After times of trial and strife, the grandeur of King Khosrow Parviz soared high, illuminating the realm of Iran like the blazing sun. The Great King spent his days in the loving company of Maryam, the noble daughter of the Roman Caesar, who reigned supreme as the chief mistress of the royal harem. Yet, deep within the inner chambers, a bitter fire of envy consumed Shirin. Unable to bear Maryam's supremacy, Shirin grew pale and yellow-cheeked with malice until she devised a fateful intrigue. In secret, she administered a deadly poison to Maryam, bringing an end to the renowned Roman princess. None discovered the foul deed, for Shirin locked the dark secret within her heart. A year after Maryam's demise, Khosrow committed the Golden Harem into Shirin's eager hands.
Meanwhile, Prince Shiruye reached sixteen years of age, his physique so massive and towering that he resembled a warrior of thirty. Desiring that his son become renowned and learned, King Khosrow assembled sages and scholars to instruct him. A high Mobad watched over the youth day and night, dutifully serving the King's decree. One day, the Mobad entered the Prince's chambers and found Shiruye engrossed in a disturbing and uncanny pasttime. Opened before the youth lay a copy of *Kalila wa Dimna*, yet in his formidable left hand he held the dried, ferocious claw of a wolf, and in his right, the hard horn of a wild buffalo, constantly striking the two sinister objects against one another as he pleased.
The Mobad's heart sank at the sight of these bizarre acts. In the wolf's claw, the buffalo horn, and the fierce demeanor of the powerful prince, the priest read an ominous, terrible portent. He remembered the dark horoscopes cast at Shiruye's birth—prophecies warned of by astronomers and counselors that foretold ruin for the kingdom. Without delay, the Mobad approached King Khosrow Parviz and reported the Prince's sinister play. The King's face turned pale, and his soul was gripped by agony. Reminded of the astrologers' dire predictions, Khosrow pondered in despair how the Lord of the Heavens would shape the destiny of his empire.
By the twenty-third year of Khosrow's reign, Shiruye had grown into a formidable, strong-willed young man. Wary of the potential threat and disturbed by the dark omen, the King's once-joyful heart filled with sorrow. He ordered Shiruye to be removed from court and confined within a gilded palace transformed into a fortress-prison. Not only Shiruye, but all his supporters, kinsmen, and associates—nobles and commoners alike—were rounded up and bound. Their numbers exceeded three thousand souls.
Khosrow commanded his royal builders to connect a series of magnificent palaces into a single secluded compound. Though imprisoned, Shiruye and his followers were denied no luxury: the King provided them with fine garments, exquisite banquets, plush carpets, endless dinars, attendants, and master musicians. There they lived in perpetual feast and entertainment, while forty vigilant guards stood watch at the gates, keeping the ominous prince locked away from the royal throne.
#1
ازان پس فزون شد بزرگی شاه
✦
که خورشید شد آن کجا بود ماه
“Thereafter, the King's grandeur waxed even greater, shining bright as the sun where once it had been but the moon.”
#2
همه روز با دخت قیصر بدی
✦
همو بر شبستانش مهتر بدی
“All day he spent in the company of Caesar's daughter, who reigned supreme over his imperial harem.”
#3
ز مریم همی‌بود شیرین بدرد
✦
همیشه ز رشکش دو رخساره زرد
“Shirin was constantly consumed by grief and jealousy over Maryam, her cheeks forever pale and yellowed.”
#4
به فرجام شیرین ورا زهر داد
✦
شد آن نامور دخت قیصرنژاد
“At last, Shirin gave her poison; thus perished that renowned maiden of Caesar's noble lineage.”
#5
ازان چاره آگه نبد هیچ‌کس
✦
که او داشت آن راز تنها و بس
“No soul was aware of that deadly intrigue, for she kept the dark secret entirely to herself.”
#6
چو سالی برآمد که مریم بمرد
✦
شبستان زرین به شیرین سپرد
“When a year had passed since Maryam died, the King entrusted the golden harem to Shirin.”
#7
چو شیرویه را سال شد بر دو هشت
✦
به بالا زسی سالگان برگذشت
“When Shiruye reached the age of sixteen, in stature he surpassed men of thirty years.”
#8
بیاورد فرزانگان را پدر
✦
بدان تا شود نامور پر هنر
“His royal father gathered wise tutors for him, so that he might become famous and accomplished in skill.”
#9
همی‌داشت موبد مر او را نگاه
✦
شب و روز شادان به فرمان شاه
“The Mobad watched over him day and night, joyfully obeying the King's royal command.”
