When twice eight years had passed over Fereydun, and his tall stature reached full manhood upon the peaks of Mount Alborz, he descended into the plain and came before his mother, Faranak. Ignorant of his own heritage, he implored her to unveil the mysteries of his birth—to tell him who his father was, from what noble gem he was born, and how he might hold his head high in the assemblies of men.
With a heart heavy with painful memories, Faranak disclosed the long-guarded truth. She revealed that his father was Abtin, a wise, gentle, and valiant prince of Kianid blood, descended directly from Tahmuras the Demon-Binder. She recounted how Zahhak the sorcerer king, seeking nourishment for the two serpents sprouting from his shoulders, had seized the noble young Abtin and sacrificed him, feeding his brain to the monstrous serpents. Faranak then spoke of how she had hidden the infant Fereydun in a lush wilderness, where a marvelous, peacock-hued cow named Barmaye nursed him with tender affection. Yet, when Zahhak learned of the sanctuary, Faranak fled with the child to the heights of Alborz, leaving the vengeful villain to slaughter the gentle creature and raze their ancestral halls to dust.
Upon hearing the cruel fate of his father and his beloved nurse, a searing flame of vengeance erupted within Fereydun. His brow furrowed with rage, and he declared that no lion grows truly brave without trial; by the command of Almighty God, he would unsheathe his blade and reduce Zahhak's palace to ash. But Faranak, aware of the boundless armies subject to the tyrant's will, urged her son to stay his hand, counseling him not to view the world through the intoxicating mist of reckless youth, nor to battle a sovereign who could summon hundreds of thousands to his banner.
#1
چو بگذشت از آن بر فریدون دو هشت
✦
ز البرز کوه اندر آمد به دشت
“When twice eight years had passed over Fereydun, he came down from Mount Alborz into the plain.”
#2
بر مادر آمد پژوهید و گفت
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که بگشای بر من نهان از نهفت
“He came unto his mother, seeking truth, and said: 'Unveil for me what has been kept hidden.'”
#3
بگو مر مرا تا که بودم پدر؟
✦
کیم من؟ ز تخم کدامین گهر؟
“'Tell me now, who was my father? Who am I? From what noble seed and jewel am I born?'”
#4
چه گویم کیم بر سر انجمن؟
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یکی دانشی داستانم بزن
“'What shall I say in noble gatherings as to who I am? Tell me a wise and truthful tale.'”
#5
فرانک بدو گفت کای نامجوی
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بگویم تو را هر چه گفتی بگوی
“Faranak spoke to him: 'O seeker of renown, I shall tell you all that you have asked.'”
#6
تو بشناس کز مرز ایران زمین
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یکی مرد بد نام او آبتین
“'Know that within the realm of Iran, there lived a man whose name was Abtin.'”
#7
ز تخم کیان بود و بیدار بود
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خردمند و گرد و بی‌آزار بود
“'He was of royal Kianid blood, vigilant and wise, a brave champion who caused no harm.'”
#8
ز طهمورث گرد بودش نژاد
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پدر بر پدر بر همی داشت یاد
“'His lineage traced back to Tahmuras the brave, remembered proudly through generations.'”
#9
پدر بد تو را و مرا نیک شوی
✦
نبد روز روشن مرا جز بدوی
“'He was your father and my noble husband; without him, bright day was dark to me.'”
#10
چنان بد که ضحاک جادوپرست
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از ایران به جان تو یازید دست
“'Thus it befell that Zahhak the sorcerer stretched forth his hand against your very life.'”
#11
از او من نهانت همی داشتم
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چه مایه به بد روز بگذاشتم
“'I kept you hidden from him in secret, enduring so many dark and painful days.'”
#12
پدرت آن گرانمایه مرد جوان
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فدی کرده پیش تو روشن روان
“'Your father, that precious young hero, sacrificed his bright soul before you.'”
#13
ابر کتف ضحاک جادو دو مار
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برست و برآورد از ایران دمار
“'Upon the shoulders of Zahhak the sorcerer, two serpents grew, bringing ruin to Iran.'”
