New NaqqaliShah of Iran · the Pishdadian line
Fereydoonفریدون
fe-rey-DOON
The king who overthrew Zahhak and divided the world among his sons Salm, Tur and Iraj.
His story, in the poem’s own sections
9 sections, with the summary from the Notes. Open any one to read it in full here; tap a couplet number to cite it or suggest a better one.
A5.3
The Birth of Fereydoon
Fereydoon is born. Zahhak’s men kill his father, Abtin, and his mother, Faranak, hides the child with the herdsman of the wonderful cow Barmayeh. When rumor spreads, she carries him to a holy man on Mount Alborz. Zahhak kills the cow and burns their house.
45 couplets · Fereydoon named 4 times · in the full poem
The years passed on, calamity drew nearThe dragon-king, whose days dragged on in fear.
Then Fereydoon was born, and from that hourThe rosebud of the world began to flower.
Tall as a cypress, heir of Jamshid’s race,He bore the farr of kings upon his face.
The royal splendor Jamshid once had wornIn him returned, renewed and newly born.
More welcome than the sun, more prized than rain,As fit for man as knowledge fits the brain.
The turning heavens loved him from the start,And held him dear within their secret heart.
A wondrous cow, Barmayeh, grazed the plain,The finest cattle found in that domain.
Each hair upon her hide a color bore,Like peacock plumes no eye had seen before.
Wise men, star-readers, Mobadan met round;No equal to this creature could be found.
Meanwhile Zahhak searched on, year after year,And filled the world with turmoil through his fear.
Fereydoon’s father, Abtin, good and true,Found all the earth grow narrow as fear grew.
He fled from place to place to save his breath,Till Zahhak’s guards came on him, armed for death.
They seized and bound him like a leopard fast,And dragged him off; his freedom now was past.
Before Zahhak they brought the captive man,And then the tyrant ended Abtin’s span.
When Faranak, his wise and faithful wife,Beheld the ruin of her husband’s life,
She fled in grief when Abtin’s days were done;Her heart was filled with love for her young son.
She sought the meadow where Barmayeh fed,And wept before the herdsman as she said:
“Protect this nursing child and keep him near;Receive him as a father; hold him dear.
Nourish my son on Barmayeh’s rich flow,And guard the child wherever he may go.
If payment you desire, my life I give;Ask what you will; only let my child live.”
The herdsman said, “Your wish shall be obeyed;Like one who serves your son, I pledge my aid.”
She left her infant son within his care;He was to guard the child from every snare.
That guardian, a faithful and loving soul,Sustained the child on milk that made him whole.
For three long years the boy in safety grew,On Barmayeh’s milk, safe from Zahhak’s view.
But Zahhak never ceased his ruthless quest,And rumor’s voice disturbed his cursed rest.
The tale of that rare cow had reached the king,And Faranak felt dread’s returning sting.
She came again: “A thought from God through senseHas come to me, of consequence immense.
My child and my sweet life are wholly one;We must erase all trace and save my son.
This land of sorcerers I now must flee;No trace of child or mother must they see.
To Hind I will go, and withdraw from sight;Then Mount Alborz shall hide him from their might.”
She bore the child away in dead of night,As quick as any bird that takes to flight.
Upon Alborz a holy man had madeHis dwelling, far from worldly toil and trade.
To him she said: “O man of sacred way,A grieving mother stands by you today.
This precious child shall lead the world one day,And bring Zahhak’s dark kingship to decay.
He shall cast the tyrant’s crown and power low,And strip the royal girdle from his foe.
Take him and raise him as a father would,And guard his life with all a father should.”
The holy man drew him to his embrace;No harsh word darkened Fereydoon’s young face.
He guarded him, a father true and wise,And kept him safe beneath the mountain skies.
When Zahhak learned where Barmayeh had fedThe child, his wrath rose hot within his head.
Like a mad elephant he charged in wrath,And slaughter followed hard along his path.
Barmayeh fell beneath his murderous hand,The wondrous cow he sought throughout the land.
He killed each beast that his mad eyes could see,Until no living cattle wandered free.
He searched Fereydoon’s house from room to room,But found no trace of him within the gloom.
He set the lofty eyvan all aflame,And fire consumed the hall’s imposing frame.
He brought the lofty palace to the ground,And ruin spread through all the lands around.
A5.6
Fereydoon Battles Zahhak
Fereydoon marches on an auspicious day. When the river-keeper refuses him boats, he and his army swim their horses across the Tigris and reach Zahhak’s city, Gang Dezh-Hokht, the Holy House. He rides straight through the palace gate.
37 couplets · Fereydoon named 3 times · in the full poem
Fereydoon then raised his head toward the sun,And girded for the vengeance now begun.
