New NaqqaliShah of Iran · founder of the House of Sasan
Ardeshir Babakanاردشیر بابکان
ar-da-SHEER bah-ba-KAHNalso Ardeshiralso Babakan Ardeshir
Grandson of Babak, of Sasan's line, who overthrows Ardavan and founds the Sasanian house.
- His story
- From D6.3, Babak Dreams of Sasan, Descendant of Dara, to D7.10, Ardeshir’s Last Message to Shapur
- Named
- 111 times, in 26 sections
- Parents
- Sasan (the fourth), Babak’s daughter
- Spouses
- Ardavan’s daughter
- Children
- Shapur (son of Ardeshir)
- Plates
- Vol III: I, Vol III: II, Vol III: III
- Pictures
- 22 panels · identity sheets
How we draw Ardeshir Babakan
The identity sheets the illustrator works from, one for each stage of life. Tap to open full size. More in the Art section.
In the pictures
Ardeshir Babakan in 22 woodcut panels of the illustrated poem, in story order. Tap one to see it with the couplets it illustrates.
D6.4Ardeshir's Arrow and the Prince's Claim
D6.4Ardeshir Banished to the Stables
D6.5Golnar Descends the Knotted Kamand
D6.5Golnar Brings the Treasure for Flight
D6.6Two Youths Warn at the Pool
D6.6The Crimson Ram of Fortune
D6.7The Old Boatman Recognizes Ardeshir
D6.8Bahman Flees the Black Cloud
D6.9Ardavan Brought Captive to Ardeshir
D6.10The Defeated Shah Sleeps by the Shepherds
D6.11Night Attack on the Kurdish Camp
D6.14The Arrow in the Roast LambAll 22 pictures
D6.15Ardeshir Comes as a Merchant
D6.15Molten Metal for the Worm
D6.16Haftvad and Shahvi on the Gibbets
D7.1Ardeshir Takes the Ivory Throne
D7.2The Poisoned Cup and the Hens
D7.2The Minister's Sealed Casket
D7.3Shapur Seizes the Ball Before the Shah
D7.3Gold and Jewels Poured on the Heir
D7.6Hormizd Names His Line
D7.10Ardeshir's Last Charge to ShapurHis story, in the poem’s own sections
9 sections, with the summary from the Notes. Open any one to read it in full here; tap a couplet number to cite it or suggest a better one.
D6.3
Babak Dreams of Sasan, Descendant of Dara
👑⚔️💀👶🧬🏃🧭🐑👨👴😴🐘🗡️🔥🔥🔥🧠🔮👑👴📨👨🧬🤞🎁🏰💍27 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
A descendant of Dara, the fourth Sasan, herds Babak’s flocks. Babak dreams of him riding an elephant, then of three fires blazing before him; the interpreters promise kingship to him or his son. Babak learns his lineage, raises him up, and gives him his daughter.
52 couplets · Ardeshir Babakan named 1 time · in the full poem
When great Iskandar knew his end was near,He laid before the chiefs his counsel clear:
That none should turn their thoughts to Rum’s domain,And Rum should thrive, secure from grief and pain.
When wisdom guides the monarch of the land,Such wholesome fruit grows from his wise command.
When Dara fell in battle, fortune fled;His house was left with darkened days ahead.
His son was blessed with joy and noble name,Wise, brave Sasan, of royal stock and fame.
He saw his father lying with the slain,And saw ill fortune over Iran reign.
He fled before the Roman troops in dread,Escaped the snares of ruin, onward sped.
In Hindustan his mournful days were done;He left behind a little boy, his son.
Each father gave his son the selfsame name;Down to the fourth, Sasan remained the same.
They drove the camels, shepherded the sheep,And labored through the years in hardship deep.
The young man left in search of work and gain,In hope that wealth would ease his toil and strain.
He saw the master-shepherd on the plain,At Babak’s flocks, and spoke of need and pain:
“Have you some work for one who seeks his bread,Whose life in bitter need and want is led?”
The master-shepherd took him on, and bentHis back to labor till his strength was spent.
His work won favor; now his charge would beThe flocks, with all their shepherds to oversee.
One night Babak, the son of Rudyab, dreamedA vision clear within his soul, which gleamed:
He saw Sasan, an Indian sword in hand,Ride a fierce elephant, majestic, grand.
All those who came before him blessed his name,And bowed to him in homage as they came.
He made the earth more fair in every part,And cleared the grief and darkness from each heart.
Next night, as sleep lay heavy on his head,His mind was stirred by thoughts that came and fled.
A worshipper of fire appeared in sight,With three fires in his hands, each one alight.
Azargashasp, Kharrad, and Mehr shone bright,Like turning heaven in their blazing light.
Before Sasan the fires in splendor glowed;In each burned aloes, and their radiance flowed.
Babak awoke, his soul disturbed and grave,And anxious thoughts rose up like wave on wave.
He summoned those whose skill in dreams was sound,In every branch of learning, wise, profound.
Nobles and counselors came to his hall;The wise men gathered there at Babak’s call.
Then Babak spoke of what his mind concealed,And told them all the dreams, each part revealed.
The interpreter listened, weighing what was said,And turned the visions over in his head.
At last he said, “Exalted king, attend:This vision must be scanned from end to end.
The man thus seen in sleep will raise his crownAbove the sun in glory and renown.
Or if the dream refers not to that one,The world itself will pass to his own son.”
Babak rejoiced at what the sages said,And fitting gifts before each one were spread.
He sent for Sasan, head shepherd of the fold,On a day of driving snow and bitter cold.
He came, his woolen wrap all snowy white;His heart was split in two by bitter fright.
Babak cleared the room; the guide withdrew,And all the servants left the chamber too.
He welcomed young Sasan and drew him near,And seated him beside him with good cheer.
He asked the shepherd’s lineage and race;The frightened man sat silent in his place.
“O prince,” he said, “first pledge that I shall live,And shield me from the harm these words may give.
Then I will tell my lineage, strand by strand;First swear your oath, and take me by the hand:
That neither open harm nor hidden illShall ever reach me through your act or will.”
Babak invoked the Giver of all good,And swore his oath, as Sasan asked he should:
“No harm from me shall ever come to you;In joy and honor I shall keep you too.”
Then said the youth, “O noble Pahlevan,Know that I am the son of Sasan.
I spring from King Ardeshir, known to fameIn ancient chronicles by Bahman’s name.
His father was Esfandiyar the bold,Whose father Goshtasb wore the crown of gold.”
Babak, on hearing this, let fall a streamOf tears from those same eyes that saw the dream.
“Go bathe,” said Babak, “wait there till they bearThe new robes I am sending you to wear.”
He brought out royal robes to clothe Sasan,And gave a horse equipped for a Pahlevan.
He raised him from the shepherd’s humble place,And built him a grand palace, rich in grace.
Sasan was settled there, and at his callStood slaves and servants, ready in the hall.
He gave him gear and wealth in ample store,So want and need could trouble him no more.
He gave Sasan his cherished daughter’s hand,And his own crown, the emblem of command.
D6.4
Ardeshir Babakan and His Rival
👩👶👦📚🏇👑👂📜📨👴🎁🐎🧭🏰🤝🏹🐾🎯🏆👑❓👦🗣️⚠️😠🐴⛓️👦😢✍️📜👴📨🧠🍷🎶36 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Babak’s grandson Ardeshir is summoned to Ardavan’s court at Rey and treated like a son. On a hunt he shoots a Gur-e-Khar and contradicts the prince who claims the shot. Ardavan banishes him to the stables, where he lives quietly on his grandfather’s gold.
78 couplets · Ardeshir Babakan named 17 times · in the full poem
Nine months had passed; the moon-faced mother’s boyShone like the sun, a radiant birth of joy.
