When Word reached Ghatfar, King of the Hephthalites, that the formidable Khagan of China had amassed an army to strike at his realm, he immediately summoned the full might of his kingdoms. From the ancient cities of Balkh and Shaghnan to the banks of the Amuy, Zam, Suman, Termez, and Visehgard, war horns echoed and royal treasuries were opened to equip a host that swarmed like locusts across mountain and desert. Meanwhile, the Khagan led his vanguard across the Tarak River, his marching banners and polished blades casting a shadow that darkened the very sun. The vast plains of May-o-Morgh and the environs of Bukhara became the staging grounds for this monumental clash. As the two mighty hosts converged, the pressure of their iron ranks sealed even the path of the wind. Swords flashed like lightning and heavy maces crashed with such fury that it seemed the iron itself had gained a voice, interpreted by the swirling air. A pitch-black tempest of dust engulfed the sky, hiding both sun and moon. The inhabitants of Kushan and Sogdia watched with tear-filled eyes, wondering to whom fate and the celestial spheres would grant dominion. For seven unrelenting days, the armies locked in mortal combat; mounds of slain warriors piled high, and the earth ran crimson with blood, until even the soaring eagles were blinded by the choking dust and the sun vanished behind the pall of war.
#1
چو آگاه شد غاتفر زان سخن
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که خاقان چینی چه افگند بن
“When Ghatfar became aware of what the Khagan of China was setting in motion,”
#2
سپاهی ز هیتالیان برگزید
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که گشت آفتاب ازجهان ناپدید
“He selected a host from the Hephthalites so vast that the sun was hidden from the world.”
#3
زبلخ وز شگنان و آموی و زم
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سلیح وسپه خواست و گنج درم
“From Balkh, Shaghnan, Amuy, and Zam, he demanded weapons, troops, and treasure.”
#4
ز سومان وز ترمذ و ویسه گرد
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سپاهی برآمد زهرسوی گرد
“From Suman, Termez, and Visehgard, armies mustered from every direction.”
#5
ز کوه و بیابان وز ریگ و شخ
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بجوشید لشکر چو مور و ملخ
“From mountain, desert, sand, and stony waste, the army seethed like ants and locusts.”
#6
چو بگذشت خاقان برود تَرَک
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توگفتی همی تیغ بارد فلک
“When the Khagan crossed the Tarak River, you would say the heavens were raining blades.”
#7
سپاه انجمن کرد بر مای و مرغ
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سیه گشت خورشید چون پر چرغ
“The army assembled at May-o-Morgh; the sun grew dark as the wing of a raven.”
#8
ز بس نیزه وتیغهای بنفش
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درفشیدن گونه گونه درفش
“From the multitude of spears and dark blades, banners of every tint gleamed brightly.”
#9
بخارا پر از گرد وکوپال بود
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که لشکرگه شاه هیتال بود
“Bukhara was filled with dust and maces, serving as the encampment for the King of the Hephthalites.”
#10
بشد غاتفر با سپاهی چو کوه
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ز هیتال گرد آوریده گروه
“Ghatfar advanced with an army like a mountain, a host gathered from all Heptal.”
#11
چو تنگ اندرآمد ز هر سو سپاه
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ز تنگی ببستند بر باد راه
“When the hosts closed in from every side, their tight ranks blocked the path of the wind.”
#12
درخشیدن تیغهای سران
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گراییدن گُرزهای گران
“The flashing of the leaders' swords and the wielding of heavy maces filled the air.”
#13
توگفتی که آهن زبان داردی
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هوا گُرز را ترجمان داردی
“You would say the iron had found a tongue, and the air acted as the interpreter for the maces.”
#14
یکی باد برخاست و گردی سیاه
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بشد روشنایی ز خورشید و ماه
“A wind arose bearing black dust; all radiance was snatched from sun and moon.”
#15
کشانی وسغدی شدند انجمن
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پر از آب رو کودک و مرد وزن
“The Kushanians and Sogdians gathered together, their eyes filled with tears—women, children, and men alike.”
#16
که تا چون بود کارآن رزمگاه
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کرا بردهد گردش هور وماه
“Watching to see how the battlefield would fare, and to whom fate and the revolving orb would grant victory.”
#17
یکی هفته آن لشکر جنگجوی
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بروی اندر آورده بودند روی
“For a whole week those battle-seeking armies stood face to face in relentless conflict.”
#18
به هر جای برتوده‌ای کشته بود
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ز خون خاک وسنک ارغوان گشته بود
“Everywhere lay heaps of slain; soil and stone turned red as pomegranates with blood.”
#19
ز بس نیزه و گُرز و کوپال و تیغ
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توگفتی همی سنگ بارد ز میغ
“From the sheer vastness of spears, maces, weapons, and swords, you would say stones rained from the clouds.”
#20
نهان شد بگرد اندرون آفتاب
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پر از خاک شد چشم پران عقاب
“The sun was lost within the dust, and the eye of the soaring eagle was filled with soil.”