The Reign of Khosrow Parviz (Part 5)

Caesar's letter continued with counsel to the young king: "You are young and have not yet seen the workings of the world. If you wish to gain anything from fortune, do not ally yourself with a covenant-breaker -- a man who breaks pacts is not worth a burial shroud. Crown and throne curse the king who breaks his word and seeks vengeance.

"Now read my letter from beginning to end. If your fingers are greased, do not read it. Guard these words and write your answer. Think only of what is good, and write what is auspicious. I do not want any secretary to know this secret -- you yourself be the sharp-eyed scribe. When I read your reply, I will see the heart of the self-willed man.

"We will certainly send arms, army, and silver, so you need not be grim. Whoever is dearest to you, whoever is most renowned in your eyes -- even the one against whom you hold a grudge in your heart -- tear those grudges away with manly resolve. Leave his sins to God, the Sustainer. Do not deal bitterly with enemy or friend alike. If you want fortune to keep you victorious, master of the world with army, crown, and throne -- keep your hands short from other men's property. Steer your soul toward righteousness."

When the ink on that letter had dried, they placed a seal of musk upon it. The Caesar pressed his signet into the seal, gave it to the envoy, and blessed him.

When the letter reached Khosrow, fresh news of alliance arrived with it. He told the Iranians: "Today, love turns differently in the heavens. A great letter has come from the Caesar -- every word of it useful. He seeks a way to cut the ancient feud between Rome and the land of Iran."

The Iranians answered: "The feud has never been lifted from between us. If you set this right in your time, they will inscribe your name on every crown."

When Khosrow saw their minds were aligned, he cleared the hall of outsiders. He called for ink, pen, and Chinese silk, and summoned the scribe before him. He wrote a letter in Pahlavi, in the royal script of kings:

"Khosrow has sworn before the pure God, from the turning sun to the dark earth: as long as he is king upon the throne, Iran and its treasury and army shall be his alone. He will demand no tribute from the holders of Rome. He will send no army against that land and soil. Every city that belonged to those borderlands, however idle and worthless, he will hand back to the Caesar, one by one -- henceforth we shall send deeds and writs.

"As for the daughter whose mother is pure and of Caesar's own blood -- with her father's consent we have asked for her, and our heart is adorned by this request. All those in your court who are from Iran and under your protection -- Gostaham, Shapur, Andian, Khorrad-Borzin of the Kayanian seed -- when you send the army, entrust it to them, along with the wise and noble daughter.

"In kinship I am now to you as the great assembly was of old -- first Gayomart and Jamshid, from whom the world stood between fear and hope, then all who are of the line of Iraj, upon whom Feridun bestowed custom and glory, and so onward to Qobad the Great, under whose justice the sheep lay down with the wolf.

"All enmity we have lifted from between us. Roman and Iranian have become one. I accept the Caesar's daughter, who is the crown among all daughters. I will not turn back from anything I have said, from the greatest deed to the smallest. What you have promised, do not delay -- the stay in this city has grown long."

When he had set down these words, he gave the letter to Khorrad-Borzin, the sun-like general. The commander leapt from his place like the wind, set foot to his dark bay horse, and rode like a gale until he reached the Caesar and recounted every word of Khosrow's.

When the Caesar broke the seal and read the lofty words of the king, he summoned every man of learning and eloquence to his assembly. He questioned them one by one: "What remedy shall we apply now? What covenant shall we make with the king of Iran? This letter has left us no excuse. Rome and Iran have become one."

The wise lords rose and answered: "We are the lesser men; you are the Caesar. You hold the world, the throne, and the crown. The decision and command are yours alone. If you ask for our bodies and souls, they are yours."

The Caesar blessed those nobles of faith and judgment, and waited until the candle of the turning heavens changed its face and character -- until the spinning sun lost its color and the stars entered the constellation of Sirius.

Then the Caesar ordered his master of illusions to bring forth deep designs: "Construct an astonishing talisman that no one can recognize as a body. A beautiful woman seated on a throne of luxury, full of modesty, wearing embroidered robes. Attendants on either side, servants before and behind. She sits on that throne without speaking. The beautiful face appears to weep. From time to time she lifts her hand and drops a tear from her eyelashes. Anyone who sees her from a distance finds a radiant woman, consumed by passion, weeping bitterly over Christ -- cheeks pale, eyelashes raining like a spring cloud."

When the master craftsmen had set the talisman in place, a guide came to the Caesar. He went to inspect it and was astonished by the sorcery. Then he summoned Gostaham.

He told Gostaham: "O renowned warrior, I had a daughter fair as a painting. She grew up, and the time for a husband arrived. A kinsman of hers, a man of fame, sought her. In the way of Christ I gave her to him -- I was foolish and opened my hand too soon. I sent her to the young man's house. But the young man's soul departed for heaven. Now she sits in mourning and grief, her bright day turned dark blue. She will not accept my counsel, she will not speak a word. The world has grown old from her suffering. Take the trouble to go and see her. Choose the words of wise men. You are young and of noble warrior blood -- perhaps with you she will open her tongue."

