Book D12Qobad and the Mazdakite Revolution

When glorious Qobad rose to take the throne,He wore the crown that made his kingship known.

From Istakhr’s glory then he made his way,To Tisfoon in bright and royal array.

When he had taken Pirooz’s royal seat,He spoke these words, both measured and complete:

“Conceal from me no matter, dark or bright;My door is open, whether day or night.

The man is great who orders well his tongue,And seeks no crooked speech from old or young.

When he shows mercy, setting wrath aside,The chief of upright men calls him a guide.

He sets contentment’s throne upon the earth;Through justice, nobles recognize his worth.

If you keep vengeance far from your own heart,All men alike will praise your royal part.

But when a king forsakes the words of right,His crooked speech soon makes him seek a fight.

First hear a matter fully to the end;Then let a rightful answer be your friend.

When any sage is covetous for gain,His knowledge bears no fruit in sun or rain.

When he is hasty, all his learning’s storeIs poured on barren ground and yields no more.

The prudent king will win the soldier’s mind,And bear reproach with patience, calm and kind.

The rich man who clings fast to his estateRanks lower than the beggar at the gate.

But with a foolish mendicant’s ascension,His folly fills the realm with dire dissension.

The man who knows defects within his breastWill not make others’ faults his public quest.

Patience is wisdom’s pillar, firm and wise;But anger makes men base in others’ eyes.

Content with what God grants, you come to findA wealth of heart, a pure and single mind.

Keep free from toil; no treasure can exceedThe worth of one whose life is free from greed.

The man whose giving is his lasting storeMay die; his name will live for evermore.

So put your hands to good, and good alone;Do not let evil claim the world as its own.”

The nobles called down blessings on his crown,And emeralds in showers came glittering down.

His years were sixteen; young, he held the seatOf kings, but found his power far from complete.

For Sofrye ruled the world by his command;Qobad was not the master of the land.

The Pahlevan made all affairs his own,And let none sit before the royal throne.

No Mobad, no command was his to claim;No counsel; Sofrye ruled in all but name.

Thus tulip-bright the wine shone in the bowl,Till manhood’s strength had ripened Qobad’s soul.

When he had reached his twenty-first full year,Then Sofrye before the king drew near.

He begged the king for leave to homeward ride,With all his troops to travel at his side.

He made his retinue and baggage ready,His heart at ease, his purpose firm and steady.

The tabiras were struck; he took his way,To Shiraz, glory brightening his array.

He went as one who had attained desire,With fortune such as kings themselves admire.

All Pars submitted wholly to his will;He had no crown, but ruled the kingdom still.

He thought, “I set the Shah upon his seat,And gave him homage, loyal and complete.

If any man should slander me today,The Shah will cast that man in shame away.”

He levied tribute throughout every place,From famous chiefs and men of noble race.

When all his doings reached the royal ear,Both just and unjust acts alike made clear,

The people said, “The Shah has but the crown,While Sofrye holds the wealth, the troops, the town.

The king commands no deed, decides no plan;The world serves Sofrye, every lord and man.”

The king’s close confidants received each claim,And poured these whispered charges on his name.

They added, “Why, exalted king, remainContent to rule in name, without domain?

His treasury is better filled than yours;Free all the realm from what his pride secures.

All Pars has grown a slave beneath his hand;The great men bow to him throughout the land.”

These words corrupted Qobad’s royal heart,And made past services from thought depart.

He said, “If I send troops to curb his reign,He may revolt, and all my cost is vain.

I would but spend my wealth to make a foe,While he would cause much trouble, toil, and woe.

The people all are speaking of his deeds,Yet none can know what secret purpose breeds.

I know no warrior in the realm todayWho dares to lead an army to the fray.”

A wise man answered, “Do not think his mightCan ever seize the royal crown by right.

You still have chiefs and captains, brave and strong,Whose hands can shake the heavens all day long.

When Shapur rides from Rey to take the field,The wicked Sofrye’s fate is thereby sealed.”

