New NaqqaliRostam’s Beginnings · A9.5
Rostam Proudly Writes His Father
The conquest is reported, praised, emptied of treasure and burned. The return restores the son to parental affection without undoing what his victory has cost elsewhere.
The chapter in five texts
| Text | Chapter treatment and distinctive choices |
|---|---|
| F&R English | Thirty-nine couplets retain both letters, the hoard, the order to burn Sepand and the return to Rudabeh and Zal. |
| Moscow | Appendix X, pp 269–271, preserves the reporting and return sequence. |
| Mohl | Pp 187–188 print the exchange and aftermath continuously. |
| Ganjoor | No corresponding chapter in the captured digital Manuchehr sequence. |
| Khaleghi | The below-main-text record on pp 279–280 preserves the correspondence, quantities, burning and homecoming. |
Parallel text
English left · Mohl Persian reference right. Ganjoor has no counterpart to this chapter. Local w3–w6 numbers identify the Mohl reference; the digital transcription was checked against the printed passage and obvious transcription errors corrected. Full printed witnesses are linked in the notes.
Mohl digital transcription aid ↗
1–6+
Then Rostam wrote his father a full report
Of all that passed within the mountain fort:
“First praise to Him, Lord of the radiant Sun,
Of snake and ant, whose will makes all things run;
Who sets Nahid, Bahram, and Mehr to turn,
And raised the firmament where star-fires burn.
Then blessings fall on Zal, the battle-wise,
Zabul’s peerless Pahlevan in men’s eyes;
The warriors’ refuge, Iran’s firmest stay,
Who makes the Kayan star shine bright each day;
Who seats the Shah and takes the crown away,
Whose orders course like Sun and Moon, we say.
یکی نامه بنوشت نزد پدر
زکار وزکردار خود سر بسر
نخست آفرین خداوند هور
خداوند مار و خداوند مور
خداوند ناهید وبهرام ومهر
خداوند این برکشیده سپهر
وزو آفرین بر سپهدار زال
یل زابلی پهلو بی همال
پناه گوان پشت ایرانیان
فروزندة اختر کاویان
نشاننده شاه وستاننده گاه
روان گشته فرمانش چون هور وماه
Mohl reference · w5:1-6 · digital transcription checked against the printed passage
7–15+
By your command I reached Mount Sepand’s crest,
A peak against the vault of heaven pressed.
I reached its foot; at once a greeting sped,
The mountain’s lord had sent the words I read.
By his command I ordered every part,
And all came out according to my art.
That dark night with renowned men I fought,
And in the fort no man one respite caught.
Some slain, some wounded, others fled away;
Their arms and battle gear fell in disarray.
Five hundred thousand kharvar there I found,
Raw silver, assayed gold in heaps around.
Of things to wear, to spread, to bear and take,
Were goods of every kind and every make.
No one could count them, labor as he may,
Through months of reckoning and day on day.
Now tell me what command you would decree;
May bright your heart, your footsteps blessed be.”
بفرمان رسیدم بکوه سپند
چه کوهی بسان سپهر بلند
بپایان آن کوه فرود آمدم
همانگه زمهتر درود آمدم
بفرمان مهتر بر آراستم
برآمد بر آنسان که من خواستم
شب تیره با نامداران جنگ
بدژ در یکی را ندادم درنگ
چه کشته چه خسته چه بگریخته
ز تن ساز کینه فرو ریخته
همانا که خروار پانصد هزار
بود نقرهٔ خام وزرّ عیار
زپوشیدنی وزگستردنی
زهر چیز که آن باشد آوردنی
همانا شمارش نداند کسی
ز ماه و ز روز ار شمارد بسی
کنون تا چه فرمان دهد پهلوان
که فرخنده پی باد وروشن روان
Mohl reference · w5:7-15 · digital transcription checked against the printed passage
16–26+
The courier sped like wind across the land,
And placed the letter in the hero’s hand.
When Zal had read the letter through and through,
He blessed renowned Rostam, brave and true.
The joyful news so brightened heart and face,
It seemed his youth returned to take its place.
He then began a letter in reply,
And filled its lines with thought that soared the sky,
He opened first with praise of God Most High,
Then wrote: “Your heart-opening note met my eye.
I read under Fortune’s conquering sign;
For joy I scattered soul on every line.
Though still a child, you did a grown man’s deed,
A worthy son, the flower of noble seed.
You brightened Nariman’s spirit with your fire,
And burned his enemies beneath your ire.
A thousand thousand camels I dispatch,
To bear the loads no smaller train could match.
When you have read, mount swiftly for the way;
Without your face I sorrow every day.
Load choicest goods upon the camel train,
Then burn the fort to answer Nariman’s pain.”
