Upon ascending the golden throne of the Sasanian realm, King Yazdegerd reassembled the scattered armies and summoned the wise mobads, chieftains, and nobles to his royal court. Seated in majesty, he bound the hands of evil and closed the doors of suffering across the land. The monarch delivered profound counsel to his court, warning that envy and greed are deceitful demons that darken the human spirit beyond any physician's cure. He extolled patience and moderation as the supreme crown of intellect and urged all never to burden others by boasting of their own good deeds.
For eighteen years, Yazdegerd governed the world with righteousness and justice, dispatching mighty hosts to every border to shield the realm from foreign aggression. But as eighteen autumns passed and the winter of his mortality drew near, he gathered the sages and leaders before his throne once more. He spoke of the unyielding, swift turn of Fate—a wheel that respects neither crown nor majesty and hunts down all living souls. Sensing his end, he bestowed the crown, signet ring, and treasures of Iran upon his son Hormoz. Though Piruz was older and possessed grand stature, Yazdegerd recognized in Hormoz a deeper measure of tranquility, wisdom, and fitness to rule. A week after declaring his will, King Yazdegerd departed the transient world, leaving behind a mourning throne and a legacy of quiet dignity.
#1
چو شد پادشا بر جهان یزدگرد
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سپاه پراگنده را کرد گرد
“When Yazdegerd became king over the world, he gathered together the scattered army.”
#2
نشستند با موبدان و ردان
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بزرگان و سالاروَش بخردان
“He sat in council with the mobads and noble lords, the grandees and wise commanders.”
#3
جهانجوی بر تخت زرین نشست
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در رنج و دست بدی را ببست
“The world-seeker sat upon the golden throne; he closed the door to suffering and bound the hand of evil.”
#4
نخستین چنین گفت کو کز گناه
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برآسود شد ایمن از کینه‌خواه
“He spoke first, saying, 'He who refrains from sin stays secure from the vengeful.'”
#5
هر آنکس که دل تیره دارد ز رشک
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مر آن درد را دور باشد پزشک
“'Whoever harbors a heart darkened by envy—from that affliction the physician stands far away.'”
#6
که رشک آورد آز و گرم و گداز
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دُژآگاه دیوی بود دیرساز
“'For envy breeds greed, heat, and anguish; it is a deceitful demon of persistent harm.'”
#7
هرآن چیز کآنت نیاید پسند
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دل دوست و دشمن بر آن برمبند
“'Whatever thing is displeasing to yourself, do not inflict it upon the heart of friend or foe.'”
#8
مدارا خرد را برابر بود
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خرد بر سر دانش افسر بود
“'Tolerance and moderation equal wisdom itself, and wisdom is the crown atop knowledge.'”
#9
به جای کسی گر تو نیکی کنی
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مزن بر سرش تا دلش نشکنی
“'If you bestow a favor upon anyone, do not taunt them with it, lest you break their heart.'”
#10
چو نیکی‌کنِش باشی و بردبار
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نباشی به چشم خردمند خوار
“'If you are beneficent and patient, you shall never be held low in the eyes of the wise.'”
#11
اگر بخت پیروز یاری دهد
✦
مرا بر جهان کامگاری دهد
“'If triumphant Fortune aids me and grants me sovereignty over the world,'”
#12
یکی دفتری سازم از راستی
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که بندد در کژی و کاستی
“'I shall construct a record based on truth, closing the door to falsehood and deficiency.'”
#13
همی‌داشت یک چند گیتی به داد
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زمانه بدو شاد و او نیز شاد
“He governed the world in justice for a time; the times were joyful through him, and he too was content.”
#14
به هر سو فرستاد بی‌مر سپاه
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همی‌داشت گیتی ز دشمن نگاه
“He dispatched countless armies to every border, safeguarding the world from enemies.”
#15
ده و هشت بگذشت سال از برش
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به پاییز چون تیره گشت افسرش
“Eighteen years passed over him; when in autumn his royal crown grew dim,”
#16
بزرگان و دانندگان را بخواند
✦
بر تخت زرین به زانو نشاند
“He summoned the grandees and learned scholars, seating them respectfully beside his golden throne.”
#17
چنین گفت کین چرخ ناپایدار
✦
نه پرورده داند نه پرودگار
“He said: 'This unstable sky knows neither the nurtured nor the nurturer.'”
#18
به تاج گرانمایگان ننگرد
✦
شکاری که یابد همی بشکرد
“'It does not look upon the crowns of the majestic; whatever prey it finds, it relentlessly hunts down.'”
#19
کنون روز من بر سر آید همی
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به نیرو شکست اندر آید همی
“'Now my days draw to an end, and weakness creeps into my strength.'”
#20
سپردم به هرمز کلاه و نگین
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همه لشکر و گنج ایران زمین
“'I have entrusted the crown, signet ring, total army, and treasure of the Iranian realm to Hormoz.'”
#21
همه گوش دارید و فرمان کنید
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ز پیمان او رامش جان کنید
“'All of you must obey his command, and find peace for your souls in keeping faith with him.'”
#22
اگر چند پیروز با فر و یال
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ز هرمز فزونست چندی به سال
“'Although Piruz possesses royal glory and stature, and is several years older than Hormoz,'”
#23
ز هرمز همی‌بینم آهستگی
✦
خردمندی و داد و شایستگی
“'Yet in Hormoz I perceive gentle composure, wisdom, justice, and worthiness.'”
#24
بگفت این و یک هفته زان پس بزیست
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برفت و بر او تخت چندی گریست
“He spoke thus and lived but one week more; he departed, and for a time the throne wept for his passing.”
#25
اگر صد بمانی و گر بیست‌وپنج
✦
ببایدت رفتن ز جای سپنج
“Whether you remain a hundred years or twenty-five, you must inevitably depart this temporary abode.”
#26
هر آن چیز کآید همی در شمار
✦
سزد گر نخوانی ورا پایدار
“Whatever can be reckoned by number—it is fitting that you count it not as permanent.”