Upon securing his realm, the Roman Caesar immediately took up the reed pen to draft an imperial epistle, saturating its opening with exalted praises unto Khosrow Parviz. He declared that after holding solemn counsel with his purest mobads and wise advisors, they had carefully pondered the turns of fate and unlocked the archives of ancient history. Though he had gathered an immense coalition of forces in Constantinople to aid Khosrow, the deliberation was intended to address the root of ancient animosities. The elders of Rome still carried bitter memories of the devastating campaigns of Shapur son of Ardashir, the harshness of Hormizd and Kay Qobad, and the monumental invasions of Nushirvan, which had laid waste to thirty-nine Roman cities and left fields drenched in the blood of nobles.
Yet, Caesar emphasized that the Christian faith forbids returning evil for evil, holding absolute truth and righteousness as the highest virtues. Through soft diplomacy and the healing balm of reason, he had cleansed the hearts of his aggrieved subjects, binding them to set aside the dark memories of past eras. He urged Khosrow to enter into a solemn and binding covenant: that Iran would demand no tribute, respect the Roman borders, and forever renounce the ancient bloody feuds originating from the sons of Fereydun—Iraj, Salm, and Tur.
To solidify this eternal peace, Caesar offered his own daughter—a maiden renowned for her intellect and piety—in noble marriage to Khosrow. Through this imperial union, any offspring born of Caesar's lineage would possess no cause to remember the ancient vendettas of Iraj, thereby bringing lasting tranquility to the world. Evoking the cautionary tale of King Peroz and the Hephthalite ruler Khushnavaz, alongside the holy teachings of Jesus Christ—that wisdom withers when justice is abandoned—the Caesar urged Khosrow to remain true to his oaths, act with righteousness, and shun deceit. The letter was then sealed with musk and the royal signet, and delivered with great honor to Khosrow's envoy.
#1
هم آنگه یکی نامه بنوشت زود
✦
بران آفرین آفرین بر فزود
“Straightway he wrote an official letter, heaping praises upon praises in its opening.”
#2
که با موبد یکدل و پاک رای
✦
زدیم از بد و نیک ناباک رای
“Saying: 'With our single-minded and pure-counseled Mobad, we held bold council regarding good and ill.'”
#3
ز هرگونه‌ای داستانها زدیم
✦
بران رای پیشینه باز آمدیم
“'We discussed stories of every kind, and returned at last to our former resolve.'”
#4
کنون رای و گفتارها شد ببن
✦
گشادم در گنجهای کهن
“'Now our discussions and words have reached their sum, and I have unlocked the doors of ancient treasuries.'”
#5
به قسطنیه در فراوان سپاه
✦
ندارم که دارند کشور نگاه
“'In Constantinople I keep a vast army, not merely to safeguard the realm for myself,'”
#6
سخنها ز هرگونه آراستیم
✦
ز هر کشوری لشکری خواستیم
“'We arranged discourse in every manner, and requested an army from every domain.'”
#7
یکایک چوآیند هم در زمان
✦
فرستیم نزدیک تو بی گمان
“'As soon as they gather together, we shall send them to thee without doubt.'”
#8
همه مولش و رای چندین زدن
✦
برین نیشتر کام شیر آژدن
“'Yet all this delay and long deliberation was to plunge a scalpel into the lion's mouth;'”
#9
ازان بد که کردارهای کهن
✦
همی یاد کرد آنک داند سخن
“'Because he who knows ancient lore recalled the deeds of bygone days,'”
#10
که هنگام شاپور شاه اردشیر
✦
دل مرد برناشد از رنج سیر
“'How in the days of King Shapur, son of Ardashir, the heart of young men grew weary of sorrow,'”
#11
ز بس غارت و کشتن و تاختن
✦
به بیداد برکینها ساختن
“'From endless pillage, slaughter, and raids, and vengeful strife forged in injustice.'”
#12
کزو بگذری هرمز و کی قباد
✦
که از داد یزدان نکردند یاد
“'And after him came Hormizd and Kay Qobad, who took no heed of God's justice.'”
#13
نیای تو آن شاه نوشین روان
✦
که از داد او پیر سر شد جوان
“'And thy grandfather, King Nushirvan, through whose justice even the aged grew young,'”
#14
همه روم ازو شد سراسر خراب
✦
چناچون که ایران ز افراسیاب
“'Yet all of Rome was laid waste by him, even as Iran was ruined by Afrasiab.'”