He seemed the image of great Ardeshir,A source of growing joy and constant cheer.
His father looked with wonder on the child,And named him Ardeshir, and gladly smiled.
He reared him fondly, cradled at his breast,And years went by; the boy grew, richly blessed.
Discerning men, whose minds were sharp and clear,Now called the youth “Babakan Ardeshir.”
They taught him every art of hand and mind;These arts enriched the gifts his birth assigned.
In learning, face, and stature, rising high,He seemed a light that set ablaze the sky.
News of his learning reached the royal ear;King Ardavan heard praise of Ardeshir:
“He is a savage lion in the fight,And, feasting, like Nahid in grace and light.”
He wrote to Babak, Pahlevan of fame,And thus addressed the chief of honored name:
“O learned man of pure, discerning mind,A knowing guide, in speech and thought refined,
I hear Ardeshir, your son, is skilled in speech,A horseman quick to learn what others teach.
When you have read this letter, send him here;At once, and gladly, let the youth draw near.
I shall supply his needs and raise his nameAmong the chiefs to dignity and fame.
Among my sons he shall receive his place;I shall embrace him as of royal race.”
When Babak read, red tears ran down his face;Blood from his lashes marked their downward trace.
He summoned both the scribe and Ardeshir,The newly risen youth he held so dear.
He said, “Now read what Ardavan has penned,And weigh each word; let all your wits attend.
I now will send the king a fair reply,Through one I trust beneath the turning sky:
‘Behold, I send a gallant youth to you,My heart and eyes, approved and loyal too.
I have advised him well. When he appears,Receive him royally among your peers.
Let no misfortune touch him in that place;Not even wind should blow upon his face.’”
Then swift as wind he opened treasure’s doors,And gave the youth rich gifts from royal stores:
Gold harness, gorz, and sword he freely gave;He held back nothing that the youth might crave.
Brocade and coins, with slaves, steeds, cloth of gold,And Chinese wares; a royal wealth to hold.
He laid before the youth each precious thing;The youth became a servant of the king.
Babak sent more gifts along with Ardeshir:Gold dinars, musk, and fragrant, sweet abir.
The youth left his grandfather on his way,And rode to Ardavan’s great court at Rey.
They told the king the youth was drawing nearAnd asking leave before him to appear.
He called him in with kindness and good cheer;Of Babak he spoke much for him to hear.
He sat him near the throne, a seat of grace,And in the town arranged his dwelling place.
He sent him food and clothing, every kind,With rugs and spreads for comfort there assigned.
With nobles, Ardeshir then took his wayTo where the king had ordered him to stay.
When sunlight sat upon its throne one day,Earth, white as a Roman face, shone in its ray,
Ardeshir called the envoy to his side,And had the gifts arranged in royal pride.
He sent the gifts to royal Ardavan;The envoy bore them with a Pahlevan.
The king approved the gifts; they brought delight,And raised the youth in favor in his sight.
He held the youth as fondly as a son,And let no care distress him, no, not one.
At wine, at table, or upon the chase,He took the youth along to share his place.
He held him as his kin, in warm affection;His son and Ardeshir shared like protection.
One day, the troops and prince rode out for sport,Then scattered widely, far beyond the court.
Now Ardavan had four sons of his own,In each the signs of royal blood were shown.
Ardeshir stayed beside great Ardavan,Who prized him as a noble of Iran.
A Gur-e-Khar appeared upon the plain;A clamor rose from all the hunting train.
They urged their steeds; the dust rose thick and high,And mingled with the sweat as they sped by.
Ardeshir rode ahead and neared the game,And set an arrow, taking careful aim.
He struck the male Gur-e-Khar’s rump; straight throughIts body went the point and feathers too.
Then Ardavan arrived upon the plain,And saw the fallen Gur-e-Khar lie slain.
He asked, “Whose arrow felled this quarry grand?May life remain united with that hand!”
Then Ardeshir addressed the king to say:“It was my arrow, Shah, that felled this prey.”
One prince replied, “I brought it to its fate,And now I am in search of its own mate.”
Ardeshir answered, “See, the plain is wide;With game and arrows here, let skill decide.
Then strike another with the selfsame art;A lie brings shame upon a noble heart.”
Then Ardavan grew angry with the youth,And roared at him for speaking open truth:
“The fault is mine; I never stand aloof,But nurture those who come beneath my roof.
Why should I keep you always at my side,At feast and hunt, and treat you as my pride,
So you may outshine my own son in skill,And flaunt your strength before him at your will?
Go now and tend my Arab steeds each day;Beside the royal stables you shall stay.
Be master of the stables; ply the tradeOf every groom, and lend the others aid.”
In tears, Ardeshir went to tend the steeds,His heart consumed by grief at Ardavan’s deeds.
“See how I suffer from him, how I smart!May anguish seize his body and his heart.”
He wrote his grandfather, with heart distressed,While schemes and stratagems his mind possessed.
He told the tale of all that had occurred,And why the king to such great wrath was stirred.
When Babak read the letter, he concealedIts news; to no one were its words revealed.
His heart grew dark, weighed down by sorrow’s gloom;He brought out dinars from the treasure room.
Ten thousand dinars for the youth he sent;A rider on a camel with them went.
He called the scribe and bade him ink his reed,And write to Ardeshir with thought and heed:
“O thoughtless youth, still young, recall the dayYou rode with Ardavan to hunt your prey:
Why ride before his son? Your place is clear:A servant of his house, no kinsman here.
He did you no injustice out of spite;Your witless act itself brought on this slight.
Now strive to make him pleased and satisfied;Do all his will and set your pride aside.
I send you gold, and in this letter tooHave set down all the counsel meant for you.
When you have used this sum, ask more to last,And let the passing days go drifting past.”
The old, experienced rider hastened near;His swift camel brought him to Ardeshir.
He read the letter; sorrow gripped his heart,Which turned toward guile and schemes of cunning art.
He chose a lowly lodging by his steeds,Far less than royal birth or honor needs.
With carpets, food, and garments it was dressed,And spreads of every kind were laid for rest.
He passed his days in feasting, wine and song,With strings and minstrels through the whole night long.
D6.5
Golnar Falls in Love with Ardeshir
👸🔑💎👑🏰👀👨❤️🌃🪢⬇️🤗👴💀😢👑🔮⭐👸👂👨📨❤️🤝🏇💎🕵️🌃🍷😴🐎🏃❤️33 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Ardavan’s favorite slave Golnar sees Ardeshir from the palace roof and climbs down to him by kamand. Babak dies. Golnar overhears the astrologers predict that a man now held low will flee and become king, and she agrees to escape with Ardeshir, taking jewels from the treasury.
76 couplets · Ardeshir Babakan named 9 times · in the full poem
Now Ardavan possessed a palace tall,Where dwelt his cherished slave within its wall.
Her name was Golnar, favorite by far,Moon-faced, jewel-bright, sweet-scented as a star.
She kept the keys to every treasure chest,And served as counselor at his behest.
He smiled with joy whenever she was near;More than his life, he held that maiden dear.
One day she climbed the palace roof above,And there saw Ardeshir, and fell in love.
His smiling lips, his youth, and beauty’s artAwoke both joy and love within her heart.
She waited till the deepening fall of night,Then bound a kamand to the rampart’s height.
She knotted it and tested it by hand,To learn what weight its knots could withstand.
She boldly climbed down by the knotted strand,Invoking God, whose favors ever stand.
In gems and musk and fragrant spice arrayed,She came with graceful steps to where he stayed.
From his brocade pillow she raised his head,And clasped him as he woke upon the bed.
He saw her face, her hair, her jeweled light,Her fragrance and adornment in the night.
He said, “How did you come before my eyesTo grace my troubled heart with such surprise?”
