New NaqqaliPrince of Iran · son of Kay Kavus
Siavashسیاوش
see-yah-VASH
Son of Kay Kavus, who passed through fire to prove his innocence and was murdered in Turan.
- His story
- From B9.3, The Birth of Siavash, to B9.55, Siavash Falls by Gurvi’s Hand
- Named
- 425 times, in 176 sections (including 16 where the name may belong to another Siavash)
- Parents
- Kavus
- Children
- Forood, Kay Khosrow
- Plates
- Vol I: V, Vol II: II
- Pictures
- 50 panels · identity sheets
How we draw Siavash
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
Siavash in 50 woodcut panels of the illustrated poem, in story order. Tap one to see it with the couplets it illustrates.
B9.3Rostam Trains the Young Siavash
B9.4Siavash Kisses the Ground before Kavus
B9.5Gudarz Consoles the Grieving Prince
B9.6Sudabeh First Beholds Siavash
B9.7Sudabeh Rises to Embrace Siavash
B9.7Kavus Laughs at His Son's Warning
B9.8Sudabeh Displays the Maidens
B9.8Sudabeh Unveils and Kisses Siavash
B9.9Sudabeh Seizes the Departing Prince
B9.10Kavus Smells Siavash's Hands
B9.13Siavash in White before the Pyres
B9.13Siavash Rides Unscathed from the FireAll 50 pictures
B9.14Siavash Pleads for Sudabeh's Life
B9.15Siavash Asks to Lead the War
B9.16Father and Son Part in Tears
B9.16The Battle at the Gates of Balkh
B9.22Siavash and Rostam Counsel by Night
B9.24Siavash Entrusts His Letter to Rostam
B9.27Siavash Receives the Shah's Wrath
B9.28Siavash Gives the Army to Bahram
B9.31Siavash Departs for the Jihun
B9.31Piran Welcomes Siavash with White Elephants
B9.31Siavash Weeps amid the Welcome
B9.32Afrasiab Greets Siavash on Foot
B9.33Siavash Strikes the Ball toward the Moon
B9.33Siavash Strings the Bow Garsivaz Could Not
B9.33Siavash Cleaves the Wild Ass
B9.34Golshahr Brings Jarireh to Siavash
B9.37Farangis Comes to Siavash by Night
B9.38Siavash Chooses the Site for a City
B9.39Gangdezh Rises on the Mountain
B9.40The Star-Readers Foretell No Blessing
B9.42Siavash Paints the Halls of Siavash-Gard
B9.43Farangis Welcomes Piran
B9.44Siavash Shows Garsivaz His City
B9.45Garsivaz Sees Farangis Enthroned
B9.46One Arrow Through Four Shields
B9.46Siavash Unhorses Gurvi and Damur
B9.48Siavash Walks Out to Greet Garsivaz
B9.48The False Tears of Garsivaz
B9.49Siavash Seals the Fatal Letter
B9.51Siavash's Dream of Fire and Water
B9.52Siavash's Farewell to Behzad
B9.53Siavash Forbids His Men to Fight
B9.53Siavash Falls and Is Bound
B9.54Farangis Sees Siavash Bound
B9.55Siavash's Last Prayer
B9.55The Blood of Siavash
B9.57Siavash Appears in Piran's Dream
B13.17Siavash Appears to Tus in a DreamHis story, in the poem’s own sections
11 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.
B9.3
The Birth of Siavash
👩🤰👶👑🎉🔮⚠️🏇💪🛡️👦🏹🐎📖🧭👑16 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Siavash is born, lovelier than any mortal child, but the astrologers see a troubled star. Rostam asks to raise him and takes him to Zabulistan, where he teaches him riding, archery, justice and command, then sends him back to his father in splendor.
37 couplets · Siavash named 2 times · in the full poem
When spring put on its colors, fresh and bright,Nine months had turned beneath the wheeling height.
They said to Kay Kavus: “Rejoice in this;The moon of fortune brings you royal bliss.
A glorious child has now appeared in sight;Raise now your throne toward the moon’s high light.”
Like some bright fairy, radiant was his face;An Azari idol in his form and grace.
The people spoke of face and flowing hair;No mortal child had ever seemed so fair.
The king named Siavash, then sought to readWhat turning heaven for the child decreed.
Yet those who read the wheeling heavens’ course,And traced each sign back to its hidden source,
They saw his star disturbed within the sky,His fortune sleeping, and they grieved thereby.
They told the Shah what waited for his son,And showed each road before him, one by one.
They saw what pain from good and ill might grow,And sought in Yazdan refuge from that woe.
Then Rostam came before the throne to ask,And said: “I claim this charge as my own task.
This lion-hearted child entrust to me;Within my breast his nurture now shall be.
Among your guardians none can serve him so;No nurse like me the world will ever know.”
King Kavus weighed the matter in his mind;No burden on his heart the thought could bind.
To Rostam he entrusted heart and eye,His chosen prince, whose worth he held most high.
He bore him to Zabulistan, and madeA dwelling for him in a garden’s shade.
He taught him horsemanship, the saddle’s skill,To bend the bow and loose the shaft at will.
The kamand, rein, and stirrup he explained,Till in their every use the prince was trained.
He taught him justice, wrong, the crown and throne,And speech by which a ruler’s mind is known.
To feast with honor, command men in fight,And lead the army with a ruler’s might.
With hawk and falcon he pursued the prey,While cheetahs coursed across the open way.
He taught him every art from first to last;His toil bore fruit when all the work was past.
So grew Siavash in strength and noble grace,A peerless prince in bearing, form, and face.
As time went by, his strength outgrew all check;He cast his kamand toward the lion’s neck.
One day he spoke to Rostam, calm and clear:“I need to see my Shah; the time is near.
You bore much toil, your heart consumed with thought,And gave me every art a king is taught.
Now let my father judge me when we meet,And see Piltan’s instruction made complete.”
The lion-hearted chief made all things ready,And sent out messengers both swift and steady.
With horses, servants, silver, and with gold,With seal and sword, belts, garments manifold.
From every side came garments, rugs, and gear;What Rostam lacked, the world brought swiftly near.
Thus Rostam sent the prince in rich array,While all the army watched him on his way.
Then Rostam journeyed with him side by side,Lest grief within the Shah’s heart should abide.
The world was decked in ceremonial show,To please the Pahlevan as they would go.
Gold mixed with ambergris fell through the air;From lofty domes they poured it on the pair.
The world grew rich with mirth and treasure bright;Each roof and doorway shone with proud delight.
Beneath the Arab steeds, bright coins were spread;No grieving face was seen; all sorrow fled.
Along the road, from every flowing mane,Dripped saffron, musk, and wine like fragrant rain.
B9.6
Sudabeh Falls in Love with Siavash
👑👦👩👀❤️⚠️👩📨👦👑🗣️👦🤔🚫👑📣16 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Sudabeh sees Siavash and is seized by passion. When he refuses her secret invitation, she persuades Kavus to send him into the women’s hall to visit his sisters. Siavash suspects a trap, and perhaps a test, but agrees to obey.
42 couplets · Siavash named 2 times · in the full poem
Time passed, and still the Shah rejoiced in him,In Siavash, whose light no year could dim.