The Shah took courage; doubt no longer stirred,And Sofrye’s long service lay interred.

He bade a veteran mount and swiftly findShapur, with secret royal charge in mind.

He feigned a journey with his hawk and hound,While secret purpose urged him over ground.

His road led straight to Shapur, lord of Rey,To summon him to court without delay.

The messenger took one spare horse along,And rode, an autumn blast both swift and strong.

He reached Rey swiftly, as the king had said;The chamberlain then questioned where he sped.

He took the royal letter in his hand,And went before Shapur at the command.

He gave the letter to the lord of Rey,And brought the messenger without delay.

Shapur, who traced to Mehrak his descent,Smiled as he read the words that Qobad sent.

For Sofrye had no more bitter foe,In public court or private, high or low.

Thus summoned, Shapur gathered all his men,And led his army toward the Shah again.

He marched in haste until he came to court;They cleared the road before his armed escort.

The Shah received him well, with honors due,And gave him rank and place among the few.

He placed him on the turquoise seat of pride,And spoke the grief he could no longer hide:

“I have no portion in the crown I bear;Men call me Shah, but I possess no share.

The realm’s whole power Sofrye holds in fee;An empty kingship only rests with me.

For all the right and wrong I bear the blame;One day my flesh must suffer for the same.

Were even my own brother lord and king,It would be better than this shameful thing.”

Shapur replied, “O king, be not aggrieved;This wound can still be healed, your pain relieved.

Write him a letter, stern in its command;You bear the farr of kings throughout the land.

Say this: ‘Of kingship, all I hold is care;My treasury stands empty, stripped and bare.

You take the tribute, while I bear the blame;I will not have you call me Shah in name.

I send this Pahlevan to you today,Because your conduct drives my heart astray.’

When he receives the letter we design,And sees my troops in ordered battle-line,

I will not let him blink; my words shall fallIn anger, with no gentleness at all.”

They called a scribe and seated him nearby;Shapur dictated Qobad’s stern reply.

The writer set the secret words in place,His twisting pen kept up the wind’s swift pace.

When Qobad sealed the letter with his ring,Shapur led forth the army of the king.

He added famous chiefs to his array,Once scattered from the Shah’s ranks far away.

With nobles eager for the road ahead,Toward distant Shiraz all his banners spread.

The tidings reached Sofrye; he amassedHis strength from all of Pars, a muster vast.

With mailed horsemen and a mighty force,He went to meet Shapur upon his course.

They met, and both those haughty chiefs stepped down,Dismounting from their steeds before the town.

When Shapur sat with Sofrye, they weighedBoth good and ill in all the plans they made.

Then Shapur laid the royal letter bare;Affairs had reached a pass of dark despair.

The Pahlevan read through the royal word,Grew stunned and dark of soul at what he heard.

When he had read, Shapur spoke without pause:“The Shah commands your seizure for this cause.

He complains much of you before the great;You know the Shah, who will brook no debate.”

The Pahlevan replied, “The Shah knows wellWhat toil I bore, what hardships on me fell.

From Zabulistan I advanced with might,And freed him from his bondage in the fight.

No calamity came upon his head;I shielded him when hope itself had fled.

My deeds were told before the royal throne,And to Iran’s great chieftains they were known.

But since my recompense is bond and chain,And my resistance would bring toil and pain,

I ask no respite now. Bind both my feet;Qobad’s own fetters will be honor sweet.

Before God and the troops, does he feel shame?How much warm blood I shed to serve his name!

When that young Shah lay captive and forlorn,To God my solemn oath that day was sworn:

‘My hand shall clasp the sword alone in fight;My battle-clouds shall veil the sun’s clear light.

My head I give, or cast his to the ground,From that high throne where Khoshnavaz sits crowned.’

And now he binds me. Is this justice done?Are chains and insults all my service won?

Yet do not turn aside from his command;Bonds are ornaments on a hero’s hand.”

When Shapur heard him, he made fast the chains,Then bade the karnay sound across the plains.

