Book A3The First Kings: Tahmuras

Hushang begot a son of noble frame,Tahmuras, the Div-binder, was his name.

He took the throne and girded for command,Then called Mobadan, wisest in the land:

“The crown and throne, the gorz and royal seat,Are mine today, beneath my rule complete.

With wisdom I will wash the world of wrong,Then set my royal throne where right is strong.

I will subdue the Divs, their power restrain,And rule supreme with justice in my reign.

Whatever useful thing lies hid from sight,I shall bring forth and draw it into light.”

He sheared the wool from sheep and lambs, then spunThe fibers into thread; the craft begun.

From wool he fashioned garments men could wear,And wove cloth through skill and patient care.

He wove rugs and coverings for the floor,And added useful crafts unknown before.

He fed the swift beasts grass and barley grain,And brought their strength and swiftness under rein.

He marked the great beasts roaming plain and hill,The fierce-eyed lynx, the cheetah swift to kill.

From mountain slopes and deserts brought them near,Till human touch no longer woke their fear.

He chose among the birds that swoop and dive,The hawk and falcon, trained with him to strive.

He trained them all with patience, beast and bird,While men stood stunned at wonders never heard.

He brought the hen and cock to settled ground,And learned the uses in their life and sound.

The cock proclaimed the hour with timely cry,And marked the watches as the night went by.

He bade men treat all creatures with goodwill,And speak with kindness, never seeking ill.

Then said: “Give praise to Him who fashioned all,Who placed these creatures subject to our call.

He showed the path to rule through all our days;So give His holy name our constant praise.”

He had a minister both just and wise,Shidasp by name, and spotless in men’s eyes.

No step he took except toward what was right,Beloved by all for counsel pure and bright.

He fasted through the day till fell the night,Then stood in prayer until the morning light.

He was the pillar of the Shah’s success,And checked the wicked when they would oppress.

He taught the king all virtue to embrace,Till farr divine shone from Tahmuras’ face.

The king bound Ahriman by magic’s spell,And rode him like a steed he governed well.

At times he saddled him and rode aroundThe world, from distant plain to distant ground.

The Divs rebelled against the Shah’s command,And gathered in great numbers through the land.

They sought to seize his throne, to strip his crownAnd farr, and bring his sovereign power down.

When Tahmuras perceived their mustering swarm,His anger flared; he armed against the storm.

With royal farr he girded for the fight,His heavy gorz upon his shoulder bright.

Then all the Divs and warlocks gathered near,A mass of sorcery and howling fear.

The Black Div led them, roaring in their wrath,Their clamor shaking earth along their path.

The sky grew dark, the earth was turned to night,And every eye was dimmed and lost its sight.

But Tahmuras advanced in battle’s flame,Resolved to crush their power and blot their name.

On one side the Div fire and smoke arose,Across from them the Shah’s men faced their foes.

He ranked his troops and struck with ordered might,And drove the howling Div horde to flight.

By magic, two-thirds of the Divs he tied;Beneath his heavy gorz the others died.

Before the Shah the chastened captives came,Wounded and bound, stripped low of pride and fame.

The captives begged for mercy in humbled tone:“Destroy us not! But let our skill be known.

A fruitful art we teach you by this vow,If you will spare us and accept it now.”

He spared their lives and loosed each binding cord;They had to yield the knowledge they had stored.

They taught him writing, nearly thirty ways,And showed how thought could live beyond men’s days.

The Roman, Farsi, Arabic they knew,Chinese and Sughdian and Pahlavi too.

By many more they made men’s meaning clear,So thought could cross the years from far to near.

For thirty years he brought forth art on art,And taught mankind through wisdom, mind, and heart.

When his allotted span at last was done,His works remained, remembered all and one.

O world, do not caress those doomed to fall,Such favor proves no kindness after all.

You raise a man to heaven’s height one day,Then cast him down in dust and turn away.