On Khordad’s day he joyfully made way,Beneath a favored star and omen’s ray.
The army gathered round him in a crowd,His royal station rose into the cloud.
On elephants and buffaloes in train,Provisions moved ahead across the plain.
Beside him rode his brothers, true allied,Kianush and Parmayeh at his side.
From stage to stage like driving wind he sped,And thoughts of vengeance burned within his head.
He turned at last where Arvand’s waters glide,And sought the royal crown with swelling pride.
If Pahlavi speech is not known to you,The Arabs call the Arvand “Dijla” too.
His next halt lay beside the Dijla’s strand,Near Baghdad, where he camped upon the land.
When near the Arvand’s bank the leader drew,He sent the river-keepers greeting due.
“Prepare the ships at once,” the victor cried,“And set them on the current, side by side.
Take me and all my army to the strand;Let none remain behind upon this land.
Make haste by ship and skiff to leave this shore;We all must gain the bank that lies before.”
The river-keeper brought no vessel near,Nor bent before the prince or showed him fear.
He said, “The ruler gave me orders plain,And spoke them privately: I must refrain.
Not even one mosquito may go byWithout the ruler’s seal before my eye.”
Fereydoon heard; his anger rose in flame;No depth of river could deter his aim.
He bound the Kayanian girdle tight,Then mounted his swift charger for the flight.
His mind was bent on vengeance and the fray;He drove his charger through the river spray.
His comrades girded up and followed fast,And plunged into the current as he passed.
Their wind-foot steeds sank saddle-deep in tide;The rushing water rose on either side.
They gained dry ground, still seeking vengeance due;Toward Bait al-Muqaddas then they drew.
In Pahlavi they named that place this way:Gang Dezh-Hokht, as the ancient records say.
In Arabic, the Holy House was known;There Zahhak raised his eyvan and his throne.
Across the plain they neared the sought-for town,The city where the tyrant held the crown.
One third mil out, Fereydoon raised his eyesAnd saw a royal palace pierce the skies.
It shone like Jupiter, serene and bright,With signs of peace and welcome to the sight.
Its eyvan towered higher than Saturn’s place,As though its crest might brush the starry space.
He knew the Dragon’s house before his eyes,A seat of wealth beneath a royal guise.
He told his men, “Who raises from dark claySuch height from earth’s abyss into the day,
I fear the world conceals some hidden tie,A bond that fortune will not yet deny.
Here in this strait, delay will serve us ill;We must make haste and press upon him still.”
He spoke, then seized the heavy gorz he bore,And loosed the reins; his charger forward tore.
He sprang like fire before the palace gate,Where watchmen stood to guard the tyrant’s state.
He raised his heavy gorz above the ground,As though the earth itself would roll around.
No keeper at the entrance still was found;He called the World-Creator, looking round.
He rode on horseback through the palace wide,A mighty youth whom time had not yet tried.
A5.9
Fereydoon Binds Zahhak
👨💪⚔️🐍⛓️⛰️⚖️7 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Zahhak climbs into his palace by kamand and attacks, but Fereydoon strikes him down with the ox-headed gorz. Soroush forbids the killing. Fereydoon restores the order of warriors and craftsmen, then carries Zahhak to Mount Damavand and chains him in a bottomless cave.
84 couplets · Fereydoon named 10 times · in the full poem
Roused by that talk, Zahhak resolved to ride,And swift, keen steeds were saddled at his side.
With warrior Divs in multitudes he came,By hidden roads, his heart consumed with flame.
By secret paths he neared the palace gate,His heart on vengeance, blind to crown and fate.
The warning reached Fereydoon’s armed array,They moved at once to block the passageway.
They left their war-steeds, closing rank on rank,While townsmen armed themselves on either flank.
From roofs and gates the city rose in wrath,Their hearts made fierce by Zahhak’s bloody path.
The young came forth, the old in battle tried,And cast the tyrant’s falsehoods all aside.
From walls came bricks, from roofs came stones in sheets,While swords and arrows filled the crowded streets.
They fell like hail from one black cloud in flight,Till not a foot could find a place to light.
The mountain roared beneath the warriors’ cry,The earth grew weary as the hooves flew by.
War-dust arose and hid the sun from view,While spears struck stone as though to pierce it through.
A fierce cry rose from the fire-temple’s hall:“Why should this impure Dragon rule us all?
Let every man among us back the right,Not bow before the serpent-shouldered blight.”
From street and roof a cloud of darkness grew,The bright sun turned a deep lapis hue.
Then Zahhak, fired by jealousy and fear,Drew close in iron, masked in battle gear.