She answered, “I am yours in heart and soul;Your love has filled my heart and claimed it whole.
I shall come to you when you want me near,And make your darkest day shine bright and clear.”
Those words made Ardeshir’s young heart rejoice;He found delight in her, in face and voice.
Thus time passed on, until misfortune fellOn him who guided Ardeshir so well.
Wise Babak, seasoned in the ways of men,Died, leaving this old house to others then.
When news reached Ardavan, his grief was deep;His darkened soul had only grief to keep.
The chiefs each sought to govern Pars instead;He chose his eldest son to be their head.
He bade them bring the brazen kousts outside,And march the army to the plain stretched wide.
Ardeshir grieved for Babak, old and wise,And all the world grew dark before his eyes.
He loathed his service to the king; the newsHad turned his mind to what new course to choose.
On every side he sought escape, forlorn;He longed for flight, by grief and anger torn.
Then Ardavan called in his learned seers,Wise men who traced the planets through their spheres.
He brought a few to court to learn his fate,And seek the course his stars would indicate.
He wished to learn what future days might bring,And whom good fortune next would make a king.
He sent them to Golnar, to watch the skies,And read what fate the turning stars devise.
For three full days they toiled to calculate,And weighed the sky by measure and by date.
The treasurer heard their secrets, word by word,And marked with care the hidden things she heard.
When the third day and three night watches ceased,The girl was from those learned men released.
She sighed with longing in the deep of night,And held each secret in her memory tight.
Upon the fourth day, all the sages wentTo tell King Ardavan what heaven meant.
With tables of the stars held at their breast,They left her rooms; the king they then addressed.
They told the secrets written in the sky,Their force and scope, and how they would apply.
They said, “The lofty heavens show this thing:Soon sorrow will disturb the heart of the king.
One now held low among your court will flee,A warrior-chief of noble pedigree.
Thereafter he will rise to royal might,And bless the world beneath his fortune’s light.”
The king grew troubled at the words they said;Their forecast filled his heart with grief and dread.
When night was black as pitch, Golnar drew near,And came into the presence of Ardeshir.
He stormed like seas: “You cannot stay awayFrom Ardavan for even one whole day?”
She told him what the stargazers had said,And how the signs of kingship lay ahead.
Ardeshir grew calm and silent at the word,And chose to bear in patience what he heard.
Her words made sharp his heart’s resolve to flee;He sought the road by which he might go free.
He thought of flight and asked, “If I leave Rey,And seek Iran, where brave men lead the way,
Will you come with me on that dangerous road,Or stay and serve the king in this abode?
If you will come, great wealth shall be your own;And you shall be the crown upon the throne.”
She pledged to stay with him until she died:“I am your slave; I shall not leave your side.”
Cold sighs escaped her lips as thus she spoke;From both her eyes the yellow teardrops broke.
Ardeshir said, “Tomorrow we depart.”Necessity had gripped the young man’s heart.
She went back to her rooms, her life in hand,Prepared to risk herself for what she planned.
As soon as dawn had gilded earth with light,And driven back the darkness of the night,
She opened up the treasure’s golden cache,And searched through gems whose priceless colors flash.
Of rubies, royal gems, and dinars bright,She took the wealth they needed for their flight.
She reached her rooms with all the gems she bore,And laid them there, a secret, precious store.
Her heart was pained and troubled by the deed;She weighed what plans might serve her in her need.
How could she flee the king and safely go?With that young man, what future would she know?
She waited till night rose from mountain height,The king asleep, his people gone from sight.
She left the palace like an arrow’s flight,And brought the gems to Ardeshir that night.
He held a cup; his grooms were all asleep,And wine had sunk them into slumber deep.
For Ardeshir had plied them all with wine,Since he must flee in secret by design.
He chose two noble steeds, the finest bred,Now saddled at the manger where they fed.
He saw Golnar, and saw the jewels she bore;The ruddy dinars gleamed among her store.
He said, “We must be gone; we cannot stay;No longer here; now we must ride away.
May we escape this dragon’s claws and go,And save our youthful lives from all this woe.”
He put the cup aside, his purpose steady;He bridled both the Arab steeds, made ready,
Put on his khaftan, mounted, helmed, alert,And with a poison-watered blade was girt.
She mounted on the other steed to ride;Together they departed, side by side.
Together in the night to Pars they sped,Their hearts rejoicing as in stealth they fled.
Ardavan found no pleasure or delightUnless fair Golnar stood within his sight.
Upon his brocade couch he chose to stayTill Golnar’s face brought fortune to his day.
The hour had come for courtiers to convene;Brocade adorned the throne; she was not seen.
His anger rose, and grief disturbed his breast;By Golnar’s absence, he grew more distressed.
Before the gate the troops stood, one and all,While crown and throne stood ready in the hall.
Then from the court the chamberlain drew near,And spoke these words into the monarch’s ear:
“The foremost nobles of the realm await;They stand assembled at the palace gate.”
D6.9
Ardavan Fights Ardeshir and Falls
👑🔮😰📣🪖⚔️🩸🌩️😨👑⛓️👑🗡️💀👦⛓️👦🏃🧭🏙️💍🏗️💧🌱🛕25 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Ardavan brings up his armies; after forty days of fighting a black storm breaks his men’s nerve, and he is captured and cut in two at Ardeshir’s order. Two sons are imprisoned, two flee to Hindustan. Ardeshir marries Ardavan’s daughter and founds Khorra-e-Ardeshir.
55 couplets · Ardeshir Babakan named 8 times · in the full poem
When news reached Ardavan, dread seized his heart,And gloom obscured his judgment’s better part.
He said, “A counselor once read the skyAnd told me what its hidden signs imply.
Yet can a man, by caution or by care,Escape the snares that fortune may prepare?
I never thought Ardeshir’s heart would dareTo win renown and cities everywhere.”
He opened treasuries, assigned the grain,Made ready baggage for the long campaign.
From Gilan and from Dilam came the train;Its dust rose to the moon above the plain.
Ardeshir led out legions, vast and strong,The wind seemed trapped and helpless in their throng.
Two bowshots only lay between each side;No snake could rest beneath the earth and hide.
The tabiras and long horns blared; gongs rang,And Indian bells replied with clash and clang.
The banners waved, the blades of blue steel shone,The armies roared as heads to earth were thrown.
For forty days the battle raged away,Till common folk had nowhere safe to stay.
All food grew scarce; the routes for stores were strained,And little passage for supplies remained.
The plain grew mountain-like with heaps of slain,The wounded tired of life beneath their pain.
At last a mighty sable cloud arose,And brought a halt to battle’s crushing blows.
A frightful storm swept down upon the field;The warriors’ hearts with fear and anguish reeled.
The mountains echoed, and the plain was torn,While thunder through the shaken air was borne.
Then Ardavan’s men, shaken through with dread,Agreed as one upon the words they said:
“This judgment comes from God upon our king;For our poor ranks, what grief and tears will spring!”
When battle reached its fiercest, every sageBegged quarter in the midst of all that rage.
Then from the center charged brave Ardeshir,While clashing steel and arrow-showers drew near.
Amid the fighting Ardavan was caught;His crown would cost the life for which he fought.
A man named Kharrad seized him by the reinsAnd brought him to the prince, a king in chains.
He led the captive king to Ardeshir;The Shah looked out and saw him drawing near.
King Ardavan dismounted from his steed,His body pierced, his wounds still made him bleed.
His soul was dark. Ardeshir gave command:“Executioner, take this foe in hand.
With your khanjar, cut him in two,” he said,“Across the waist, and fill our foes with dread.”
The headsman did as Ardeshir had willed;And by his hand that famous king was killed.
Such is the ancient sky’s relentless way:Both Ardavan and Ardeshir must pay.