From Pars he brought him bound upon the way,And carried him before Qobad that day.

Qobad recalled no service of the past,And had the captive into prison cast.

He ordered all his wealth and goods conveyedFrom Shiraz, as the royal order bade.

His household, treasure, harvest, field, and goldWere seized for Qobad’s treasury to hold.

When one week passed, Qobad sought counsel thenFrom sage Mobadan and from learned men.

They said, “All Tisfoon is on his side;If he remains alive, your power has died.

Your troops and subjects stand beside him still;Your landed men and courtiers share that will.

A royal foe is safest left to lieBereft of life; command that Sofrye die.”

The Shah heard out the Mobad; then he turnedTo new men, while his former friend he spurned.

He gave the order: Sofrye must be slain,And hearts and eyes be wrung for him in pain.

When word of elephantine Sofrye’s deathReached Iran, grief near stopped the people’s breath.

A cry of anguish rose from every side;Men, women, children mourned the man who died.

All tongues poured curses; secrets once concealedWere spoken openly, their truth revealed.

Iran convulsed; dust darkened all the light,And all the folk took arms to claim their right.

They said, “Since Sofrye is lost and dead,We tear the crown from cruel Qobad’s head.”

The troops and townsmen joined in one accord;No longer would they own Qobad as lord.

They stormed the Shah’s own palace in their rage,And cursed the evil counsel of the age.

They killed the men whose plots had caused the fall,And dragged their bodies from the royal hall.

They sought Jamasp, the younger of the two,And asked for news from anyone who knew.

He was a noble youth of royal birth,Whom Qobad cherished tenderly on earth.

They set him on the throne of kings to reign,And hailed him Shah of all Iran’s domain.

They bound Qobad’s feet; neither farr nor raceCould win him honor in that hostile place.

Now Sofrye had a single cherished son,A youth of wisdom, holy, harming none.

Rizmehr, whose love had made his father glad,A gentle son, the joy that Sofrye had.

To him they gave Qobad, the captive king,And waited for the vengeance grief would bring.

They thought, “In grief, the loving son will takeRevenge for Sofrye, for anguish’s sake.”

Good Rizmehr, faithful to Yazdan above,Spared King Qobad and answered hate with love.

He bowed before Qobad with reverent face,And spoke no word of vengeance or disgrace.

Qobad was moved and marveled at the deed,And learned the kindness men in sorrow need.

“Forgive me! Those who hate me now have castA cloud across my star, and hold me fast.

But if I find release from bond and chain,I will reward you for your grief and pain.

I shall relieve your sorrow and distress,And make our meeting shine with happiness.”

Rizmehr replied, “O king, let those words rest;To speak no more of this would serve you best.

If he fell short in deeds he should have done,His death has brought this sorrow to his son.

As for myself, I am your slave and thrall;I stand before you, ready at your call.

If you desire it, I will swear todayI shall not from my pledged allegiance stray.”

So spoke Rizmehr; when Qobad heard the word,His heart with joy and sudden comfort stirred.

He made Rizmehr his confidant that day,And said, “No thought of mine shall hide away.

Five men alone have shared my secret plan;No others know it; not one other man.

We shall now summon them and tell them all,And see if one of them will heed the call.

If you release my feet from bond and chain,My counsel shall reward you for your pain.”

Good Rizmehr heard his words and straightawayReleased his feet from fetters that same day.

By night they left the city, all unseen,And crossed the open plain behind night’s screen.

Toward the Heytalians their course they bent;In haste and fear, without a halt, they went.

Thus sped the seven like windblown dust in flight,Until Ahvaz appeared before their sight.

They reached a thriving village; there they foundA famed dehqan, farsangs around renowned.

They all dismounted at his dwelling-place,And rested there a week from fear and chase.

He had a daughter, moonlike, crowned with musk,Whose beauty brightened dawn and evening dusk.

When young Qobad beheld her moon-bright face,All wisdom fled his heart and left no trace.

He went at once to Rizmehr and confessed,“I have a secret hidden in my breast.