A sixty-zara kamand he unwound,Then climbed the palace wall without a sound.
Below, young Fereydoon sat in his place,With Shahrnaz beside him, face to face.
Her narcissus eyes were dark, her cheeks like day,Her night-black hair across her shoulders lay.
Her lips were open, cursing Zahhak’s name;At once his jealous heart burst into flame.
He cast his kamand down into the hall,And risked both life and kingship in that fall.
He reached the ground, his khanjar bared to kill,And thirsted for the women’s blood to spill.
But Fereydoon came rushing like the blast,His ox-head gorz in hand, advancing fast.
He struck Zahhak upon the helmet’s crown,And smashed its iron crest and drove him down.
He raised the gorz again above his head,Then Soroush cried, “You must not strike him dead.
His time has not arrived; do not yet slay.Bind him, and bear him from the world away.
Take him between the mountains, narrow, steep,Where kin and comrades cannot reach his keep.”
Fereydoon heard and stayed his lifted hand,Then bound the tyrant fast with leather band.
With lion-hide he bound his hands and waist,And drew the knots with neither slack nor haste.
So tight the bonds around the tyrant lay,No elephant in rage could break away.
Then on the golden throne he took his seat,And cast the tyrant’s customs at his feet.
He called aloud: “O men of wakeful mind,Lay down your arms and leave this strife behind.
The warrior and craftsman have their art;Let neither seize the other’s proper part.
One works with craft; one wields the gorz with skill,The realm stands firm when each fulfills his will.
If each should seize the other’s task instead,Disorder through the whole wide earth would spread.
So each return to work that is his own;From rightful order lasting peace has grown.
The tyrant who made all the world afraidNow lies in bonds, his evil customs stayed.
Return in peace, resume your proper trade;Live joyfully beneath the realm remade.”
The city’s nobles, wealthy men of name,Came bearing gifts and praising Fereydoon’s fame.
Those who possessed a share of crown or goldCame joyfully, with gifts a thousandfold.
He welcomed each according to his state,And heard with grace what each chose to relate.
He gave them counsel, blessed them one by one,And praised the World-Creator for what was done.
He said, “This realm is mine by Heaven’s grace;A fortunate star now shines upon this place.
The Pure God raised me from Alborz on highTo cleanse the world where Dragon’s shadows lie.
By this great gorz He gave my hand its might,To clear the earth of Dragon-darkened night.
When the Good-Giver sends His boon, we shouldMake answer to His gift through doing good.
The whole wide world now lies beneath my reign;I must move on; no ruler can remain.
Else I would gladly stay for many days,And share with you this city’s feast and praise.”
They bowed and kissed the ground before the king,Tabiras, karnays made the city ring.
They cried, “Bring out the Dragon bound in chain;Let all behold the ending of his reign.”
Fereydoon’s army took no spoil or gold,But left the city’s wealth for them to hold.
They laid Zahhak across a camel’s back,Bound in disgrace upon the mountain track.
Toward Shir-khvan they drove the tyrant low,His former state reduced to shame and woe.
“Call this old world ancient,” says the tale;How many ages crossed each hill and vale.
And countless ages yet will turn and pass,While men depart like footprints from the grass.
Fereydoon then resolved to strike him dead,And end at once the tyrant’s life of dread.
Again came Soroush, calling from the sky:“Do not yet kill him; he must not yet die.
Bear him to Damavand, securely bound;Take only those you need upon that ground.
Bring no great crowd; take only chosen few,Companions firm in hardship, tried and true.”
Fereydoon hastened onward at full speed,The city’s walls fell far behind his steed.
He brought Zahhak to Damavand, the peakWhere crags enclosed him, overcast and bleak.
He chose a cave whose bottom none could see,A hidden cleft where none might set him free.
He brought great iron spikes and massive chains,And fixed the tyrant where the rock constrains.
His hands were bound against the mountainside,New chains were drawn above the first and tied.
He left him hanging there in grievous pain,While blood ran down and darkened rock and plain.
The name of Zahhak sank beneath the clay,And earth was cleansed of evil on that day.
Cut off from kin and comrades, left alone,No friendly voice could reach him through the stone.
So let us not surrender earth to wrong;Let goodness rule our conduct all life long.
Neither the good nor evil long remain;Let goodness be the memory we retain.
What use are treasure, coin, or palace walls,When Time at last upon the owner calls?
Your words live on to mark you when you go;So never count good speech as mean or low.
Fereydoon was not born of angel kind;Nor musk nor ambergris in him combined.
His fame was born of justice, open hand;Those virtues raised his name throughout the land.
Practice those two: be Fereydoon in deed;Show justice; give wherever there is need.
Through godly action first he cleansed the earth,And gave a wounded world a second birth.
