68
FIRDUSI
DEATH OF MINÚCHIHR
To Minúchihr we now must turn again,
And mark the close of his illustrious reign.
And mark the close of his illustrious reign.
THE king had flourished one hundred and twenty years, when now the astrologers ascertained that the period of his departure from this life was at hand.
They told him of that day of bitterness,
Which would obscure the splendour of his throne;
And said—“The time approaches, thou must go,
Doubtless to Heaven. Think what thou hast to do;
And be it done before the damp cold earth
Inshrine thy body. Let not sudden death
O’ertake thee, ere thou art prepared to die!”
Warned by the wise, he called his courtiers round him,
And thus he counselled Nauder:—“O, my son!
Fix not thy heart upon a regal crown,
For this vain world is fleeting as the wind;
The pain and sorrows of twice sixty years
Have I endured, though happiness and joy
Have also been my portion. I have fought
In many a battle, vanquished many a foe;
By Feridún’s commands I girt my loins,
And his advice has ever been my guide.
I hurled just vengeance on the tyrant-brothers
Sílim and Túr, who slew the gentle Irij;
And cities have I built, and made the tree
Which yielded poison, teem with wholesome fruit.
And now to thee the kingdom I resign,
That kingdom which belonged to Feridún,
And thou wilt be the sovereign of the world!
But turn not from the worship of thy God,
That sacred worship Moses taught, the best
Of all the prophets; turn not from the path
Of purest holiness, thy father’s choice.
Which would obscure the splendour of his throne;
And said—“The time approaches, thou must go,
Doubtless to Heaven. Think what thou hast to do;
And be it done before the damp cold earth
Inshrine thy body. Let not sudden death
O’ertake thee, ere thou art prepared to die!”
Warned by the wise, he called his courtiers round him,
And thus he counselled Nauder:—“O, my son!
Fix not thy heart upon a regal crown,
For this vain world is fleeting as the wind;
The pain and sorrows of twice sixty years
Have I endured, though happiness and joy
Have also been my portion. I have fought
In many a battle, vanquished many a foe;
By Feridún’s commands I girt my loins,
And his advice has ever been my guide.
I hurled just vengeance on the tyrant-brothers
Sílim and Túr, who slew the gentle Irij;
And cities have I built, and made the tree
Which yielded poison, teem with wholesome fruit.
And now to thee the kingdom I resign,
That kingdom which belonged to Feridún,
And thou wilt be the sovereign of the world!
But turn not from the worship of thy God,
That sacred worship Moses taught, the best
Of all the prophets; turn not from the path
Of purest holiness, thy father’s choice.
“My son, events of peril are before thee;
Thy enemy will come in fierce array,
From the wild mountains of Túrán, the son
Of Poshang, the invader. In that hour
Of danger, seek the aid of Sám and Zál,
And that young branch just blossoming; Túrán
Will then have no safe buckler of defence,
None to protect it from their conquering arms.”
Thy enemy will come in fierce array,
From the wild mountains of Túrán, the son
Of Poshang, the invader. In that hour
Of danger, seek the aid of Sám and Zál,
And that young branch just blossoming; Túrán
Will then have no safe buckler of defence,
None to protect it from their conquering arms.”