Whom heaven raises to the stars on high,It gives at last to dust beneath the sky.
Two sons of Ardavan were captive made;On Arash’s proud line the shame was laid.
Their feet in fetters, by the Shah’s decree,They went to prison, stripped of liberty.
Two elder sons escaped the bitter fight,And slipped beyond the victor’s net in flight.
They fled in tears to Hindustan; their plightDeserves a tale for others to recite.
The field was strewn with horse gear, belt, and blade,With gold and silver, weapons all displayed.
By royal order all those spoils were stored,Then granted to the troops by their new lord.
Then Tabak stepped out from the noble bandAnd cleansed the king of blood with grieving hand.
He washed him, weeping, of the battle stain,And built a royal dakhmeh for the slain.
He dressed the wounded breast in rich brocade,And on his head a camphor crown was laid.
Of all the troops that later went to Rey,None trod his palace grounds along the way.
Tabak then came before Shah Ardeshir,And said, “O king, incline your heart and hear:
Ask Ardavan’s own daughter for your bride;Farr, beauty, crown, and throne are on her side.
His diadem and treasure you will gain,The wealth he gathered through long toil and pain.”
The Shah accepted what the elder said,And asked for Ardavan’s own child to wed.
A month or two he stayed within that hall,A wealthy chief whose troops were wealthy all.
From Rey the monarch, weary of the war,Returned to Pars, and rested from its roar.
He built a city, gardens, courts, and halls,With springs and fields and valleys in its walls.
The old dehqan still calls it, speaking clear,By its own name of Khorra-e-Ardeshir.
Within, a spring ran ceaseless from its source,And fed the channels in their winding course.
He raised beside the spring a house of fire,Where Sadeh and Mehrgan relit its pyre.
Around it gardens, courts, and halls were laid,A spacious place magnificently made.
When that wise Shah of farr and strength was gone,The border-chief called it Gur from then on.
He founded villages around that land,And settled people there by his command.
He saw a deep lake, but the mountain layBetween its waters and their destined way.
They brought skilled workers, picks, and tools, and boredA hundred channels where the waters poured.
He led the channels down to Gur below,Where homes and herds increased with water’s flow.
D6.12
The Story of Haftvad and the Worm
🏙️👧🧵🏞️🍎🐛🤲🧶✨📈👩👴👂🐛🍎🐛⬆️💰👨👦👦👥⚔️🏰⛰️🐛🐘👑🪖27 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
At Kojaran a spinning girl finds a worm in an apple and her day’s output doubles. Her father Haftvad grows rich on its luck, seizes the city, and builds a mountain fortress. The worm swells to the bulk of an elephant, and no army that faces it can win.
71 couplets · in the full poem
Now hear the strange, eventful tale I tell,The dehqan’s tale of marvels that befell.
Of Kojaran beside the Persian shore,And Pars’s breadth and height, he tells us more.
The city, cramped and crowded, held a throng;Each earned his food by labor all day long.
Young maidens labored daily for their bread,Compelled by need to keep their bodies fed.
Beside the city rose a mountain height;Together all the girls would reach that site.
Each bore a poplar case, her distaff stowed,And cotton weighed to be her daily load.
They gathered daily by the city gate,And walked toward the mountain with their freight.
They pooled their food, and when the meal was laid,An equal portion went to every maid.
Their talk was not of rest or midday bread,But who could spin the greatest length of thread.
At night they journeyed home, their labor done,The cotton into patterned yarn now spun.
Haftvad lived there, a man of little gold,Yet cheerful in his nature, we are told.
And why was he called Haftvad? You shall hear:His seven sons had made the meaning clear.
He had one daughter, cherished from her birth;Yet he esteemed all daughters of no worth.
One day the girls together took their place,And sat with spindles at the mountain’s base.
They pooled the food they brought to eat that day,And at their meal set all their tools away.
Beside the path the lucky maiden foundAn apple blown down from a tree to ground.
She saw it, picked it up, and held it near;Now hear the wondrous tale I tell you here.
She bit the fruit, and in its flesh she spiedA worm that lay within the apple’s side.
She lifted it with fingers from its place,And set it gently in her distaff case.
She took the cotton, saying as she spun,“In God’s name, peerless, partnerless, and One!
Today, through this small worm, you all shall seeWhat wondrous spinning fortune brings to me.”
The girls grew merry, laughing in delight,And flashed their silver teeth, all clear and bright.
That day she doubled all she had to spin,And on the ground marked what she gathered in.
She hurried home like smoke and showed the skein;Her mother praised her labor and her gain.
Her mother blessed her lovingly: “Well done!Fair-faced, what starry favor you have won!”
Next dawn she counted yarn that she had twined;She took a double share with eager mind.
With heart and body bent on spinning more,She joined her friends where she had spun before.
She told the other girls with laughing cheer,“O moon-faced friends, whom lucky stars hold dear:
By this worm’s fortune I shall spin so wellThat poverty with me shall never dwell.”
She spun the doubled share, and could have spunStill more, so readily the work was done.
She bore the yarn back home; her mother’s eyesBeheld it, and her heart was Paradise.
Each dawn she brought an apple for its meal,And fed the worm with patient, tender zeal.
However large the cotton share might grow,The artful girl could spin it all just so.
One day her parents questioned her to seeThe secret of her great ability.
“Have you, pure maiden, made a fairy kin,Your sister, that so much your hands can spin?”
The maiden told her mother all the tale:The apple, worm, and luck that did not fail.
She showed the lucky worm to both, and brightTheir hearts became, rejoicing at the sight.
Haftvad received it as an omen, glad,And put aside all other work he had.
He spoke of nothing but that worm’s good fate;His aged fortune grew both young and great.
Time passed; his prospects widened day by day,And brighter grew his fortunes on the way.
They would not slight the worm or stint its feed;They tended it and nourished it with heed.
It grew in strength and size, and colors spreadIn beauty on its back and on its head.
It soon outgrew the case in which it lay;Its skin grew black as musk from day to day.
Across that blackness saffron markings ran,And covered all its back in one broad span.
Haftvad prepared a sable chest with skill,And lodged the growing creature safe and still.
He rose in honor, consequence, and gold,And all his seven sons had wealth to hold.
Within that city people soon beganTo seek Haftvad as judge and leading man.
The city’s governor, of martial fame,Had troops and wealth and rank to match his name.
He sought a pretext, plotting every day,To take the low-born man’s dinars away.
Yet many nobles took Haftvad’s side,And joined his seven warlike sons in pride.
From Kojaran the karnay’s summons rang;With spears and swords and arrows forth they sprang.
Haftvad himself advanced before the train,And showed his valor in the battle’s strain.
He took the city, struck its ruler down,And seized his gems and treasure in the town.
The people gathered round him in their might;From Kojaran he moved toward the height.
He built a fortress on the mountain crest;The townsfolk joined him there and made their nest.
He fitted iron gates to guard the place,A home in peace, in war a sheltered base.
Upon the mountain-top a spring ran clear,Its waters entering the fortress here.
Around it he built walls of towering height,Whose summits rose beyond the gazer’s sight.
When once again the worm outgrew its chest,They built a masonry tank at his behest.
When stone and mortar warmed within the air,They placed the worm inside with gentle care.
Each dawn the keeper hurried on his way,From Haftvad’s presence at the break of day.
He made a great rice ration for its feed;The worm consumed it all to meet its need.
Five years passed by; its neck and body spread,An elephant in bulk from tail to head.
His daughter kept the creature at her side;Her father led its troops with martial pride.
In Chinese silk they clothed the worm with heed,While rice and milk and honey met its need.
The foolish man rejoiced in it the more;Haftvad, its chieftain, waited at its door.
