New NaqqaliFereydoon and His Sons · A6.6
Fereydoon Tests His Sons
Fereydoon’s dragon disguise reveals three dispositions; naming and astrology then turn characterization into the architecture of the coming tragedy.
The chapter in five texts
| Text | Chapter treatment and distinctive choices |
|---|---|
| F&R English | Fifty-two couplets preserve the full dragon test, six names and ominous astrology. Earth/fire and the planetary assignments have specific printed support. |
| Moscow | The printed reign includes the dragon-and-naming sequence before partition; its local readings should be checked independently of the digital text. |
| Mohl | Pp 68–70 retain the scene. Jupiter and Sun support the English astrology; the middle-way image reads water/fire. |
| Ganjoor | The entire dragon, naming and astrology sequence is absent between sh4 and sh5 in the captured poem body. |
| Khaleghi | Pp 103–106 retain the scene. Earth/fire supports English 37; Saturn/Mars and its Aries reading for Iraj differ from the English’s Mohl-supported configuration. |
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 word arrived his sons were drawing near,
Fereydoon rode to meet them, purpose clear.
He wished to test the nature of each mind,
And learn what hidden traits he there might find.
He took the form of dragon, vast and dire,
A shape whose breath seemed made of living fire.
No lion could escape that creature’s might;
It roared and seethed, its mouth a blaze of light.
He saw the three approach like mountains black,
Then raised a cloud of dust across their track.
The dragon roared till earth and mountain rang,
Then at the eldest prince in fury sprang.
The eldest said, “A wise man knows his course;
He does not choose to match a dragon’s force.”
He turned his back at once and fled the place,
Nor thought it wise such terror to embrace.
بیامد بسان یکی اژدها
کزو شیر گفتی نیابد رها
خروشان و جوشان به جوش اندرون
همی از دهانش آتش آمد برون
چو هر سه پسر را به نزدیک دید
به گرد اندرون کوه تاریک دید
Selected Khaleghi p 103; compare Mohl p 68
9–17+
Then toward the second son the dragon wheeled;
The prince drew up his bow and would not yield.
He bent the bowstring, ready for the fray,
And spoke before the beast that barred his way:
“When battle calls, what matters who the foe?
Be lion, man, or dragon; let him show.”
The youngest came and saw the dragon near,
His voice rang out, commanding it to hear:
“Turn back! You are a leopard on this way;
The road of lions is no place to stay.
If Fereydoon’s great name has reached your ear,
Then do not strive against his offspring here.
We three are all his sons, with our gorz raised,
And battle-ready, neither cowed nor dazed.
Turn from our path; do not provoke your fate,
Or ill-starred ruin on your head will wait.”
He saw their several natures, judged each one,
Then disappeared, his testing fully done.
میانه برادر چو او را بدید
کمان را به زه کرد و اندر کشید
چو کهتر پسر نزد ایشان رسید
خروشید کان اژدها را بدید
گرت نام شاه آفریدون به گوش
رسیده‌ست، هرگز بدینسان مکوش
که فرزند اوییم هر سه پسر
همه گرزداران پرخاشخر
Selected Khaleghi p 104; compare Mohl pp 68–69
18–28+
He went aside, then as their father came,
With royal rite and custom, still the same.
The koust resounded, elephants strode by;
His hand displayed the ox-head gorz on high.
Behind him rode the chiefs in full array;
The world seemed clenched within his fist that day.
At sight of him, the princes all alighted,
And ran on foot to kiss the earth, delighted.
The elephants and koust fell still in place,
While all three kissed the earth with humble grace.
He took each by the hand with fond embrace,
And showed a father’s kindness face to face.
To each according to his measure due,
He gave the rank that matched what he now knew.
Back in the noble palace, he gave praise
To God, through good and ill in all his days.
Then called the three and set them, side by side,
Upon the throne, in honor and in pride.
“That dreadful dragon, breathing world-wide flame,
Was I, your father, hidden in that frame.
I sought to learn what manhood filled each breast;
And now I know each nature by this test.
فریدون فرخ چو بشنید و دید
هنرها بدانست و شد ناپدید
چنین گفت کان اژدهای دژم
کجا خواست گیتی بسوزد به دم
پدر بود جست از شما مردمی
چو بشناخت برخاست با خرمی
Selected Khaleghi pp 104–105; compare Mohl p 69
29–37+
Now each shall bear a fitting royal name,
To match his nature and preserve his fame.
The eldest sought his safety from the maw,
So Salm, from safety, is the name I draw.
When flight was called for, he did not delay;
He chose the safer road and turned away.
Who heeds no elephant or lion’s threat
Is mad, not brave, whatever foes are met.
The second showed fierce ardor from the start;
Fire only raised the courage in his heart.
So Tur shall be his name, a lion bold,
Whom raging elephants could never hold.
