A long stretch of time passed, and Gordiyeh, sister of Bahram Chubin, lived in comfort, wanting for nothing. She partook in assemblies with sagacious elders and battle-tested chieftains. During one such feast, a wine goblet was brought forth inscribed with the name of Bahram. Upon beholding it, Gordiyeh ordered the goblet to be cast away and shattered, purging everyone's heart of his memory as all present cursed Bahram, the vessel, and whoever had brought it.
Meanwhile, hatred for the city of Ray burned fiercely within King Khosrow Parviz, for Ray had been the cradle of Bahram's rebellion. Khosrow commanded that war elephants be sent to trample Ray into dust, expel its inhabitants, and reduce the prosperous metropolis to a desolate wilderness. However, his noble and wise minister, Bahman, stepped forward and urged restraint: 'O heir of the Kianian kings! Ray is a great and ancient city; it is unbefitting for war elephants to crush it underfoot. Almighty God will not favor such destruction, nor will the righteous of the earth.'
Khosrow acquiesced to his advisor's wisdom but declared: 'Then I shall appoint a base-born, wicked, ignorant, and vile-tongued fool as governor over Ray for a time.' The king then delineated the absurdly specific traits of the wicked creature he sought: a talkative, ill-starred man with red hair, red skin, a crooked nose, a hideous face like a denizen of hell, yellow-cheeked, malevolent, shallow-hearted, filled with spite and lies, with squinting green eyes, oversized teeth, who walked crookedly like a wolf. The mobads and nobles marvelled at how vividly Khosrow conceived this monstrous portrait, and scouts were dispatched across the realm to find him.
Eventually, such a man was located along a roadway and brought before the throne. Upon beholding his monstrous visage, the court and army erupted in laughter. Khosrow questioned him: 'What evil deeds do you excel at?' The creature replied: 'I never rest from wickedness, and wisdom has no place in me. I distort every word spoken, fill the bodies and souls of men with blood, and my sole capital is falsehood.' Satisfied, Khosrow drafted the official decree granting him governorship over Ray, elevating the ill-omened villain to high power.
Upon arriving in Ray, the unwholesome ruler abandoned all godly shame. He immediately ordered every rain gutter torn down from all roofs, taking malicious delight in the act. Next, he commanded the extermination of every cat in the city. Heralds marched through the streets proclaiming that if a single roof gutter or cat were found in any dwelling, the governor would burn the property to the ground and shower heavy stones upon the owner's head. Furthermore, he extorted anyone possessing even a single dirham, plunging the citizenry into despair. Without cats, the houses were overwhelmed by infestations of mice; without gutters, rain damaged the roofs and walls, leaving the city defenseless. Thus, through the malevolence of the hideous governor appointed by Khosrow, the once-flourishing city of Ray was completely reduced to ruins, scorched under the sun and buried in pain.
#1
برآمد برین روزگاری دراز
✦
نبد گردیه را به چیزی نیاز
“A long time passed in this manner, and Gordiyeh stood in need of nothing.”
#2
چنین می همی‌خورد با بخردان
✦
بزرگان و رزم آزموده ردان
“Thus she drank wine in the company of the wise, the nobles, and battle-tested chieftains.”
#3
بدان مجلس اندر یکی جام بود
✦
نوشته برو نام بهرام بود
“In that assembly there was a goblet whereon the name of Bahram was inscribed.”
#4
بفرمود تا جام بنداختند
✦
وزان هرکسی دل بپرداختند
“She commanded that the goblet be cast away, so that everyone cleared their hearts of him.”
#5
گرفتند نفرین به بهرام بر
✦
بران جام و آرندهٔ جام بر
“They rained curses upon Bahram, upon that cup, and upon the one who had brought it.”
#6
چنین گفت که اکنون بر بوم ری
✦
به کوبند پیلان جنگی بپی
“Khosrow then declared: 'Now upon the land of Ray, war elephants shall crush the ground beneath their feet!'”
#7
همه مردم از شهر بیرون کنند
✦
همه ری بپی دشت و هامون کنند
“'They shall cast out all inhabitants from the city and turn all of Ray into a plain and desert underfoot.'”
#8
گرانمایه دستور با شهریار
✦
چنین گفت کای از کیان یادگار
“The noble counselor said to the monarch: 'O souvenir of the Kianians!'”
#9
نگه کن که شهری بزرگست ری
✦
نشاید که کوبند پیلان بپی
“'Consider that Ray is a mighty city; it is not fitting that war elephants crush it underfoot.'”
#10
که یزدان دران کار همداستان
✦
نباشد نه هم بر زمین راستان
“'For God will not agree with such a deed, nor will the righteous of the earth approvingly look upon it.'”
#11
به دستور گفت آن زمان شهریار
✦
که بد گوهری باید و نابکار
“The king then said to his minister: 'Then we require a base-born and wicked man...'”
#12
که یک چند باشد بری مرزبان
✦
یکی مرد بی دانش و بد زبان
“'...to serve as governor of Ray for a while—an ignorant fool with an evil tongue.'”
#13
بدو گفت بهمن که گر شهریار
✦
بخواهد نشان چنین نابکار
“Bahman said to him: 'If the monarch desires the description of such a villain...'”
#14
بجوییم و این را بجا آوریم
✦
نباید که بی‌رهنما آوریم
“'...we shall search and fulfill this wish, lest we act without a guide.'”
#15
چنین گفت خسرو که بسیارگوی
✦
نژند اختری بایدم سرخ موی
“Khosrow said: 'I require a talkative, ill-starred man with red hair...'”