#15
ازین مرز ما سی و نه شارستان
✦
از ایرانیان شد همه خارستان
“'Thirty and nine of our cities became a briar patch at the hands of the Iranians;'”
#16
ز خون سران دشت شد آبگیر
✦
زن و کودکانشان ببردند اسیر
“'The plain became a pool with the blood of chieftains, and their women and children were taken captive.'”
#17
اگر مرد رومی به دل کین گرفت
✦
نباید که آید تو را آن شگفت
“'If a Roman man harbor hatred in his heart, it should not cause thee wonder;'”
#18
خود آزردنی نیست در دین ما
✦
مبادا بدی کردن آیین ما
“'Yet in our faith, causing harm is forbidden; let evil-doing never be our custom!'”
#19
ندیدیم چیزی به از راستی
✦
همان دوری از کژی و کاستی
“'We have seen nothing higher than truthfulness, nor better than shunning crookedness and flaw.'”
#20
ستمدیدگان را همه خواندم
✦
وزین در فراوان سخن راندم
“'I summoned all the aggrieved, and spoke lengthily to them upon this matter,'”
#21
به افسون دل مردمان پاک شد
✦
همه زهر گیرنده تریاک شد
“'By gentle charm the hearts of men were cleansed, and all poison turned to antidote.'”
#22
بدان برنهادم کزین درسخن
✦
نگوید کس از روزگار کهن
“'I resolved that henceforth no man should speak of the dark days of old.'”
#23
به چیزی که گویی تو فرمان کنم
✦
روان را به پیمان گروگان کنم
“'Whatever thou commandest I shall obey, pledging my soul as hostage to our covenant.'”
#24
شما را زبان داد باید همان
✦
که بر ما نباشد کسی بدگمان
“'Thou too must give thy word, so that none shall harbor ill suspicion toward us,'”
#25
بگویی که تا من بوم شهریار
✦
نگیرم چنین رنجها سست وخوار
“'Saying: So long as I am sovereign, I shall not treat these labors lightly or with scorn;'”
#26
نخواهم من از رومیان باژ نیز
✦
نه بفروشم این رنجها را بچیز
“'I shall demand no tribute from the Romans, nor barter away these hardships for material gain;'”
#27
دگر هرچ دارید زان مرز و بوم
✦
از ایران کسی نسپرد مرز روم
“'And whatever land ye possess, no Iranian shall trespass upon Roman borders.'”
#28
بدین آرزو نیز بیشی کنید
✦
بسازید با ما و خویشی کنید
“'Fulfill this wish even further: bind yourselves to us through marriage and kinship.'”
#29
شما را هر آنگه که کاری بود
✦
وگر ناسزا کارزاری بود
“'Whenever ye face a plight or an unworthy battle,'”
#30
همه دوستدار و برادر شویم
✦
بود نیز گاهی که کهتر شویم
“'We shall all become thy friends and brothers, and at times even thy humble servants.'”
#31
چو گردید زین شهر ما بی‌نیاز
✦
به دل‌تان همه کینه آید فراز
“'Yet when ye no longer need our city, hatred rises anew in thy hearts.'”
#32
ز تور و ز سلم اندر آمد سخن
✦
ازان بیهوده روزگار کهن
“'Discourse turned to Tur and Salm, to those foolish times of old.'”
#33
یکی عهد باید کنون استوار
✦
سزاوار مهری برو یادگار
“'Now an enduring covenant must be sealed, bearing a worthy token of love,'”
#34
کزین باره از کین ایرج سخن
✦
نرانیم و از روزگار کهن
“'That concerning the feud of Iraj and ancient times, we speak no more words of vengeance.'”
#35
ازین پس یکی باشد ایران و روم
✦
جدایی نجوییم زین مرز و بوم
“'Henceforth Iran and Rome shall be as one, and we shall seek no division between our realms.'”
#36
پس پردهٔ ما یکی دخترست
✦
که از مهتران برخرد بهترست
“'Behind our curtain dwells a daughter, superior in wisdom to all nobles.'”
#37
بخواهید بر پاکی دین ما
✦
چنانچون بود رسم و آیین ما
“'Ask for her hand according to the purity of our faith, in keeping with our custom and law,'”
#38
بدان تا چو فرزند قیصر نژاد
✦
بود کین ایرج نیارد بیاد
“'So that when a child of Caesar's lineage is born, he shall bring to mind no memory of Iraj's feud,'”
#39
از آشوب وز جنگ روی زمین
✦
بیاساید و راه جوید بدین
“'And the face of the earth may rest from turmoil and war, seeking the path of truth through this union.'”