فرستاده آمد چو باد دمان
رسانید نامه بر پهلوان
سپهبد چو نامه فرو خواند گفت
که با نامور آفرین باد جفت
ز مژده چنان شاد شد پهلوان
تو گفتی که خواهد شدن باز جوان
یکی پاسخ نامه افگند بن
بگفت اندرو در فراوان سخن
سر نامه کرد آفرین خدای
دگر گفت که این نامه دلگشای
بپیروز بختی فرو خواندم
زشادی برو جان برافشاندم
ز تو پور شایسته چون این نبرد
بدین کودکی کار کردی چو مرد
روان نریمان بر افروختی
همه دشمنان ورا سوختی
از اشتر همانا هزاران هزار
بنزدت فرستادم از بهر بار
چو نامه بخوانی سبک بر نشین
که بی رو تو هستم اندوه گین
شتر بار کن زآنکه باشد گزین
پس آنگه بدژ بر زن آتش بکین
Mohl reference · w5:16-26 · digital transcription checked against the printed passage
27–32+
When Rostam read the answer from his sire,
His heart rejoiced and rose with fresh desire.
He chose the finest treasures he could find:
Signets, swords, helmets, girdles of each kind;
With pearls and royal jewels shining bright,
And patterned Chinese brocade rich to sight.
He chose and sent these treasures on before,
While loaded caravans moved from the store.
He set Mount Sepand burning with fierce fire;
Its smoke rose up to heaven, ever higher.
Then joyful-hearted Rostam turned his rein,
And like the driving wind crossed hill and plain.
چو نامه بنزدیک رستم رسید
فرو خواند وزو شادمانی گزید
ز هر چیز که آن بود شایسته تر
ز مهر و ز تیغ و کلاه و کمر
هم از لولو وگوهر شاهوار
هم از دیبة چین سراسر نگار
گزید وفرستاد زی پهلوان
همی شد براه اندرون کاروان
بکوه سپند اندر آتش فگند
که دودش برآمد بچرخ بلند
وز آنجای برگشت دل شادمان
همی شد بره بر چو باد دمان
Mohl reference · w5:27-32 · digital transcription checked against the printed passage
33–39+
When Nimruz’s Pahlevan heard Rostam near,
The world-illuming chief returned in cheer.
For welcome every quarter they made fair;
Rich ornaments adorned each street and square.
The karnay, cymbal, horn, and daray rang;
Through every street the loud reception sang.
Then Rostam reached the palace of his sire,
Dastan the son of Sahm, his heart afire.
He came to Rudabeh, bowed before her face,
And laid his head in dust with reverent grace.
His mother kissed his shoulders and his breast,
And poured her blessings on him without rest.
Then Zal embraced his son with deep delight,
And ordered largesse scattered left and right.
چو آگاه شد پهلو نیمروز
که آمد سپهدار گیتی فروز
پدیره شدن را بیآراستند
همه کوی وبرزن بپیراستند
برآمد خروشیدن کرنای
همان سنج با بوق و هندی درای
وزآنجا به ایوان دستان سام
بیآمد سپهدار جوینده کام
بنزدیک رودابه آمد پسر
بخدمت نهاد از بر خاک سر
ببوسید مادر دو یال وبرش
همی آفرین خواند بر پیکرش
سپهدار فرزندرا در کنار
گرفت وبفرمود کردن نثار
Mohl reference · w5:33-39 · digital transcription checked against the printed passage
Narrative and poetic form
The English’s strongest fidelity is the link between letter and consequence: the father’s praise carries an order, and the son obeys it. The maternal reception then gives the return a human scale without reversing the preceding destruction.
Couplet commentary
Quoted text · evidence · interpretation1–6Royal and celestial language in the son’s letter
1–6
Then Rostam wrote his father a full report
Of all that passed within the mountain fort:
“First praise to Him, Lord of the radiant Sun,
Of snake and ant, whose will makes all things run;
Who sets Nahid, Bahram, and Mehr to turn,
And raised the firmament where star-fires burn.
Then blessings fall on Zal, the battle-wise,
Zabul’s peerless Pahlevan in men’s eyes;
The warriors’ refuge, Iran’s firmest stay,
Who makes the Kayan star shine bright each day;
Who seats the Shah and takes the crown away,
Whose orders course like Sun and Moon, we say.
یکی نامه بنوشت نزد پدر
زکار وزکردار خود سر بسر
نخست آفرین خداوند هور
خداوند مار و خداوند مور
خداوند ناهید وبهرام ومهر
خداوند این برکشیده سپهر
وزو آفرین بر سپهدار زال
یل زابلی پهلو بی همال
پناه گوان پشت ایرانیان
فروزندة اختر کاویان
نشاننده شاه وستاننده گاه
روان گشته فرمانش چون هور وماه
Mohl reference · w5:1-6 · digital transcription checked against the printed passage
Textual evidence
The opening invokes sun, snake and ant, the named celestial powers and the raised sky, then praises Zal as Iran’s support and a maker and unmaker of kings.