#14
سر بابت از مغز پرداختند
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همان اژدها را خورش ساختند
“'They struck off your father's head for his brain, serving it as nourishment to that dragon.'”
#15
سرانجام رفتم سوی بیشه‌ای
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که کس را نه زآن بیشه اندیشه‌ای
“'At last I fled unto a secret grove, of which no man had any thought or knowledge.'”
#16
یکی گاو دیدم چو خرم بهار
✦
سراپای نیرنگ و رنگ و نگار
“'There I saw a cow as fair as joyous spring, filled with wonder, color, and rich beauty.'”
#17
نگهبان او، پای کرده به‌کش
✦
نشسته به بیشه درون شاه‌فش
“'Its keeper sat within the lush forest, kingly in heart, watching over it with care.'”
#18
بدو دادمت روزگاری دراز
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همی پروردیدت به بر بر به ناز
“'I gave you unto him for a long season, and he nursed you in tenderness at his chest.'”
#19
ز پستان آن گاو طاووس رنگ
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برافراختی چون دلاور پلنگ
“'From the udder of that peacock-hued cow, you grew strong like a brave leopard.'”
#20
سرانجام زآن گاو و آن مرغزار
✦
یکایک خبر شد سوی شهریار
“'In the end, news of that cow and meadow reached the ears of the ruler Zahhak.'”
#21
ز بیشه ببردم تو را ناگهان
✦
گریزنده ز ایوان و از خان و مان
“'I bore you swiftly away from that forest, fleeing palace, home, and heritage.'”
#22
بیامد بکشت آن گرانمایه را
✦
چنان بی‌زبان مهربان دایه را
“'He came and slaughtered that precious creature—that tender, loving, speechless nurse.'”
#23
وز ایوان ما تا به خورشید خاک
✦
برآورد و کرد آن بلندی مغاک
“'And from our halls unto the sun he raised the dust, turning our towering home into a pit.'”
#24
فریدون چو بشنید بگشاد گوش
✦
ز گفتار مادر برآمد به جوش
“When Fereydun heard this, he gave ear, and his mind boiled at his mother's words.”
#25
دلش گشت پردرد و سر پر ز کین
✦
به ابرو ز خشم اندر آورد چین
“His heart grew full of pain, his head filled with vengeance, and his brows knit with fierce wrath.”
#26
چنین داد پاسخ به مادر که شیر
✦
نگردد مگر ز آزمایش دلیر
“He answered his mother: 'A lion grows not brave save through the ordeal of trial!'”
#27
کنون کردنی کرد جادوپرست
✦
مرا برد باید به شمشیر دست
“'Now that sorcerer-worshipper has done his deed, I must lay my hand upon the sword!'”
#28
بپویم به فرمان یزدان پاک
✦
برآرم ز ایوان ضحاک خاک
“'By the command of holy God, I shall march and raise dust from the palace of Zahhak!'”
#29
بدو گفت مادر که این رای نیست
✦
تو را با جهان سر به سر پای نیست
“His mother said: 'This is no wise counsel; you cannot contend against the entire world.'”
#30
جهاندار ضحاک با تاج و گاه
✦
میان بسته فرمان او را سپاه
“'The lord of the world Zahhak wears crown and throne, and vast armies stand girded to his command.'”
#31
چو خواهد ز هر کشوری صدهزار
✦
کمر بسته او را کند کارزار
“'Whenever he desires, a hundred thousand from every land stand ready to do battle for him.'”
#32
جز این است آیین پیوند و کین
✦
جهان را به چشم جوانی مبین
“'The custom of lineage and vengeance is otherwise; do not view the world with youthful eyes!'”
#33
که هر کاو نبید جوانی چشید
✦
به گیتی جز از خویشتن را ندید
“'For whoever tastes the wine of youth sees nothing in the world except himself.'”
#34
بدان مستی اندر دهد سر بباد
✦
تو را روز جز شاد و خرم مباد
“'In that drunkenness he gives his head to the wind—may your days be nothing but happy and blest!'”