Go quickly to the noble; speak my plea:Could that fair moon-faced maiden marry me?”

Rizmehr went swiftly, told the noble lord,And shaped his words with counsel in accord.

“If your fair daughter has not yet been wed,A worthy suitor seeks her marriage-bed.

You shall be lord of all Ahvaz, and raiseYour rank and power to heights deserving praise.”

The noble answered Rizmehr with delight,“My daughter is a maiden still, and bright.

If she should suit him, yours is the command;Give him my daughter as the match you planned.”

Wise Rizmehr came to young Qobad and said,“May Fortune bless the Moon you mean to wed.

You saw and chose her when she met your view;From head to foot, her beauty captured you.”

Qobad then called that fairy-faced one near,And set her on his knee with royal cheer.

He had with him one ring, and only one,A signet whose true worth was known to none.

He gave it, saying, “Keep this seal of mine;I may return and seek it as a sign.”

For seven days he stayed with that fair Moon,Then on the eighth departed all too soon.

He rode away at dawn with urgent speed,And sought the Heytalian king in need.

He told what had befallen in his land,How foes had risen round him, hand in hand.

The king replied, “Your need has come, I fear,From wrong to Khoshnavaz that brought you here.

On these conditions I will grant you men,Crown-wearing warriors fit for war again:

If throne and treasure once again are won,Chaghaniyan is mine when all is done.

That land is mine; Iran is yours to keep,And from this pact no sorrow shall you reap.”

Qobad then smiled and answered to his claim:“To me Chaghaniyan is but a name.

I shall send warriors, more than you can count;Whenever you desire them, they shall mount.”

The king supplied him horses for his men,And armed his troops to take the field again.

He took full forty thousand men of might,All famous horsemen, proven in the fight.

To Ahvaz with that force Qobad returned;His name through all the world like beacons burned.

Qobad approached the noble’s house and sawCrowds thronging every street in joy and awe.

They brought him news: “Your bride has borne this nightA son whose face is like the moon in light.

May this young son bring blessings to your days,And give you cause for gratitude and praise.”

Qobad, on hearing, entered full of cheer;They named the newborn Kisra, bright and dear.

He asked the noble, “Tell me, honored friend,From what ancestral line do you descend?”

He said, “From valiant Fereydoon I came,Who stripped cruel Zahhak of crown and name.

My father taught me, from my earliest day,To honor Fereydoon in every way.”

Qobad rejoiced far more that day, when told,Than when he first received his crown of gold.

He had a litter brought; his bride took her placeWithin, and then he marched at battle’s pace.

He led his army on toward Tisfoon’s seat,Enraged at Iran’s men, and their deceit.

Meanwhile, Iran’s old chiefs and sages met,With elders and great nobles in regret.

They said, “This strife between the royal pairMay last too long for us and ours to bear.

From Rum and Chin great armies march in force;If we divide, then bloodshed runs its course.

We must go forth to Qobad and appear;Perhaps the past will fade when we draw near.

Bring young Jamasp, just ten, whose tears descendLike pearls, that this hostility may end.

Thus may we turn his anger into peace,And bid the threat of war and ruin cease.”

They went to meet Qobad and spoke this plea:“O Shah of royal stock and majesty,

If you have wounded hearts with deeds severe,Our insolence has cost us many a tear.

The Shah commands the world; command us all,And let no bloodshed on Iran befall.”

They came on foot, with dust upon each head,Their hearts in grief, their faces pale with dread.

The Shah forgave his lords; their pleas outweighedThe blood that would be shed by vengeful blade.

He pardoned young Jamasp; the nobles prayed,And blessings on the king of kings were laid.

He came and sat upon the royal seat;Jamasp bowed low, submissive at his feet.

Qobad entrusted Rizmehr with command,For he had served with loyal heart and hand.

He gave him wealth and set him by his side;Through him the realm was ordered far and wide.

Thus matters fared until young Kisra grew,A bold young prince whom all the kingdom knew.

