

که ما نیز نام سه فرخ نژاد

چو اندر خور آید نکردیم یاد

کنون این گرامی دو گونه گهر

بباید برآمیخت با یکدگر

سه پوشیده رخ را سه دیهیم جوی

سزا را سزاوار بی‌گفت‌وگوی

فریدون پیامم بدین گونه داد

تو پاسخ گزار آنچه آیدت یاد

پیامش چو بشنید شاه یمن

بپژمرد چون زاب کنده سمن

Ganjoor · f2:31-42

Textual evidence

The proposal identifies both groups as three unnamed royal children in Ganjoor 37–38. English 47 presents the daughters’ unpledged state. The surrounding appeal joins the two houses.

Interpretation

As in the opening, the English emphasizes marriage eligibility where the Persian explicitly mentions naming. The dynastic sense remains intelligible, but the source detail should be available to the reader rather than absorbed into a claim of exact verbal equivalence.

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52–61The proposal meets paternal resistance

52–61

He thought, “If these three moons depart my sight,

My bright day will be turned to blackest night.

If I no longer see them by my side,

The rose of joy within my heart has died.

I should not answer such a weighty call

Until I take the counsel of them all.

Those who have shared my fortune, good and ill,

Must help me judge with clear and steady will.”

He lodged the envoy with abundant care,

With rank and service fitting the affair.

Then Sarv dismissed the court and sat apart,

The thought of those three moons oppressed his heart.

He summoned chiefs well tested under arms,

Spear-bearing men inured to battle’s harms.

Before them all he set his grief in view,

And told them what the Shah now sought to do:

“My marriage gave me daughters, only three,

Three shining candles, all the joy in me.

Now Fereydoon has spread a lovely lure

To take the three bright lights I keep secure.

همی‌گفت گر پیش بالین من

نبیند سه ماه این جهان‌بین من

مرا روز روشن بود تاره شب

بباید گشادن به پاسخ دو لب

سراینده را گفت کای نامجوی

زمان باید اندر چنین گفت‌گوی

شتابت نباید به پاسخ کنون

مرا چند راز‌ست با رهنمون

فرستاده را زود جایی گزید

پس آنگه به کار اندرون بنگرید

بیامد در بار دادن ببست

به انبوه اندیشگان در نشست

فراوان کس از دشت نیزه‌وران

بر خویش خواند آزموده سران

نهفته برون آورید از نهفت

همه راز‌ها پیش ایشان بگفت

که ما را به گیتی ز پیوند خویش

سه شمع‌ست روشن به دیدار پیش

فریدون فرستاد زی من پیام

بگسترد پیشم یکی خوب دام

Ganjoor · f2:43-52

Textual evidence

Jandal’s demand for the daughters is followed by the Yemen king’s inward distress. The plea and the king’s private response occupy different voices.

Interpretation

The verse preserves a consequential tension: the embassy presents marriage as an honor, while the father experiences it as loss. Sarv’s resistance is comprehensible before it becomes dangerous; this prepares the tests without excusing them.

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62–69What power leaves unsaid

62–69

He asks alliance, seeks a royal tie,

His sons and my three daughters to ally.

I need your counsel, fearless, plain, and clear;

Before I answer him, let truth appear.

If I say yes while no is in my breast,

A king who lies brings shame upon his crest.

A lie is not the proper road of kings;

It stains the royal tongue from which it springs.

Yet if I grant the Shah what he desires,

My heart will burn with sorrow’s inner fires.

If I refuse the sovereign of the land,

I risk the fury carried in his hand.

Travelers have told how Zahhak lost his crown,

When Fereydoon’s great gorz had struck him down.

So speak: what path can wisdom recommend?

What counsel leads this matter to an end?”

همی‌کرد خواهد ز چشمم جدا

یکی رای باید زدن با شما

فرستاده گوید چنین گفت شاه

که ما را سه شاه‌ست زیبای گاه

گراینده هر سه به پیوند من

به سه روی پوشیده فرزند من

اگر گویم آری و دل زان تهی

دروغم نه اندر خورد با مهی

وگر آرزو‌ها سپارم بدوی

شود دل پر آتش پر از آب روی

وگر سر بپیچم ز فرمان او

به یک سو گرایم ز پیمان او

کسی کو بود شهریار زمین

نه بازی‌ست با او سگالید کین

شنیدستم از مردم راه‌جوی

که ضحاک را زو چه آمد بروی

ازین در سخن هر چه دارید یاد

سراسر به من بر بباید گشاد

Ganjoor · f2:53-61

Textual evidence

Ganjoor’s sequence gives the king’s dilemma: the superior king cannot easily be refused, yet his daughters cannot easily be relinquished. English redistributes the counsel and inner debate.

Interpretation

The pressure is political as well as emotional. Explanatory emphasis on Sarv’s predicament is defensible; it makes clear why diplomatic consent cannot be read as uncomplicated enthusiasm.

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70–81A courteous postponement

70–81

The veteran chiefs replied, “We do not go

Wherever every passing wind may blow.

Though Fereydoon is world-Shah without peers,

No ring of servitude has touched our ears.

Plain speech and struggle are the ways we tread;

Whatever comes, we face it without dread.

The bridle and the spear are ours to wield;

We meet the issue openly afield.

With khanjars we can make the earth run wine;

The field runs red beneath our battle line.

With lifted spears we make the air appear

A reed-bed thick with shafts from van to rear.

If your three daughters are your heart’s delight,

Open the purse and keep your lips shut tight.

But if you fear the world-Shah’s greater might,

And seek another path to guard your right,

Demand a costly task beyond men’s skill,

A deed no living man could hope to fill.

Set such a trial before every son

That none could hope the task might yet be done.”

King Sarv heard what the seasoned chiefs advised,

But found their counsel weak and ill-devised.

He saw no head or base in what they planned;

Their counsel gave no path on which to stand.

جهان آزموده دلاور سران

گشادند یک‌یک به پاسخ زبان

که ما همگنان آن نبینیم رای

که هر باد را تو بجنبی ز جای

اگر شد فریدون جهان شهریار

نه ما بندگانیم با گوشوار

سخن‌گفتن و کوشش آیین ماست

عنان و سنان تافتن دین ماست

به خنجر زمین را میستان کنیم

به نیزه هوا را نیستان کنیم

سه فرزند اگر بر تو هست ارجمند

سر بدره بگشای و لب را ببند

و گر چارهٔ کار خواهی همی

بترسی ازین پادشاهی همی

ازو آرزو‌های پرمایه جوی

که کردار آنرا نبینند روی

چو بشنید از آن نامداران سخن

نه سر دید آن را به گیتی نه بن

Ganjoor · f2:62-70

Textual evidence

The king conceals his anger, orders hospitality and asks time to consult. The English extends the formal exchange and its close.

Interpretation

Hospitality creates a pause, not a completed settlement. The couplets preserve the contrast between an outwardly gracious court and unresolved private anxiety. That contrast drives the next chapter.

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Chapter source record

English original ↗ Ganjoor f2 ↗ Moscow p 81 ↗ Moscow p 82 ↗ Moscow p 83 ↗ Moscow p 84 ↗ Moscow p 85 ↗ Mohl p 60 ↗ Mohl p 61 ↗ Mohl p 62 ↗ Mohl p 63 ↗ Khaleghi p 92 ↗ Khaleghi p 93 ↗ Khaleghi p 94 ↗ Khaleghi p 95 ↗ Khaleghi p 96 ↗