From Chin’s far sea to Kerman spread his band;His armies stretched across the whole broad land.
His seven sons, ten thousand swordsmen strong,Had treasure, arms, and war gear borne along.
Whatever king against him came to fight,And brought his army near the worm’s dread might,
That army would be broken in its turn;The tale spread far for all the world to learn.
So famed and mighty grew Haftvad’s high hold,No wind could stir around its ramparts bold.
D6.16
Ardeshir Slays Haftvad
🐛💀👴😡🏰⚔️👑🛡️🪖🏇⚔️⛓️👴👦🪢💀💰🎁👦👦👑🏘️🛕🔥🧭25 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Haftvad storms the fortress and fails. Ardeshir calls Shahrgeer up, and Haftvad and Shahvi are taken, hung on gibbets by the sea and shot dead. Ardeshir gives away the spoil, founds a fire-temple, rewards his two hosts with provinces, and takes the throne at Tisfoon.
27 couplets · Ardeshir Babakan named 3 times · in the full poem
When Haftvad knew the Worm had met its end,His heart was torn by grief no hope could mend.
He came to take the fortress, pressing hard;The Shah rushed to the walls to stand on guard.
Haftvad strove hard, but failed to gain the height;A lion’s foot still held the rampart tight.
Iran’s troops came like mountains in their might,Then halted, hearts still burdened by their plight.
Then Shah Ardeshir called across the wall,“Advance to battle, Shahrgeer! Hear my call.
If Haftvad slips away, what will you gain?But wasted toil, and wind your hands retain?
I fed the Worm hot metal; it is dead;Its luck is gone, its vaunted glory fled.”
The army heard the Shah’s resounding call,And iron helmets armed the heads of all.
Still stung by former shame, they rose to fight,And armed their hearts with vengeance and with might.
The wind now turned against proud Haftvad’s side;Soon he was seized, his boast and power denied.
His eldest son, Shahvi, was also bound;The battle-chief was captured on the ground.
Ardeshir left the rampart and came down;Shahrgeer came on foot before the crown.
They brought a steed with golden trappings bright,And Shah Ardeshir mounted in their sight.
He ordered two tall gibbets on the strand,To rise beside the sea at his command.
He hung both living foes upon that height,And woke his enemies to fear their plight.
From out the army’s center Shahrgeer sped,And rained his arrows till the two were dead.
He gave the wealth as spoil to every man,And gladdened hearts grown dark since war began.
From end to end they emptied out the keep,And brought its riches down in heap on heap.
Whatever pleased the Shah among the hoardWas sent to Khorra-e-Ardeshir and stored.
He built a fire-temple, raised its flame,And brought Mehrgan and Sadeh back to fame.
His two young hosts received both crown and throne,With lands to govern, granted as their own.
He left in triumph, and his just commandSpread through the realm of Pars across the land.
When man and beast had rested from their strain,He led his troops toward Zur with all his train.
To Kerman he sent troops, and gave the leadTo one wise chief well fitted to the need.
He journeyed on to Tisfoon, where the throneOf his defeated foe became his own.
Such is the manner of the turning wheel,Whose mystery no mortal can reveal.
Bend to the world, for it will never bend;For low and high alternate without end.
D7.1
Ardeshir Babakan Assumes the Throne
👑🪑🛡️🗣️⚖️🤝👥🕊️🚫💰👂🙏🪖📣⚔️15 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Ardeshir takes the ivory throne and is hailed as King of kings. He declares that justice is his only treasure, that no subject shall sleep with a need denied, and that his court is open to friend and foe, then sends armies against the chiefs who resist.
14 couplets · Ardeshir Babakan named 1 time · in the full poem
At Baghdad, Ardeshir took the ivory throne;Upon his head the crown of victory shone.
With girdle bound, the kings’ great gorz in hand,He took his splendid seat to give command.
They called him King of kings; in every gaze,He seemed Goshtasb restored from former days.
When he had donned the crown in royal state,He spoke these words before the proud and great:
“Justice is all my treasure here on earth;My toil and fortune give the world rebirth.
This treasure none can seize by fraud or force;Wrongdoing drives men down its bitter course.
If holy God is pleased with me, His handWill not withhold from me this darkened land.
The whole wide world shall rest beneath my shield;My rule shall never to injustice yield.
Let no one go to sleep with needs deniedBy any officer who serves my side.
No chief or mounted warrior to me swornShall leave a heart to nurse its need forlorn.
My court stands open wide to friend and foe,To those who wish me well or wish me woe.”
The whole assembly blessed him, crying then,“May justice make earth prosperous for men!”
He sent out troops wherever foes held land,And gave the marching armies this command:
“Make hostile chiefs submit; if they resist,Let throne and sword persuade them to desist.”
D7.7
Ardeshir’s Wise Administration of the Realm
👑⚖️📜👥🪖🐎🏹📚👨🏫✍️🧮💰🏛️👨⚖️🚫💸🤲🏠👶📚🌱🏙️👥🤝🕊️🛡️⚔️🚫🩸🎁🙏31 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Ferdowsi sets out Ardeshir’s government: recruitment and muster of troops, scribes graded by their pens, charges to governors and generals, care of envoys, relief for ruined districts and impoverished nobles. The king remits the tenth, counsels his nobles on God and conduct, and lays down rules to live by.
210 couplets · Ardeshir Babakan named 5 times · in the full poem
Now hear how Ardeshir, through toil and care,Made justice flourish and the earth grow fair.
Learn too the wise decrees that he decreed,And weigh each counsel for your daily need.
He toiled, and made the rule of virtue stand,And spread both love and law by royal hand.
Desiring more recruits for his command,He sent his agents out through all the land.
They said, “Let none who has a son allowHis youth to grow in ignorance from now.
Teach him the horse, the gorz, the bow in hand,And poplar shafts, as warriors understand.
When trained to strength and proven able too,A youth shall serve beneath the royal view.”
From every realm the youths approached the court,Where muster-masters wrote the due report.
They wrote each name and gave each youth his place,With quarters for the men of martial grace.
When war breaks out, recruits like these shall goBeneath a Pahlevan against the foe.
A learned Mobad shall attend the train,To watch the men upon the battle plain.
One such shall watch a thousand in the fight,And judge what duties suit each warrior’s might.
He notes the coward and the man too frail,And those whose strength and courage do not fail.
He sends the record to the King of kings,With clear report of all such martial things.
The Shah, when he has read the message through,Will seat the messenger before his view.
From treasury’s best he gives a robe of state,To youths whose skill and valor prove them great.
But men unfit shall leave the fighting train,Nor fill the ranks upon the battle plain.
Thus grew his troops so vast beneath the sky,No star could see their bounds from up on high.
The men of counsel rose beneath his hand,Advanced by wisdom serving court and land.
A herald circled through the camp and cried,“You warriors of the Shah in fame and pride:
Whoever seeks the king’s approving sight,And stains the earth with foemen’s blood in fight,
Shall have from me a royal gift and name,And leave memorials bright with lasting fame.”
He ruled the realm through disciplined array,A shepherd guiding armored men each day.
Now see how Ardeshir arranged the bandOf scribes who served the business of the land.
He staffed his public offices with menWhose knowledge matched their mastery of the pen.
He weighed their script, the beauty of each line,And every dot within its fine design.
When skill was duly brought before his eyes,The Shah decreed the writer’s pay should rise.
The lesser scribes served officers instead,Their weaker wit and pen were elsewhere led.
Such men found no employment near the crown;None served there but the penmen of renown.
He knew the practiced scribes among his men,And praised the worthy masters of the pen:
“A scribe who fills the treasury by his art,And lessens toil, sustains the kingdom’s heart.
He aids the state, the army, and the law,And speeds redress without delay or flaw.