#40
کنون چون بچشم خرد بنگری
✦
مراین را به جز راستی نشمری
“'Now if thou lookest with the eye of wisdom, thou wilt count this as naught but absolute truth.'”
#41
بماند ز پیوند پیمان ما
✦
ز یزدان چنین است فرمان ما
“'Through this marriage our covenant shall endure; such is God's decree for us.'”
#42
ز هنگام پیروز تا خوشنواز
✦
همانا که بگذشت سال دراز
“'From the days of Peroz unto Khushnavaz, many long years have indeed passed,'”
#43
که سرها بدادند هر دو بباد
✦
جهاندار پیمان شکن خود مباد
“'When both lost their lives to the wind; may the ruler of the world never be a breaker of covenants!'”
#44
مسیح پیمبر چنین کرد یاد
✦
که پیچد خرد چون به پیچی زداد
“'Christ the Prophet recalled: Wisdom writhes in agony whenever thou turnest away from justice.'”
#45
بسی چاره کرد اندران خوشنواز
✦
که پیروز را سر نیاید به گاز
“'Khushnavaz devised many a scheme so that Peroz's head might not fall into the trap,'”
#46
چو پیروز با او درشتی نمود
✦
بدید اندران جایگه تیره دود
“When Peroz showed harshness toward him, he beheld naught but dark smoke in that place.”
#47
شد آن لشکر و تخت شاهی بباد
✦
بپیچید و شد شاه را سر زداد
“That army and the royal throne were cast to the wind; the king twisted in pain and turned away from justice.”
#48
تو برنایی و نوز نادیده کار
✦
چو خواهی که بر یابی از روزگار
“You are young and as yet inexperienced; if you wish to reap the fruits of Time and Fortune,”
#49
مکن یاری مرد پیمان شکن
✦
که پیمان شکن کس نیرزد کفن
“Give no aid to a breaker of covenants, for a promise-breaker is not worth even a shroud.”
#50
بدان شاه نفرین کند تاج و گاه
✦
که پیمان شکن باشد و کینه خواه
“The crown and throne lay curses upon that king who breaks his pledges and nurses malice.”
#51
کنون نامهٔ من سراسر بخوان
✦
گر انگشتها چرب داری مخوان
“Now read my letter from end to end; yet if your fingers are stained with grease, read it not till they are clean.”
#52
سخنها نگه دار و پاسخ نویس
✦
همه خوبی اندیش و فرخ نویس
“Keep these words in mind and compose your reply; ponder only virtue and write auspiciously.”
#53
نخواهم که این راز داند دبیر
✦
تو باشی نویسندهٔ تیزویر
“I desire not that any scribe learn of this secret; let yourself be the quick-witted writer of it.”
#54
چو برخوانم این پاسخ نامه را
✦
ببینم دل مرد خود کامه را
“When I read the reply to this letter, I shall perceive the true disposition of a willful man.”
#55
همانا سلیح و سپاه و درم
✦
فرستیم تا دل نداری دژم
“Verily we shall dispatch weapons, troops, and treasure, that your heart may remain untroubled.”
#56
هرآنکس که برتو گرامی ترست
✦
وگر نزد تو نیز نامی ترست
“Whosoever is most dear to you, or holds the highest renown in your sight,”
#57
ابا آنک زو کینه داری به دل
✦
به مردی ز دل کینه‌ها برگسل
“Even if you bear malice in your heart toward him, sever those grudges with noble manhood from your soul.”
#58
گناهش بیزدان دارنده بخش
✦
مکن روز بر دشمن و دوست دخش
“Entrust his fault to God the Sustainer for forgiveness; darken not the day for either foe or friend.”
#59
چو خواهی که داردت پیروزبخت
✦
جهاندار و با لشکر و تاج و تخت
“If you desire prosperous fortune to keep you triumphant—a world-ruler endowed with hosts, crown, and throne—”
#60
زچیزکسان دست کوتاه دار
✦
روان را سوی راستی راه دار
“Keep your hand away from the possessions of others, and guide your soul upon the path of righteousness.”
#61
چو عنوان آن نامه برگشت خشک
✦
برو برنهادند مهری زمشک
“When the ink of that letter's superscription dried, they set upon it a seal of musk.”
#62
بران مهر بنهاد قیصر نگین
✦
فرستاده را داد وکرد آفرین
“Caesar impressed his signet ring upon that seal, handed it to the envoy, and showered him with praises.”