He bound Zahhak, the impure king of wrong,And broke the terror he had spread so long.
He then avenged the father he had lost,And drove the foolish from the land they crossed.
He took the earth away from wicked hands,And justice rose again throughout the lands.
Yet where is he who once possessed the throne?He too departed, leaving all his own.
From Time he carried nothing in the end,Except regret for what he could not mend.
O world, how loveless is the path you choose:You nurture what you later hunt and lose.
Such is the fate of mighty and of small,The shepherd and the flock alike must fall.
The crown, the treasure, every lofty wallRemain behind when death has made its call.
But goodness lives when body, wealth, and powerHave passed like shade before the final hour.
So leave a name made luminous and just;Good deeds endure when crown and gold are dust.
A6.1
Fereydoon Gains the Throne
Fereydoon takes the throne on the first day of Mehr and founds the feast of Mehrgan, then reigns justly for five centuries. His mother Faranak gives thanks with secret alms and sends him royal gifts, and he tours his lands before settling at Kus.
48 couplets · Fereydoon named 3 times · in the full poem
When Fereydoon had made the world his own,He saw no other Shah on any throne.
By Kayanian custom he arrayedThe crown and throne, and royal state displayed.
On Mehr’s first day, auspicious, bright, and clear,He set the Kayanian cap with royal cheer.
The age was freed from evil, grief, and pain;The people sought God’s path throughout the reign.
They emptied hearts of quarrel and of blame,And founded then a feast of lasting fame.
The sages gathered, joyful in their place,Each held a ruby cup before his face.
Bright wine was poured; the new Shah’s face now shone,And justice made the world seem newly grown.
He ordered fires kindled all around;The people lit them over town and ground.
On every fire they burned with festive careSweet ambergris and saffron, rich and rare.
Thus Mehrgan took its root in joyful cheer,With rest and feasting marking Mehr each year.
His name lives on in Mehr, held ever dear;Seek ease, and turn your face away from fear.
For five full centuries his kingship ran;No day did evil enter in his plan.
Yet even Fereydoon could not keep this place;So worship greed no more, nor grief embrace.
Know well the world will stay with none for long;The joy it grants is fleeting all along.
Now Faranak knew nothing of her son,Nor that Zahhak’s long sovereignty was done.
At last the news reached her of his renown,And how her son now wore the royal crown.
She washed her head and body, bowed in awe,Before the Judge who gives the world its law.
She bowed her head to dust, cursed Zahhak’s reign,And praised the Creator for joy after pain.
She sought the needy out with secret care,And gave in secret each allotted share.
For one full week her hidden gifts were spread,Till almost all the needy had been fed.
Another week she feasted nobles all,And made her banquet-place a garden hall.
Then hidden treasure gathered through the yearsShe opened freely after grief and tears.
Now that her son was Shah, she prized no store;Silver seemed cheap; her treasure pleased no more.
She chose rich royal garments, jewels bright,And gifts befitting majesty and might.
Arabian steeds with golden bridles came,Their cheekpieces flashed bright with golden flame.
She sent him jowshan, helmets, javelins keen,The finest martial gear that could be seen.
With sword and cap and girdle fit for kings,She gathered up the treasury’s finest things.
She loaded camels with the gathered store,And turned to God, then sent it from her door.
The king received her gifts with joyful face,And blessed his mother in the royal place.
The army’s chiefs, when word had reached their ear,Came swiftly to the Shah and gathered near.
They said: “O mighty Shah, who knows God’s way,Give thanks to Him who brought this blessed new day.
May fortune shine upon you, ever true,And every foe’s dark hope be lost from view.
May heaven grant you victory and fame;Let justice, goodness ever guide your name.”
The seasoned elders gathered from each side,In judgment proven, tested far and wide.
They brought him gold and jewels of every kind,And came with loyal hearts and willing mind.
The nobles of each country came to waitIn joyful ranks before the royal gate.
They raised their hands to heaven and prayed as one:“Bless crown and throne beneath the turning sun.
Bless royal cap and signet; let them last,And keep this flourishing age firm and fast.”
As time went on, he journeyed through the earth,To judge each region, weigh its state and worth.
He saw what lay revealed and what lay veiled,And learned where every province thrived or failed.
Where lawless custom governed any place,He marked the wrong and rooted out its trace.
Wherever lands lacked flourishing and ease,He made them prosper, bringing greater peace.
Through goodness he restrained each evil deed,As wisdom asks of rulers fit to lead.
He made the world a Paradise restored;Where grass had grown, the rose bloomed, cypress soared.
From Amol toward Tammisheh then he came,And reached the grove that bore a famous name.