He placed his son in learned teachers’ care,That fruitful branch, so promising and fair.

His writ through both Iran and Turan passed;Beneath the turning sky his crown stood fast.

He marched on Rum; its fortress could not stand,But turned like wax beneath his mighty hand.

He made that land a wilderness of thorn;Its fields lay bare, its countryside forlorn.

Two cities in that land, when he drew near,Mandia and Farqin, sought quarter here.

He taught the Zand and set the faith in place,With fire temples built to mark its grace.

He kept Nowruz and Sadeh’s rites complete;He founded Madain as the royal seat.

He wrought both good and ill, and built a townBetween Ahvaz and Pars of fair renown.

He built a hospital to tend the weak,Where those in pain could come, relief to seek.

He named it Aran; in the Arab tongue,The name of Holvan to that city clung.

They opened canals; the streams began to flow,And all the land found rest from toil and woe.

There rose a man named Mazdak, shrewd and wise,A learned speaker, keen in all men’s eyes.

Judicious, bold, commanding, quick of mind,Whose trade was knowledge, foremost of his kind.

Brave King Qobad gave ear to what he said,And raised him high, where royal counsels led.

He made him minister, his closest guide,And made him keeper of the wealth inside.

Then drought brought famine on the world entire,And every soul was ravaged by its fire.

No snow appeared; no rain fell from the skyIn all Iran; the land lay parched and dry.

At length the nobles of the world came near,To beg for bread and water, wan with fear.

They stood before Qobad’s imperial gate,Afflicted by the famine and their fate.

Mazdak then gave the waiting crowd this word:“The Shah will show a path when I am heard.”

Then he himself went hastily within,Before the king, and let his speech begin.

He said, “O upright Shah, I ask of youA question, if your grace will answer true.”

Qobad replied, “Speak on, and by your artBring fresh illumination to my heart.”

Mazdak rejoined, “A man lies serpent-stung;His life is ebbing, and his hope is wrung.

Another has the nush-daru nearby,Yet will not give it, though the victim die.

He holds full twenty dirhams’ weight of cure;What punishment should such a man endure?”

The Shah replied, “He caused the other’s death;Let him be slain for stealing life and breath.

When justice seizes him, then let him die;The victim’s blood for vengeance makes its cry.”

When Mazdak heard, he left the palace gate,And spoke to those who bore the famine’s weight:

“I laid the case before the Shah’s own ear;At dawn the rightful path shall be made clear.”

They went away, and at the break of dayReturned with hearts afflicted by delay.

When Mazdak saw those chiefs again appear,He ran to Qobad’s portal, drawing near.

He said, “Victorious Shah, whose words give light,Whose sleepless grace defends the royal height,

You gave an answer when I spoke before,And with that answer opened wisdom’s door.

Grant leave, and I will set a question plain,And ask what justice bids a king ordain.”

The Shah replied, “Speak freely; do not closeYour lips, for wisdom from your counsel flows.”

Mazdak said, “Noble king, suppose one soulHolds someone else in bondage and control.

They keep all food from him until he dies,And life departs before their watching eyes.

How should the man with bread be punished then,Who let the captive starve before all men?

Even if learned and devout, must heEscape the guilt? What should his sentence be?”

The Shah replied, “Tear such a man apart;Through his neglect he bears a murderer’s heart.”

When Mazdak heard, he kissed the royal ground,Then stood before the hungry crowd around.

He cried, “Go to the grain-stores; take your share,And save yourselves from famine and despair.

If owners ask its value, pay in gold;Let none die hungry while the stores still hold.”

His own supplies of grain he freely gave,That all the hungry folk he thus might save.

Then all the starving people rushed for grain,And plundered every store to ease their pain.

The citizens’ and Qobad’s stores they seized,And through the plunder hunger’s pangs were eased.

The wardens saw the grain-stores stripped and bare,And brought the matter to the monarch’s care.

They said, “The mob has sacked the Shah’s own store,Yet all the fault returns to Mazdak’s door.”