One day Kay Kavus sat beside his son,When fair Sudabeh entered, bright as sun.
Sudabeh suddenly beheld his face,And stood transfixed before his youthful grace.
Her heart was shaken, passion seized her frame,And all her being kindled into flame.
She thinned like finest thread beneath desire,And melted like the ice before a fire.
She sent a secret envoy with her call:“Invite the prince into the women’s hall.
Within the Shah’s own women’s hall appear;Your sudden entrance should cause no one fear.”
The envoy spoke; Siavash’s anger rose:“Speak not of this; such counsel I oppose.
I am no man of women’s halls,” he said;“I seek no bonds or tricks where snares are spread.”
Another dawn, Sudabeh sought the king,And shaped her words to serve her hidden sting:
“O king of kings, no sun or moon has knownA Shah like you upon the royal throne.
No child on earth can match your princely heir;Let all his kin rejoice and have their share.
Send him within among the women’s hall;His sisters and his kin await his call.
The veiled ones wait, their hearts with joy run through;Their tear-filled faces long to see you too.
We bow before him; offerings we bring,And make devotion’s tree with fruit to spring.”
The Shah replied: “Your counsel serves him well;A hundred mothers’ love in you must dwell.”
He called the prince and spoke with measured art:“No veil can hide the bonds of blood and heart.
God shaped you so that all who see must love;No purer child was sent from Him above.
How much more those who share your blood and line;Though seen afar, their hearts must still incline.
Your sisters and Sudabeh wait inside;Sudabeh loves you with a mother’s pride.
Go see the veiled ones; tarry there awhile,And let their blessings greet you with a smile.”
The prince gave ear, and listened, filled with doubt,Nor could he read what this might bring about.
Awhile he weighed the words the Shah had said,And strove to wash the dust from heart and head.
He thought: “My father means to try my mind;He seeks to know what secrets he may find.
He knows much, speaks with mastery and art;Alert, clear-sighted, doubtful in his heart.
This thing is evil; hers the snare I bear;Sudabeh shaped this scheme with hidden care.
If I should enter in her women’s hall,Much dangerous talk with her will then befall.
You gave me rule, the throne, the royal crown;Your favor raised me high to this renown.
The lofty sun gives dignity to dust;So your great favor honors whom you trust.
No king like you has ruled, nor could maintainSuch goodness, wisdom, custom in his reign.
Give Mobadan and wise men for my guide,Great nobles, seasoned chiefs to stand beside.
Teach spear and gorz, the arrow and the bow,And how against the hostile ranks to go.
Teach me the royal throne and audience hall,The rites of court, the order binding all.
Teach feast and rud and wine in royal cheer,The arts a future sovereign must hold dear.
But what can women’s chambers teach me here?When have their ways made wisdom’s pathway clear?
Still, if the Shah commands, I must obey;My conduct shall be guided by his way.”
The Shah replied: “Be glad, my noble son;On wisdom’s ground let all your deeds be done.
Such noble speech I seldom hear expressed;The mind grows stronger hearing words so blessed.
Put doubt aside; let troubled thoughts be stilled,Choose joy instead, and let your heart be filled.
Go see the veiled young women gathered near;Perhaps your presence brings them some small cheer.”
“At dawn I go; your order I obey;Whatever you command shall guide my way.
My heart and soul are subject to your will;You are my Shah, and I will serve you still.”
B9.13
Siavash’s Trial by Fire
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Two mountains of timber are soaked in naphtha and lit. Siavash, dressed in white and scented with camphor like a corpse, rides his black horse through the flames and comes out unharmed. The people rejoice, and Kavus begs his son’s forgiveness.
60 couplets · Siavash named 5 times · in the full poem
The thoughts of Kay Kavus moved between the two,And doubt and fear within his spirit grew.
“If one proves false, what then will people say?Will any still accept my royal sway?
My wife and son are blood and brain to me;Which one can I cast off by my decree?”
Yet still he chose to cleanse his heart of doubt,And seek what remedy might root it out.
He said: “Who rules and wears the royal crownMust never let a faint heart drag him down.”
He ordered: “Send a hundred camel trains,And bring the timber gathered from the plains.”
The camels hauled the wood in long array,While all Iran came out to watch that day.
A hundred trains of red-haired camels boreThe timber till the plain could hold no more.
The timber rose beyond all count or bound,Its towering mass stood dark above the ground.
From two full farsangs off the piles were shown,A key to test what evil had been sown.
The Shah sought out the root of truth and wrong,To learn what crooked course had run so long.
Now hear this whole account and mark it well;Take heed of what its warning has to tell.
Seek only virtue when you choose a wife;An evil nature stains a husband’s life.
Two mountains of dry timber rose on high,While all the world stood gathered close nearby.
Between the heaps a narrow passage lay,So tight a mounted rider scarcely made way.
The Shah commanded black naphtha be spreadAcross the timber, foot to towering head.
Two hundred kindlers set the heaps alight,Till deepest night seemed turned to blazing light.
At first black smoke went rolling, thick and dire,Then all at once broke forth the surging fire.
The flames rose high and burned with blinding glare,Till earth itself outshone the stars in air.
The world roared out and breathed a furnace breath,While crowds recoiled as if from certain death.
The plain itself seemed roasting in the blaze,And people wept to lose his smiling gaze.
Then Siavash came before his father’s sight,Gold helm upon his head, his bearing bright.
In robes of white, composed upon his steed,His smiling face showed hope in time of need.
His dark steed’s hooves sent dust into the sky,As though their dust would veil the moon on high.
He sprinkled camphor lightly on his frame,Prepared for shroud and death, but not for shame.
He stepped down from his horse and, bowing low,Paid to the Shah the reverence he should show.
The Shah’s face filled with shame before his son,And a gentle speech by Siavash had begun.
“Do not grieve, father; this is worldly fate;The turning sphere has brought us to this state.
I bear this shame, this slander on my name;If I am pure, deliverance waits in flame.
If guilt is mine, the World-Creator’s handWill give no shelter where the fires stand.
By Yazdan, giver of all good and right,If I am pure, the fire shall lose its bite.”
He drew toward the fire and raised his cryTo Him, the self-sufficient Judge on high:
“Grant me safe passage through this mountain’s flame,And free my body from my father’s shame.”
He poured his grief before the Judge in prayer,Then spurred his black steed smoke-like toward the glare.
A cry rose up from city and from plain,And all the world was seized by grief and pain.
Sudabeh climbed the palace roof in hate,And watched the prince approach his fiery fate.
The people turned on Kavus in their ire,And cursed the Shah who sent him toward the fire.
He drove his black horse where the fire had spread,As though for fire the very steed were bred.
The flames closed round; no watcher’s searching eyeCould see his golden helm or horse nearby.
The plain stood waiting, blood in every gaze,To see when Siavash would leave the blaze.
Then from the flames the noble youth rode free,Rose-faced and smiling for the world to see.
A roar went up from all the gathered throng:“The young Shah lives! He leaves the fire whole and strong!”
His horse and robe and rider shone as white,Like jasmine blossoms opening to sight.
Had it been water, he might well be wet;The fire had left no mark upon him yet.
When pure Yazdan extends His mercy true,The breath of fire and wind are one to you.