Within that famous grove the Shah would stay,And settled in its shelter from that day.
Men called that famous region Kus alone;No other name for it was ever known.
There Fereydoon established royal state,His world restored beneath a kinder fate.
A6.6
Fereydoon Tests His Sons
👑🪄👨👦👦🛡️🧠✅6 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Fereydoon meets his returning sons disguised as a dragon. The eldest flees, the second draws his bow, and the youngest orders the beast away. The king names them Salm, Tur and Iraj accordingly, names their brides, and reads in their horoscopes a war to come.
52 couplets · Fereydoon named 3 times · in the full poem
When word arrived his sons were drawing near,Fereydoon rode to meet them, purpose clear.
He wished to test the nature of each mind,And learn what hidden traits he there might find.
He took the form of dragon, vast and dire,A shape whose breath seemed made of living fire.
No lion could escape that creature’s might;It roared and seethed, its mouth a blaze of light.
He saw the three approach like mountains black,Then raised a cloud of dust across their track.
The dragon roared till earth and mountain rang,Then at the eldest prince in fury sprang.
The eldest said, “A wise man knows his course;He does not choose to match a dragon’s force.”
He turned his back at once and fled the place,Nor thought it wise such terror to embrace.
Then toward the second son the dragon wheeled;The prince drew up his bow and would not yield.
He bent the bowstring, ready for the fray,And spoke before the beast that barred his way:
“When battle calls, what matters who the foe?Be lion, man, or dragon; let him show.”
The youngest came and saw the dragon near,His voice rang out, commanding it to hear:
“Turn back! You are a leopard on this way;The road of lions is no place to stay.
If Fereydoon’s great name has reached your ear,Then do not strive against his offspring here.
We three are all his sons, with our gorz raised,And battle-ready, neither cowed nor dazed.
Turn from our path; do not provoke your fate,Or ill-starred ruin on your head will wait.”
He saw their several natures, judged each one,Then disappeared, his testing fully done.
He went aside, then as their father came,With royal rite and custom, still the same.
The koust resounded, elephants strode by;His hand displayed the ox-head gorz on high.
Behind him rode the chiefs in full array;The world seemed clenched within his fist that day.
At sight of him, the princes all alighted,And ran on foot to kiss the earth, delighted.
The elephants and koust fell still in place,While all three kissed the earth with humble grace.
He took each by the hand with fond embrace,And showed a father’s kindness face to face.
To each according to his measure due,He gave the rank that matched what he now knew.
Back in the noble palace, he gave praiseTo God, through good and ill in all his days.
Then called the three and set them, side by side,Upon the throne, in honor and in pride.
“That dreadful dragon, breathing world-wide flame,Was I, your father, hidden in that frame.
I sought to learn what manhood filled each breast;And now I know each nature by this test.
Now each shall bear a fitting royal name,To match his nature and preserve his fame.
The eldest sought his safety from the maw,So Salm, from safety, is the name I draw.
When flight was called for, he did not delay;He chose the safer road and turned away.
Who heeds no elephant or lion’s threatIs mad, not brave, whatever foes are met.
The second showed fierce ardor from the start;Fire only raised the courage in his heart.
So Tur shall be his name, a lion bold,Whom raging elephants could never hold.
True courage shown in place deserves the crown;The faint of heart can never win renown.
The youngest knew both haste and measured pause,And chose between them by the wisest laws.
Between the earth and fire he took his way,The middle path the wise choose day by day.
Brave, young, and wakeful-minded, he was known;In all the world no equal could be shown.
So Iraj is the fitting name to bear;May greatness crown his fortune everywhere.
At first he showed the lion in his heart;In hardship courage marked his chosen part.
Now gladly I shall name the brides you won,Three Arab pari-faced brides, each to one.
For Salm, fair Arezu became his bride,Her noble grace and beauty at his side.
Mah-e Azadeh, free in noble ways,Was joined to Tur, moon-bright before their gaze.
Fair Sahi went to Iraj, his to wed;Canopus bowed before her lovely head.”
Then Fereydoon turned to the circling sky,To read what stars had written from on high.
The astrologers had shown each ordered sign;The charts lay open, tracing each design.
He studied there the stars of each known son,And read what fate had traced for every one.
For Salm, the Archer rose in heaven’s sphere,With Jupiter its lord, auspicious, clear.
For Tur the Lion rose; the Sun held sway,A bold, auspicious ruler on display.
For Iraj Cancer rose beneath Moon’s ray,And signs of war foretold a bitter day.
He saw that war among the brothers lay,And from his liver sighed in deep dismay.
He saw the sky turned against Iraj’s light,And for his bright-souled son foresaw the night.
