When the tragic missive announcing the death of the mighty Bahram Chubin reached the Khagan of China, a heavy veil of grief descended upon the realm. The monarch's eyes welled with tears of blood, and his face paled to the deep blue of lapis lazuli. Assembling his wisest counselors and veterans of state, he recounted the grim fate that had overtaken the heroic warrior. A mournful lamentation echoed from the high palace across the vast expanse of China, as if the hearts of the people were being roasted over unseen fires.
Having performed the solemn funerary rites for his beloved guest, the Khagan set out to uncover the instigators of this heinous villainy. When it was revealed that Qalun had committed the vile deed, leaving behind kin and two sons in Turan, the Khagan's wrath flared unquenchably. He ordered a roaring fire kindled, consuming Qalun's residence and his entire quarter. Qalun's two sons were cast headlong into the inferno, and all his worldly goods were surrendered to pillage.
Thereafter, the retribution fell upon Khatun, Qalun's wife. Dragging her from behind her privacy curtain by her long tresses, the Khagan confiscated her boundless treasures into his royal hall, paying no heed to whatever past labor or service Qalun had rendered. Fleet dromedaries were dispatched to every corner of the empire to hunt down Kharrad-i Barzin, yet the clever Iranian envoy eluded capture. Clothed in dark blue garments of mourning, the entire population of China wept alongside their monarch, who remained haunted by the stain of disgrace this treacherous murder had left upon his honor.
#1
چو بشنید خاقان که بهرام را
✦
چه آمد بروی از پی نام را
“When the Khagan heard what fate had befallen Bahram in his quest for renown,”
#2
چوآن نامه نزدیک خاقان رسید
✦
شد از درد گریان هران کان شنید
“As that fateful letter reached the Khagan, all who heard its message wept in bitter anguish.”
#3
از آن آگهی شد دلش پر ز درد
✦
دو دیده پر از خون و رخ لاژورد
“His heart was filled with grief at the news; his eyes welled with blood, and his face turned pale as lapis.”
#4
ازان کار او در شگفتی بماند
✦
جهاندیدگان را همه پیش خواند
“Astonished and bewildered by this tragic turn, he summoned all the wise elders of the realm.”
#5
بگفت آنک بهرام یل را رسید
✦
بشد زار و گریان هران کوشنید
“He recounted what had befallen the hero Bahram, and every soul present wept aloud in grief.”
#6
همه چین برو زار و گریان شدند
✦
ابی آتش تیز بریان شدند
“The whole of China mourned bitterly for him, their hearts roasted as if over a fierce flame without fire.”
#7
یکایک همه کار او را بساخت
✦
نگه کرد کاین بدبریشان که تاخت
“He arranged all the funeral rites for Bahram, and then sought to discover who had brought this calamity upon them.”
#8
قلون را به توران دو فرزند بود
✦
ز هر گونه‌ای خویش و پیوند بود
“Now Qalun had two sons in Turan, along with kinsmen and relatives of various bloodlines.”
#9
چو دانسته شد آتشی بر فروخت
✦
سرای و همه بر زن او بسوخت
“When the truth was revealed, the Khagan kindled a raging blaze, burning Qalun's palace and his entire neighborhood.”
#10
دو فرزند او را بر آتش نهاد
✦
همه چیز او را به تاراج داد
“He cast Qalun's two sons into the flames and gave over all his possessions to be pillaged.”
#11
ازان پس چو نوبت به خاتون رسید
✦
ز پرده به گیسوش بیرون کشید
“Then, when it came to Khatun, Qalun’s wife, he dragged her out from behind the curtain by her long locks.”
#12
به ایوان کشید آن همه گنج اوی
✦
نکرد ایچ یاد از در رنج اوی
“He swept all her vast treasures into his palace, showing no regard for whatever service or pain Qalun had once rendered.”
#13
فرستاد هرسو هیونان مست
✦
نیامدش خراد برزین بدست
“Swift dromedaries were dispatched in every direction to hunt, yet Kharrad-i Barzin could nowhere be found.”
#14
همه هرچ در چین و را بنده بود
✦
به پوشیدشان جامه‌های کبود
“All who owed allegiance to him throughout China were made to clothe themselves in dark garments of mourning.”
#15
بیک چند با سوک بهرام بود
✦
که خاقان ازان کار بدنام بود
“For a time he remained immersed in sorrow for Bahram, for the Khagan felt tarnished and disgraced by that treacherous deed.”