Opening his pain-clouded eyes within the depths of the spike-filled pit, Rostam beheld the sneering face of his half-brother Shaghad looking down upon him. In that moment of agonizing clarity, the Champion realized the depth of the betrayal. He warned the traitor that his son Faramarz would surely exact a merciless retribution, but Shaghad merely gloated, proclaiming that fate had finally caught up with the invincible hero and that no longer would Kabul bow or pay tribute to Zabulistan.
Soon, the hypocritical King of Kabul arrived, offering hollow tears and promising to fetch doctors to heal the hero. Rostam rebuffed his deceitful words with disdain, knowing his hour had arrived. He reflected on the inescapable nature of mortality, recalling how even Jamshid, crowned with royal glory, was sawn in two by Zahhak, and how immortal kings like Fereydun, Kay Qobad, and the innocent Siyavash had all surrendered to the cold earth. Death was the ultimate equalizer for all lions of Iran.
Yet, the hero's fiery spirit burned bright even as his physical life ebbed away. Rostam devised a final strategy. He asked Shaghad to string his mighty bow and lay it before him alongside two arrows, claiming he needed to defend his broken body from prowling wild beasts. Deceived by Rostam's bloody state, Shaghad strung the bow with a mocking laugh and set it down. But as soon as Rostam took hold of the weapon, Shaghad was struck with terror and fled behind a massive, ancient plane tree whose trunk was hollow.
Rostam, gathering the very last reserve of his legendary strength, drew the bowstring back to his ear. With a thunderous release, the arrow flew straight through the trunk of the plane tree, pinning the treacherous Shaghad to the wood inside. As Shaghad groaned and died, Rostam turned his gaze toward the heavens. He praised Yazdan, the Divine Almighty, expressing profound gratitude that he had been granted the strength to enact righteous vengeance upon his murderer before his breath departed. With those faithful words, the great spirit of Rostam left his body, while in a neighboring pit, his brother Zavareh also succumbed, leaving the realm in devastating mourning.
#1
چو با خستگی چشمها برگشاد
✦
بدید آن بداندیش روی شغاد
“When he opened his eyes in his wounded state, he saw the face of the evil-minded Shaghad.”
#2
بدانست کان چاره و راه اوست
✦
شغاد فریبنده بدخواه اوست
“He knew then that this trickery was his doing, and that treacherous Shaghad was his malicious foe.”
#3
بدو گفت کای مرد بدبخت و شوم
✦
ز کار تو ویران شد آباد بوم
“He said to him: 'O wretched and ill-omened man, through your action a prosperous land has been ruined!'”
#4
پشیمانی آید ترا زین سخن
✦
بپیچی ازین بد نگردی کهن
“'Regret shall seize you for this deed; you will writhe in agony from this evil and shall not grow old.'”
#5
برو با فرامرز و یکتاه باش
✦
به جان و دل او را نکوخواه باش
“'Go to Faramarz and be at one with him; be well-disposed to him in heart and soul.'”
#6
چنین پاسخ آورد ناکس شغاد
✦
که گردون گردان ترا داد داد
“The vile Shaghad gave answer thus: 'Turning fortune has dealt you your true justice!'”
#7
تو چندین چه یازی به خون ریختن
✦
به هر سو به تاراج و آویختن
“'Why did you stretch your hand so far to shed blood, to pillage and fight on every side?'”
#8
ز کابل نخوا هی دگر بار سیم
✦
نه شاهان شوند از تو زین پس به بیم
“'No longer shall you demand silver from Kabul, nor shall kings fear you from this day forth!'”
#9
گَه آمد که بر تو سرآید زمان
✦
شوی کشته در دام آهرمنان
“'The time has come for your life to end, to be slain in the snare of demonic enemies.'”
#10
هم‌انگه سپهدار کابل ز راه
✦
ز دشت اندر آمد به نخچیرگاه
“At that moment, the commander of Kabul came off the road from the plain into the hunting ground.”
#11
گو پیلتن را چنان خسته دید
✦
همان خستگیهاش نابسته دید
“He saw the elephant-bodied hero so grievously wounded, his injuries remaining open and unbound.”
#12
بدو گفت کای نامدار سپاه
✦
چه بودت برین دشت نخچیرگاه
“He said to him: 'O famed commander of the host, what has befell you in this hunting place?'”
#13
شوم زود چندی پزشک آورم
✦
ز درد تو خونین سرشک آورم
“'I shall quickly go and bring physicians, and weep bloody tears for your pain!'”
#14
مگر خستگیهات گردد درست
✦
نباید مرا رخ به خوناب شست
“'So that perchance your wounds may be healed, lest I must wash my face in tears of blood.'”
#15
تهمتن چنین داد پاسخ بدوی
✦
که ای مرد بدگوهر چاره‌جوی
“Tahamtan thus answered him: 'O evil-natured, scheming man!'”
#16
سر آمد مرا روزگار پزشک
✦
تو بر من مپالای خونین سرشک
“'My time for physicians is past; do not shed bloody tears over me.'”
