As Goudarz son of Kashvad took his seat, Tus son of Nowzar stepped forward and kissed the ground before King Kay Khosrow. Speaking with proud devotion, he invoked his exalted lineage stretching back to Fereydun and Key Qobad, reminding the assembly of a lifetime spent with loin girded in unwavering service to the realm of Iran. He recalled the dreadful siege upon Mount Hamavan, where his heavy mail-coat had clung to his wounded flesh like a shroud; his ceaseless night vigils guarding the host during the long war of vengeance for Prince Siyavash; his unyielding courage on the battle plain of Lavan within the very jaws of danger; and his bitter captivity in Mazandaran alongside King Kay Kavus. Never had he abandoned the royal host or left a warrior's plea unanswered. Now, as the righteous King stood sated with earthly crowns and treasuries, ready to abandon this transient world, Tus offered his sword and heart for the King's final decree.
Kay Khosrow listened intently to the old general, replying that the trial and toil Tus had borne exceeded all measure of mortal effort. Thereupon, the King committed the sacred Kavian Banner—the ultimate emblem of Iranian sovereignty and Divine Glory—into the hands of Tus, designating him supreme military commander adorned with the golden boots of office. A royal decree granting him sovereign governance over the vast realm of Khorasan was drafted and witnessed by the empire's greatest chieftains. Setting his golden seal upon the covenant, Kay Khosrow presented Tus with a necklace of pure gold and a golden girdle, showering him with royal blessings so that no shadow of bitterness might ever cloud the heart of the veteran warrior.
#1
چو گودرز بنشست برخاست طوس
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بشد پیش خسرو زمین داد بوس
“When Goudarz sat down, Tus arose, approached Khosrow, and kissed the ground.”
#2
بدو گفت شاها انوشه بدی
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همیشه ز تو دور دست بدی
“He said to him: 'O King, may you live immortal, and may the hand of evil ever remain far from you!'”
#3
منم ز این بزرگان فریدون نژاد
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ز نام آوران تا بیامد قباد
“'Among these nobles I am of Fereydun's line, tracing back through famed heroes to Key Qobad.'”
#4
کمر بسته‌ام پیش ایرانیان
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که نگشادم از بند هرگز میان
“'I have bound my waist in service before the Iranians, never unloosing my belt from duty.'”
#5
به کوه هماون ز جوشن تنم
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بخست و همان بود پیراهنم
“'On Mount Hamavan, my body was wounded through my armor, which clung to me as my shirt.'”
#6
به کین سیاوش بر آن رزمگاه
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بدم هر شبی پاسبان سپاه
“'In the war of vengeance for Siyavash upon that battlefield, I stood as night-sentinel of the army.'”
#7
به لاون سپه را نکردم رها
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همی بودم اندر دم اژدها
“'At Lavan I did not abandon the host, remaining steadfast even in the dragon's breath.'”
#8
به مازندران بسته کاووس بود
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دگر بند بر گردن طوس بود
“'In Mazandaran, when King Kavus was bound, another chain weighed upon the neck of Tus.'”
#9
نکردم سپه را به جایی یله
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نه از من کسی کرد هرگز گله
“'Never did I leave the army defenseless anywhere, nor did anyone ever utter a complaint against me.'”
#10
کنون شاه سیر آمد از تاج و گنج
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همی بگذرد ز این سرای سپنج
“'Now that the King is sated with crown and treasure, preparing to pass from this transient house...'”
#11
چه فرمایدم چیست نیروی من
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تو دانی هنرها و آهوی من
“'What do you command me? What is my strength? For you know well all my virtues and my flaws.'”
#12
چنین داد پاسخ بدو شهریار
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که بیش است رنج تو از روزگار
“Thus replied the monarch to him: 'Your toil and trial exceed what time itself could measure.'”
#13
همی باش با کاویانی درفش
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تو باشی سپهدار زرینه کفش
“'Remain forever with the Kavian Banner; you shall be the chief commander shod in golden boots!'”
#14
بدین مرز گیتی خراسان تراست
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از این نامداران تن‌آسان تراست
“'In this realm of the world, Khorasan is yours; among these famous chiefs, your heart shall be at ease.'”
#15
نبشتند عهدی بر آن هم نشان
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به پیش بزرگان گردنکشان
“They wrote a royal covenant bearing those terms in the presence of the proud chieftains.”
#16
نهادند بر عهد بر مهر زر
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یکی طوق زرین و زرین کمر
“They set a golden seal upon the covenant, bestowing a golden necklace and a golden girdle.”
#17
بدو داد و کردش بسی آفرین
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که از تو مبادا دلی پر ز کین
“He gave them to him and showered him with praise, saying: 'May no heart ever be filled with spite toward thee!'”