As darkness began to settle over the battlefield, the two mighty champions bound their warhorses securely once more and closed in for mortal combat, grasping each other's belts. But ill-omened destiny was spinning its thread above them; though young Sohrab possessed towering strength, the high heavens bound his might. Rostam, heavy with grim resolve, extended his leopard-like grip, seized the chest and neck of the youth, bent his back, and slammed him down onto the hard earth like a raging lion. Knowing well that the fierce youth would not stay pinned for long, Rostam swiftly drew his razor-sharp dagger and tore open Sohrab's chest.
Sohrab writhed in pain and let out a cold, agonizing sigh, severing his mind from all worldly concerns. Turning to his conqueror, he gasped: 'This doom came upon me through my own fault; destiny handed you the key to my life. You are blameless, for this crooked sky raised me up only to cast me down into the dust so swiftly. My mother gave me clear tokens of my father Rostam, and my soul marched forth only out of love for him. Know that even if you transform into a fish beneath the waves, hide in pitch darkness like the night, or ascend to the sky like a star, my father Rostam will exact vengeance upon you when he learns that dust has become his son's pillow!'
Hearing these words, Rostam felt the world turn black before his eyes and collapsed into unconsciousness. Upon reviving, he cried out in agonizing despair: 'What token do you hold of Rostam?—May his name be erased from the earth!' Sohrab answered: 'If indeed you are Rostam, you have slain me out of rash cruelty! Upon my departure, my mother bound an armlet—a token of my father—upon my arm, telling me to keep it guarded. Now undo my coat of mail and gaze upon my body.' Rostam unbuckled the iron plates, and upon beholding his own legendary jewel bound to his son's arm, he rent his garments, tore his hair, and wept tears of blood upon the dust. Sohrab urged him against self-slaughter, reminding him that what was written in the stars could never be undone.
Meanwhile, as the radiant sun sank below the horizon and Tahmatan did not return to the encampment, twenty vigilant Iranian warriors rode out to the field. Seeing two riderless horses and a cloud of dust, they feared their champion had fallen, and sped back to King Kay Kavus with the tragic news, plunging the entire host into wild chaos.
#1
دگر باره اسپان ببستند سخت
✦
به سر بر همی گشت بدخواه بخت
“Once more they tied fast their steeds, while ill-omened destiny turned above their heads.”
#2
به کشتی گرفتن نهادند سر
✦
گرفتند هر دو دوال کمر
“They turned their hearts to wrestling, each grasping the other's belt-strap.”
#3
هرآنگه که خشم آورد بخت شوم
✦
کند سنگ خارا به کردار موم
“Whenever ill fortune brings forth its wrath, it turns hard granite into soft wax.”
#4
سرافراز سهراب با زور دست
✦
تو گفتی سپهر بلندش ببست
“The proud Sohrab possessed immense strength, yet you would say the high heavens bound his arms.”
#5
غمی بود رستم بیازید چنگ
✦
گرفت آن بر و یال جنگی پلنگ
“Rostam, heavy of heart, stretched forth his grip and seized the neck and mane of that warlike leopard.”
#6
خم آورد پشت دلیر جوان
✦
زمانه بیامد نبودش توان
“He bent the back of the brave youth, for destiny had arrived and left him no strength.”
#7
زدش بر زمین بر به کردار شیر
✦
بدانست کاو هم نماند به زیر
“Like a lion he slammed him to the earth, knowing full well that Sohrab would not remain beneath him for long.”
#8
سبک تیغ تیز از میان برکشید
✦
بر شیر بیدار دل بردرید
“Swiftly he drew his sharp blade from his waist and tore open the chest of the vigilant lion.”
#9
بپیچید زانپس یکی آه کرد
✦
ز نیک و بد اندیشه کوتاه کرد
“Sohrab writhed and let out a sigh, severing his thoughts from all good and evil in this world.”
#10
بدو گفت کاین بر من از من رسید
✦
زمانه به دست تو دادم کلید
“He said to him: 'This fate came upon me from myself; destiny handed you the key to my doom.'”
#11
تو زین بیگناهی که این کوژپشت
✦
مرابرکشید و به زودی بکشت
“'You are blameless in this, for this crooked-backed sky raised me up only to slay me so soon.'”