Qobad commanded Mazdak to appear,And questioned him about the plunder near.

Mazdak replied, “May Fortune favor you;May wisdom be your guide and portion too.

I only told the hungry market crowdThe judgment that the Shah himself avowed.

I asked about the serpent’s fatal bite,And one who kept the nush-daru from sight.

The Shah replied: ‘If any man should dieOf snakebite while the cure is standing by,

The man who kept the cure must pay the priceIn blood; no lesser payment will suffice.’

Bread is the nush-daru for hungry men;The well-fed have no need to take it then.

If you, great Shah, would have your judgments just,Should hoarded grain lie idle, turned to dust?

A multitude has died through hunger’s pain;Their blood lies on the hoarded stores of grain.”

Qobad grew sore distressed at Mazdak’s word;Its plea for justice all his senses stirred.

He questioned Mazdak, listened, and perceivedA learned mind; persuaded, he believed.

The teachings of the prophets, once held dear,And those of right Mobadan, once so clear,

Through Mazdak’s words grew crooked in his mind;His speech left every proper bound behind.

To Mazdak flocked the crowd, a swelling tide,The many who had turned from truth aside.

He said, “The empty-handed man shall standEqual to him who owns wealth, house, and land.

Let rich and poor stand equal; none possessMore than another, nor be left with less.

The wealthy are the warp, the poor the woof;The world needs balance, justice, and its proof.

The world must stand in balance, even, true;Why should the rich seek more than others do?

No man should rise through wealth while others fall;Women, goods, and houses are for all.

The empty-handed and the rich are one;Thus shall the holy faith’s true work be done.

The high and low will then be manifest;The world will know the basest and the best.

Whoever follows any other creedIs cursed by God for choosing such a deed.”

He treated mendicants, with staff and bowl,As peers beside him, men he would extol.

He took from this man and bestowed on that;The wise Mobadan marveled where they sat.

Qobad embraced his faith with willing heart,Rejoicing in Mazdak’s persuasive art.

He seated Mazdak at his own right hand;The troops were lost: where did the Mobad stand?

The poor came flocking, those in daily need,And those who worked for bread embraced his creed.

His creed spread through the world; none dared defyThe man, or let their hatred meet his eye.

The wealthy bowed their heads in deep distress,And gave the poor the goods they did possess.

At dawn Mazdak went out before the king,Intent upon the claim he meant to bring.

He said, “The faithful gather at the gate;Shall they come in, or must they leave and wait?”

Qobad then bade the chamberlain obey,And bring Mazdak’s assembled men that day.

Mazdak replied, “This house is far too small;The crowd will overflow the audience hall.

Let now the Shah go out beneath the sky,And view your servants mustered standing by.”

Qobad commanded that his throne be setOut in the open, where the throngs had met.

Three thousand of Mazdak’s men now drew near,And thronged before the Shah with open cheer.

Mazdak addressed the monarch of the earth:“O king whose wisdom stands above all worth,

Know this: Kisra rejects the faith we teach;Shall such defiance stand beyond our reach?

He must give written pledge before your faceTo turn from error and our faith embrace.

Five things alone turn mortal men aside;No sage has ever named a sixth beside.

They are envy and vengeance, anger, need;The fifth, which masters men, is grasping greed.

Conquer these five Divs, and you soon will seeGod’s open pathway shining clear and free.

From wealth and women these five ills arise;They ruin faith and darken human eyes.

Make wealth and women common; strife will cease:No greed, no envy, no revenge, but peace.

For these two kindle need and jealous fire,While wrath and vengeance answer their desire.

Thus does the Div corrupt the wisest head;Let goods and women both be shared instead.”

Then Mazdak took Prince Kisra’s hand; surpriseFilled Shah Qobad, who watched with wondering eyes.

The prince pulled back, his anger like a flame,And turned from Mazdak with a look of blame.

Qobad said, smiling, “Why should you declareSuch concern for the faith Kisra may bear?”

Mazdak replied, “His path is not our own;No trace of our religion there is shown.”