A6.7
Fereydoon Divides the Realm
👑🌍✂️👨👦👦🧬5 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Fereydoon divides the world in three: Rum and the West go to Salm, Turan and Chin to Tur, and Iran with the plain of spearmen to Iraj. Each prince takes his throne, and for a time the brothers rule in peace.
14 couplets · Fereydoon named 1 time · in the full poem
With hidden things revealed before his sight,Fereydoon split the world in three by right.
Rum and Khavar made one great western share;Turan with Chin became the eastern pair.
Iran, with all the spearmen’s plain beside,Was made the third domain he set aside.
To Salm he gave an army for the way;Toward Khavar then the prince rode forth that day.
Upon a Kayanian throne he took his place,As Khavar-khodāy, lord of that wide space.
To Tur he gave Turan and Chin to hold,With troops beside him, warriors strong and bold.
He reached the Kayanian throne and took his seat,Then girded on his belt, his state complete.
He opened wide his hand; the nobles came,And brought him gems in honor of his name.
From then, as Turan-Shah, was he proclaimed,And through Turan that title won acclaim.
When Iraj’s turn arrived, his father choseIran for him, where royal fortune rose.
The spearmen’s plain with Iran formed his share,With crown and royal throne beneath his care.
The sword, the signet, ivory throne were laidBefore him, marks of sovereignty displayed.
The chiefs of wit and judgment, clear of eye,Acclaimed him Lord of Iran, Iran-khodāy.
In peace and happiness the brothers reigned,Each in the realm his father had ordained.
A6.13
Fereydoon Receives the Tragic News
Fereydoon and his army ride out to welcome Iraj, but meet a messenger bearing his head in a golden casket. The king falls from his horse, burns Iraj’s garden, and prays to live until an avenger rises from Iraj’s line.
48 couplets · Fereydoon named 4 times · in the full poem
Fereydoon watched the road with both eyes set,While crown and army yearned to greet him yet.
The time had come when Iraj should return,Yet what had happened, how could father learn?
He had prepared a turquoise throne, and strungNew jewels on the crown for one so young.
The people stood in readiness to greet,Their king with wine and song and music sweet.
They called tabiras, elephants in line,And dressed the land in splendor and design.
Both Shah and army sat their steeds and gazed,When on the road a darkening dust was raised.
From that dark dust a dromedary came,Its rider bowed with grief, his heart aflame.
He raised a cry; his grieving heart was torn,A golden casket at his side was borne.
Within the golden casket silk was spread,And in its folds lay Iraj’s severed head.
With wail and sigh, his face gone sickly pale,He came before Fereydoon with the tale.
They thought his dreadful tale could not be so,And raised the golden lid in fear and woe.
They drew the silken folds away in dread,And there before them lay young Iraj’s head.
Fereydoon fell from horseback to the ground,The army tore their robes; a wail went round.
Their faces black, their staring eyes went white,For they had hoped to see another sight.
So came the young king home from his long ride;The waiting army turned, its gladness died.
With banners torn and every koust laid low,The nobles’ faces blackened in their woe.
They blackened elephants, tabiras too,And stained the Arab horses mourning-blue.
The Shah and army walked the road instead,And cast the mourning dust upon each head.
The champions cried in agony and toreTheir flesh for that brave prince they saw no more.
Such is the turning sky’s way with mankind:It shows its face, then leaves no trace behind.
Do not trust Time or take its love for true;No straightness from a bending bow is due.
Call Time your foe; it shows a loving face;Call Time your friend; it hides away its grace.
One counsel I will offer, plain and whole:Wash love of this world clean out of your soul.
Heart-scorched, both Shah and army cried in woe,Then turned toward the garden Iraj used to know.
There once the royal festivals were held,And banquet joy through all the garden swelled.
Fereydoon bore the young king’s head in pain,And entered, staggering beneath the strain.
He looked upon the royal throne with dread,And saw no crown above the severed head.
The royal pool and cypress met his eye,Flowering tree, willow, quince stood nearby.
He found the nobles’ festive ground laid bare,Black dust rose high to Saturn through the air.
He tore his hair and wounded his own face,While tears poured down within that ruined place.
He bound a blood-red girdle round his frame,And set the royal dwelling all aflame.
He tore the rose beds up, burned cypress trees,And closed joy’s eye, renouncing every ease.
He cradled Iraj’s head against his breast,Then turned toward Yazdan with his request:
“O righteous Judge, behold this guiltless one;Look on the innocent; see what they have done.
His severed head lies here, exposed and bare;His body, torn by lions, lies elsewhere.
Burn both those unjust hearts till all their lightIs gone, and every day they see is night.
Brand both their livers with so deep a scarThat beasts will pity what their torments are.
