King Khosrow Anushirvan, filled with joy at the profound wisdom of Bozorgmehr, gazed upon his enlightened minister. For every praise of 'Well done!' that escaped the monarch's lips, the royal treasurer bestowed four purses of silver, and for every ecstatic 'Bravo!', forty purses—each brimming with ten thousand dirhams—were poured forth from the imperial treasury. Thus, the minister's eloquent words were mirrored by golden bounties.
With these noble discourses brought to their end, the path was set to recount the tale of Mahbod, the loyal minister. Yet a timeless truth echoed through the hall: never rest from acquiring knowledge, nor let the heart surrender to doubt. For when a person presumes to have mastered all wisdom, Destiny plays a subtle hand, placing them once more as a humble seeker before a new teacher. And so, the ancient story of Mahbod unfolds, drawn from the lore of the old Dehqans...
#1
نگه کرد کسری بگفتا راوی
✦
دلش گشت خرم به دیدار اوی
“Khosrow looked upon him, as the narrator tells, and his heart grew joyous at the sight of him.”
#2
چو گفتی که زه بدره بودی چهار
✦
بدین گونه بد بخشش شهریار
“Whenever the king said 'Zah' (Well done!), four purses were given; such was the royal generosity of the monarch.”
#3
چو با زه بگفتی زهازه بهم
✦
چهل بدره بودی ز گنجش درم
“And when he uttered 'Zah-a-Zah' together, forty purses of silver dirhams were brought from his treasury.”
#4
چو گنجور باشاه کردی شمار
✦
به هربدره بودی درم ده هزار
“When the treasurer counted alongside the king, every single purse contained ten thousand dirhams.”
#5
شهنشاه با زه زهازه بگفت
✦
که گفتار او با درم بود جفت
“The King of Kings spoke praises of 'Zah' and 'Zah-a-Zah', so that the minister's words were matched with silver.”
#6
بیاورد گنجور خورشید چهر
✦
درم بدره‌ها پیش بوزرجمهر
“The sun-faced treasurer brought forth the purses of dirhams and set them before Bozorgmehr.”
#7
برین داستان برسخن ساختم
✦
به مهبود دستور پرداختم
“Upon this story I concluded the discourse, and turned my focus toward Mahbod, the minister.”
#8
میاسای ز آموختن یک زمان
✦
ز دانش میفگن دل اندرگمان
“Do not rest even for a moment from acquiring knowledge, nor cast your heart into doubt regarding wisdom.”
#9
چوگویی که فام خرد توختم
✦
همه هرچ بایستم آموختم
“When you claim, 'I have fulfilled the debt of wisdom, and learned all that I ought to learn...'”
#10
یکی نغز بازی کند روزگار
✦
که بنشاندت پیش آموزگار
“...Fate will play a wondrous trick upon you, placing you once again before a teacher.”
#11
ز دهقان کنون بشنو این داستان
✦
که برخواند از گفتهٔ باستان
“Now hear this tale from the Dehqan, who recited it from the lore of the ancients.”