True courage shown in place deserves the crown;
The faint of heart can never win renown.
The youngest knew both haste and measured pause,
And chose between them by the wisest laws.
Between the earth and fire he took his way,
The middle path the wise choose day by day.
تویی مهین سلم نام تو باد
به گیتی پراگنده کام تو باد
میانه کز آغاز تندی نمود
ز آتش مر او را دلیری فزود
دگر کهترین مرد با سنگ و چنگ
که هم با شتابست و هم با درنگ
ز خاک و ز آتش میانه گزید
چنان کز ره هوشیاری سزید
Selected Khaleghi p 105; compare Mohl p 69
38–44+
Brave, young, and wakeful-minded, he was known;
In all the world no equal could be shown.
So Iraj is the fitting name to bear;
May greatness crown his fortune everywhere.
At first he showed the lion in his heart;
In hardship courage marked his chosen part.
Now gladly I shall name the brides you won,
Three Arab pari-faced brides, each to one.
For Salm, fair Arezu became his bride,
Her noble grace and beauty at his side.
Mah-e Azadeh, free in noble ways,
Was joined to Tur, moon-bright before their gaze.
Fair Sahi went to Iraj, his to wed;
Canopus bowed before her lovely head.”
کنون ایرج اندر خورد نام اوی
در مهتری باد فرجام اوی
زن سلم را کرد نام آرزوی
زن تور را ماه آزاده خوی
زن ایرج نیک پی را سهی
کجا بد به خوبی سهیلش رهی
Selected Khaleghi pp 105–106; compare Mohl pp 69–70
45–52+
Then Fereydoon turned to the circling sky,
To read what stars had written from on high.
The astrologers had shown each ordered sign;
The charts lay open, tracing each design.
He studied there the stars of each known son,
And read what fate had traced for every one.
For Salm, the Archer rose in heaven’s sphere,
With Jupiter its lord, auspicious, clear.
For Tur the Lion rose; the Sun held sway,
A bold, auspicious ruler on display.
For Iraj Cancer rose beneath Moon’s ray,
And signs of war foretold a bitter day.
He saw that war among the brothers lay,
And from his liver sighed in deep dismay.
He saw the sky turned against Iraj’s light,
And for his bright-souled son foresaw the night.
بسلم اندرون بود ز اختر نشان
نبودش مگر مشتری و کمان
دگر طالع تور فرخنده شیر
خداوند خورشید سعد دلیر
چو کرد اختر فرخ ایرج نگاه
کشف طالع آمد خداوند ماه
از اختر بدینسان نشانی نمود
که آشوبش و جنگ بایست بود
Mohl p 70 · selected astrological passage
Narrative and poetic form
This chapter offers a particularly clear defense of the translation’s fuller narrative. What looks like a substantial addition against Ganjoor is printed Persian narrative, while its most technical detail can be traced to a specific edition rather than excused vaguely as poetic freedom.
Couplet commentary
Quoted text · evidence · interpretation1–8A father in dragon form
1–8
When word arrived his sons were drawing near,
Fereydoon rode to meet them, purpose clear.
He wished to test the nature of each mind,
And learn what hidden traits he there might find.
He took the form of dragon, vast and dire,
A shape whose breath seemed made of living fire.
No lion could escape that creature’s might;
It roared and seethed, its mouth a blaze of light.
He saw the three approach like mountains black,
Then raised a cloud of dust across their track.
The dragon roared till earth and mountain rang,
Then at the eldest prince in fury sprang.
The eldest said, “A wise man knows his course;
He does not choose to match a dragon’s force.”
He turned his back at once and fled the place,
Nor thought it wise such terror to embrace.
بیامد بسان یکی اژدها
کزو شیر گفتی نیابد رها
خروشان و جوشان به جوش اندرون
همی از دهانش آتش آمد برون
چو هر سه پسر را به نزدیک دید
به گرد اندرون کوه تاریک دید
Selected Khaleghi p 103; compare Mohl p 68
Textual evidence
Mohl p 68 and Khaleghi p 103 narrate Fereydoon’s disguise as a fire-breathing dragon in the princes’ road. The dragon test is absent from Ganjoor’s reign sequence.
Moscow p 90 ↗ Moscow p 91 ↗ Moscow p 92 ↗ Moscow p 93 ↗ Moscow p 94 ↗ Mohl p 68 ↗ Mohl p 69 ↗ Mohl p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 103 ↗ Khaleghi p 104 ↗ Khaleghi p 105 ↗ Khaleghi p 106 ↗
Interpretation
The English carries an established episode. Its dramatic function is diagnostic: the father produces an apparent danger to discover his sons’ responses, unlike Sarv’s earlier attempt to destroy his guests.
9–17Retreat, attack and a measured challenge
9–17
Then toward the second son the dragon wheeled;
The prince drew up his bow and would not yield.