He passed from fiery mountain to the field,And cries from town and plain around him pealed.
The riders rushed to meet him in delight,And cast their silver coins to left and right.
All people, high and low, rejoiced as one,And praised the miracle that had been done.
They said: “The just Judge guards the guiltless true,And brings the schemer’s wickedness to view.”
Sudabeh, mad with anger at the sight,Tore hair and scratched her face in bitter spite.
Then Siavash drew near them, pure and bright;No smoke, no fire, no dust to dim his light.
Kavus dismounted, seeing him draw near;The army too came down with reverent cheer.
The prince bowed low and laid his face in prayer,And thanked the World-Creator for His care.
He crossed the mountain fire with nothing burned,And all his enemies’ hopes to dust were turned.
The Shah then said: “Brave youth of lineage pure,Your shining soul has made the truth secure.
A virtuous mother gave such life to you;Such sons are born to rule the whole world through.”
He clasped him and owned the wrong he had done,And begged forgiveness from his blameless son.
Within the eyvan Kavus took his throne,The Kayanian crown above him shone.
He called for wine and music through the hall,And Siavash shared the pleasures of them all.
For three full days the wine and feast ran free;No seal was set on treasure, nor a key.
B9.16
Siavash Leads the Army
👑💰🛡️⚔️👥🏇👦🧭🏕️🤝🏇⚔️🏹🏰🏆🏃🌊17 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Kavus equips twelve thousand horsemen and twelve thousand foot under the Kaviani banner and parts from Siavash in tears. After a month in Zabulistan, Siavash and Rostam march by Herat to Balkh, defeat the forces of Garsivaz and take the city.
53 couplets · Siavash named 7 times · in the full poem
The karnay’s clang and koust as one arose,And Tus came forth as Iran formed its rows.
The army gathered round the royal court,And Kavus opened stores of golden sort.
He brought forth sword, gorz, jowshan, spear, and shield,And all the arms required upon the field.
He sent the key to stores of cloth and gear,And kept their guarded riches safe and near.
He said: “My house and all its wealth are yours;Prepare your forces from my guarded stores.”
From all his famed horsemen Kavus choseTwelve thousand tried and ready for his foes.
From Pahlav, Pars, from Kuch and Baluch came,From Gilan, Saruch’s plain, each known by name.
He picked twelve thousand foot who bore the shield,Prepared to stand in battle, not to yield.
All noble-born throughout Iran’s domain,The wise and brave, the freeborn of the plain,
All those who matched young Siavash, height and age,Alert and wise, restrained in speech and rage.
With Bahram, Zangeh, chiefs of high renown,The foremost warriors beneath the crown.
Five Mobadan raised Kaveh’s sign on high,Its ancient splendor mounting toward the sky.
He ordered all the army toward the plain,And rank on rank advanced across the terrain.
So thick they stood, the earth itself seemed gone;Only the horses’ hooves appeared thereon.
The banner of Kaveh mounted toward the sky,And shone among them like the moon on high.
Kavus rode out and circled every rank,Reviewing all from center out to flank.
He saw the army like a bride arrayed,With kousts and war-elephants all displayed.
The Shah then blessed the army where it stood:“O men whose names are honored, brave and good,
May fortune march beside you as you go,And darken every face that stands as foe.
Go forth in health beneath a favored star,Return victorious, honored as you are.”
Tabiras on the elephants were bound;Siavash gave command and mounted sound.
The Shah rode one full day beside his son,His tearful eyes on him till day was done.
Then father and his son embraced in woe,And wept like springtime clouds whose waters flow.
Blood-tears ran down; their cries rose to the sky,And grief lay heavy on all standing by.
Their hearts bore witness, dark with inward dread:No meeting waited them on roads ahead.
Such is the turning world, and such its guise:Now nectar fills the cup, now poison lies.
Kavus returned again to rule his throne,While Siavash marched away with troops his own.
He turned his march to Zabulistan to restIn Zal’s old halls, as Rostam’s honored guest.
There in those halls he feasted, glad of heart,With wine and music and the minstrel’s art.
Now with the mighty Rostam he would dine,Now with Zavareh sit and pass the wine.
On Zal’s high throne he took his royal ease,Or hunted through the reed beds as he pleased.
A month passed by; then Siavash rode away,With Rostam, while old Zal remained to stay.
From Zabul, Kabul, Hind, the warriors came,And followed Rostam’s banner and his name.
He called renowned chiefs from every side,And reached the plain where Herat spread out wide.
There more foot soldiers gathered to his band,And Zangeh took the baggage train in hand.
They marched toward Talikan and Marvrud’s line,And heaven seemed to greet their march divine.
They came to Balkh; no bitter word he spoke,No harshness there his measured conduct broke.
Then Garsivaz and Barman moved in force,Like rushing wind they drove along their course.
With Barman in the van and in the rearSipahram marched, alert as news drew near.
They heard: “A young Shah comes from Iran’s side,And Rostam Piltan marching as his guide.”
A camel courier sped upon the way,Like ship upon the water cast away.
He bore this word: “A mighty army nears,Led by Siavash with Iran’s foremost peers.
Its captain is the Piltan, fierce and proud,One hand on khanjar, one upon his shroud.
Command us, Shah; our ranks will take the field,Prepared to meet the foe, and not to yield.
Array your force and do not long delay;A wind can move a ship and sweep away.”
He spurred the camel onward like a flame,And raced to bear Afrasiab the same.
Meanwhile, Siavash wasted not a day,But drove his army wind-like on its way.
The Iranian army pressed with sudden speed;No time remained to pause or take good heed.
Garsivaz saw no path but to engage,And drove his forces forward in their rage.
Beside the gates of Balkh the armies met,And closed in battle where their lines were set.
Three days they fought with fury side by side;The fourth day brought the change in battle’s tide.
Then Siavash sent footmen to each gate,And through them poured a mighty force in weight.
Sipahram fled and crossed the river’s course,And came to Afrasiab with broken force.
B9.23
Siavash’s Treaty with Afrasiab
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Siavash gives Garsivaz his terms: a hundred of Afrasiab’s kin as hostages, the return of Iranian towns and a withdrawal to Turan. Afrasiab reluctantly agrees, sends the men Rostam named and pulls his army back from Bukhara, Sughd and Samarkand to Gang.
38 couplets · Siavash named 4 times · in the full poem
At dawn Garsivaz appeared before the throne,With cap and belt, in courtly bearing shown.
Admitted in, he bowed and kissed the ground,And paid his court with reverence profound.
The prince then asked: “How fared the night in cheer,Amid the camp, the feast, and tumult near?”
Then added: “As for what you came to say,I have considered it in every way.
In this our aims are one, and well agreed:To end all vengeance, and the bloody deed.
So take this answer to your king to hear:Let vengeance leave his mind and peace draw near.
Who sees where evil leads should turn aside,And never let its path his steps misguide.
The heart adorned by wisdom, bright and pure,Becomes a treasury of wealth secure.
If honey masks no poison in this vow,And vengeance has no place within him now,
Then let him send a pledge, that all may seeHis faith is true, and doubt and darkness flee.
A hundred of his blood must bind the peaceAs hostages, that all mistrust may cease.
Men Rostam knows, renowned in rank and fame,The very kinsmen Rostam chose by name.
