This ancient chronicle, forged through decades of relentless dedication to capture the deeds of righteous heroes, stands as a testament to eternal wisdom. As the wise village elder recounts, knowledge remains man's ultimate guide, and one must endure both the bitter and sweet turns of fate. In his youthful pride, while his father Hormoz still wore the crown, Prince Khosrow surrendered his heart to Shirin—a maiden radiant as the very sight of his eyes. Yet the turmoil of war and the fierce conflict with Bahram Chubin tore the lovers apart across the realm. For years Shirin wept bitterly in solitude, her eyes dim with tears of yearning, awaiting the day when fortune would reunite her with the sovereign of her heart.
#1
کهن گشته این نامهٔ باستان
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ز گفتار و کردار آن راستان
“Ancient had grown this chronicle of yore, filled with the deeds and words of righteous men.”
#2
همی نوکنم گفته‌ها زین سخن
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ز گفتار بیدار مرد کهن
“I now renew these ancient narratives, guided by the lore of a vigilant sage.”
#3
بود بیت، شش بار بیور هزار
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سخنهای شایسته و غمگسار
“Sixty thousand couplets compose this work, filled with noble and comforting words.”
#4
نبیند کسی نامهٔ پارسی
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نوشته به ابیات صدبار سی
“None has ever beheld a Persian book transcribed in thirty thousand couplets of such magnitude.”
#5
اگر بازجویی درو بیت بد
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همانا که کم باشد از پانصد
“Should you search it thoroughly, scarcely five hundred couplets might be deemed flawed.”
#6
چنین شهریاری و بخشنده‌ای
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به گیتی ز شاهان درخشنده‌ای
“Yet such a radiant and generous monarch among the kings of the world...”
#7
نکرد اندرین داستانها نگاه
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ز بدگوی و بخت بد آمد گناه
“Did not cast his gaze upon these tales; the fault lay with detractors and my ill fate.”
#8
حسد کرد بدگوی در کار من
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تبه شد بر شاه بازار من
“Envious slanders undermined my work, ruining my favor in the eyes of the king.”
#9
چو سالار شاه این سخنهای نغز
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بخواند ببیند به پاکیزه نغز
“May the noble lord who reads these exquisite words ponder them with a pure heart and clear mind.”
#10
ز گنجش من ایدر شوم شادمان
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کزو دور بادا بد بدگمان
“That I may rejoice in his bounty, and may evil doubters be cast far from his realm.”
#11
وزان پس کند یاد بر شهریار
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مگر تخم رنج من آید ببار
“And thereafter remind the sovereign of my labor, so that the seeds of my toil may bear fruit.”
#12
که جاوید باد افسر و تخت اوی
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ز خورشید تابنده‌تر بخت اوی
“May his crown and throne endure forever, and his fortune shine brighter than the sun.”
#13
چنین گفت داننده دهقان پیر
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که دانش بود مرد را دستگیر
“Thus spoke the wise old village elder: Knowledge is man's ultimate guide and savior.”
#14
غم و شادمانی بباید کشید
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ز هر شور و تلخی بباید چشید
“Man must endure both sorrow and joy, tasting both the bitter and the sweet of fate.”
#15
جوانان داننده و باگهر
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نگیرند بی آزمایش هنر
“Wise and noble youths acquire no true skill without undergoing trials and tests.”
#16
چو پرویز ناباک بود و جوان
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پدر زنده و پور چون پهلوان
“When Parviz was fearless and young, while his father lived and he himself stood like a mighty champion...”
#17
ورا در زمین دوست شیرین بدی
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برو بر چو روشن جهان بین بدی
“He had a beloved on earth named Shirin, who was as precious to him as the radiant sight of his eyes.”
#18
پسندش نبودی جزو در جهان
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ز خوبان و از دختران مهان
“Among all the beauties and daughters of nobles in the world, he favored none but her.”
#19
ز شیرین جدا بود یک روزگار
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بدان گه که بد در جهان شهریار
“For a time after he ascended the throne, he remained parted from Shirin.”
#20
بگرد جهان در بی‌آرام بود
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که کارش همه رزم بهرام بود
“Restless he roamed the realm, consumed entirely by his fierce struggle against Bahram.”
#21
چو خسرو بپردخت چندی به مهر
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شب و روز گریان بدی خوب‌چهر
“While Khosrow was withheld from love's embrace, that fair-faced maiden wept night and day.”