He bent the bowstring, ready for the fray,
And spoke before the beast that barred his way:
“When battle calls, what matters who the foe?
Be lion, man, or dragon; let him show.”
The youngest came and saw the dragon near,
His voice rang out, commanding it to hear:
“Turn back! You are a leopard on this way;
The road of lions is no place to stay.
If Fereydoon’s great name has reached your ear,
Then do not strive against his offspring here.
We three are all his sons, with our gorz raised,
And battle-ready, neither cowed nor dazed.
Turn from our path; do not provoke your fate,
Or ill-starred ruin on your head will wait.”
He saw their several natures, judged each one,
Then disappeared, his testing fully done.
میانه برادر چو او را بدید
کمان را به زه کرد و اندر کشید
چو کهتر پسر نزد ایشان رسید
خروشید کان اژدها را بدید
گرت نام شاه آفریدون به گوش
رسیده‌ست، هرگز بدینسان مکوش
که فرزند اوییم هر سه پسر
همه گرزداران پرخاشخر
Selected Khaleghi p 104; compare Mohl pp 68–69
Textual evidence
Mohl pp 68–69 and Khaleghi p 104 contrast the eldest’s withdrawal, the middle son’s armed aggression and the youngest’s spoken challenge. The youngest declares their royal identity.
Moscow p 90 ↗ Moscow p 91 ↗ Moscow p 92 ↗ Moscow p 93 ↗ Moscow p 94 ↗ Mohl p 68 ↗ Mohl p 69 ↗ Mohl p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 103 ↗ Khaleghi p 104 ↗ Khaleghi p 105 ↗ Khaleghi p 106 ↗
Interpretation
The youngest does not merely split the difference between cowardice and force: he interprets the encounter and speaks accordingly. The English preserves that distinction, which makes the later preference for Iraj legible before inheritance becomes disputed.
18–28Disguise disclosed after royal reception
18–28
He went aside, then as their father came,
With royal rite and custom, still the same.
The koust resounded, elephants strode by;
His hand displayed the ox-head gorz on high.
Behind him rode the chiefs in full array;
The world seemed clenched within his fist that day.
At sight of him, the princes all alighted,
And ran on foot to kiss the earth, delighted.
The elephants and koust fell still in place,
While all three kissed the earth with humble grace.
He took each by the hand with fond embrace,
And showed a father’s kindness face to face.
To each according to his measure due,
He gave the rank that matched what he now knew.
Back in the noble palace, he gave praise
To God, through good and ill in all his days.
Then called the three and set them, side by side,
Upon the throne, in honor and in pride.
“That dreadful dragon, breathing world-wide flame,
Was I, your father, hidden in that frame.
I sought to learn what manhood filled each breast;
And now I know each nature by this test.
فریدون فرخ چو بشنید و دید
هنرها بدانست و شد ناپدید
چنین گفت کان اژدهای دژم
کجا خواست گیتی بسوزد به دم
پدر بود جست از شما مردمی
چو بشناخت برخاست با خرمی
Selected Khaleghi pp 104–105; compare Mohl p 69
Textual evidence
The printed scene moves from the king’s altered appearance to the procession, embraces, return to the palace and explanation of the test.
Moscow p 90 ↗ Moscow p 91 ↗ Moscow p 92 ↗ Moscow p 93 ↗ Moscow p 94 ↗ Mohl p 68 ↗ Mohl p 69 ↗ Mohl p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 103 ↗ Khaleghi p 104 ↗ Khaleghi p 105 ↗ Khaleghi p 106 ↗
Interpretation
The renewed royal display distinguishes the apparent beast from the recognizable father. The English retains both sides of kingship—power that can terrify and care that can embrace—without making the test an actual attempted murder.
29–37Naming by dispositionPrinted variant supports English
29–37
Now each shall bear a fitting royal name,
To match his nature and preserve his fame.
The eldest sought his safety from the maw,
So Salm, from safety, is the name I draw.
When flight was called for, he did not delay;
He chose the safer road and turned away.
Who heeds no elephant or lion’s threat
Is mad, not brave, whatever foes are met.
The second showed fierce ardor from the start;
Fire only raised the courage in his heart.
So Tur shall be his name, a lion bold,
Whom raging elephants could never hold.
True courage shown in place deserves the crown;
The faint of heart can never win renown.
The youngest knew both haste and measured pause,
And chose between them by the wisest laws.
Between the earth and fire he took his way,
The middle path the wise choose day by day.