The scribes are sinews of my soul and hand,And rule the secrets of my high command.”
When governors went out, the Shah made plain:“Hold money vile throughout your term of reign.
Sell no man’s life for gold; this fleeting stayIs but a lodging all must leave one day.
Seek wisdom, righteousness, and sober view;Let greed and madness keep afar from you.
Take none of kith or kin into your train;The troops I gave will serve you in your reign.
Give monthly gifts to all the poor in need,But not to those who plan a hostile deed.
If justice makes your province prosper too,Then you will prosper by the good you do.
But if a poor man sleeps in fear of you,You sell your soul for silver’s passing hue.”
All those who came to court for state affairs,Or sought redress beneath the royal stairs,
Were met by trusted servants at the gate,Who asked how local governors ruled the state:
“Are they just men, or greedy for reward?Do any wronged lie hidden in their ward?
What learned men are there? Who faints from need?Whose age and counsel best may serve the deed?
What elder, veteran, or pious manCan aid the realm as only wisdom can?”
The King had said, “My toil and treasure’s storeShould serve the learned; I desire no more.
What better thing than one both wise and old,Whose tested words are worthier than gold?
Seek men of long experience, sound and true,And patient youths whose worth is proven too.
For when young men are wise and fit to learn,They take the old men’s places in their turn.”
Whenever his whole army went to fight,He acted with sound judgment and foresight.
He chose a scribe, learned, watchful, wise, and fair,And sent him first as envoy with due care.
He sent a courteous, just appeal ahead,To ward off wrong before men’s blood was shed.
The envoy searched the foeman’s inward mind,To learn what purpose lay in it confined.
If that wise foe perceived his meaning right,And shrank from all the sorrows of the fight,
He gained a robe, a grant, a charter too,A keepsake from the Shah to mark his due.
But if revenge possessed his heart instead,With blood within his liver, wrath his head,
The Shah gave gifts throughout the army band,So no man felt neglected in the land.
He chose a Pahlevan alert and wise,Who sought no rest, with watchful, prudent eyes.
Beside him went a scribe of practiced skill,To check the troops and keep the realm from ill.
An elephant upheld the herald’s frame;For two farsangs his proclamation came.
He cried to all the warriors of the land:“O famous chiefs, renowned in war’s command,
Protect the people all along your road;Let rich and poor rest safe in each abode.
Pay for provisions at each halting stage,And earn the thanks of farmer, youth, and sage.
Let none who worship God take others’ due,Or stain with unjust deeds the good they do.
Whoever shows the foe his back in fightWill see his fortune darkened into night.
His grave will stand nearby, or iron chainWill gall his neck and breast with bitter pain.
Or else, dismissed, on dust he shall be fed,And darkened dust shall be his only bed.”
Then he would charge the captain of the men,“Be neither slack nor rash in danger then.
Keep elephants in front; push scouts ahead,Full four farsangs before the army’s tread.
When battle comes, move through the troops, and hailEach rank: ‘Remember who you are, nor quail.
Remember why you stand upon this field;Let no man’s courage break, retreat, or yield.
For every one of you I shall obtainA robe from Ardeshir for this campaign.
A hundred hostile horsemen against oneOf ours are few, when battle is begun.’
When any horsemen advance on either side,Let not the center stand deserted, wide.
However vast the army you command,An empty center puts it in death’s hand.
Set your left flank against the foeman’s right,So matched opposing forces meet in fight.
Set right against their left across the plain;Let every mind attend the baggage train.
No man within the center shall advanceA single foot by haste or random chance.
But if the opposing center moves ahead,Then move your own where ordered ranks are spread.
When you have triumphed, shed no fleeing blood;Let mercy check the battle’s crimson flood.
If beaten foes ask quarter, grant it then;Be not revengeful toward defeated men.
When you observe the foe begin retreat,Seek not the spoil, nor leave your ordered seat.
Beware of ambush still on vale and plain;Do not deem all secure and quit your train.
But once assured, heed no distracting word;Stand by the judgment you have made and heard.
Bestow the spoil on those who sought the fray,And washed from hearts the love of life away.
Bring every captive taken on that dayBefore my court, without excuse or stay.
I shall build there where thorn and bramble growA city where the captives all may go.
As you would live at peace, secure, and sound,Do not reject the counsel you have found.
And in your triumphs always bend to God,Because His guidance marks the path you trod.”
When envoys came from Turks or Romans bold,Or noble peoples, this command was told:
The border chiefs must know when envoys came,And let no negligence disgrace their name.
Along the road let lodgings be made ready,With care for every envoy, sure and steady.
Such was the charge appointed through the land:Food, robes, and carpets furnished at command.
Along the route they learned the envoy’s aim,His business, country, mission, rank, and name.
A noble camel bore a scribe, who pressedAhead to tell the Shah the guest’s request.
The troops rode out to meet him on the road;The victor Shah, enthroned, his splendor showed.
On either side attendants took their stand,In robes with gold embroidered, bright and grand.
He called the envoy near, with honor treated,And by the royal throne he had him seated.
He asked his business, hidden, plain, his name,The good and bad, his standing and his fame,
Of justice and injustice, what he knew,His land, its customs, king, and army too.
He led him to a palace set apart,And furnished it with all befitting art.
He held a feast with wine in royal state,And by the golden throne the envoy ate.
He took him hunting with a mighty train,A countless force of riders on the plain.
He sent him off with ceremonial care,And gave a royal robe for him to wear.
He sent wise Mobadan through every town,Men kind and shrewd, commissioned by the crown.
They raised new cities, spacious, sound, and bright,With royal treasure spent to build them right.
Each homeless man whom fortune left in need,Whose poverty gave grief a place to breed,
Received both food and shelter at command;Thus grew the people subject to his hand.
His name is current now as it was then,In public speech and private hearts of men.
One monarch only in the world we findWho brings lost Ardeshir again to mind.
I bring his name to life in words that last,And call his memory from the distant past.
How wondrous was the justice of his reign!Prosperity became his rightful gain.
The Shah received reports from far and wide,His agents learned what every place might hide.
Whenever men of wealth fell in distress,His agents learned, and brought it for redress.
He raised their fallen fortunes, made them thrive,And caused their ruined markets to revive.
He gave them fertile lands and houses too,With slaves and servants for each household due.
He gave this aid in secret, keeping allUnknown to those within the city wall.
If talent showed in children of their line,He gave them teachers who could make it shine.
In every quarter halls of learning stood,Beside the fire-temples, strong and good.
He let none want, save one who chose to maskHis poverty, and never came to ask.
He judged the subject and his own dear son,As though the two before him stood as one.
His justice made the whole world bloom and grow,And all his subjects’ hearts were set aglow.
When any king with justice is allied,In spite of time his footprints will abide.
Observe the policies of that brave chief,Whose every act brought suffering relief.
His watchful agents, wise in every land,Went through the world according to command.
Where any country bore too great a weightOf tax, through failing streams or ruined state,
He lifted taxes from the ruined ground,And mercy reached the smallest holdings found.
If any landholder was losing all,The Shah supplied his need before the fall.
From treasury he gave them cattle too,And tools, to keep their holdings firm and true.
Now hear, O king, the sayings of this sage,And make the world as bright as in his age.
If you would live in peace and free from pain,And heap no wealth through wrongful loss or gain,
Seek that your subjects live in quiet too,And win the praise that is your rightful due.
From Rum and Chin to Hind and Turan’s lands,The world grew Roman silk beneath his hands.
Both toll and tax flowed in without delay;No land defied him; all would now obey.
He called Iran’s nobility to meet,And gave each nobleman a royal seat.
Then rose and spoke with majesty and grace,And gave this royal counsel in that place:
“O chieftains, wise in counsel, hear and learnHow turning heaven deals, now kind, now stern.
