When King Khosrow Anushirvan returned from his arduous campaign in Rome, the crushing weariness of the journey weighed heavily upon his frame. Weakness claimed his limbs, and unable to continue his march, he was compelled to halt in the region of Jordan to recover his failing strength. In those shadow-draped days, a false rumor sped across the realm, reaching the ears of his son, Prince Nush-zad. Messengers claimed that the brilliant Glory of the Great King had dimmed forever and that Anushirvan had yielded his breath to the eternal void. They whispered that the world would soon descend into dark turmoil, left without its vigilant guardian.
Upon hearing that his royal father was dead and the crown vacant, Nush-zad did not weep; instead, his heart filled with unfilial joy and he celebrated the false tidings—proving himself unworthy of a sweet and noble name. His cold delight invoked the ancient wisdom of sages, who declared that he who rejoices in the death of another should himself never taste immortality. A son who strays from the righteous path of his progenitor is either a tyrant or utterly devoid of wisdom. Just as the bitter root of the colocynth plant can never bear fragrant musk, a bad seed bound to dust and discord can never yield noble fruit or offer shade under the sun.
#1
بدان گه که باز آمد از روم شاه
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بنالید زان جنبش و رنج راه
“At that time when the Shah returned from Rome, he groaned from the fatigue and toil of the journey.”
#2
چنان شد ز سستی که از تن بماند
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ز ناتندرستی به اردن بماند
“So weak did he grow that his body failed him, and due to ill health, he was forced to remain in Jordan.”
#3
کسی برد زی نوش‌زاد آگهی
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که تیره شد آن فر شاهنشهی
“Someone carried news to Nush-zad that the glorious fortune of the King of Kings had darkened.”
#4
جهانی پر آشوب گردد کنون
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بیارند هر سو به بد رهنمون
“'The world shall now fall into turmoil,' they said, 'and evil guides shall arise on every side.'”
#5
جهاندار بیدار کسری بمرد
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زمان و زمین دیگری را سپرد
“'The vigilant ruler Khosrow has died, yielding time and the earth to another.'”
#6
ز مرگ پدر شاد شد نوش‌زاد
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که هرگز ورا نام نوشین مباد
“Nush-zad rejoiced at his father's death—may his name never be remembered as sweet or immortal!”
#7
برین داستان زد یکی مرد پیر
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که گر شادی از مرگ هرگز ممیر
“Upon this, an old sage struck a proverb: 'If you rejoice at death, may you yourself never die!'”
#8
پسر کو ز راه پدر بگذرد
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ستم‌کاره خوانیمش ار بی‌خرد
“A son who strays from his father's noble way must be deemed either a cruel tyrant or devoid of sense.”
#9
اگر بیخ حنظل بود تر و خشک
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نشاید که بار آورد شاخ مشک
“If the root of the colocynth plant be wet or dry, its branch can never yield fragrant musk.”
#10
چرا گشت باید همی زان سرشت
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که پالیزبانش ز اول بکشت
“Why expect a change in that nature which the gardener cultivated as bitter from the start?”
#11
اگر میل یابد همی سوی خاک
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ببرد ز خورشید وز باد و خاک
“If its inclination is toward the low dust, it severs itself from the sun, the wind, and the sky.”
#12
نه زو بار باید که یابد نه برگ
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ز خاکش بود زندگانی و مرگ
“Neither fruit nor leaf should be expected from it; its life and death are bound to the dirt alone.”