#12
به بازی بکویند همسال من
✦
به خاک اندر آمد چنین یال من
“'My peers will say in sport: How came such mighty shoulders to lie in the dust?'”
#13
نشان داد مادر مرا از پدر
✦
ز مهر اندر آمد روانم بسر
“'My mother gave me signs of my father; my soul departed solely out of love for him.'”
#14
هرآنگه که تشنه شدستی به خون
✦
بیالودی آن خنجر آبگون
“'Whenever you grew thirsty for blood, you have stained that steel blade of yours.'”
#15
زمانه به خون تو تشنه شود
✦
براندام تو موی دشنه شود
“'Time itself shall become thirsty for your blood, and every hair upon your body shall turn into a dagger against you.'”
#16
کنون گر تو در آب ماهی شوی
✦
و گر چون شب اندر سیاهی شوی
“'Now, though you become a fish in the waters, or cloak yourself like night in pitch darkness,'”
#17
وگر چون ستاره شوی بر سپهر
✦
ببری ز روی زمین پاک مهر
“'Or turn into a star upon the heavens, severing all affection from the face of the earth,'”
#18
بخواهد هم از تو پدر کین من
✦
چو بیند که خاکست بالین من
“'My father will still demand vengeance for me from you when he sees that the dust has become my pillow!'”
#19
ازین نامداران گردنکشان
✦
کسی هم برد سوی رستم نشان
“'From among these famous chieftains, someone will surely bear word to Rostam,'”
#20
که سهراب کشتست و افگنده خوار
✦
ترا خواست کردن همی خواستار
“'That Sohrab has been slain and cast down low, he who was ever searching for you!'”
#21
چو بشنید رستم سرش خیره گشت
✦
جهان پیش چشم اندرش تیره گشت
“When Rostam heard this, his senses reeled, and the world grew pitch black before his eyes.”
#22
بپرسید زان پس که آمد به هوش
✦
بدو گفت با ناله و با خروش
“When he regained consciousness, he asked him with groans and cries:”
#23
که اکنون چه داری ز رستم نشان
✦
که کم باد نامش ز گردنکشان
“'What token do you possess of Rostam?—May his name be erased from among the valiant!'”
#24
بدو گفت ار ایدونکه رستم تویی
✦
بکشتی مرا خیره از بدخویی
“Sohrab said: 'If indeed you are Rostam, you have slain me out of sheer wickedness!'”
#25
ز هر گونه‌ای بودمت رهنمای
✦
نجنبید یک ذره مهرت ز جای
“'In every manner I showed you the path, yet not a grain of affection stirred within your heart.'”
#26
چو برخاست آواز کوس از درم
✦
بیامد پر از خون دو رخ مادرم
“'When the sound of drums echoed from my gates, my mother came with faces bathed in tears.'”
#27
همی جانش از رفتن من بخست
✦
یکی مهره بر بازوی من ببست
“'Her soul was wounded by my departure, so she bound a jewel upon my arm.'”
#28
مرا گفت کاین از پدر یادگار
✦
بدار و ببین تا کی آید به کار
“'She told me: Keep this remembrance of your father, and see when it shall serve its purpose.'”
#29
کنون کارگر شد که بیکار گشت
✦
پسر پیش چشم پدر خوار گشت
“'Now it has taken effect by becoming useless, for the son lies humiliated before the father's eyes!'”
#30
همان نیز مادر به روشن روان
✦
فرستاد با من یکی پهلوان
“'Likewise, my mother with an enlightened soul sent a chieftain alongside me,'”
#31
بدان تا پدر را نماید به من
✦
سخن برگشاید به هر انجمن
“'So that he might point out my father to me and speak open truth in every assembly.'”
#32
چو آن نامور پهلوان کشته شد
✦
مرا نیز هم روز برگشته شد
“'When that renowned hero was slain, my fortune too turned black and doomed.'”
#33
کنون بند بگشای از جوشنم
✦
برهنه نگه کن تن روشنم
“'Now unbuckle the fastenings of my coat of mail, and look upon my radiant body.'”