It does not heed our justice, love, or hate,But raises whom it will, then shifts his fate.
It sets one man upon the height of all,Then gives him dust and sorrow at his fall.
His name alone survives beneath the sky;His toil lies buried where his ashes lie.
Then strive to leave a name of goodness here;No other lasting gain shall grace your bier.
Your lot, O Hormizd, rests in God’s decree;As He approves, so shall your portion be.
Commit yourself to God in all you do;He is Yazdan who makes good grow for you.
From every ill seek shelter in His might;Both good and bad lie in His ruling right.
He makes all hardship easy on your way,With brightened counsel and victorious day.
Judge by my life; consider and reviewThe good and evil I have journeyed through.
When I turned to Yazdan, Lord over all,My heart rejoiced in crown and palace hall.
I rule the seven climes, for God deemed rightThat I should hold them by His sovereign might.
From Rum and Hind I take the tribute due;The world grew Roman silk beneath my view.
Thanks be to God, who gave me strength and star,And favor from the sun and Saturn far.
Who knows how rightly we should praise His name,Or serve Him as His greatness would proclaim?
May He grant us the strength to serve His cause,And show His greatness and His sovereign laws.
And now I tell the just acts I intend,That joy and justice through the realm may blend.
Though one-tenth from communities is mine,As dehqan and the Mobad both define,
I ask it not; I give it back to you,The tax on land and flocks that once was due.
If any surplus from your toil was gained,It is restored; let no man be constrained.
The tithes and taxes that I took before,Whatever came to me, be it less or more,
I used them for your good throughout the land,And kept a countless army at command.
I sought your greatness, safety in your need,And to diminish Ahriman’s dark creed.
Hold fast to God, be diligent each day,And never cast His covenant away.
He gives, sustains, and feeds the low and high,The Maker of the overarching sky.
He shelters the oppressed beneath His care;Let no vain boast possess you anywhere.
Let no deceit take lodging in your breast;Descent will follow on the highest crest.
Where are the men whose crowns once brushed the clouds?Where are the lion-hunters and their crowds?
They all lie couched on dust and brick below;Blessed is the man whose seeds of goodness grow.
Let all who dwell within my realm give ear,And take to heart the counsel spoken here.
Five paths I show, of greater worth to holdThan crowns and treasure, sovereignty and gold.”
Now listen, all who serve, and hear againThe words of Ardeshir to all his men.
“First, know that God exists, and keep His ways;With pure devotion offer Him your praise.
Second, despise not knowledge, whether youAre subject, lord, or servant proven true.
Third, words of wisdom never can grow oldFor learned minds, however often told.
Fourth, fear the guilt of sin, whose threats are moreThan royal bonds or any prison door.
Fifth, know the slanderer, whatever his claim,Can never win the people’s good acclaim.
One further counsel: prize above your treasure,Your eyes, your life, this word beyond all measure.
Blessed is he whose deeds in public viewMatch those in private, constant, just, and true.
Soft-spoken, modest, wise, and cordial still,Let warm and kindly words express your will.
Who squanders silver for a boastful show,And spends to make his empty splendor grow,
Finds none to thank him for that vain display;The man who knows God turns from such a way.
Hold to the middle course and keep your place;Pure judgment wins the wise man’s name and grace.
Five further paths will set your faith upright,And make the course of conduct clear and bright.
They bring the heart both comfort and delight,Like honey free of poison’s harmful bite.
First, do not overreach through greed or pain;Accept what God has set for loss or gain.
The man content is rich in everything,With fruit and blossoms like the days of spring.
Next, break the neck of greed; let no one hearYour secret words when women’s ears are near.
Third, do not court the path of war and strife,For toil and anguish follow through your life.
Fourth, bar all grief from entering your breast;Let future evils not disturb your rest.
Fifth, shun affairs that fall beyond your claim;They are no quarry for your thought or aim.
Hear now my counsel, weigh the words I say;Their profit shall attend you on your way.
Cease not from learning if your mind would burn;The mind is kindled by the truths you learn.
If you have children, teach them, and curtailTheir play, so that their wisdom may prevail.
Attend my words and pains endured for you;I bear them so your judgment may stay true.
Let just and shrewd hearts not dissolve their ties;Preserve the fellowship that makes men wise.
Seek peace of heart through four enduring ways;Each brings you profit through the length of days.
First, fear and honor God with heart and mind,That He, your Help and Guide, may stand behind.
Next, act with justice toward yourself, and keepYour garment’s hem from stains that settle deep.
Take God’s commands to heart, and let me claimThe love you bear your own dear living frame.
Third, make the right stand plain before all eyes;Cast fraud away, and ban deceit and lies.
Fourth, never from the Shah’s command depart,In open deed or secrets of your heart.
Love him as your own self, and in his sightObey his word, and let your face grow bright.
Let loyalty possess your inmost soul;Keep covenant and let his word control.
Love him as life, if he is just and true,And stands a faithful guardian over you.
The Shah must bear the burdens of command,And seek the good and welfare of the land.
If he knows frontier lords or troops oppressThe realm, and leaves the people in distress,
Yet grants no justice, he is king no more,Nor worthy of the royal crown he wore.
He tears the sacred charter of command;The farr departs from his unrighteous hand.
An unjust king, a lion, stalks and preysAcross the pasture where the helpless graze.
Who treats the Shah’s command with heedless scorn,And fails in diligent toil, shall live forlorn.
His life is pain and toil upon the road;He will not reach old age in this abode.
If goodness and true greatness are your need,They spring from neither pride nor miser’s greed.
May all my subjects’ hearts rejoice and flourish;May my just rule the whole world bless and nourish.”
D7.10
Ardeshir’s Last Message to Shapur
👑👴🤒⏳💀👨👦🗣️📖⚖️🛕🤝🛡️🚫💰🧠🕊️👥🎁🚫🍷⚔️👑🤞🙏⏳⚰️26 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
At seventy-eight and failing, Ardeshir charges Shapur: faith and kingship are twin brothers, treasure and anger are traps, slander and confidences are to be shunned. He foretells that his house will break the covenant and fall, lists the six cities he founded, and dies.
115 couplets · Ardeshir Babakan named 1 time · in the full poem
At seventy-eight, the watchful monarch layIn sickness, as his strength ebbed day by day.
He knew that death had drawn its shadow near,And that his green leaf yellowed with the year.
He summoned Shapur, gave him counsel deep,A charge for royal memory to keep.
He said, “Remember all my words today;Let slander pass like gusts of wind away.
When you have heard my sayings, practice them;Know worth from worthlessness; the false condemn.
With justice as my sword I set things right,And honored noble men with royal light.
I made my lands and royal power expand,Yet royal toil had worn my life’s last strand.
Through toil and sweat my treasures multiplied;Through all that labor wealth was set aside.
Now treasure lies before you, ease and all;The turning sky brings both a rise and fall.
It wounds us now, then gives us timely aid;Its favors follow injuries it made.
Fortune is first a vicious, restive steed,That strikes in prosperous days with reckless speed.
Then like a trained horse, arching neck for you,It bears you gently when its will is true.
Know this, my son: this false and passing hallHolds terrors for the happiest of all.
Be mindful of yourself and wisdom’s claim,If you would flee ill days and lasting shame.
When kings bestow on Faith the honor due,Then Faith and kingship stand as brothers true.
The Faith and kingship each the other need;Apart, neither can flourish or succeed.
Like lengths of brocade woven thread by thread,Before the wise together they are spread.
The Faith requires the Shah; without its guide,No kingship earns the praise that should abide.
Each guards the other, sharing one abode;One cloak enfolds them on their common road.
Each needs the other; through their union brightThey join in benefit and public right.
