A heavy shadow of dread lay upon the earth under the tyrannical reign of Zahhak the Serpent-King. Night after night, two vibrant youths—whether of humble blood or the lineage of mighty champions—were dragged to the royal palace so their brains might feed the black serpents coiling from the monarch's shoulders. Amidst this era of mourning, two noble, righteous, and far-sighted men, Armayel and Garmayel, met in secret to mourn the boundless suffering of the realm. A heroic resolve took shape within their minds: to infiltrate the royal court disguised as cooks and secretly temper the tyrant's cruelty.
Mastering the culinary arts and the exact balance of flavors, the two sages secretly secured their place in the royal kitchen. Whenever the bloodthirsty guards dragged two weeping youths into the kitchen, the hearts of Armayel and Garmayel burned with fierce grief and vengeful fury. Yet wisdom demanded restraint; they slaughtered only one of the captives, blending his brain with that of a sheep to serve the shoulder-serpents. To the surviving youth, they granted life, whispering in the dark: 'Keep your existence hidden! Never return to settled towns, for henceforth your dwelling is the wild plains and rugged mountains.'
In this manner, thirty youths were spared from death each month. Once two hundred rescued young men had gathered in secrecy—strangers to one another—the cooks provided them with herds of goats and sheep and sent them deep into the mountain ranges. From these freed mountain-dwellers, according to the epic lore, arose the noble lineage of the Kurds, bound forever to the open wilderness. Meanwhile, the wicked Zahhak continued his unholy practices, slaying warriors whenever he communed with demons and abducting high-born maidens into forced servitude, utterly trampling all sacred law and faith.
#1
چنان بد که هر شب دو مرد جوان
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چه کهتر چه از تخمهٔ پهلوان
“So it was that every night two young men were taken, whether of humble birth or of heroic stock.”
#2
خورشگر ببردی به ایوان شاه
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همی ساختی راه درمان شاه
“The cooks would bring them into the king's palace, seeking thereby a cure for the monarch's affliction.”
#3
بکشتی و مغزش بپرداختی
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مر آن اژدها را خورش ساختی
“They would slay them, take out their brains, and make of them food for those serpent monsters.”
#4
دو پاکیزه از گوهر پادشا
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دو مرد گرانمایه و پارسا
“There were two men of royal seed and righteous nature, noble-minded and devoted to virtue.”
#5
یکی نام ارمایل پاک‌دین
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دگر نام گرمایل پیشبین
“One was named Armayel, pure in faith, and the other Garmayel, wise and far-sighted.”
#6
چنان بد که بودند روزی به هم
✦
سخن رفت هر گونه از بیش و کم
“It came to pass one day that they sat together, speaking at length of matters great and small.”
#7
ز بیدادگر شاه وز لشکرش
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و زان رسم‌های بد اندر خورش
“They spoke of the tyrannical king, of his army, and of those evil customs regarding his daily food.”
#8
یکی گفت ما را به خوالیگری
✦
بباید بر شاه رفت آوری
“One said: 'We must go before the king in the guise of royal cooks, entering his service.”
#9
و زان پس یکی چاره‌ای ساختن
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ز هر گونه اندیشه انداختن
“'And thereafter devise a clever scheme, turning every subtle thought to this purpose,”
#10
مگر زین دو تن را که ریزند خون
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یکی را توان آوریدن برون
“'So that of the two youths whose blood is shed, we might perhaps save one alive.'”
#11
برفتند و خوالیگری ساختند
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خورش‌ها و اندازه بشناختند
“They went and learned the craft of cooking, mastering every dish and its proper proportion.”
#12
خورش خانهٔ پادشاه جهان
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گرفت آن دو بیدار دل در نهان
“Secretly, those two vigilant-hearted men gained charge of the kitchen of the monarch of the world.”
#13
چو آمد به هنگام خون ریختن
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به شیرین روان اندر آویختن
“When the time came for shedding blood and tearing sweet life away from victims,”
#14
از آن روزبانان مردم‌کُشان
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گرفته دو مرد جوان را کشان
“The murder-accustomed guards arrived, dragging two bound youths behind them.”
#15
زنان پیش خوالیگران تاختند
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ز بالا به روی اندر انداختند
“Beating them, they brought them before the cooks and cast them down upon their faces.”
#16
پر از درد خوالیگران را جگر
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پر از خون دو دیده پر از کینه سر
“The hearts of the cooks burned with sorrow; their eyes filled with blood and their heads with vengeance.”
#17
همی بنگرید این بدان آن بدین
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ز کردار بیداد شاه زمین
“They looked at one another in anguish, appalled at the deeds of the unjust ruler of the earth.”
#18
از آن دو یکی را بپرداختند
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جز این چاره‌ای نیز نشناختند
“Of the two captives, they killed only one, for no other ruse was available to save both.”
#19
برون کرد مغز سر گوسفند
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بیامیخت با مغز آن ارجمند
“They extracted the brain of a sheep and mixed it with the brain of that noble youth.”
#20
یکی را به جان داد زنهار و گفت
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نگر تا بیاری سر اندر نهفت
“They spared the other youth's life and warned him: 'Take care to keep your head hidden in secret!”
#21
نگر تا نباشی به آباد شهر
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تو را از جهان دشت و کوه است بهر
“'Beware that you never enter an inhabited town; your share of the world henceforth is the wilderness and mountains!'”
#22
به جای سرش زان سری بی‌بها
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خورش ساختند از پی اژدها
“In place of his brain, they used the worthless head of livestock to prepare the meal for the dragons.”
#23
از این گونه هر ماهیان سی جوان
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از ایشان همی یافتندی روان
“In this manner, thirty youths each month received their lives back from the noble cooks.”
#24
چو گرد آمدی مرد از ایشان دویست
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بر آن سان که نشناختندی که کیست
“When two hundred such men had gathered, in such wise that they knew not who each other was,”
#25
خورشگر بدیشان بزی چند و میش
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سپردی و صحرا نهادند پیش
“The cook would entrust them with a few goats and sheep, sending them out into the open plains.”
#26
کنون کُرد از آن تخمه دارد نژاد
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که ز آباد ناید به دل برش یاد
“Now the Kurdish people draw their lineage from that seed, who recall no memories of settled cities.”
#27
پس آیین ضحاک وارونه‌خوی
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چنان بد که چون می‌بدش آرزوی
“Thereafter, such was the custom of the perverse Zahhak that whenever desire moved him,”
#28
ز مردان جنگی یکی خواستی
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بکشتی چو با دیو برخاستی
“He would demand one of the warrior men, slaying him whenever he consorted with demons.”
#29
کجا نامور دختری خوبروی
✦
به پرده درون بود بی‌گفت‌گوی
“And wherever a renowned, beautiful maiden dwelt sheltered behind curtains,”
#30
پرستنده کردیش بر پیش خویش
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نه بر رسم دین و نه بر رسم کیش
“He made her his handmaiden before him, honoring neither holy law nor sacred faith.”