And he must yield each town in Iran’s landsThat he now holds, as ancient right demands.
Then let him back to Turan’s borders go,And rest from war and vengeance with the foe.
Let truth alone between us firmly stand;Let none for vengeance raise a hostile hand.
And I will write, and urge the Shah this dayTo call his army home and end the fray.”
Then Garsivaz dispatched a rider fast,Who rode as swiftly as the driving blast.
“Delay no more,” he said, “but spur your steed,And bear to Afrasiab the terms decreed.
Tell him I hastened, and my suit was won,And all I came to seek has now been done.
But Siavash requires these pledges sure,If peace is sought and peace is to endure.”
The rider came, and to the monarch toldThe message plain, and all the terms unrolled.
The king grew troubled, doubtful in his mind,And weighed what course would leave least harm behind.
“If I give up a hundred kin in pledge,My strength in battle nears the ruin’s edge.
No loyal well-wisher would then remain,To guard my court or share the battle’s strain.
Yet if I now refuse such terms outright,My offer will seem false before his sight.
So I must yield, though danger lies in this;Perhaps through this my ruin I may miss.”
He chose a hundred kinsmen, those whose namesWere set on Rostam’s list among his claims.
He gave them robes and gifts of royal grace,Then sent them forth to Siavash’s place.
The koust resounded, karnays gave the call,The royal pavilion came down before all.
From fair Bukhara, Sughd, and Samarkand,From Chakh and Sipanjab, he drew his hand.
He led his men toward Gang without delay,No pretext made, no turning from the way.
When Rostam heard that all had been fulfilled,His troubled heart grew calm and doubt was stilled.
He came to Siavash and told him all,Recounting every word he could recall.
Then Rostam said: “The terms are fully met;Let Garsivaz depart without regret.”
Then Siavash prepared a princely prize:A helmet, belt, and arms of costly guise.
A steed caparisoned in gold brocade,And, sheathed in gold, a costly Indian blade.
When Garsivaz beheld that royal boon,He saw on earth the rising of the moon.
Garsivaz took his leave, his blessings said,And folded earth beneath him as he sped.
B9.31
Siavash Yields Command to Bahram
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Siavash writes a last bitter letter to Kavus, hands the army and treasure to Bahram, and crosses the Jihun with three hundred riders. Piran meets him in splendor, weeps with him, and pledges his wealth, his kin and his protection.
103 couplets · Siavash named 4 times · in the full poem
Then Siavash wrote to Kavus his liege,To tell the grief that held his heart in siege:
“Though I am young, I am not poor in mind,Nor act as heedless of the ends I find.
I have done no wrong, yet still the Shah’s fierce ireHas burned my heart like some relentless fire.
Your shabestan first brought me all my grief;My face I washed in heart’s blood, past relief.
I crossed the mountain fire through scorching flame,And deer upon the plain wept at my shame.
From shame I went to war through pain and dread,And walked where jaws of nahang yawned ahead.
Now both the realms enjoy a time of peace,Yet still the Shah’s harsh temper will not cease.
His heart is like a sword of tempered steel;Whether I bind or loose, no change I feel.
Since he is weary of me, I depart,And cease to burden his embittered heart.
May joy surround him under heaven’s law,While grief has driven me through dragon’s jaw.
I do not know what turning heaven brings,If hate or favor waits beneath its wings.”
Then turning, thus to Bahram he replied:“Win fresh renown upon the path you ride.
To you I leave the crown and royal tent,The throne and treasure, full, with nothing spent.
Guard standards, riders, elephants and gear,And keep the koust till Tus himself draws near.
And when Tus comes, consign him every store;Stay watchful-hearted, faithful as before.”
He chose three hundred warriors, tried and true,All proven riders, fit for battle too.
He took sufficient wealth to see him through,With dinars and with royal jewels in view.
A hundred chosen horses, gold-arrayed,A hundred servants in gold belts displayed.
He counted weapons, harness, belts, and gear,And had them all brought forward, plain and clear.
Then summoned all the nobles to his side,And spoke with calm authority and pride:
“Piran has crossed the river; he is sentBy Afrasiab, with plain and clear intent.
He bears a secret message meant for me,And brings the word that I must hear and see.
I go to meet him; here you must abide,While I ride forth to greet him at his side.
To Bahram turn, and heed what he may say;Let none among you turn his heart away.”
The chiefs, each one, bowed low and kissed the groundBefore the prince, whose grief burned deep, profound.
The sun showed him its back; the air grew dim,The earth turned harsh as sorrow weighed on him.
He could not hide the tears that filled his eyes,As toward the Jihun he led his ranks with sighs.
When he reached Tarmez, all the streets were bright,With scent and color gleaming in the light.
From there to Chakh each city, bride-arrayed,Wore torc and crown in splendor all displayed.
At every halt rich carpets lined the ground,With feast and celebration all around.
So on they came to Kachar Bashi’s bound,Where he dismounted, and repose he found.
When Tus reached Balkh, they met him with the word,And told him bitter news of what occurred.
“The favored son of Kay Kavus,” they said,“Has joined the chief by whom Turan is led.”
He gathered troops and turned his army back,Returning to the court along the track.
The news made Kavus pale with inward grief,He groaned and sighed but found in none relief.
His heart was fire; tears gathered in his eyes,At Siavash and Afrasiab’s ties.
He doubted if his fate were friend or foe,And wondered what the turning heavens would show.
He set aside all thoughts of war and hate,And spoke no more of battle from that date.
When word arrived Siavash had crossed the flow,Afrasiab made ready men to go.
“Bring down the army to this frontier now!”His envoy reached the court and made his bow.
He called the nobles and the chiefs to fare,With tabira resounding through the air.
Then Piran chose a thousand of his kin,To greet the prince with gifts, then lead him in.
He readied all the army for the sight,And brought four mighty elephants in white.
On one they set a turquoise throne on high,A shining tree-like banner reached the sky.
A golden moon adorned its lofty crest,Upon a purple cloth with gold-thread dressed.
Three other elephants bore thrones of gold,In rich diba from head to foot enrolled.
A hundred steeds with golden saddles shone,With many-colored jewels thickly sewn.
The army seemed as heaven had drawn near,And clothed the face of earth in splendor clear.
When Siavash heard the welcoming array,He formed his ranks and hastened forth that way.
He saw Piran’s banner rise on high,And heard the elephants and horses cry.
He hurried forth and clasped Piran breast to breast,And asked of king and realm, and all the rest.
“Why have you worn your spirit on the road?Why bear for me so difficult a load?
My first desire was your dear self to see,And find you safe; that mattered first to me.”
Then Piran kissed his head, his feet, his face,And welcomed him with reverence and grace.
Then to the Judge of hidden things and known,He raised his grateful voice in reverent tone:
“Had I but dreamed of you while yet I slept,My aged head to youth again had leapt.
Now that I see you strong and standing well,I praise Yazdan whose mercies none can tell.
Afrasiab will be your father now,And all this riverside before you bow.
More than a thousand of my kin stand near,Attendants ready for your service here.
And all my wealth and treasure you command,May joy and health forever with you stand.
Speak no desire you fear may be denied;Both men and women serve you at my side.
