#1
کهن گشته این نامهٔ باستان
✦
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
✦
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
✦
سخنهای شایسته و غمگسار
“Sixty thousand couplets compose this work, filled with noble and comforting words.”
#4
نبیند کسی نامهٔ پارسی
✦
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
✦
همانا که کم باشد از پانصد
“Should you search it thoroughly, scarcely five hundred couplets might be deemed flawed.”
#6
چنین شهریاری و بخشنده‌ای
✦
به گیتی ز شاهان درخشنده‌ای
“Yet such a radiant and generous monarch among the kings of the world...”
#7
نکرد اندرین داستانها نگاه
✦
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
✦
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
✦
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
✦
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
✦
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
✦
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
✦
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
✦
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
✦
نگیرند بی آزمایش هنر
“Wise and noble youths acquire no true skill without undergoing trials and tests.”
#16
چو پرویز ناباک بود و جوان
✦
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
✦
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
✦
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
✦
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
✦
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
✦
شب و روز گریان بدی خوب‌چهر
“While Khosrow was withheld from love's embrace, that fair-faced maiden wept night and day.”