#34
چو بگشاد خفتان و آن مهره دید
✦
همه جامه بر خویشتن بردرید
“When Rostam opened the armor and beheld that jewel, he tore all his garments upon his body.”
#35
همی گفت کای کشته بر دست من
✦
دلیر و ستوده به هر انجمن
“He cried out: 'O noble youth slain by my own hand! Valiant and praised in every council!'”
#36
همی ریخت خون و همی کند موی
✦
سرش پر ز خاک و پر از آب روی
“He poured tears of blood and tore his hair, his head covered in dust and his face wet with wept streams.”
#37
بدو گفت سهراب کین بدتریست
✦
به آب دو دیده نباید گریست
“Sohrab said to him: 'This mourning is even worse; you ought not weep with tearful eyes.'”
#38
ازین خویشتن کشتن اکنون چه سود
✦
چنین رفت و این بودنی کار بود
“'What profit is there now in slaying yourself? Thus it was destined, and this was bound to happen.'”
#39
چو خورشید تابان ز گنبد بگشت
✦
تهمتن نیامد به لشکر ز دشت
“As the radiant sun turned from the sky's vault, Tahmatan had not returned to the host from the plain.”
#40
ز لشکر بیامد هشیوار بیست
✦
که تا اندر آوردگه کار چیست
“Twenty wise warriors rode forth from the army to see what had transpired upon the battlefield.”
#41
دو اسپ اندر آن دشت برپای بود
✦
پر از گرد رستم دگر جای بود
“Two warhorses stood waiting upon the plain, while another spot was thick with dust raised by Rostam.”
#42
گو پیلتن را چو بر پشت زین
✦
ندیدند گردان بران دشت کین
“When the warriors did not see the elephant-bodied champion atop his saddle upon the field of battle,”
#43
گمانشان چنان بد که او کشته شد
✦
سرنامداران همه گشته شد
“Their suspicion grew that he had been slain, and the minds of all the nobles turned upside down with dread.”
#44
به کاووس کی تاختند آگهی
✦
که تخت مهی شد ز رستم تهی
“They rushed news to King Kay Kavus that the throne of greatness had been emptied of Rostam.”
#45
ز لشکر برآمد سراسر خروش
✦
زمانه یکایک برآمد به جوش
“A mighty clamor arose from the entire army, and fate itself plunged into turmoil.”
#46
بفرمود کاووس تا بوق و کوس
✦
دمیدند و آمد سپهدار طوس
“Kay Kavus commanded the clarions and drums to sound, and Tus, commander of the host, stepped forward.”
#47
ازان پس بدو گفت کاووس شاه
✦
کز ایدر هیونی سوی رزمگاه
“Then King Kay Kavus said to him, "Dispatch a swift courier from here toward the battlefield,"”
#48
بتازید تا کار سهراب چیست
✦
که بر شهر ایران بباید گریست
“"Gallop fast to see what has become of Sohrab, for all the realm of Iran may have to weep."”
#49
اگر کشته شد رستم جنگجوی
✦
از ایران که یارد شدن پیش اوی
“"If Rustam the warrior hero has been slain, who in Iran will dare to stand against him?"”
#50
به انبوه زخمی بباید زدن
✦
برین رزمگه بر نشاید بدن
“"We must strike in a massive, unified body; it is no longer safe to tarry on this battlefield."”
#51
چو آشوب برخاست از انجمن
✦
چنین گفت سهراب با پیلتن
“As uproar arose from the gathering, Sohrab spoke thus to the elephant-bodied warrior:”
#52
که اکنون که روز من اندر گذشت
✦
همه کار ترکان دگرگونه گشت
“"Now that my day is spent and done, the destiny of the Turanian army has turned completely upside down."”
#53
همه مهربانی بران کن که شاه
✦
سوی جنگ ترکان نراند سپاه
“"Show all your benevolence in this: convince the Shah not to march his army against the Turanians,"”
#54
که ایشان ز بهر مرا جنگجوی
✦
سوی مرز ایران نهادند روی
“"For it was solely for my sake that those brave men set out toward the borders of Iran."”
#55
بسی روز را داده بودم نوید
✦
بسی کرده بودم ز هر در امید
“"For many days I gave them bright promises, and filled their hearts with hopes of every kind."”