O radiant Lord, one boon I ask of you:Grant me enough of life to see it through.
Let one renowned from Iraj’s seed arise,And gird for vengeance there before my eyes.
Once I have seen that day, then let it be:Let earth rise up and close itself on me.”
So long he wept in anguish, day by day,That grass grew round him where in grief he lay.
The earth his bed, the dust beneath his head,His world-beholding eyes grew dark with dread.
He closed his court, yet still would call and cry:“O valiant youth, why did you have to die?
No crowned king has been slain as you were slain,O famed young prince, the source of all my pain.
Ahriman has severed your noble head;The lions’ mouths became your shroud instead.”
His cries rose bitter, tears would never cease,And robbed each beast of slumber and of peace.
Throughout the realm, both women and the men,With tear-filled eyes and blood-filled hearts met then.
So many days they passed beneath grief’s breath,That all of life itself seemed only death.
A6.26
Fereydoon Receives the Head of Salm
Manuchehr reports his victory and returns with the treasure of the Alanons fortress. Fereydoon comes out on foot to greet him, entrusts him to Sahm, prays to be released from life, and crowns Manuchehr with his own hand.
50 couplets · Fereydoon named 9 times · in the full poem
The prince then called a courier, swift and true,And gave him Salm’s severed head to view.
To Fereydoon he wrote what war revealed,Of battle, cunning, and kimiya concealed.
First to the Maker blessings he addressed,Then Fereydoon, the famous Shah, he blessed.
“Praise to the conquering Lord, source of our might;From Him come strength and skill that guide the fight.
All good and evil lie within His power;All pain and suffering answer Him each hour.
Now blessings on Fereydoon, wakeful, wise,The Shah of earth beneath the turning skies.
He breaks the bonds of evil by decree,His counsel and divine farr set us free.
I took revenge upon Chin’s mounted array,And set an ambush where their forces lay.
By your great strength those unjust men were slain,The blood-guilty who brought us grief and pain.
Their heads we severed with avenging steel,And washed earth’s face till vengeance set its seal.
I follow close behind the letter sent,And soon will tell you how the battle went.”
He sent Shirviyeh back toward the hold,A seasoned warrior, world-wise and bold.
He said, “Inspect the treasure stored inside;Arrange what must be done, and nothing hide.
Load all the wealth on elephants held high,And bring it decked before the Shah’s own eye.”
Then bronze kousts sounded, and the reed-pipes cried,Their music rolling from the royal side.
From sea to land he drew his ordered force,Then turned toward Fereydoon on his course.
When Tammisheh appeared before his sight,Fereydoon longed to see the prince alight.
The karnay’s cry rang out beside the wall,And all the army stirred beneath its call.
On elephants turquoise thrones shone bright,Prepared by him whom fortune crowned with light.
Gold litters draped in Chinese brocade,With jewels bright, a royal show displayed.
Banners of every kind streamed into view;The world turned red and yellow, violet too.
From Gilan’s sea, a black cloud swept the plain,And marched toward Sari in an ordered train.
Gold trappings, golden girdles gleamed in line,Silver stirrups, golden shields would shine.
With elephants and treasure in array,They dressed themselves to greet him on the way.
When prince and army neared the royal train,Fereydoon came on foot along the plain.
Gil warriors came like lions loosed to fight,Gold torques and musk-black caps adorned the sight.
Behind the Shah the men of Iran came,Each like a raging lion in his frame.
Before the army elephants were led,With lion-hearted champions at their head.
When Fereydoon’s banner rose into view,Manuchehr formed his ranks and forward drew.
The young sepahbod stepped down from his steed,A new-grown tree with new fruit from its seed.
He kissed the earth and offered praise divineTo throne and crown, royal cap and sign.
Fereydoon raised him, kissed the youthful heir,And clasped his hand with praise and kingly care.
Back at his seat, the Shah sent out a callFor Sahm, son of Nariman, to the hall.
From Hind far away had Sahm already sped,To aid them in the war where blood was shed.
He brought great wealth the Shah had never claimed;No gift had been requested, sought, or named.
Of golden coins and jewels, thousands more,Beyond all reckoning was that shining store.
When Sahm came before the Shah renowned,He praised the old and young with words profound.
The Shah looked on the Pahlevan, glad-eyed,And seated famous Sahm close by his side.
“I place this grandson in your faithful care;For death draws near, and I must now prepare.
In every task stand with him as his guide;Let your own worth and skill be magnified.”
He took Manuchehr’s hand, the youthful heir,And laid it in Sahm’s palm, a trust to bear.
Then Fereydoon turned upward with his plea:“O truthful, just Judge, hear this word from me.