The man of Faith, with wisdom as his guide,Wins both the worlds through counsel at his side.
When kings stand guard to keep the Faith secure,Then Faith and kingship, brothers, both endure.
Whoever slanders kings whose rule is rightIs not a man of Faith, despite his rite.
If one who claims the Faith should hate his king,No pious name can cover such a thing.
What truth has every eloquent sage shown?Faith is the marrow justice calls its own.
Three things bring trouble to the royal crown:The unjust king whose wrath bears justice down;
Then raising worthless men above the skilled,Whose worth should have the seats of honor filled;
And making treasure his companion dear,To strive for more gold coins from year to year.
Let bounty, justice, wisdom be your aim,And let no lie pass current in your name.
A lie will cast its shadow on your face,And dim the glory of your royal place.
Take care: do not make treasure your desire,For coins bring toil with all that they require.
If greed for treasure grips the great king’s breast,His subjects will be wearied and oppressed.
The landed nobles’ wealth is yours to keep,Although they bear the toil for what you reap.
Protect their wealth through all that they endure,And make the bough of labor’s fruit secure.
Strive hard to put your wrath and rage away,And overlook men’s faults from day to day.
If anger rules you, grief will be your wage;Through words of pardon, seek to cool that rage.
The pious call an angry monarch light,A foolish man whom rage has robbed of sight.
Ill-wishing does not suit a royal mind;Adorn your heart with all things good and kind.
If fear once finds a lodging in your heart,Suspicion clouds your judgment from the start.
Let giving never cause your heart distress;Know wealth’s true worth, and share it nonetheless.
The king whose bounty reaches to the skyWins honor that no wealth alone can buy.
When trouble falls upon a monarch’s lot,Let wise Mobadan weigh the tangled knot.
Let him inquire of right and wrong within,And store the answer where his thoughts begin.
When you intend to hunt on open ground,Wine harms you more when hunting comes around.
Do not mix wine and feasting with the chase;Keep outdoor hunting in its proper place.
For wine brings heaviness upon the head;Remember what the elders long have said.
Abandon pleasure when your foes appear;Set all your thoughts upon the conflict near.
Spend freely, ready arms at your command;Call all the troops from every royal land.
Do not let present work await the dawn;Let no ill counsel near your throne be drawn.
Do not pry deep into the common heart;You gain but loss through such a searching art.
If common tongues bring evil news, give earTo no such slander; let it bring no tear.
They worship neither God nor kings they meet;They seek men’s heads by grasping at their feet.
Such is the nature of the common crowd;May wisdom be your guide when tongues grow loud.
Fear those who practice evil out of view;They make the wide world narrow round you too.
Tell no confidant the secrets you devise,For he has friends who carry hidden ties.
The words you thought were hidden from the lightWill soon be spread abroad in open sight.
When secrets pass as gossip through the street,The wise lose patience hearing them repeat.
You will grow angry, and the calming sageWill call you light of head and soothe your rage.
Do not seek faults in others, lest they showYour own defects to all who wish to know.
If passion conquers reason, in the eyesOf sages, all your manly virtue dies.
The Shah who rules the world must have a mindOf wisdom, filled with goodwill toward mankind.
If any man is rash and insolent,And earns reproach through his arrogant bent,
Let such a man have no place near to you,Though once among your counselors he grew.
When you are Shah, put wrath and vengeance by,If praise from pious souls would lift you high.
When passion takes its throne in wrathful might,No wisdom or devotion guides you right.
Speak not too much, nor feign a holy air;Let piety be true, not outward prayer.
Hear what men say; retain the words most wise,And keep what pleases you before your eyes.
Weigh well your words when sages gather near;Be kind to all, with heart and manner clear.
Do not look down on those who come in need;Seat no known foe where royal counsels lead.
Accept apologies for wrongs now past;Let no revenge prolong them to the last.
Be just to all and cherish all you can;A patient, bounteous heart ennobles man.
If any foe through fear should flatter you,Array your troops; let tabiras sound too.
Go forth while he is shrinking, weak in hand,And set your ordered power across the land.
But if he seeks both peace and rightful ways,And hides no mischief from your searching gaze,
Then take his tribute and preserve his face;Seek no revenge when peace has found its place.
Adorn your heart with knowledge of true worth;Then practice what you know upon the earth.
You will be loved if bounty shapes your hand,And famed for wisdom, justice in your land.
Keep my last charge alive from day to day,Bequeath it to your son, then pass away.
I have fulfilled a father’s duty here;Let no harm touch the wealth you hold so dear.
Do not transgress the charge I leave today,Or twist the meaning of the words I say.
Remember me by doing what is right;Cast evil from your heart and from your sight.
Do not bring pain upon my spirit’s rest,Or burn this feeble body, long distressed.
Let no one suffer sorrow at your hand;Bring harm to none through wrongs that you command.
Now when five hundred years have passed away,Your dynasty will meet its closing day.
Your sons and others of your kin will turnFrom this my covenant, which they will spurn.
They will depart from counsel, law, and light,And scorn the warnings of the sages’ sight.
They will neglect the charge I leave behind,And grow unjust, oppressive, harsh, and blind.
They will oppress their subjects, scorn the good,Despising pious men where once they stood.
They will put on the robe of evil deed,And give themselves to Ahriman’s dark creed.
All we have bound they will unbind in shame,Defiling Faith we washed of every blame.
My charge and counsel emptied of their aim;My country ruined by the wrongs they frame.
I pray the Maker, who alone can knowWhat lies concealed and what the world may show,
To guard you from all evil and its blame,And grant you in this world a worthy name.
God’s blessing, and my own, on one upright,Whose wisdom’s warp and justice’s woof unite,
Who keeps my charge, nor lets its honey turnTo colocynth, whose bitter juices burn.
Forty years and two full months have passed bySince I assumed the crown beneath the sky.
I hold six cities, all in pleasant climes,Well watered and remembered through all times.
Khorra-e-Ardeshir, the first, I styled;Its air is musk; like milk its streams run mild.
The second bears the name Ram Ardeshir;From there I came to Pars in royal gear.
The third is Ormozd-Ardeshir, whose airCould make an old man young, relieved of care.
It is the luster of Khuzestan’s plain,With people, water, trade in loss and gain.
Another, Birka-e-Ardeshir, is knownFor gardens, pools, and rose-beds overgrown.
And two in Maysan and by Farat’s flow,Where cattle, springs, and pastures richly grow.
Such are the firm foundations I have laid;Remember, when you hear me, what I made.
I have prepared my baggage for the grave;Entrust my bier, and take the throne I gave.
In this world I have borne both public care,And private toil that was my lot to bear.
Rejoice my soul with justice; rule with might,Be glad, victorious, crowned in royal light.”
He spoke, and fortune darkened into night;Alas, that head, that crown, that throne so bright!
The fashion of this joyful world is thus:It keeps its hidden purposes from us.
Blessed is he who never greatness knew,Nor bore the burdens that its owners do.
You strive for wealth, yet neither can remain:Both man and wealth must pass, despite your pain.
Dust in the end is wedded to us all;Our cheeks at last are covered by the pall.
Come, let us set our hands to doing good,And shun the path of evil, as we should.
How blessed is he who takes the cup of wineTo toast the Shahs, those men of Faith divine.
He drinks his wine, then drinks another round,And falls asleep in joy, with peace profound.
Family
- Parents
- Sasan (the fourth), Babak’s daughter
- Spouses
- Ardavan’s daughter
- Children
- Shapur (son of Ardeshir)
On the maps
Story maps that show Ardeshir Babakan or tell a part of the story that names Ardeshir Babakan.
Where he appears
Named mentions by book, from the Universe Registry, the index behind this site. Titles and epithets are not counted.
More in the Glossary, all the characters and the Art.