When foolish pride clouding King Jamshid's soul caused the Divine Glory to depart, the luminous day turned as dark as night over Iran. Clamor and unrest erupted from every corner; warlords tore their hearts from Jamshid's memory and raised the banners of revolt. Despairing of their fallen monarch, the nobles and horsemen of Iran rode toward the lands of the Arabs, having heard of a terrifying, serpent-bodied ruler named Zahhak. Desperate for a king, they bowed before him and hailed him as the sovereign of Iran.
Zahhak the Serpent King rode swift as the wind and placed the Iranian crown upon his head. Gathering a mighty host of both Iranian and Arab warriors, he swept across the realm like a tightening ring. As fortune turned its back on Jamshid, the world closed in upon him; he abandoned crown, throne, treasures, and army, fleeing into total obscurity. For a hundred years, no soul set eyes upon the vanished king as he hid from the dragon's wrath.
Yet destiny could not be evaded. In the hundredth year, by the distant shores of the Sea of China, the disgraced king was discovered and dragged before Zahhak. Without a moment's mercy, the tyrant ordered Jamshid to be sawed in two from head to foot, clearing the world of his reign. Thus vanished all his ancient grandeur—the glory of seven hundred years swept away like straw before the wind. Who then can place their heart upon this fleeting abode, which first nurtures man with honey and soft songs, only to betray him with blood and sorrow at the last?
#1
از آن پس برآمد ز ایران خروش
✦
پدید آمد از هر سویی جنگ و جوش
“Thereafter, a great clamor arose throughout Iran, and war and turmoil erupted from every side.”
#2
سیه گشت رخشنده روز سپید
✦
گسستند پیوند از جمّشید
“The shining white day turned to dark night, and the people severed their bonds of loyalty to Jamshid.”
#3
بر او تیره شد فرّهٔ ایزدی
✦
به کژی گرایید و نابخردی
“The Divine Glory grew dim upon him, as he inclined toward deceit and foolishness.”
#4
پدید آمد از هر سویی خسروی
✦
یکی نامجویی ز هر پهلُوی
“From every corner a new ruler emerged, a seeker of fame from every marches and marchland.”
#5
سپه کرده و جنگ را ساخته
✦
دل از مهر جمشید پرداخته
“They raised armies and prepared for war, their hearts completely emptied of love for Jamshid.”
#6
یکایک ز ایران برآمد سپاه
✦
سوی تازیان برگرفتند راه
“One by one, troops marched out from Iran, taking the road toward the realm of the Arabs.”
#7
شنودند کان‌جا یکی مهتر است
✦
پر از هول شاه اژدها پیکر است
“For they had heard that a formidable chieftain ruled there—a terrifying king with the body of a dragon.”
#8
سواران ایران همه شاه‌جوی
✦
نهادند یک‌سر به ضحاک روی
“All the horsemen of Iran, seeking a true king, turned their faces as one toward Zahhak.”
#9
به شاهی بر او آفرین خواندند
✦
ورا شاه ایران زمین خواندند
“They praised him as their sovereign and hailed him as the king of the land of Iran.”
#10
کی اژدهافش بیامد چو باد
✦
به ایران زمین تاج بر سر نهاد
“That dragon-like monarch arrived swift as the wind and placed the crown upon his head in the land of Iran.”
#11
از ایران و از تازیان لشکری
✦
گزین کرد گرد از همه کشوری
“He selected a host of chosen warriors from Iran and Arabia, drawing brave men from every realm.”
#12
سوی تخت جمشید بنهاد روی
✦
چو انگشتری کرد گیتی بروی
“He set his face toward the throne of Jamshid, enclosing the world around him like a signet ring.”
#13
چو جمشید را بخت شد کندرو
✦
به تنگ اندر آمد جهاندار نو
“When Jamshid's fortune grew slow and sluggish, the new ruler pressed him into dire straits.”
#14
برفت و بدو داد تخت و کلاه
✦
بزرگی و دیهیم و گنج و سپاه
“Jamshid fled, surrendering throne and crown, greatness and diadem, treasure and army.”
#15
چو صد سالش اندر جهان کس ندید
✦
بر او نام شاهی و او ناپدید
“For a hundred years no man beheld him in the world; his royal title remained, yet he was nowhere to be seen.”
#16
صدم سال روزی به دریای چین
✦
پدید آمد آن شاه ناپاک دین
“On a day in the hundredth year, by the Sea of China, that monarch of compromised faith reappeared.”
#17
نهان گشته بود از بد اژدها
✦
نیامد به فرجام هم ز او رها
“He had hidden long from the dragon's malice, yet in the end he could not escape his clutches.”
#18
چو ضحاکش آورد ناگه به چنگ
✦
یکایک ندادش زمانی درنگ
“When Zahhak suddenly snared him in his grasp, he granted him not a single moment's respite.”
#19
به ارّه‌ش سراسر به دو نیم کرد
✦
جهان را از او پاک بی‌بیم کرد
“With a saw he severed him completely in two, purging the world of his presence without dread.”
#20
شد آن تخت شاهی و آن دستگاه
✦
زمانه ربودش چو بیجاده کاه
“Gone was that royal throne and magnificent splendor; Time swept it away like straw before amber.”
#21
از او بیش بر تخت شاهی که بود
✦
بر آن رنج بردن چه آمدش سود
“Who sat longer upon the throne of kingship than he? Yet what profit came from all that toil?”
#22
گذشته بر او سالیان هفتصد
✦
پدید آوریده همه نیک و بد
“Seven hundred years passed over him, wherein he brought forth all manner of good and evil.”
#23
چه باید همه زندگانی دراز
✦
چو گیتی نخواهد گشادنت راز
“What avails a long and extended life, when the world refuses to unlock its hidden secret to thee?”
#24
همی پروراندت با شهد و نوش
✦
جز آواز نرمت نیاید به گوش
“It nurtures thee with honey and sweet nectar, letting naught but soft lullabies reach thine ear.”
#25
یکایک چو گوئی که گسترد مهر
✦
نخواهد نمودن به بد نیز چهر
“Just as thou thinkest it has spread its love for thee, promising never to show a bitter face,”
#26
بدو شاد باشی و نازی بدوی
✦
همان راز دل را گشایی بدوی
“Thou art joyful and proud of its favor, opening the innermost secrets of thy heart unto it,”
#27
یکی نغز بازی برون آورد
✦
به دلت اندرون درد و خون آورد
“It suddenly plays a wondrous, cruel trick upon thee, bringing grief and blood into thy heart.”
#28
دلم سیر شد زین سرای سپنج
✦
خدایا مرا زود بِرْهان ز رنج
“My heart is sated and weary of this transient hostelry; O God, deliver me swiftly from this suffering!”