Though gray my head, for you my belt I bind,And gladly serve with loyal heart and mind.”
They rode together, grief at last allayed,And spoke of every matter that they weighed.
The chang and rabab filled the streets with song,And woke the sleeping as the notes rolled long.
The ground was dark with musk along the way,Arabian horses seemed to wing away.
But when the prince beheld this splendid show,His tears like sudden rain began to flow.
He thought of Zabul and its festive throng,And feasts to Kabul stretched the road along.
Again he saw the nobles’ bright array,With Rostam, Piltan, leading the display;
He thought of Iran with a mournful sigh,While homesick longing dimmed his watchful eye.
He saw again the gems cast from above,With musk and ambergris, and signs of love.
His heart recalled them, burning as before,Like fire that leapt within him at the core.
He turned away to hide his inward pain,Yet Piran saw the grief he strove to rein.
He knew what memory had brought this grief,And bit his lip, himself denied relief.
They halted then a while beside the way,And drew their breath before they rode away.
Piran observed his face, his shoulders, frame,His stature and his speech of noble fame.
He watched the prince and marveled at the sight,And named Yazdan again with fresh delight.
“O prince, among the kings your name shall stand,A living memory through every land.
O prince, in you three noble gifts combine,No other ruler bears such marks divine:
First, from Kay Qobad runs your royal line,His ancient glory through your blood may shine.
Next, truth adorns the language that you speak,Your words are upright, gracious, never weak.
And from your face such gentle favor flows,That love itself from every feature grows.”
The prince replied: “O elder, pure and true,Your heart is wise, your speech is faithful too.
Renowned for love and loyalty your name,Far from Ahriman, cruelty, and blame.
If you will bind your covenant with mine,I know your word will never cross the line.
Then here I stay till all my grief is done,And make this land my rest beneath the sun.
If fortune smiles, I shall not grieve or mournFor all the roads by which my steps were borne;
If not, then let me pass without delay,And show another country on my way.”
Then Piran said: “Put such thoughts from your mind,You have left Iran and all its grief behind.
Turn not your heart from Afrasiab’s grace,Nor hurry now to leave this resting place.
Though Afrasiab bears a name of ill,In truth a godly heart is in him still.
He has good sense, sound judgment, wisdom’s light,And does not rush toward needless harm or fight.
He is my kinsman, joined to me by birth;I serve as champion and counselor of worth.
I stand in honor near his royal seat,With treasure, throne, and army at my feet.
More than a hundred thousand horse obey,And ride beneath the orders I convey.
And twelve thousand kinsmen of my lineWill stand before me when I give the sign.
I own broad lands and flocks and horses grand,With treasure, and with bow and coiled kamand.
And hidden wealth beyond all this have I;I need no aid from any man nearby.
All this I give you freely, as is right,If here you choose to dwell with heart made light.
Pure Yazdan placed you in my charge and care;With heart and soul your service I will bear.
No harm shall touch you by my will or deed;Yet none can know what fate has yet decreed.”
The prince rejoiced, his troubled heart grew light,And all his anxious thoughts withdrew from sight.
They sat and feasted, joined as sire and son,And shared the board together there as one.
With brighter hearts they hastened on the road,Till Gang received them in its fair abode.
B9.33
Siavash Displays His Prowess before Afrasiab
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Afrasiab tests his guest at polo, archery and the hunt. Siavash hits the ball out of sight, strings a bow no Turanian can bend, pierces the target and cuts a Gur-e-Khar in equal halves. The king grows fonder, but some Turanians grow uneasy.
105 couplets · Siavash named 17 times · in the full poem
One night the king to Siavash then said,“Prepare at dawn, when darkness first has fled.
With ball and chowgan to the field we go,And laugh awhile, and let our prowess show.
No man alive, they say, can match your play,Or meet your skill at polo on the day.”
Siavash replied: “May fortune guard your reign,And keep you safe from injury and pain.
All kings look up to you in every art,And seek the skill in which you stand apart.
My brightest day depends upon your will;From you I take alike both good and ill.”
Afrasiab said: “My son, be strong and bold,Victorious till the turning years grow old.
You are a Shah’s son, ornament of throne,The Kayan crown and army’s strength your own.”
At dawn they rode out laughing to the plain,And galloped freely, each with loosened rein.
The king then said: “Choose riders for your side,And let the ball reveal which skills abide.
You take that side; this side shall fall to mine,And split the gathered riders in a line.”
Siavash said: “How should I strive with you?I cannot stand against you, tried and true.
Choose others to contend with you; but IWill keep beside you as the hours go by.
Among your men I ride, a comrade tried;Across this field I stand and ride beside.”
The king was pleased and laughed to hear him speak,And judged all others’ boasts as hollow, weak.
He said: “By Kavus’s life and head this day,You shall contend with me in polo play.
Display your strength before the gathered band,So none may doubt the choice that I have planned.
Let all give praise; may joy bloom on my face.”Siavash replied: “Your word shall rule this place.
The field, the men, the game are yours to lead;Command, and I obey in word and deed.”
Afrasiab then chose his champions well:Kulbad and Pulad, horsemen known to excel.
With Piran, Jahan, Garsivaz the bold,With Nastihan and Houman fierce and cold.
Then to Siavash the king assigned his men:Brave Ruyin and Shideh rode with him then.
Andariman and Arjasp joined his side,Both lion-hearted, masters of the ride.
Siavash said: “Will any rider dareTo face the ball against me anywhere?
These all are yours, a company arrayed;Must I alone guard chowgan, without aid?
Permit me then to call men of my own,Iranian riders skilled and widely known.
They shall be mine in polo’s ordered play,As side meets side according to its way.”
The king agreed and granted his request,And gave consent to choose whom he thought best.
Siavash chose seven, hand-picked and blessed,All proven riders fit for such a test.
Tabira thundered; dust rose through the air,And shouts of riders echoed everywhere.
The sanj and ney rang out with brazen sound,Till all the field seemed moving on the ground.
Afrasiab struck first and sent the ballSo high it seemed to scale the sky’s vast wall.
Siavash spurred his steed and, swift and light,Struck it aloft before it could alight.
He struck it hard; it soared beyond their view,And none could trace the path on which it flew.
The king commanded: “Bring another ball,”And had it set before the prince and all.
He raised and kissed the ball before the crowd,The ney and koust together sounded loud.
He mounted then a fresh and eager steed,And tossed the ball in hand with practiced heed.
Then with his chowgan struck it toward the moon,As though the sky would claim the ball too soon.
The ball itself then vanished from their sight,As though the heavens drew it toward their height.
No rider there could match him in the race,Nor any shine with such a joyful face.
The king laughed loud, the nobles cried in praise,And marveled at the prince before their gaze.
They cried: “No horseman like him have we known!No rider with such mastery has shown!”
Afrasiab said: “Such prowess marks the oneOn whom divine farr shines beneath the sun.
His beauty, farr, and skill make one thing clear:To see him far surpasses what we hear.”
A throne was set beside the playing green;The king sat down while all stood watching keen.
Siavash sat beside him on the throne,And joy upon the king’s bright face was shown.
He said: “The field is open, all is free;Now play, and show your prowess, all to see.”
The men of Iran and Turan now engaged,And all the plain with eager contest raged.