The Shah asked Kisra, “How can you declineThe path of faith, the righteous and divine?”

Kisra replied, “Grant me the needed span,And I will prove the falsehood of this plan.

When fraud and error both are brought to light,My truth will stand more visible and bright.”

Mazdak then asked, “What span will serve your view?Ask of the Shah, whose splendor shines on you.”

Kisra replied, “Five months I ask today;The sixth month come, then I shall have my say.”

They set the term and ended their debate;The Shah returned to halls of royal state.

Kisra sent envoys forth to every clime,To seek the sages, wise men of their time.

He sent one to Khorra-e-Ardeshir,To summon old Hormizd and bring him here.

From Istakhr came Mehr-Azar of Pars,With thirty learned men beneath the stars.

These seekers gathered, weighing every claim,And sifted Mazdak’s doctrine, word, and aim.

The men of ancient knowledge then made knownTheir settled judgment to the prince alone.

Kisra, when he had heard their full debate,Went to Qobad and spoke of Mazdak’s fate.

“The time has come,” he said, “for me to testThis creed, and learn which teaching serves God best.

If Mazdak proves the truth, and Zardosht’s creedIs shown as false, I follow in his lead.

I will accept his faith and choose his road,And take his doctrine for my soul’s abode.

If Fereydoon’s own path should prove untrue,And all the Zand’s instruction fail us too,

And if Mazdak’s new doctrine stands upright,The world must take him as its guiding light.

But if his words prove false, a hollow show,And God’s true path he never sought to know,

Then turn away from his corrupted creed,And hand them to me for their lawless deed.

God grant that none who work this fraud and sinMay keep the brain beneath the sheltering skin.”

He called Rizmehr, Khordad, Behzad by name,With Farayin and Bandvi, to proclaim.

Then Kisra to his palace-hall withdrew,And kept his pledge until the term fell due.

At dawn, when sunlight lifted up its crown,And ivory brightness over earth streamed down,

The king’s own son, whose speech was clear and strong,Set out with Mobadan and chiefs along.

Together to the royal court they came;Their words were ready, truth their single aim.

The Mobad came before Qobad and spoke,And with his words the waiting silence broke.

A high Mobad then faced Mazdak and said,“You seek out wisdom, yet leave men misled.

You fashioned in the world a strange new creed,And shared both goods and women for men’s need.

How shall a father know his son by name?How shall the son know from what sire he came?

If every man is equal in estate,How will the small be known apart from great?

Who then will serve, and who will rule the realm?What law or order could still hold the helm?

Who then will labor for us? Who can sayWhich men are good, which choose an evil way?

When one man dies, who takes the wealth he leaves,His house, his goods, his labor, and his sheaves?

The working man and Shah are now as one;How can the business of the realm be done?

Such ruin must not fall on Iran’s name;It leaves the world in desolation’s flame.

When all are masters, who remains to serve?When all have treasure, who will wealth preserve?

No man of faith has ever preached this lie;You hide your madness, yet it meets the eye.

You lead mankind toward the pit below,And count no evil act as sin or woe.”

Qobad heard every stern word that he spoke;And anger in the royal judgment woke.

The famed Kisra supported what was said;Fear filled Mazdak and bowed his guilty head.

The people all cried out with one intent:“Let no protection now to him be lent.

He has made havoc of the faith of God;Let him not linger where great kings have trod.”

The Shah renounced that faith; his heart grew soreAt all that he himself had done before.

He gave Mazdak to Kisra, and consignedWith him all men to his new creed inclined.

Three thousand men of standing, rank, and nameWere handed over with their leader’s shame.

The king addressed his son: “Do what seems right;Let Mazdak’s name pass out of court and sight.”

Kisra possessed a garden by his court,A pleasure-ground designed for royal sport.

Its wall rose high above the hills nearby;Around its circuit he bade trenches lie.

Within those trenches, men were packed so tight,Their burial put an end to life and light.

Like trees he fixed them firmly in the ground,Feet raised, with heads beneath the earth fast bound.