Moscow p 269 ↗ Moscow p 270 ↗ Moscow p 271 ↗ Mohl p 187 ↗ Mohl p 188 ↗ Khaleghi p 279 ↗ Khaleghi p 280 ↗
Interpretation
The English retains a hierarchy spanning tiny creatures and the heavens. Nahid, Bahram and Mehr in this invocation are celestial names, not three human warriors. The exalted kingmaking language is filial praise of the champion’s political office, not an account of a new deposition he performs here.
7–15A compressed report changes emphasisReported victory and epic quantities
7–15
By your command I reached Mount Sepand’s crest,
A peak against the vault of heaven pressed.
I reached its foot; at once a greeting sped,
The mountain’s lord had sent the words I read.
By his command I ordered every part,
And all came out according to my art.
That dark night with renowned men I fought,
And in the fort no man one respite caught.
Some slain, some wounded, others fled away;
Their arms and battle gear fell in disarray.
Five hundred thousand kharvar there I found,
Raw silver, assayed gold in heaps around.
Of things to wear, to spread, to bear and take,
Were goods of every kind and every make.
No one could count them, labor as he may,
Through months of reckoning and day on day.
Now tell me what command you would decree;
May bright your heart, your footsteps blessed be.”
بفرمان رسیدم بکوه سپند
چه کوهی بسان سپهر بلند
بپایان آن کوه فرود آمدم
همانگه زمهتر درود آمدم
بفرمان مهتر بر آراستم
برآمد بر آنسان که من خواستم
شب تیره با نامداران جنگ
بدژ در یکی را ندادم درنگ
چه کشته چه خسته چه بگریخته
ز تن ساز کینه فرو ریخته
همانا که خروار پانصد هزار
بود نقرهٔ خام وزرّ عیار
زپوشیدنی وزگستردنی
زهر چیز که آن باشد آوردنی
همانا شمارش نداند کسی
ز ماه و ز روز ار شمارد بسی
کنون تا چه فرمان دهد پهلوان
که فرخنده پی باد وروشن روان
Mohl reference · w5:7-15 · digital transcription checked against the printed passage
Textual evidence
The letter retells entry and fighting, then gives five hundred thousand kharvar of silver and gold and an uncountable range of goods. Its description of slain, wounded and fled is less sweeping than the preceding narrator’s fatal search.
Moscow p 269 ↗ Moscow p 270 ↗ Moscow p 271 ↗ Mohl p 187 ↗ Mohl p 188 ↗ Khaleghi p 279 ↗ Khaleghi p 280 ↗
Interpretation
The English preserves a difference already internal to the fuller narrative: an interested report compresses what readers have just seen. A kharvar is a traditional load or weight unit; a modern tonnage conversion would make epic hyperbole falsely precise. “Words I read” in English 8 adds a written quality to the initial greeting, previously delivered through an envoy.
16–26Paternal praise commands destruction
16–26
The courier sped like wind across the land,
And placed the letter in the hero’s hand.
When Zal had read the letter through and through,
He blessed renowned Rostam, brave and true.
The joyful news so brightened heart and face,
It seemed his youth returned to take its place.
He then began a letter in reply,
And filled its lines with thought that soared the sky,
He opened first with praise of God Most High,
Then wrote: “Your heart-opening note met my eye.
I read under Fortune’s conquering sign;
For joy I scattered soul on every line.
Though still a child, you did a grown man’s deed,
A worthy son, the flower of noble seed.
You brightened Nariman’s spirit with your fire,
And burned his enemies beneath your ire.
A thousand thousand camels I dispatch,
To bear the loads no smaller train could match.
When you have read, mount swiftly for the way;
Without your face I sorrow every day.
Load choicest goods upon the camel train,
Then burn the fort to answer Nariman’s pain.”
فرستاده آمد چو باد دمان
رسانید نامه بر پهلوان
سپهبد چو نامه فرو خواند گفت
که با نامور آفرین باد جفت
ز مژده چنان شاد شد پهلوان
تو گفتی که خواهد شدن باز جوان
یکی پاسخ نامه افگند بن
بگفت اندرو در فراوان سخن
سر نامه کرد آفرین خدای
دگر گفت که این نامه دلگشای
بپیروز بختی فرو خواندم
زشادی برو جان برافشاندم
ز تو پور شایسته چون این نبرد
بدین کودکی کار کردی چو مرد
روان نریمان بر افروختی
همه دشمنان ورا سوختی
از اشتر همانا هزاران هزار
بنزدت فرستادم از بهر بار
چو نامه بخوانی سبک بر نشین
که بی رو تو هستم اندوه گین
شتر بار کن زآنکه باشد گزین
پس آنگه بدژ بر زن آتش بکین
Mohl reference · w5:16-26 · digital transcription checked against the printed passage
Textual evidence
Zal rejoices, praises a child’s adult deed, recalls Nariman and orders choice treasure loaded before the fort is burned. The reprint and the critical records retain an enormous caravan expression, thousands upon thousands.
