When the ancient codex of kings was brought forth, the hook of contemplation was cast deep into the waters of wisdom to weave the sagas of old. Yet when the earlier verses were pondered, they revealed weakness and flaws, proving that noble speech requires a true master of pearls; if a poet’s inner fire flows not like a crystal river, he must not bind his soul to futility nor set an unworthy banquet before the mind. Originally, there existed a chronicle from antiquity, filled with truthful prose and timeless lore, spanning thousands of years without a poet to bind its scattered gems. He who first attempted this sacred work—though he completed but a fraction of its vast battles and banquets before meeting his ill fate—nonetheless laid down the pathway, restoring the forgotten sovereigns to their thrones of memory. Thereafter, this blessed book was embraced with hopeful auguries, enduring twenty long years of silent labor until a true monarch of supreme bounty should arise to honor its grandeur. That moment arrived with the ascension of Sultan Abul Qasim Mahmud, the magnificent ruler whose majesty commands the reverence of the moon and Saturn. By adorning the preface of this epic with his illustrious name, the dark heart of the world was brightened like ivory; for in justice, bravery, and boundless generosity, no sovereign before him ever proved more worthy to wear the royal crown of the Kianians.