تویی مهین سلم نام تو باد
به گیتی پراگنده کام تو باد
میانه کز آغاز تندی نمود
ز آتش مر او را دلیری فزود
دگر کهترین مرد با سنگ و چنگ
که هم با شتابست و هم با درنگ
ز خاک و ز آتش میانه گزید
چنان کز ره هوشیاری سزید
Selected Khaleghi p 105; compare Mohl p 69
Textual evidence
Mohl p 69 explains Salm through safety, Tur through ardor and Iraj through measured conduct. Khaleghi p 105 has the youngest choosing a middle way between earth and fire; Mohl has water and fire. English 37’s “earth and fire” therefore has direct printed support.
Moscow p 90 ↗ Moscow p 91 ↗ Moscow p 92 ↗ Moscow p 93 ↗ Moscow p 94 ↗ Mohl p 68 ↗ Mohl p 69 ↗ Mohl p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 103 ↗ Khaleghi p 104 ↗ Khaleghi p 105 ↗ Khaleghi p 106 ↗
Interpretation
These are literary explanations of names within the tale, not established historical etymologies. The English intelligently retains a father’s qualified praise of all three sons: prudent retreat can be sensible, courage has its place, and Iraj excels through proportion.
38–44Sons and brides receive names
38–44
Brave, young, and wakeful-minded, he was known;
In all the world no equal could be shown.
So Iraj is the fitting name to bear;
May greatness crown his fortune everywhere.
At first he showed the lion in his heart;
In hardship courage marked his chosen part.
Now gladly I shall name the brides you won,
Three Arab pari-faced brides, each to one.
For Salm, fair Arezu became his bride,
Her noble grace and beauty at his side.
Mah-e Azadeh, free in noble ways,
Was joined to Tur, moon-bright before their gaze.
Fair Sahi went to Iraj, his to wed;
Canopus bowed before her lovely head.”
کنون ایرج اندر خورد نام اوی
در مهتری باد فرجام اوی
زن سلم را کرد نام آرزوی
زن تور را ماه آزاده خوی
زن ایرج نیک پی را سهی
کجا بد به خوبی سهیلش رهی
Selected Khaleghi pp 105–106; compare Mohl pp 69–70
Textual evidence
Mohl pp 69–70 and Khaleghi pp 105–106 name Iraj and the three brides: Arezu, Mah-e Azadeh and Sahi. Canopus supplies the closing celestial image.
Moscow p 90 ↗ Moscow p 91 ↗ Moscow p 92 ↗ Moscow p 93 ↗ Moscow p 94 ↗ Mohl p 68 ↗ Mohl p 69 ↗ Mohl p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 103 ↗ Khaleghi p 104 ↗ Khaleghi p 105 ↗ Khaleghi p 106 ↗
Interpretation
The chapter completes the naming anticipated earlier in Persian. The brides’ individual names matter after the diplomacy has repeatedly spoken of them as a group. Naming dignifies the family arrangement while preparing its later fragmentation.
45–52Two different planetary readingsMohl supports English astrology
45–52
Then Fereydoon turned to the circling sky,
To read what stars had written from on high.
The astrologers had shown each ordered sign;
The charts lay open, tracing each design.
He studied there the stars of each known son,
And read what fate had traced for every one.
For Salm, the Archer rose in heaven’s sphere,
With Jupiter its lord, auspicious, clear.
For Tur the Lion rose; the Sun held sway,
A bold, auspicious ruler on display.
For Iraj Cancer rose beneath Moon’s ray,
And signs of war foretold a bitter day.
He saw that war among the brothers lay,
And from his liver sighed in deep dismay.
He saw the sky turned against Iraj’s light,
And for his bright-souled son foresaw the night.
بسلم اندرون بود ز اختر نشان
نبودش مگر مشتری و کمان
دگر طالع تور فرخنده شیر
خداوند خورشید سعد دلیر
چو کرد اختر فرخ ایرج نگاه
کشف طالع آمد خداوند ماه
از اختر بدینسان نشانی نمود
که آشوبش و جنگ بایست بود
Mohl p 70 · selected astrological passage
Textual evidence
Mohl p 70 gives Salm Sagittarius/Jupiter, Tur Leo/Sun and Iraj Cancer/Moon. English 48–50 follows these. Khaleghi p 106 instead has Saturn for Salm and Mars for Tur; for Iraj it prints حمل, Aries, with the Moon. War remains in Iraj’s forecast. These are distinct textual configurations, not one identical chart.
Moscow p 90 ↗ Moscow p 91 ↗ Moscow p 92 ↗ Moscow p 93 ↗ Moscow p 94 ↗ Mohl p 68 ↗ Mohl p 69 ↗ Mohl p 70 ↗ Khaleghi p 103 ↗ Khaleghi p 104 ↗ Khaleghi p 105 ↗ Khaleghi p 106 ↗
Interpretation
The English astrology is not an invented embellishment or a straightforward astronomical error. It follows a printed textual configuration that differs from Khaleghi’s. These are the poem’s prognostic signs, not a modern natal-chart calculation. The father’s distress anticipates tragedy without canceling the sons’ responsibility.