When the voice of Daqiqi was silenced, the master poet turned his spirit toward the throne of the realm, resolved to undertake the monumental task: to gather the ancient prose chronicles of Iran and recast them into living verse. Fearing the relentless march of time and the sudden twists of fate—lest death claim him before the grand chronicle could be rendered, or lest poverty stall his hand—he searched endlessly among the learned for the lost tales of antiquity. The world around him was fractured with strife and war, narrowing the horizons for those who sought nobility of mind. Yet he knew in his soul that no earthly treasure surpasses the divine gift of speech, through which the heavenly guidance of the prophets was revealed to mankind. In the midst of his tribulations, a devoted and kind-hearted friend appeared in his home city—a companion so intimate they seemed to share a single soul. Seeing the poet's noble intention, the friend commended his path and brought forth the cherished Pahlavi manuscript of the Ancient Kings. As the priceless text was placed in the master's hands, his darkened, sorrowful soul caught flame with radiant purpose, setting in motion the birth of the immortal Shahnameh.
#1
دلِ روشنِ من چو برگشت از اوی
✦
سوی تختِ شاهِ جهان کَرد روی
“When my enlightened mind turned away from him, it set its face toward the throne of the King of the World,”
#2
که این نامه را دَستِ پیش آوَرَم
✦
زِ دفتر به گفتارِ خویش آوَرَم
“That I might lay my hand upon this epic work, and turn the ancient book into my own verse.”
#3
بِپُرسیدَم از هر کسی بی‌شُمار
✦
بتَرسیدَم از گردشِ روزگار
“I made countless inquiries from everyone, fearing the unpredictable shifts of fortune,”
#4
مَگر خود دِرَنگم نباشَد بَسی
✦
ببایَد سِپُردَن به دیگر کَسی
“Lest my own time on earth be short, leaving the great task to be entrusted to someone else.”
#5
و دیگر که گَنجَم وَفادار نیست
✦
همین رَنج را کَس خریدار نیست
“Moreover, my treasury possessed no wealth, and none was buying the fruits of such labor.”
#6
بر این گونه یِک چَند بُگذاشتَم
✦
سخن را نَهُفته هَمی داشتَم
“In this manner I passed a season of time, keeping my poem hidden and unspoken.”
#7
سَراسَر زَمانه پُر از جَنگ بود
✦
به جویندگان بَر جَهان تَنگ بود
“The entire world was filled with turmoil and war, and life was narrowed for those seeking greatness.”
#8
زِ نیکو سُخن بِهْ چه اَندر جَهان
✦
به نَزدِ سُخن سَنجِ فَرُّخ مَهان
“Yet what in this world is superior to noble speech, in the eyes of the wise and exalted who discern its worth?”
#9
اگر نامَدی این سخن از خُدای
✦
نَبی کِی بُدی نَزدِ ما رَهنُمای
“Had this gift of speech not descended from God, how could the Divine Book have been our guidance?”
#10
به شَهرَم یکی مِهربان دوست بود
✦
تو گفتی که با مَن به یِک پوست بود
“I had a loving and compassionate friend in my city; you would say we shared a single soul in two bodies.”
#11
مَرا گُفت خوب آمَد این رای تو
✦
به نیکی گِراید هَمی پای تو
“He said to me: 'This decision of yours is truly admirable, and your step is directed toward goodness.”
#12
نِبِشته من این نامهٔ پَهلَوی
✦
به پیشِ تو آرَم مَگَر نَغنَوی
“I have brought to you this Pahlavi manuscript, so that you may not slumber in inaction.”
#13
گشاده زَبان و جوانیت هَست
✦
سخن گفتنِ پَهلوانیت هَست
“Yours is an eloquent tongue, youth of heart, and the skill to recite the epic deeds of hero-kings.'”
#14
شو این نامهٔ خسروان باز گوی
✦
بدین جوی نَزدِ مَهان آبروی
“'Go then, and retell this Chronicle of Kings, seeking honor among the great through this noble channel.'”
#15
چو آوَرد این نامه نَزدیکِ مَن
✦
بَر اَفروخت این جانِ تاریکِ مَن
“When he brought this manuscript unto me, he set ablaze my dark and longing soul with joy.”