Then he addressed Mazdak: “Come now and treadThe garden path to which your works have led.

The seed you scattered through these troubled yearsHas borne its fruit at last before your peers.

You shall see trees no human eye has viewed,Whose strange design no sage has yet construed.”

Mazdak went forward to the garden gate,Expecting fruit-trees in their ordered state.

He opened it and saw the dreadful sight;He cried aloud and lost both sense and might.

Kisra then ordered that a gallows rise,Its height made visible beneath the skies.

A twisted noose down from the summit swung;Head downward from the gallows Mazdak hung.

Then arrows fell upon that impious frame,Until they ended both his breath and name.

Let no man follow Mazdak’s crooked way;His road leads downward to a bitter day.

An aged Mobad told it otherwise,A man of worldly knowledge, learned and wise:

“Mazdak had sought the royal throne and ring,And claimed the crown belonging to the king.

The Shah had earth dug out to make his tomb;They cast him headfirst down to meet his doom.”

The chiefs felt safe again in home and field,Their wives and children sheltered by the shield.

Qobad for many days remained ashamed,And cursed Mazdak, whose dark deceit he blamed.

He gave the poor rich largess from his hoard,And to the fire-temple his gifts he poured.

The Shah rejoiced in Kisra: from his stemA branch had sprung that fruited gem on gem.

From then he sought his counsel in each deed,And listened to his words with earnest heed.

When forty years had passed beneath his crown,The thought of death began to weigh him down.

He had his testament on silk inscribed,In gracious script, as royal rule prescribed.

First praise was offered to the Judge Divine,Who gave us faith and made our wisdom shine.

His word stands firm in what is hid and shown,In every mystery and truth made known.

No eye has seen His sovereign height above;His chosen never lose His seal of love.

“All you who read Qobad’s command today,Attend the wise and hold to counsel’s way.

I give Kisra the honored throne and crown;May Fortune, after me, guard his renown.

May God uphold my son, and let his foesChoke on the smoke that from their rancor grows.

By this, my signet, let the realm obey,Its chiefs and Mobadan, the words I say:

Let none transgress his word throughout the land;Rejoice in him, let treasure fill your hand.”

He sealed the silk, his golden signet pressed,And gave Ram Barzin, Mobad, this bequest.

Qobad reached eighty years, yet even thenHe had no wish to leave the world of men.

For who on earth is satisfied to die,Since none can know what waits beyond the sky?

He died; the world remained, bereft of grace;All hue and fragrance left the age’s face.

What profit lies in treasure’s greedy grasp,When empty hands are all the dead can clasp?

They wrapped his body in rich brocade,With flowers, wine, musk, camphor, honors paid.

They built a royal tomb to hold his frame,A golden throne and crown of kingly fame.

They set the Shah upon that seat of gold,And sealed the path forever, dark and cold.

From then no eye beheld him where he lay;He crossed the world like wind and passed away.

Why trust the ancient heavens, turning still,Whose end brings sorrow, suffering, and ill?

When mourning ceased, the Mobad then unrolledThe king’s last will before the throne of gold.

Iran’s great chiefs and Mobadan were met,With famous sages round the council set.

The testament was read before them all,And gladly they obeyed King Qobad’s call.

Like blessed Fereydoon, the prince shone fair,With beauty, royal grace, and noble air.

They set the heir upon the throne of state,And Kisra took the kingdom, crowned and great.

The people hailed him sovereign of the land,And time and earth submitted to his hand.

They called down blessings on his crowned head,And all the realm was by his orders led.

His throne revived the world; beside one streamThe wolf and sheep drank as in some fair dream.

“May this Shah hold the throne forevermore;May his farr pass the farr Jamshid once bore.”

His justice, goodness, law, and sacred loreBrought joy to all and opened wisdom’s door.

They named him Anooshirvan; his faceAnd Fortune shone with youth and youthful grace.

Now Qobad’s story ends; I turn the page,And tell of Kisra in the coming age.