From side to side the ball was seized and won,Each took from each before the play was done.
But when the Turks pressed on with growing heat,And strove too hard to see Iran’s defeat,
The Iranians seized the ball before their eyes,And left the Turks confounded with surprise.
Siavash frowned, and to his men he turned,And spoke Pahlevani, while purpose burned:
“Is this a game, or do you seek for war,While we stand here and press the contest sore?
When near the goal, then let the ball go by,And give the Turks their chance to score thereby.”
His riders eased, and slower now they pressed,And drew their horses back, and gave them rest.
The Turks seized back the ball and rode like fire;Afrasiab saw what checked Iranian ire.
He said: “A truthful man once told me so:The prince has arts no other man can show.
With bow and arrow none can match his art,When shoulders open and the shafts depart.”
The prince then took his Kayan bow, and raisedIt from its case before them as they gazed.
The king then asked to see the mighty bow,And had a servant bring it forth to show.
He took it, marveled at its strength and size,And praised the bow before the watching eyes.
He gave it then to Garsivaz: “Now try,And bend and string this bow before my eye.”
But all in vain; his utmost could not bringThat stubborn bow to bend, or brace the string.
Siavash took it, bent it with his hand,And strung it smoothly, smiling where he scanned.
The king declared: “Such bows demand the mightOf youthful arms to bend and string them right.
In youth I too had strength; my arm was bold,But age has stolen it; I have grown old.
No man in Iran or Turan, in war’s days,Could wield this bow and win such lasting praise.
Save him whose chest and shoulders bear such might;No other arm could bend and string it tight.”
A target then was planted on the plain;Siavash mounted, gathering the rein.
He pressed his thighs and drove his charger fast,Then drew and loosed a shaft as he rode past.
It struck the center, full before their gaze;Then he a four-feathered shaft did raise.
Again he drew and loosed with steady aim,And struck the very center, to acclaim.
The target, twice transfixed in one swift ride,Was pierced like some fine sieve from side to side.
He turned his rein and toward the right he tore,And struck again the mark he struck before.
The bow slung on his arm, he set his pace,And rode back toward the monarch’s watching place.
Siavash dismounted; Afrasiab said:“Your lineage shines in every shaft you sped.”
From there they rode toward the palace high,With joyful hearts beneath the evening sky.
They sat, called wine, and summoned song and art,And brought in tuneful minstrels to take part.
They drank and gave the prince their glad applause,And drank to Siavash with joyful cause.
Then Afrasiab gave gifts manifold:A steed, its trappings, throne, and crown of gold.
With cloth so rare no eye had seen its kind,A robe of finest workmanship designed.
With dinars, bags of silver, jewels stored,With rubies and turquoise and golden hoard.
With servants, slaves, and one resplendent cup,With glowing rubies filled completely up.
Afrasiab ordered all the gifts arrayed,Counted in full, then to the prince conveyed.
Throughout Turan affection for him grew,And every loyal heart to him turned true.
He ordered each to bring his wealth in view,And spread the tables when the gifts were through.
He said: “In all things hold him as your lord,And let your service be his due reward.”
Afrasiab said: “Come hunt with me one day,And drive all grief and troubled thoughts away.”
Siavash said: “Whenever you would ride,I follow where you lead and stand beside.”
One day they rode; the king brought hawks to fly,While hunting cheetahs bounded swiftly by.
From Iran and from Turan riders came,And all assembled, eager for the game.
The prince saw Gur-e-Khar upon the plain,And darted forth, and gave his steed the rein.
His rein grew light, his stirrup pressed with weight,Through hill and hollow flew his charging gait.
He struck a Gur-e-Khar and clove it clean,His flashing blade cut through with edge so keen.
He judged the halves and found their balance true,Not one grain’s weight could part the equal two.
The king and all his train looked on amazed,And praised the strength and skill the prince displayed.
They cried: “What master stands before our eyes!”And gazed in silent wonder and surprise.
They said: “From Iran trouble comes today;This prince may bring us grief along the way.
Our chiefs are pressed, their names are brought down low;Perhaps against the Shah to war we go.”
Through cave and mountain, over plain he sped,With sword and spear and arrow game lay dead.
At every place he raised a mound of prey,And left the army fed along the way.
Then back they rode toward Afrasiab’s hall,With hearts made light and gladness shared by all.
The king in grief or pleasure turned to none,But Siavash alone, his chosen one.
To Jahan or Garsivaz he spoke no thought,Nor shared the hidden counsel that he sought.
With Siavash alone he found delight;His lips would open into laughter bright.
B9.37
The Marriage of Siavash and Farangis
👴🏇👦👰👸💍🎁💎👑👥🎶🍷❤️🎉14 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Piran and his wife Golshahr prepare a vast dowry of cloth, jewels, gold and servants. Afrasiab gives his daughter in marriage before witnesses, and Farangis is brought to Siavash by night. Seven nights of celebration follow.
35 couplets · Siavash named 1 time · in the full poem
When dawn arose across the turning sky,It shone like golden shield uplifted high.
Piran made ready, mounted with all speed,And rode away upon his chosen steed.
He reached the prince’s court and, bowing, prayedHis blessing on the farr the prince displayed.
He said: “Prepare yourself; the time draws near,To welcome now the royal daughter here.
If you command, my belt I now shall bind,And undertake the work you have in mind.”
The prince grew modest, blushing as he heard,And youthful shame within his heart was stirred.
For Piran’s daughter was already bride,Jarireh, heart and soul, stood at his side.
He said: “Do as you will, and as seems best;You know my heart and all within my breast.”
Piran returned and homeward bent his way,Resolved to bring the marriage to its day.
He gave Golshahr the key to garments rare,And put the household stores beneath her care.
She was the mistress of his honored hall,Bright-minded, praised and prudent over all.
One thousand lengths of Chinese cloth-of-gold,The choicest fabrics from his stores unrolled.
With emerald trays and turquoise cups arrayed,With musk and raw aloe within them laid.
Two jeweled crowns, two bracelets of fine art,One golden torc, most rare in every part.
And sixty camel-loads of carpets lay,Three sets of gold-woven robes in bright array.
With cloth sewn thick with jewels, richly made,And thirty loads of gold and silver weighed.
A golden throne and four fine chairs were brought,With Persian wares and garments finely wrought.
Three golden slippers, emeralds inlaid,And golden cups in servants’ hands displayed.
Two hundred bore those cups in ordered row,A glittering train in long and stately show.
Three hundred servants, golden-capped, drew near,With almost a hundred kinsmen in the rear.
Ten trays of musk, a hundred saffron bore,In fragrant tribute from the treasure-store.
Golshahr and all her sisters came in sight,A golden ammari draped in diba bright.
Golshahr took ten thousand dinars then,And cast them out in largesse among men.
They brought the gifts to Farangis with praise,And blessed her for the fortune of her days.
Golshahr kissed earth and cried before them all:“Now Venus joins the Sun within this hall.”
Piran and Afrasiab, both as one,Hastened the work for Kavus’s royal son.
They gave the bride as custom did require,And witnesses confirmed the pact entire.
When all was done, a message sped like smoke,And Piran sent to Golshahr as he spoke:
“Go now and seek the bride without delay;Bring Farangis to Siavash today.”
