Within the quiet chambers of the Kabuli palace, Princess Rudabeh gathered her five trusted, wise handmaidens—devoted attendants who had long served as her closest confidantes. Unveiling the deep sanctuary of her heart, she confessed that her soul had become a tempestuous sea, tossed by towering waves of passion. Her mind and spirit were consumed day and night by Zal, the silver-haired son of Sam. Neither sleep nor waking could sever the thread of her longing, for his countenance haunted her every dream. Desperate for relief from this agony of devotion, she bade her maidens devise a scheme to cure her heartache and bring comfort to her spirit.
The five handmaids stood astonished and aghast at her words, reacting as though a dark spirit had arisen among them. Surrounding their mistress, they began to plead and reason with her: 'O crown of all world-born ladies, whose beauty outshines all maidens from Hindustan to China! No cypress in the meadow can match your stature, and the moon itself pales before your glowing cheeks. How can you, whose likeness adorns the halls of kings, turn your eyes from royalty? How can a maiden with lips like ruby coral seek a groom who was discarded by his own father and reared by a bird upon desolate mountain peaks? The sun on the fourth heaven is your fitting match, not a white-haired recluse!'
Hearing their rebukes, Rudabeh’s heart ignited like fire struck by wind. Her dark eyes flashed with fury, her brows knit tight, and her voice pierced the silence of the hall. 'Cease this empty chatter!' she commanded. 'I desire neither the Caesar of Rome, nor the Faghfur of China, nor any crowned monarch of Iran! My choice is Zal, the son of Sam—he who possesses the arm of a lion and the shoulder of a giant. Call him old or young as you will, to me he is soul and breath alike. My heart fell in love with his untamed virtue and mighty renown long before my eyes ever beheld his face!'
Perceiving her unyielding resolve and the sheer depth of her devotion, the handmaids immediately bowed their heads in submission. 'We are your humble servants,' they declared softly. 'Command us as you will. If we must master sorcery, bind eyes with dark enchantments, sprout wings to fly like birds, or range the earth like swift gazelles, we shall do so! We shall bring the hero-king to the threshold of our shining moon.' At these words, a brilliant smile broke across Rudabeh’s ruby lips, her blushing face shone with renewed hope, and she promised her maidens boundless riches and gems if their perilous quest succeeded.
#1
ورا پنج ترک پرستنده بود
✦
پرستنده و مهربان بنده بود
“She had five Turkish maidens in her serve, loyal attendants and affectionate bondswomen.”
#2
بدان بندگان خردمند گفت
✦
که بگشاد خواهم نهان از نهفت
“To those wise handmaidens she spoke, saying: 'I wish to unveil that which is hidden in secret.'”
#3
شما یک به یک رازدار منید
✦
پرستنده و غمگسار منید
“'You are, one by one, the keepers of my secrets, my faithful attendants and my comforters.'”
#4
بدانید هر پنج و آگه بوید
✦
همه ساله با بخت همره بوید
“'Know this, all five of you, and be aware, and may good fortune attend you always.'”
#5
که من عاشقم همچو بحر دمان
✦
از او بر شده موج تا آسمان
“'That I am in love, like a raging sea whose waves reach up to the high heavens.'”
#6
پر از پور سامست روشن دلم
✦
به خواب اندر اندیشه زو نگسلم
“'My bright heart is filled with thoughts of Sam's son; even in sleep, my mind does not sever from him.'”
#7
همیشه دلم در غم مهر اوست
✦
شب و روزم اندیشهٔ چهر اوست
“'My heart is ever in grief for his affection; night and day my thought is bound to his face.'”
#8
کنون این سخن را چه درمان کنید
✦
چه گویید و با من چه پیمان کنید
“'Now, what remedy do you offer for this sorrow? What will you say, and what pledge will you make with me?'”
#9
یکی چاره باید کنون ساختن
✦
دل و جانم از رنج پرداختن
“'A remedy must now be devised, to free my heart and soul from this anguish.'”
#10
پرستندگان را شگفت آمد آن
✦
که بیکاری آمد ز دخت ردان
“The attendants were amazed at her words, astonished that such madness came from the daughter of nobles.”
#11
همه پاسخش را بیاراستند
✦
چو اهرمن از جای برخاستند
“They prepared their answer together, jumping up startled like spirits aroused.”
#12
که ای افسر بانوان جهان
✦
سرافراز بر دختران مهان
“Saying: 'O crown of the world's ladies, exalted high above the daughters of the great!'”
#13
ستوده ز هندوستان تا به چین
✦
میان بتان در چو روشن نگین
“'Praised from Hindustan unto China, shining among idols like a radiant jewel!'”
#14
به بالای تو بر چمن سرو نیست
✦
چو رخسار تو تابش پرو نیست
“'No cypress in the meadow matches your tall stature; no Pleiades shine like your countenance.'”
#15
نگار رخ تو ز قنوج و رای
✦
فرستد همی سوی خاور خدای
“'God sends the portrait of your face from Qannauj and Ray towards the rulers of the West.'”