Gostaham said: "I will do it. Perhaps I can draw the sorrow out of her heart." The renowned warrior came before the talisman, open-hearted and confident in speech. As he approached the throne, the talisman bowed to him from upon it. Noble Gostaham sat down humbly and spoke to the grieving daughter. The brave man began with counsel -- words that should have been useful to her: "O daughter of Caesar's line, a wise person does not cry out against the workings of justice. Not even a soaring eagle escapes death -- nor a lion in the forest, nor a fish in the water."

But all the warrior's speech was wind. The woman had no tongue and the body had no soul. With her finger she would cast a tear now and then before the eloquent physician. When Gostaham was left bewildered, the Caesar sent for him. "What did you see of my daughter, whose grief darkens my crown?" Gostaham said: "I gave her much counsel, but my words had no hold on her."

The next day the Caesar told Baluy: "Today go with Andian. And Shapur of noble lineage too -- perhaps he can gladden our soul regarding this girl. Go before this mourning daughter and speak to her of the renowned king. Perhaps you will get an answer from my daughter, who sets fire upon my head. Perhaps she will hear your counsel and advice, and recognize your worth." He added: "I believe today she will answer. When she answers aloud and auspiciously, she will be freed from this mourning grief that rains blood upon her lap."

Those three noble freemen went, each eloquent and each proud. None of them got any answer. The tongueless woman chose silence. Helpless, they returned to the Caesar and said: "However much we spoke and counseled, our words were useless to her."

The Caesar said: "What evil times, that we mourn for this mourner." Finding no solution from those lords, he turned swiftly to Khorrad-Borzin's judgment. He said: "O renowned secretary, chosen chief of the line of Ardashir, go to this daughter -- perhaps you will hear her voice just once." He sent a trusted man with him from the palace to the mourner.

When Khorrad-Borzin came before her, he studied her face, her head, and her crown. He stood before her a long time. The beguiling talisman bowed to him. He spoke at length, and the woman gave no answer. The man of noble blood grew thoughtful. He examined the woman from head to toe. He observed the attendants around her.

He said to himself: "If the woman is senseless with grief, why are the attendants also silent? If those are real tears in her eyes, her anger should diminish when they fall. Tears drip before her breast, yet she knows no movement left or right. The tears she drops always fall in the same spot. Neither hand nor foot stirred. If there were a soul in this body, something besides the hand would have moved. Her tears would fall in different directions, or her hand would reach to a different place. I see no movement of soul or body. This is nothing but a philosopher's talisman."

He came to the Caesar, laughed, and said: "This moon-faced beauty has no companion in wisdom -- because she is a talisman the Romans built. Baluy and Gostaham failed to recognize it. You were laughing at the Iranians and trying to blindfold our eyes. When the king hears this, he will laugh until his face opens bright and his silver teeth flash."

The Caesar told him: "May you live forever! You are fit to be counselor of the King of Kings."

The Caesar said: "I have another wonder in my palace, beyond anything you could measure. A horse with a man mounted on it -- a marvel that astounds the alert. When you see it, you will not know the secret: is it a talisman or a work of God?"

Khorrad-Borzin went to that ancient hall. He saw a lofty chamber with a noble rider standing inside -- such a sight that no eye had ever beheld, so perfect you would swear God had created it. The horseman stood suspended in mid-air. Khorrad-Borzin returned to the Caesar.

He said: "That rider is made of iron. The entire chamber is lined with precious stone -- the stone that the learned call magnatis, which the Romans mounted on an Indian horse. Anyone who reads the books of the Indians will understand and be enlightened."

The Caesar asked: "How far does the Indian path reach in standing? Do they strip away from the religion of the faithful? Are they all idol-worshippers, whoever they may be?"

Khorrad-Borzin answered: "On the road of India, the sacred cow and the moon are supreme. They do not believe in God or the turning heavens. No one has love for his own body. They pass beyond the spinning sun, and they do not count us among the learned. Whoever among them lights a fire enters it and burns himself. They recognize a fire in the sky, by God's sovereign command, which the Indian sage calls the ether -- and he brings forth exquisite and pleasing words. He says: 'Fire reached fire, and sin vanished through action.' They call lighting fire an inescapable duty, and they call that burning righteousness.

"But your own doctrines are not straight either -- and the soul of Christ himself bears witness. Do you not see what Jesus son of Mary said when he opened the hidden secret? 'If someone takes your shirt, do not contend with him harshly. If he strikes your cheek with his palm and your face darkens from the blow, do not strike back, so that your name may endure -- for the wise man, a name is better than desire. Be content with a little food. If you have no bedding, do not seek it. Against evil, do not reckon evil with evil. Pass through this darkness without harm.'