She went to Farangis and made it known:“Tonight, like moonlight, you adorn his throne.”
They robed the bride in all her bridal grace,And laid black musk upon her rose-bright face.
Like a new moon she entered, soft and bright,And came before the young Shah in the night.
They dwelt in joy, their happiness complete,And love increased each moment they would meet.
For seven nights no bird or fish would sleep,No weary head in slumber settled deep.
The earth became a garden all around,As joy and minstrels’ voices filled the ground.
B9.42
Siavash Founds Siavash-Gard
👑✍️📜🎁💰🐪👦🏗️🧱🏙️🌷🌳🏛️🎨🎶🎉16 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Afrasiab summons Siavash back to a new province. The prince travels with great wealth to Khorram-Bahar, lays out a city two farsangs square, fills it with palaces and gardens, and paints its halls with scenes of Kavus, Rostam and Afrasiab. It is named Siavash-Gard.
26 couplets · Siavash named 1 time · in the full poem
A messenger from Afrasiab came,At sleeping-time he sped as swift as flame.
He brought to Siavash a shining scroll,Bright as the stars that through the darkness roll.
It said: “Since you departed from my sight,I find no rest, nor peace by day or night.
Now I have sought a fitting place for you,A place in Turan, rich and fair to view.
If where you dwell is pleasant to your heart,And grief and care from all your thoughts depart,
Return to that kingdom now, as you must,And cast your ill-wishers’ heads into dust.”
The prince prepared the baggage and his force,And swiftly took the Shah-appointed course.
A thousand red-haired she-camels bore the load,And moved in ordered ranks along the road.
A hundred mules bore treasure, silver store,And forty mules the golden dinars bore.
Ten thousand warriors rode beside his train,Chosen from Iran and from Turan’s plain.
The baggage train moved on in ordered line,With litters bearing women robed to shine.
With rubies, turquoise, torques, and jeweled crowns,And ornaments whose worth surpassed all bounds.
With ambergris, aloeswood, musk, perfume,With brocade, silk in richly woven bloom.
From Mesr and Chin, and Pars came woven freight,Thirty full camel-loads of costly weight.
The prince moved onward with his noble band,Until they reached Khorram-Bahar’s land.
There he marked out the city’s measured ground,Two farsangs long, two broad from bound to bound.
High palaces rose over gardens fair,And orchards flourished richly everywhere.
A city like a paradise would rise,With tulips, hyacinths beneath the skies.
Within its halls he painted scenes of old,Of kings and wars and feasts in colors bold.
They painted Kavus seated on his throne,With armlet, gorz, his royal state full shown.
With Rostam strong, with Zal and Gudarz near,And all their gathered company drawn clear.
Elsewhere he showed Afrasiab in might,With Piran and Garsivaz set for fight.
That splendid city’s fame spread like a tide,Through all Iran and Turan, side by side.
At every point rose domes that touched the sky,Their summits climbed among the clouds on high.
Within sat minstrels singing many songs,While chiefs and warriors stood in ordered throngs.
Men called it Siavash-Gard throughout the land,And all rejoiced to see the city stand.
B9.52
Siavash’s Farewell to Farangis
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Siavash tells Farangis his fate: he will be beheaded, she will be saved by Piran and bear a son, Kay Khosrow, who will one day avenge him. He frees his black horse Behzad for his son, hamstrings his other horses, burns his treasure, and leaves.
49 couplets · in the full poem
He said to Farangis: “My dream proves true;My water darkens as my fate comes due.
My life draws near its end; its span is brief,And now have come the bitter days of grief.
Though high my eyvan climbs to Saturn’s height,I still must drink death’s poison, lose the light.
Though twelve long hundred years our life should span, Dark dust at last remains the home of man.
Some feed the prowling lions on the plain, While kites and vultures tear among the slain.
No man of wisdom seeks for day at night,Or hopes that darkness will itself grow bright.
The fifth month now has come since seed was sown,A famous child within your womb has grown.
This tree of yours shall bear a royal king,And from its branch your consolation spring.
Name him Kay Khosrow when he comes to light,And let his presence ease your grieving plight.
From blazing sun down to the smallest speck, To elephants with armor at the neck,
From spring’s first source to Nile that meets the seas,None can escape what pure Yazdan decrees.
On Turan’s soil my hidden dust shall stay;No dust of mine in Iran shall men lay.
Who calls this ancient world still fresh and new,When turning skies present no constant view?
My joyful fortune now has reached its end;The king’s wrath turns where once he stood my friend.
By your father’s command this guiltless headShall fall, and blood shall stain my crown deep red.
No bier or shroud or mourners there shall be;No grave in death will close its earth on me.
A stranger in the dust I shall be laid,My head struck from my body by the blade.
And you, your head and body stripped and bare,Shall be led forth by guards in deep despair.
Then noble Piran will before him strive,And beg your father that you stay alive.
He then will lead you from that court away,And in his own eyvan will let you stay.
There shall you bear your son in sorrow’s hour,Young Kay Khosrow, destined for kingly power.
From Iran soon a deliverer shall rise,By the Creator’s command, prepared and wise.
He shall conduct you and your son from here,In secret to the Jihun flowing clear.
Your son shall sit upon the royal seat,And bird and fish obey him, far and fleet.
Iran shall march to vengeance for my blood,And shake the world beneath its battle-flood.
Such is the turning of the faithless sky,It binds no heart with love, but passes by.
How many iron-armored troops shall rise,To seek my vengeance under darkened skies!
The whole world then shall thunder with a shout,And time shall boil when Kay Khosrow rides out.
Then Rakhsh shall trample earth in battle’s span,And Rostam count no Turanian a man.
From this day forth until the dead arise,My blood shall call for vengeance to the skies.
Then gorz and tempered blade alone shall reign,And vengeance for my blood shall fill the plain.”
The noble hero turned and faced his bride,And spoke farewell with grief he could not hide:
“My faithful wife, I now must go from you;Be strong, and let your courage bear you through.
Forget the throne and all its fleeting show,And hold my words wherever you may go.”
He left the palace pale with grief and pain,And mourned the world where joy and loss remain.
“Why does this world raise what it means to break,And nurture life only its life to take?”
The lady tore her cheeks and rent her hair,And wept in anguish deep beyond repair.
She clung to him; two streams ran from her eyes,And filled the hall with bitter sobs and cries.
He sought the stables of his noble steeds,And led out Behzad, famed for battle deeds.
Night-colored Behzad, swifter than the gale,On vengeance day would leave the wind to fail.
He groaned and pressed its head against his breast,Then loosed its bridle, halter, gave it rest.
He whispered counsel softly in its ear:“Stay wakeful-hearted; let no steed draw near.
When Kay Khosrow shall rise to seek redress,Give him your reins and bear him through the press.
Leave now the stable; break from every chain,For you shall bear him on the vengeful plain.
Carry him forth; let terror spread ahead,And with your hoof sweep every foe in dread.”
He hamstrung every other steed of fame, Then set the stables and the reeds aflame.
His brocade, dinars, pearls of radiant glow, Were cast into the roaring fire below;
The crown, the helm, the sword, the royal belt, Were given to the furnace, there to melt;
The hoard was ashes, ruined and overturned, While smoke from eyvan and rose-garden burned.