#16
ترا خود به دیده درون شرم نیست
✦
پدر را به نزد تو آزرم نیست
“'Have you no shame in your eyes? Have you no respect left for your father?'”
#17
که آن را که اندازد از بر پدر
✦
تو خواهی که گیری مر او را به بر
“'That one whom his own father cast away—do you wish to take him into your embrace?'”
#18
که پروردهٔ مرغ باشد به کوه
✦
نشانی شده در میان گروه
“'One who was nurtured by a mountain bird, and became a spectacle among the people?'”
#19
کس از مادران پیر هرگز نزاد
✦
نه ز آن کس که زاید بباشد نژاد
“'No old mother ever gave birth to such a child, nor could any noble lineage spring from him.'”
#20
چنین سرخ دو بسد شیر بوی
✦
شگفتی بود گر شود پیرجوی
“'For lips as red as coral and breath sweet as milk, it is a wonder to seek an old man.'”
#21
جهانی سراسر پر از مهر تست
✦
به ایوانها صورت چهر تست
“'The whole world is filled with love for you; your portrait graces the walls of palaces.'”
#22
ترا با چنین روی و بالای و موی
✦
ز چرخ چهارم خور آیدت شوی
“'With such a face, tall stature, and radiant hair, the Sun from the fourth heaven should be your husband!'”
#23
چو رودابه گفتار ایشان شنید
✦
چو از باد آتش دلش بردمید
“When Rudabeh heard their words, her heart flared with anger like fire fanned by wind.”
#24
بر ایشان یکی بانگ برزد به خشم
✦
بتابید روی و بخوابید چشم
“She cried out at them in anger, turned her face away, and narrowed her eyes.”
#25
وز آن پس به چشم و به روی دژم
✦
به ابرو ز خشم اندر آورد خم
“And then, with grim eyes and an aggrieved face, she drew her eyebrows together in wrath.”
#26
چنین گفت کاین خام پیکارتان
✦
شنیدن نیرزید گفتارتان
“She said: 'This raw opposition of yours—your words are not worth listening to!'”
#27
نه قیصر بخواهم نه فغفور چین
✦
نه از تاجداران ایران زمین
“'I desire neither Caesar of Rome, nor Faghfur of China, nor any of the crown-wearers of the land of Iran!'”
#28
به بالای من پور سامست زال
✦
ابا بازوی شیر و با برز و یال
“'For my height and match, Zal, son of Sam, is worthy—with the arm of a lion and with grandeur and shoulder.'”
#29
گرش پیر خوانی همی گر جوان
✦
مرا او به جای تنست و روان
“'Whether you call him old or young, to me he stands in place of my very soul and body.'”
#30
مرا مهر او دل ندیده گزید
✦
همان دوستی از شنیده گزید
“'My heart chose his love unseen, selecting his affection solely through report.'”
#31
بر او مهربانم به بر روی و موی
✦
به سوی هنر گشتمش مهرجوی
“'I am devoted to his face and hair; I turned to his nobility and sought his love.'”
#32
پرستنده آگه شد از راز او
✦
چو بشنید دل خسته آواز او
“The maidens became aware of her true heart when they heard her pained, passionate voice.”
#33
به آواز گفتند ما بنده‌ایم
✦
به دل مهربان و پرستنده‌ایم
“With one voice they said: 'We are your bondswomen, loving in heart and ready to serve.'”
#34
نگه کن کنون تا چه فرمان دهی
✦
نیاید ز فرمان تو جز بهی
“'Look now and see what you command; from your command nothing but goodness shall issue.'”
#35
یکی گفت ز ایشان که ای سرو بن
✦
نگر تا نداند کسی این سخن
“One of them said: 'O cypress-tree! Take care that no one learns of this secret.'”
#36
اگر جادویی باید آموختن
✦
به بند و فسون چشمها دوختن
“'If sorcery must be learned, to bind and seal eyes with incantations,'”
#37
بپریم با مرغ و جادو شویم
✦
بپوییم و در چاره آهو شویم
“'We shall fly like birds and turn into sorceresses, we shall run and become swift as gazelles in finding a remedy,'”
#38
مگر شاه را نزد ماه آوریم
✦
به نزدیک او پایگاه آوریم
“'Perchance we may bring the king to the moon, and establish his place near her.'”
#39
لب سرخ رودابه پرخنده کرد
✦
رخان معصفر سوی بنده کرد
“Rudabeh's red lips broke into a wide smile, and she turned her saffron-blushing face toward her bondswomen.”
#40
که این گفته را گر شوی کاربند
✦
درختی برومند کاری بلند
“Saying: 'If you put this counsel into action, you plant a fruitful and lofty tree,'”
#41
که هر روز یاقوت بار آورد
✦
برش تازیان بر کنار آورد
“'Which will bear rubies every day, and bring forth fresh fruits for your lap.'”