Following the grand assembly, the young monarch Kay Khosrow withdrew to his palace halls alongside the elephant-bodied champion Rostam, surrounded by the realm's esteemed priests, wise counselors, and noble warlords. There, in the quiet dignity of his court, Kay Khosrow unburdened his heavy heart. He spoke of Afrasiab's boundless cruelties, of the torment his own youth had known, and of the tragic martyrdom of his noble father Siyavash. With deep sorrow, he recounted the indignities suffered by his chaste mother Farangis and how he himself had been hidden away among humble mountain shepherds, his imperial lineage and name unknown to all. Turning his gaze to Rostam, the king declared that Tus had been dispatched with the vanguard, and soon he and Rostam would march together to hem in the wicked and crush the heads of their enemies beneath stones. Hearing this, Rostam bade the king set aside his grief, assuring him that Fortune would bend to his rightful will.
Meanwhile, the vast host of Iran pressed forward march by march until they came upon a crucial crossroads. To one hand lay a parched, desolate desert devoid of water; to the other lay the lush route of Charm, passing beneath the shadow of the fortress of Kalat. The army halted its war elephants and stilled its kettledrums, awaiting the arrival of Commander Tus to dictate their path. When Tus arrived, he conferred with the elder champion Gudarz, rejecting the desert passage: even if the desert winds blew with the scent of musk, a single day’s fierce march would leave the troops desperate for water and respite. Tus argued that it was far better to advance toward Kalat and Charm, where flowing streams and fertile lands bounded both left and right. He recalled traveling that very path in years past alongside Gazhdaham, finding little hardship save for minor ascents and descents. Gudarz cautiously reminded him that King Kay Khosrow had appointed him leader of the host under strict directives, warning that defying royal counsel or inflicting hardship upon the troops could bring bad omen and anger the sovereign. Yet Tus dismissed his concerns with arrogant ease, claiming the king’s heart would not grow bitter. Overruled by Tus's stubborn authority, the captains offered no further opposition, and by Tus's sole command, the elephants and war horns turned down the fateful road of Charm toward Kalat.
#1
سپهبد بشد تیز و برگشت شاه
✦
سوی کاخ با رستم و با سپاه
“The commander departed swiftly, and the King returned to the palace alongside Rostam and the host.”
#2
یکی مجلس آراست با پیلتن
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رد و موبد و خسرو رای زن
“He arrayed a grand council with the elephant-bodied hero, the noble lords, wise priests, and prudent counselors.”
#3
فراوان سخن گفت ز افراسیاب
✦
ز رنج تن خویش وز درد باب
“He spoke at length of Afrasiab, of his own body's suffering, and of the anguish over his slain father.”
#4
ز آزردن مادر پارسا
✦
که با ما چه کرد آن بد پرجفا
“He recalled the torment of his chaste mother, and what that cruel oppressor had wrought upon them.”
#5
مرا زی شبانان بی‌مایه داد
✦
ز من کس ندانست نام و نژاد
“'He delivered me into the hands of humble shepherds, where none knew my name or royal lineage.'”
#6
فرستادم این بار طوس و سپاه
✦
ازین پس من و تو گذاریم راه
“'This time I sent Tus and the army ahead; henceforth, you and I shall set forth together on this road.'”
#7
جهان بر بداندیش تنگ آوریم
✦
سر دشمنان زیر سنگ آوریم
“'We shall turn the world narrow for the malevolent, and bring the heads of our foes beneath stones.'”
#8
ورا پیلتن گفت کین غم مدار
✦
به کام تو گردد همه روزگار
“The elephant-bodied hero said to him: 'Keep no such grief in your heart; all Time shall turn to your desire.'”
#9
وزان روی منزل بمنزل سپاه
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همی رفت و پیش‌اندر آمد دو راه
“Meanwhile, the host marched on stage by stage, until two diverging paths opened before them.”
#10
ز یک سو بیابان بی آب و نم
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کلات از دگر سوی و راه چرم
“On one side lay a arid, waterless desert; on the other lay Kalat and the road of Charm.”
#11
بماندند بر جای پیلان و کوس
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بدان تا بیاید سپهدار طوس
“The elephants and war drums halted in their places, awaiting the arrival of Tus, the commander of the host,”
#12
کدامین پسند آیدش زین دو راه
✦
بفرمان رود هم بران ره سپاه
“To see which of these two paths would meet his choice, so the army might march by his command.”
#13
چو آمد بر سرکشان طوس نرم
✦
سخن گفت ازان راه بی‌آب و گرم
“When Tus came softly among the chieftains, he spoke of that dry and scorching desert route.”
#14
بگودرز گفت این بیابان خشک
✦
اگر گرد عنبر دهد باد مشک
“He said to Gudarz: 'If the musk-scented wind should turn even this dry desert into amber dust,'”
#15
چو رانیم روزی به تندی دراز
✦
بآب و بآسایش آید نیاز
“'Yet if we ride hard for a single long day, the army will stand in desperate need of water and rest.'”
#16
همان به که سوی کلات و چرم
✦
برانیم و منزل کنیم از میم
“'It is far better that we head toward Kalat and Charm, and make our camp in joy and ease.'”
#17
چپ و راست آباد و آب روان
✦
بیابان چه جوییم و رنج روان
“'Left and right are prosperous lands and flowing waters; why seek the desert and torment our spirits?'”
#18
مرا بود روزی بدین ره گذر
✦
چو گژدهم پیش سپه راهبر
“'I once passed along this very route when Gazhdaham was the guide leading the host.'”
#19
ندیدیم از این راه رنجی دراز
✦
مگر بود لختی نشیب و فراز
“'We saw no lingering hardship along this way, save for a few ascents and descents.'”
#20
بدو گفت گودرز پرمایه شاه
✦
ترا پیش‌رو کرد پیش سپاه
“Gudarz, the noble chief, said to him: 'The King made you vanguard over the army,'”
#21
بران ره که گفت او سپه را بران
✦
نباید که آید کسی را زیان
“'You must march the host along the path he commanded, lest harm befall anyone.'”
#22
نباید که گردد دل‌آزرده شاه
✦
بد آید ز آزار او بر سپاه
“'Beware lest the King's heart grow aggrieved, for bad omens fall upon the host from his displeasure.'”
#23
بدو گفت طوس ای گو نامدار
✦
ازین گونه اندیشه در دل مدار
“Tus replied to him: 'O famous hero, harbor no such anxious thoughts in your heart!'”
#24
کزین شاه را دل نگردد دژم
✦
سزد گر نداری روان جفت غم
“'For the King's heart will not grow bitter over this; it is fitting that your spirit be not bound to grief.'”
#25
همان به که لشکر بدین سو بریم
✦
بیابان و فرسنگها نشمریم
“'It is far better to lead the troops this way and not count the weary parasangs of the desert.'”
#26
بدین گفته بودند همداستان
✦
برین بر نزد نیز کس داستان
“They agreed upon these words, and no one raised any further counsel against it.”
#27
براندند ازان راه پیلان و کوس
✦
بفرمان و رای سپهدار طوس
“They drove the elephants and sounded the war drums along that path, by the command and counsel of Spahbod Tus.”