B9.55
Siavash Falls by Gurvi’s Hand
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Gurvi drags Siavash to the archery ground and cuts his throat over a golden basin, and a plant springs from the blood poured on barren earth. Darkness covers the world. Afrasiab orders Farangis beaten to kill her unborn child, the nobles protest, and Pilsam rides to warn Piran.
63 couplets · Siavash named 3 times · in the full poem
Garsivaz cast a glance that Gurvi knew,And Gurvi toward the captive prince then drew.
In Gurvi shame and chivalry were dead,And mercy from his savage spirit fled.
He seized his hair and dragged him through the dust,While Siavash raised his voice in prayer and trust:
“O Lord beyond all place, all time, all change,Let not my line be lost in lands so strange.
Let from my seed a radiant branch arise,A son whose glory shines beneath the skies.
Let him avenge the wrongs that here are done,And make my name renewed beneath the sun.
Beneath his feet let all the world be laid,And let true manhood through his deeds be displayed.”
Behind them Pilsam followed, sick with dread,His eyes ran blood; his grieving heart seemed dead.
The prince cried out: “Farewell; go with my prayer,And take to Piran word of my despair.
Go speak to Piran; tell him what you see:‘The world has turned from all it promised me.
My hope in Piran scattered, fled, and died;Like willow now I tremble, terrified.
He promised horsemen, armored rank on rank,A hundred thousand strong upon my flank,
To stand beside me when my fortune turned,And aid me when the fires of danger burned.
But now on foot before Garsivaz I go,Abased and dark of heart beneath this woe.
No grieving friend remains beside me here,No voice to mourn me as my death draws near.’”
Beyond the city and the army’s line,They dragged him bound where fate had set its sign.
Then Gurvi Zereh took Garsivaz’s blade,A water-colored khanjar keenly made.
He dragged the prince by hair across the plain,Back to the place where shafts had flown like rain.
There they had bent the bow and loosed the dart,And tested eye and hand and archer’s art.
There Gurvi Zereh threw the prince below,The raging elephant laid helpless low.
No shame or fear restrained his savage hand;A golden basin waited on the sand.
He turned the prince as shepherds turn a sheep,Then struck the fatal stroke, both sure and deep.
The silver cypress fell beneath the sun,His blood poured dark; his living grace was done.
The basin filled; then Gurvi Zereh boreThe blood to where the king had marked before.
He overturned it on the appointed ground,Where barren earth lay silent all around.
At once a plant sprang from that bloody seed,A living witness to the brutal deed.
They call it Blood of Siavash to this day,A sign no passing age can sweep away.
When life withdrew from that now fallen frame,And silence closed upon his lifeless name,
He sank in sleep no morning could dispel,Where neither dawn nor waking radiance fell.
A black wind rose, and dust obscured the sky,And veiled the sun and moon from every eye.
No man could see the face beside his own,So thick the dark across the world had grown.
Then all cursed Gurvi Zereh’s hated name,And branded his cruelty with lasting shame.
The royal throne stood empty and alone;No moon, no sun, no cypress near it shone.
I turn to left and right, yet all is blind;No head nor foot of this world can I find.
One man does wrong yet prospers in his way,And claims the world as though it were his prey;
Another walks in truth and measured light,Yet fades away in sorrow and in blight.
Release your soul from care that binds it fast,And let the grief of passing things be past.
For all things shift; no form can long endure,And nothing fashioned here remains secure.
One truth remains for all beneath the sky:Whatever lives must one day fade and die.
A cry arose within Siavash’s hall,And rage at Garsivaz consumed them all.
The servants tore their hair in wild despair,And Farangis cut through her perfumed hair.
She wound it round her waist and struck her face,And cursed her father in that shattered place.
The moon-faced women loosed their hair to flow,And scratched their cheeks in anguish and in woe.
When word of all her grieving reached the king,He ordered Garsivaz to do this thing:
“Drag her by hair beyond the curtain’s shade,And give her to the guards who stand arrayed.
Strip off her veil and beat her without delay,Till vengeance’s seed falls on Turan’s clay.
No root or branch, no leaf or fruit shall growFrom him within the land I rule below.”
At these harsh words the nobles cursed the king,And raised a cry that made the palace ring:
“No king, no counselor, no army bandHas ever heard or given such command.”
Then Pilsam came, both cheeks with blood made red,His soul was scarred, his grieving heart half-dead.
He found Lahhak and Farshidvard in grief,And spoke of pain that offered no relief:
“Even hell itself is better than this throne;No rest remains where cruelty has grown.
We must ride now to Piran without rest,And share the captive grief that fills each breast.”
They saddled then three horses swift and strong,The earth seemed rolled beneath them all along.
These riders came at last to Piran’s place,With blood-stained cheeks and anguish on each face.
They told him how the Shah had planted ill,And laid the root of evil by his will.
Piran heard all, fell senseless from his throne,As though the life within him too had flown.
He rent his robe and cast dust on his head,And pulled his hair in anguish for the dead.
He cried: “Alas, fit wearer of the crown of gold!No ivory throne your equal shall behold.”
Then Pilsam said: “Make haste, delay no more,Or greater grief than this will reach our door.”
Meanwhile Farangis from the throne was torn,Her body like a tree in tempest borne.
Dishonored, crying out in grief and fear,They dragged her toward the killers waiting near.
They gave her to the guards, those men of death,As she cried out and struggled for her breath.
Family
- Parents
- Kavus
- Siblings
- Fariborz
- Children
- Forood, Kay Khosrow
On the maps
Story maps that show Siavash or tell a part of the story that names Siavash.
B6.9Kavus’s Flight to the Sky and His Fall
B9.15–B9.16Siavash Marches to the Eastern Front (toward Balkh)
B9.31–B9.32Siavash Crosses the Jihun into Exile
B9.39–B9.44Siavash’s Eastern Realm: Gangdezh and Siavash-Gard
B9.51–B9.56The Ride to Siavash-Gard and the Death of Siavash
B10.3–B10.13Rostam's Harrowing of Turan
B10.15–B10.29Giv’s Seven-Year Quest and the Flight Home across the Jihun
B12.2–B12.15The Wrong Road: Forood’s Mountain and the Snowstorm CampaignWhere he appears
Named mentions by book, from the Universe Registry, the index behind this site. Titles and epithets are not counted.
B6The Folly of Kay Kavus1B8The Tragedy of Rostam & Sohrab1B9The Story of Siavash213B10Vengeance for Siavash and the Retrieval of Kay Khosrow43B11Kay Khosrow’s Kingship5B12Forood and the Snowstorm Campaign28B13Mount Hamavan and the Kamus Campaign15B14The Great Battle with the Khan of Chin21C1Rostam and the Div Akvan1C2The Tale of Bijan and Manijeh9C3The Battle of the Twelve Rukhs32C4The Final Afrasiab Wars and the Disappearance of Kay Khosrow34C8The Tragedy of Rostam and Esfandiyar5C9Rostam and Shaghad1E5Hormizd, Son of Anooshirvan7E6Khosrow Parviz6E8Shiruyeh’s Coup and the End of the Great Reign1E10Yazdegard2More in the Glossary, all the characters and the Art.