#56
نباید که بینند رنجی به راه
✦
مکن جز به نیکی بر ایشان نگاه
“"Let them not suffer hardship on their journey home; look upon them with nothing but loving-kindness."”
#57
نشست از بر رخش رستم چو گرد
✦
پر از خون رخ و لب پر از باد سرد
“Rustam mounted Rakhsh like a dust-storm, his face stained with blood and his lips filled with cold, sorrowful sighs.”
#58
بیامد به پیش سپه با خروش
✦
دل از کردهٔ خویش با درد و جوش
“He came before the army crying aloud, his heart burning and boiling with agony over what he had done.”
#59
چو دیدند ایرانیان روی اوی
✦
همه برنهادند بر خاک روی
“When the Iranians beheld his countenance, they all bowed their faces to the earth in gratitude.”
#60
ستایش گرفتند بر کردگار
✦
که او زنده باز آمد از کارزار
“They offered praises unto the Creator that he had returned alive from the bloody fray.”
#61
چو زان گونه دیدند بر خاک سر
✦
دریده برو جامه و خسته بر
“Yet when they saw his head bent down in dust, his garments rent, and his breast wounded with grief,”
#62
به پرسش گرفتند کاین کار چیست
✦
ترادل برین گونه از بهر کیست
“They began to ask him: "What is this calamity? For whose sake is your heart so shattered?"”
#63
بگفت آن شگفتی که خود کرده بود
✦
گرامی‌تر خود بیازرده بود
“He recounted the awful wonder he had wrought—how he had slain his own most precious child.”
#64
همه برگرفتند با او خروش
✦
زمین پر خروش و هوا پر ز جوش
“All raised their voices in mourning with him; the earth rang with wailing and the sky turned tumultuous with grief.”
#65
چنین گفت با سرفرازان که من
✦
نه دل دارم امروز گویی نه تن
“He said to the exalted chieftains, "Today it seems I have neither heart nor body left within me."”
#66
شما جنگ ترکان مجویید کس
✦
همین بد که من کردم امروز بس
“"Seek no battle with the Turanians, any of you; the evil I have committed today is more than enough."”
#67
چو برگشت ازان جایگه پهلوان
✦
بیامد بر پور خسته روان
“When the paladin turned back from that place, he returned to his wounded, dying son.”
#68
بزرگان برفتند با او بهم
✦
چو طوس و چو گودرز و چون گستهم
“The nobles went alongside him—warriors such as Tus, Goudarz, and Gustahm.”
#69
همه لشکر از بهر آن ارجمند
✦
زبان برگشادند یکسر ز بند
“The entire army loosened their tongues in lamentation for that illustrious youth,”
#70
که درمان این کار یزدان کند
✦
مگر کاین سخن بر تو آسان کند
“Saying, "Only God can heal this agony; may He ease this heavy burden upon your heart."”
#71
یکی دشنه بگرفت رستم به دست
✦
که از تن ببرد سر خویش پست
“Rustam grasped a dagger in his hand, intent on smiting his own wretched head from his body.”
#72
بزرگان بدو اندر آویختند
✦
ز مژگان همی خون فرو ریختند
“The chieftains threw themselves upon him to stay his hand, shedding tears of bloody agony from their eyes.”
#73
بدو گفت گودرز کاکنون چه سود
✦
که از روی گیتی برآری تو دود
“Goudarz said to him: "What profit is there now, if you bring smoke and destruction upon the world?"”
#74
تو بر خویشتن گر کنی صدگزند
✦
چه آسانی آید بدان ارجمند
“"Though you inflict a hundred harms upon yourself, what ease will it bring to that noble soul?"”
#75
اگر ماند او را به گیتی زمان
✦
بماند تو بی‌رنج با او بمان
“"If time remains for him in this world, he shall survive, and you may live beside him free of pain."”
#76
وگر زین جهان این جوان رفتنیست
✦
به گیتی نگه کن که جاوید کیست
“"And if this youth must depart from this world, look upon creation—who is there that lives forever?"”
#77
شکاریم یکسر همه پیش مرگ
✦
سری زیر تاج و سری زیر ترگ
“"We are all prey before the stalk of Death—whether a head rests beneath a royal crown or a helm of war."”