Moscow p 269 ↗ Moscow p 270 ↗ Moscow p 271 ↗ Mohl p 187 ↗ Mohl p 188 ↗ Khaleghi p 279 ↗ Khaleghi p 280 ↗
Interpretation
The English makes the command’s logic unmistakable. Revenge belongs to the father’s stated purpose. “A thousand thousand” gives the numerical idiom a fixed million; its scale should be read as monumental abundance, not a reconstructed transport capacity.
27–32Treasure moves before the fort burns
27–32
When Rostam read the answer from his sire,
His heart rejoiced and rose with fresh desire.
He chose the finest treasures he could find:
Signets, swords, helmets, girdles of each kind;
With pearls and royal jewels shining bright,
And patterned Chinese brocade rich to sight.
He chose and sent these treasures on before,
While loaded caravans moved from the store.
He set Mount Sepand burning with fierce fire;
Its smoke rose up to heaven, ever higher.
Then joyful-hearted Rostam turned his rein,
And like the driving wind crossed hill and plain.
چو نامه بنزدیک رستم رسید
فرو خواند وزو شادمانی گزید
ز هر چیز که آن بود شایسته تر
ز مهر و ز تیغ و کلاه و کمر
هم از لولو وگوهر شاهوار
هم از دیبة چین سراسر نگار
گزید وفرستاد زی پهلوان
همی شد براه اندرون کاروان
بکوه سپند اندر آتش فگند
که دودش برآمد بچرخ بلند
وز آنجای برگشت دل شادمان
همی شد بره بر چو باد دمان
Mohl reference · w5:27-32 · digital transcription checked against the printed passage
Textual evidence
Rostam selects jewels, insignia, weapons and Chinese textiles, sends them ahead, burns Sepand and rides home.
Moscow p 269 ↗ Moscow p 270 ↗ Moscow p 271 ↗ Mohl p 187 ↗ Mohl p 188 ↗ Khaleghi p 279 ↗ Khaleghi p 280 ↗
Interpretation
The English keeps appropriation and destruction in their order. Its triumphant tempo is appropriate to the received tale’s voice, while the commentary can still distinguish narratorial celebration from an ethical endorsement of every act.
33–39The returning son first bows to his mother
33–39
When Nimruz’s Pahlevan heard Rostam near,
The world-illuming chief returned in cheer.
For welcome every quarter they made fair;
Rich ornaments adorned each street and square.
The karnay, cymbal, horn, and daray rang;
Through every street the loud reception sang.
Then Rostam reached the palace of his sire,
Dastan the son of Sahm, his heart afire.
He came to Rudabeh, bowed before her face,
And laid his head in dust with reverent grace.
His mother kissed his shoulders and his breast,
And poured her blessings on him without rest.
Then Zal embraced his son with deep delight,
And ordered largesse scattered left and right.
چو آگاه شد پهلو نیمروز
که آمد سپهدار گیتی فروز
پدیره شدن را بیآراستند
همه کوی وبرزن بپیراستند
برآمد خروشیدن کرنای
همان سنج با بوق و هندی درای
وزآنجا به ایوان دستان سام
بیآمد سپهدار جوینده کام
بنزدیک رودابه آمد پسر
بخدمت نهاد از بر خاک سر
ببوسید مادر دو یال وبرش
همی آفرین خواند بر پیکرش
سپهدار فرزندرا در کنار
گرفت وبفرمود کردن نثار
Mohl reference · w5:33-39 · digital transcription checked against the printed passage
Textual evidence
The welcome is prepared; Rostam comes to Rudabeh, bows and is kissed on shoulders and breast before the father’s embrace and largesse.
Moscow p 269 ↗ Moscow p 270 ↗ Moscow p 271 ↗ Mohl p 187 ↗ Mohl p 188 ↗ Khaleghi p 279 ↗ Khaleghi p 280 ↗
Interpretation
The English preserves a substantial maternal action after the martial adventure. The mother who survived the birth is present to receive the adult-seeming child. The reconciliation of family affection with destructive achievement is part of the episode’s inherited heroic structure, not a contradiction to be erased by removing either side.