#17
فراوان نمانی سرآید زمان
✦
کسی زنده برنگذرد باسمان
“'You too shall not endure for long; your time will end, for no living soul passes alive into heaven.'”
#18
نه من بیش دارم ز جمشید فر
✦
که ببرید بیور میانش به ار
“'I have no greater Glory than Jamshid, whose waist Bivar sawed through with a saw.'”
#19
نه از آفریدون وز کیقباد
✦
بزرگان و شاهان فرخ‌نژاد
“'Nor more than Fereydun and Kay Qobad, those great and auspiciously-born kings.'”
#20
گلوی سیاوش به خنجر برید
✦
گروی زره چون زمانش رسید
“'Gorui Zereh slit the throat of Siyavash with a dagger when his appointed hour arrived.'”
#21
همه شهریاران ایران بدند
✦
به رزم اندرون نره شیران بدند
“'They were all rulers of Iran, all fierce lions in the midst of battle.'”
#22
برفتند و ما دیرتر ماندیم
✦
چو شیر ژیان برگذر ماندیم
“'They departed, and we remained longer behind; like roaring lions we lingered in the pass.'”
#23
فرامرز پور جهان‌بین من
✦
بیاید بخواهد ز تو کین من
“'My world-discerning son Faramarz shall come and demand my vengeance from you.'”
#24
چنین گفت پس با شغاد پلید
✦
که اکنون که بر من چنین بد رسید
“He then spoke thus to the vile Shaghad: 'Now that such misfortune has reached me...'”
#25
ز ترکش برآور کمان مرا
✦
به کار آور آن ترجمان مرا
“'...bring out my bow from the quiver; bring to service that interpreter of my heart.'”
#26
به زه کن بنه پیش من با دو تیر
✦
نباید که آن شیر نخچیرگیر
“'String it and place it before me with two arrows, lest that prey-capturing lion...'”
#27
ز دشت اندر آید ز بهر شکار
✦
من اینجا فتاده چنین تن‌فگار
“'...come in from the plain to hunt while I lie here thus wounded in body...'”
#28
ببیند مرا زو گزند آیدم
✦
کمانی بود سودمند آیدم
“'...and see me and bring harm upon me. A bow will prove useful to me.'”
#29
ندرد مگر ژنده شیری تنم
✦
زمانی بود تن به خاک افگنم
“'Lest a giant lion tear my flesh, until the moment I lay my body to the dust.'”
#30
شغاد آمد آن چرخ را برکشید
✦
به زه کرد و یک بارش اندر کشید
“Shaghad came and drew up that bow; he strung it and pulled it back once.”
#31
بخندید و پیش تهمتن نهاد
✦
به مرگ برادر همی بود شاد
“He laughed and placed it before Tahamtan, rejoicing at his brother's approaching death.”
#32
تهمتن به سختی کمان برگرفت
✦
بدان خستگی تیرش اندر گرفت
“Tahamtan took the bow with great effort; despite his grievous wound, he notched his arrow.”
#33
برادر ز تیرش بترسید سخت
✦
بیامد سپر کرد تن را درخت
“His brother feared his arrow greatly; he went and made a tree his shield.”
#34
درختی بدید از برابر چنار
✦
بروبر گذشته بسی روزگار
“He saw a plane tree right in front of him, over which many long ages had passed.”
#35
میانش تهی بار و برگش بجای
✦
نهان شد پسش مرد ناپاک رای
“Its center was hollow, but its leaves and branches remained; behind it hid that evil-minded man.”
#36
چو رستم چنان دید بفراخت دست
✦
چنان خسته از تیر بگشاد شست
“When Rostam saw him thus, he raised his arm; so wounded, he released the bowstring from his thumb-ring.”
#37
درخت و برادر بهم بر بدوخت
✦
به هنگام رفتن دلش برفروخت
“He pinned the tree and his brother together; at the moment of departure, his heart glowed bright.”
#38
شغاد از پس زخم او آه کرد
✦
تهمتن برو درد کوتاه کرد
“Shaghad groaned from the impact of that wound, and Tahamtan cut short his agony.”
#39
بدو گفت رستم ز یزدان سپاس
✦
که بودم همه ساله یزدان‌شناس
“Rostam said to him: 'Thanks be to God, for I have been God-fearing all my life.'”
#40
ازان پس که جانم رسیده به لب
✦
برین کین من، روز نامد به شب
“'Even when my soul has reached my lips, before day turned to night, my revenge was taken.'”
#41
مرا زور دادی که از مرگ پیش
✦
ازین بی‌وفا خواستم کین خویش
“'You gave me strength so that before my death, I sought my vengeance from this faithless traitor.'”
#42
بگفت این و جانش برآمد ز تن
✦
برو زار و گریان شدند انجمن
“He spoke this and his soul departed from his body; all the assembled company wept bitterly for him.”
#43
زواره به چاهی دگر در بمرد
✦
سواری نماند از بزرگان و خرد
“Zavareh also died in another pit; no rider remained among the great or the small.”