You said, ‘I am the just Judge in distress,The refuge of the wronged beneath duress.’
You gave me justice, aid when I had need;You gave me crown and signet for my deed.
All I desired, O God, You gave to me;Now take me to the other world, set free.
No longer would I have my spirit stayWithin this narrow place another day.”
Then Shirviyeh returned with treasure bright,And set it all before the Shah’s clear sight.
The Shah shared treasure with the royal trainWhen two days still of Mehr’s month did remain.
Then Manuchehr was seated, crowned and known,Upon the gleaming gold of royal throne.
With his own hand he crowned him for his reign,And gave him final counsel, clear and plain.
A6.27
The Death of Fereydoon
Fereydoon turns from the throne, grieving over the heads of all three sons, and dies. Manuchehr builds him a royal tomb with throne and hanging crown, and mourns him for a week with the whole city. The poet reflects on the world’s faithlessness.
24 couplets · Fereydoon named 1 time · in the full poem
When all was done, his day of fortune died;The Kayanian tree’s green leaves shrank and dried.
He turned aside from royal crown and throne,With three kings’ severed heads before him shown.
The aged ruler wept in bitter pain,And lived beneath affliction’s heavy reign.
At every hour he raised a mourning cry,And spoke these words with tears in either eye:
“My day has turned, and darkness fills my breast;Those three who gave me joy now give no rest.
Before my eyes such misery was brought,By vengeance and the will of evil thought.
From evil nature and from wicked deeds,Such ruin follows when the young give heed.
They would not heed the order I made plain;So all three youths found bitterness and pain.”
His heart ran blood; both cheeks were wet with tears;Thus lived he till the ending of his years.
Fereydoon passed; his name remained in light,While long years followed in their endless flight.
Good name and righteousness are all that stay;What gain from loss, my son, along the way?
Manuchehr laid the Kayanian crown aside,And bound a bloody girdle at his side.
By royal rite he raised a tomb of old,From lapis lazuli and crimson gold.
An ivory throne they set beneath the crown;Above the seat the royal crown hung down.
They came to bid farewell in solemn way,As rite and faith had ordered for that day.
They closed the tomb upon the honored king;The world brought low the lord of everything.
For one full week Manuchehr wept in grief;His yellow cheeks and tears found no relief.
One week the king remained in mourning deep;The city and bazaars joined him to weep.
O world, all fraud and wind from end to end,No wise man finds in you a faithful friend.
One after one you nurture with delight,Whether their lives are long or brief in flight.
Since what you give you take again away,What matters dust or coral on that day?
Be king or subject under any name;Once this world takes your breath, all ends the same.
Then grief and joy like water run and drain;Do not torment your heart for what must wane.
Blessed the one whose goodness leaves its mark,Be servant or a king when days grow dark.
Family
- Parents
- Abtin, Faranak
- Spouses
- Shahrnaz, Arnavaz
- Children
- Salm, Tur, Iraj
Where he appears
Named mentions by book, from the Universe Registry. Titles such as “the Shah” and epithets are not counted.
A5Zahhak’s Tyranny and the Uprising of Kaveh34A6The First Kings: Fereydoon51A7The First Kings: Manuchehr3A8The Story of Zal and Rudabeh5A9The Birth and Early Feats of Rostam; Manuchehr’s Closing Counsel3B1The Crisis after Manuchehr6B2Garshasp and the Transition to Kayanian Kingship4B3Kay Qobad5B4The War with Mazandaran2B6The Folly of Kay Kavus1B9The Story of Siavash11B10Vengeance for Siavash and the Retrieval of Kay Khosrow3B11Kay Khosrow’s Kingship1B14The Great Battle with the Khan of Chin2C3The Battle of the Twelve Rukhs5C4The Final Afrasiab Wars and the Disappearance of Kay Khosrow22C5Lohrasp1C6Goshtasb, Zardosht, and the War with Arjasp3C7Esfandiyar’s Seven Stages and the Ruyin Dezh1C8The Tragedy of Rostam and Esfandiyar8C9Rostam and Shaghad1D1The Reign of Bahman, Son of Esfandiyar2D5The Iskandar Cycle1D6The Ashkanian Dynasty2D9Yazdegard I and the Rise of Bahram Goor1D10The Bahram Goor Cycle: Justice, Foreign Adventures, and End of a Reign9D12Qobad and the Mazdakite Revolution4D13Anooshirvan and the Road to the End-time1E5Hormizd, Son of Anooshirvan1E6Khosrow Parviz9E7The Story of Khosrow Parviz and Shirin3E8Shiruyeh’s Coup and the End of the Great Reign2E9The Years of Chaos1E10Yazdegard3