#16
تنش سرخ و بینی کژ وروی زشت
✦
همان دوزخی روی دور از بهشت
“'...a red body, a crooked nose, a hideous face—a hellish visage far removed from paradise...'”
#17
یکی مرد بدنام و رخساره زرد
✦
بد اندیش و کوتاه دل پر ز درد
“'...a man of ill repute with a yellow face, malevolent, shallow-hearted, and full of grief...'”
#18
همان بد دل و سفله و بی‌فروغ
✦
سرش پر ز کین و زبان پر دروغ
“'...cowardly, base, devoid of light, his head full of malice and his tongue full of lies...'”
#19
دو چشمش کژ و سبز و دندان بزرگ
✦
براه اندرون کژ رود همچو گرگ
“'...his two eyes squinted and green, with large teeth, walking crookedly along the path like a wolf.'”
#20
همه موبدان مانده زو در شگفت
✦
که تا یاد خسرو چنین چون گرفت
“All the mobads remained astonished at him, wondering how Khosrow had formed such a precise image.”
#21
همی‌جست هرکس بگرد جهان
✦
ز شهر کسان از کهان و مهان
“Everyone searched throughout the world, inquiring in cities from low to high.”
#22
چنان بد که روزی یکی نزد شاه
✦
بیامد کزین گونه مردی به راه
“It so happened that one day someone came to the king, saying: 'I saw such a man on the road...'”
#23
بدیدم بیارم به فرمان کی
✦
بدان تا فرستدش خسرو به ری
“'...I shall bring him by royal decree so that Khosrow may send him to Ray.'”
#24
بفرمود تا نزد او آورند
✦
وز آنگونه بازی بکو آورند
“The king commanded that he be brought into his presence, so that such a strange spectacle might be seen.”
#25
ببردند زین گونه مردی برش
✦
بخندید زو کشور و لشکرش
“They brought such a man before him, and the country and army laughed at his visage.”
#26
بدو گفت خسرو ز کردار بد
✦
چه داری بیاد ای بد بی‌خرد
“Khosrow said to him: 'Of wicked deeds, what do you hold in your mind, o foolish villain?'”
#27
چنین گفت با شاه کز کار بد
✦
نیاسایم و نیست با من خرد
“He said to the king: 'I never rest from evil deeds, and wisdom has no part in me.'”
#28
سخن هرچ گویی دگرگون کنم
✦
تن و جان مردم پر از خون کنم
“'Whatever word you speak, I twist it into evil; I fill the body and soul of people with blood.'”
#29
سرمایهٔ من دروغست و بس
✦
سوی راستی نیستم دست رس
“'My sole capital is falsehood; I have no access or inclination toward truth.'”
#30
بدو گفت خسرو که بد اخترت
✦
نوشته مبادا جزین بر سرت
“Khosrow said to him: 'O ill-starred one, may nothing else ever be written upon your destiny!'”
#31
به دیوان نوشتند منشور ری
✦
ز زشتی بزرگی شد آن شوم پی
“They wrote the royal decree for Ray in the court; through his ugliness, that ill-omened man attained greatness.”
#32
سپاه پراگنده او را سپرد
✦
برفت از درو نام زشتی ببرد
“Dispersed troops were entrusted to him; he departed from court, taking with him a name of wickedness.”
#33
چوآمد بری مرد ناتندرست
✦
دل و دیده از شرم یزدان بشست
“When that unwholesome man arrived in Ray, he cleansed his heart and eyes of divine shame.”
#34
بفرمود تا ناودانهای بام
✦
بکندند و او شد بران شادکام
“He commanded that the rain gutters of the roofs be torn off, and he rejoiced in that act.”
#35
وزان پس همه گربکان رابکشت
✦
دل کد خدایان ازو شد درشت
“Thereafter he slaughtered all the cats, and the hearts of the householders grew bitter against him.”
#36
به هرسو همی‌رفت با رهنمای
✦
منادیگری پیش او بر بپای
“He marched to every quarter with a guide, with a herald standing before him proclaiming:”
#37
همی‌گفت گر ناودانی بجای
✦
ببینی و گر گربه‌ای در سرای
“'If you see a rain gutter left in place, or a cat inside a home...'”
#38
بدان بوم وبر آتش اندر زنم
✦
ز برشان همی سنگ بر سرزنم
“'...I shall set fire to that land, and rain down heavy stones upon their heads!'”
#39
همی‌جست جایی که بد یک درم
✦
خداوند او را فگندی به غم
“He searched out any place where a single dirham was kept, and plunged its owner into sorrow.”
#40
همه خانه از موش بگذاشتند
✦
دل از بوم آباد برداشتند
“All the houses were abandoned to mice, and people lost hope in their once-prosperous homeland.”
#41
چو باران بدی ناودانی نبود
✦
به شهر اندرون پاسبانی نبود
“When rain fell, there were no gutters; nor was there any watchman remaining in the city.”
#42
ازان زشت بد کامهٔ شوم پی
✦
که آمد ز درگاه خسرو بری
“Because of that hideous, evil-wishing, ill-omened governor who came to Ray from Khosrow's court...”
#43
شد آن شهر آباد یکسر خراب
✦
به سر بر همی‌تافتی آفتاب
“...that thriving city became entirely ruined, with the sun scorching down upon its ruins.”
#44
همه شهر یکسر پر از داغ و درد
✦
کس اندر جهان یاد ایشان نکرد
“The entire city was filled with scars and pain, and no one in the world remembered them anymore.”