#10
چنان بد که یک روز موبد ز تخت
✦
بیامد به نزدیک آن نیک بخت
“It so happened that one day the Mobad stepped down from his throne and approached that fortunate youth.”
#11
چو آمد به نزدیک شیرویه باز
✦
همیشه به بازیش بودی نیاز
“When he drew near Shiruye, he found the prince ever inclined toward strange games and play.”
#12
یکی دفتری دید پیش اندرش
✦
نوشته کلیله بران دفترش
“He saw a manuscript open before him, upon which was written the text of Kalila.”
#13
بدست چپ آن جوان سترگ
✦
بریده یکی خشک چنگال گرگ
“In the left hand of that formidable youth was held a dried claw of a wolf.”
#14
سروی سر گاومیشی براست
✦
همی این بران بر زدی چونک خواست
“And in his right hand he held a wild buffalo's horn, which he kept striking against the claw whenever he pleased.”
#15
غمی شد دل موبد از کاراوی
✦
ز بازی و بیهوده کردار اوی
“The Mobad's heart grew heavy with sorrow at his behavior, at his childish games and foolish actions.”
#16
به فالش بد آمد هم آن چنگ گرگ
✦
شخ گاو و رای جوان سترگ
“He saw a dark omen in the wolf's claw, the buffalo horn, and the proud temper of that massive youth.”
#17
ز کار زمانه غمی گشت سخت
✦
ازان برمنش کودک شور بخت
“Deeply troubled became his soul over time's turn regarding this ill-omened, rebellious child,”
#18
کجا طالع زادنش دیده بود
✦
ز دستور وگنجور بشنیده بود
“Whose birth-horoscope he had seen and heard recounted by the high minister and treasurer.”
#19
سوی موبد موبد آمد بگفت
✦
که بازیست باآن گرانمایه جفت
“He went to the Mobad of Mobads and recounted how the noble youth played with those sinister objects.”
#20
بشد زود موبد بگفت آن به شاه
✦
همی‌داشت خسرو مر او را نگاه
“The Mobad hurried to report the matter to the King, who had been keeping close watch over his son.”
#21
ز فرزند رنگ رخش زرد شد
✦
ز کار زمانه پراز درد شد
“The King's face turned pale out of sorrow for his child, and his soul was filled with pain over time's decrees.”
#22
ز گفتار مرد ستاره شمر
✦
دلش بود پر درد و پیچان جگر
“Recalling the words of the astrologer, his heart burned with anguish and his liver twisted in agony.”
#23
همی‌گفت تا کردگار سپهر
✦
چگونه نماید بدین کرده چهر
“He kept pondering how the Creator of the Heavens would reveal the face of destiny thus foretold.”
#24
چو بر پادشاهیش بیست وسه سال
✦
گذر کرد شیرویه بفراخت یال
“When twenty-three years of his reign had passed, Shiruye grew into full vigor and immense strength.”
#25
بیازرد زو شهریار بزرگ
✦
که کودک جوان بود و گشته سترگ
“The great Monarch grew troubled and offended by him, seeing the child had grown into a formidable man.”
#26
پر از درد شد جان خندان اوی
✦
وز ایوان او کرد زندان اوی
“Sorrow filled his once-cheerful soul, and he turned his royal palace into a prison for Shiruye.”
#27
هم آن را که پیوستهٔ اوبدند
✦
گه رای جستن براو شدند
“Likewise, all those who were closely bound to Shiruye and had joined him in counsel,”
#28
بسی دیگر از مهتر و کهتران
✦
که بودند با او ببندگران
“And many others, both noble and humble, who shared his cause, were cast into heavy chains.”
#29
همی‌برگرفتند زیشان شمار
✦
که پرسه فزون آمد از سه هزار
“When they tallied their numbers, they found the prisoners to exceed three thousand souls.”
#30
همه کاخها رایک اندر دگر
✦
برید آنک بد شاه را کارگر
“The King ordered his master builders to wall together all the adjacent palaces into one fortress.”
#31
ز پوشیدنیها و از خوردنی
✦
ز بخشیدنی هم ز گستردنی
“From fine apparel to royal delicacies, from gifts of honor to luxurious carpets and bedding,”
#32
به ایوانهاشان بیاراستند
✦
پرستنده و بندگان خواستند
“They adorned those palaces for them, providing an abundance of attendants and servants.”
#33
همان می‌فرستاد و رامشگران
✦
همه کاخ دینار بد بی‌کران
“Musicians were constantly sent to them, and limitless gold and dinars filled the palace compound.”
#34
به هنگامشان رامش و خورد بود
✦
نگهبان ایشان چهل مرد بود
“They enjoyed perpetual feasting and music at all hours, while forty guards stood watch over them.”