"Yet desire has become king over your reason. Your hearts have gone far astray with greed. Your palaces reach to Saturn. Your treasure-hoards are beyond counting. With your treasuries you keep vast armies, Roman mail and Roman helms. Everywhere you march armies unjustly, drawing swords from a place of ease. The desert becomes a spring of blood -- Christ was no guide in this.

"He was a poor, helpless man whose bread came from the labor of his own body. His only food was greens and milk. Any surplus he gave to the needy. When the Jews seized him by force, they saw him friendless and helpless, and killed him. Then they put the slain man on a cross and dishonored him upon that gibbet. When his illuminated soul became receptive to knowledge, eloquent and learned and retentive, he found his moment for prophecy and through cleverness achieved his aim.

"You say he was the son of God, and that he smiled upon that cross. Any man of reason laughs at this. If you are wise, do not circle this doctrine. God is free of son and wife. Before Him all secrets lie open.

"Why do you twist away from the religion of Gayomart, from the path and custom of Tahmuras? They say the Master of the world is one -- you have no choice but to serve Him. The world-holding lord, the God-worshipping noble, when he takes the barsom in his hand over the prayer -- he may not taste a single drop of water, even if he sees water in a dream from thirst. They take refuge in God on the day of battle. They do not ask for cold water in the midst of combat. Their qibla is the highest substance -- above water, earth, and air.

"Our kings are not sellers of religion. They obey the command of the Sustainer. They find no joy in gold coin or gems. They seek name and fame only through justice -- through granting tall palaces, through gladdening the hearts of the wretched, and through the man who on the day of battle covers the face of the sun with dust and guards the homeland from the enemy. The wise king seeks nothing beyond this. Whoever seeks anything but righteousness from religion -- upon him be curses without blessings."

The Caesar heard all this and approved. He found the man's words profitable. He said: "The one who created the world created you as the most renowned of the great. Pure words must be heard from you. You hold the key to all secrets. A man whose servant speaks like this -- his head rises above the crown of the moon."

He called for silver and gold from the treasury, and a famous crown, and gave them all to Khorrad-Borzin with many blessings: "May the land of Iran flourish through you."

When the Caesar learned the army had arrived and the world had gone black with the dust of horsemen, he selected a hundred thousand Romans, all renowned men of war. He requisitioned arms, silver, and warhorses. The time for delay was over.

He had a daughter named Maryam -- wise, dignified, sound in judgment and desire. He sent her to Khosrow in accordance with the rites of his faith, asking blessings from the Creator. The warrior Gostaham received the daughter and delivered her to Khosrow with proper ceremony.

Then came the dowry, so vast it wore down the swift pack-animals: golden vessels, royal gems, rubies, gold-embroidered robes, carpets and Roman brocade woven with gold thread and silk, bracelets, torques, earrings, three magnificent crowns studded with jewels. Four golden litters were outfitted, their canopies filled with royal gems. Forty more palanquins of ebony followed, glittering with jewels like the eye of a rooster.

Moon-faced attendants came forth from the palace in fragrance and beauty. Five hundred wise and watchful young pages came with golden and silver bridles. Forty Roman eunuchs as well -- fairy-faced, famous, and heart-ravishing. And four Roman philosophers, learned, knowledgeable, and renowned.

To these men the Caesar spoke what needed to be said, and to Maryam in private he confided matters of comfort, desire, duty, generosity, sustenance, and propriety. When the Romans tallied the wealth, it exceeded three hundred million.

He sent everyone who was at his court, each wearing a jewel-encrusted crown upon his head. To the great ones he gave horses and gold coin, and lavish quantities of everything fitting. He declared: "O servants of the king, you are right to lift your heads to the moon. No one worthier than Gostaham will arise from among the great. Shapur of noble lineage is a mediator who will stand at the edge of every negotiation. Baluy too is a keeper of secrets, who will never sell noble men for a price. And no one will see the like of Khorrad-Borzin, however long the world endures. God created him so that what is hidden becomes manifest through him. Like the shining sun he is without fault; all his work and conduct are godly."

He recorded all these commendations in a letter. They departed with knowledge and guidance, astrologers at the front with the guide, determining when the moment for departure was most auspicious.

The Caesar set out on the day of Bahram, under a favorable star and a world-illuminating omen. He traveled two stages along the road. On the third, he came before the army. He summoned Maryam and spoke to her at length -- beyond measure. He told her: "Guard your skirts from the Iranians, and do not loosen the knot between you. Khosrow must not see you uncovered, or trouble will come upon you."

He said this and bade her farewell with love: "May the heavens be your companion on the journey."

The Caesar's warlike brother was Niyatus, commander of the army in that campaign. The Caesar told him: "Maryam is your own blood. I have settled it that she shares your faith. I entrust to you the daughter, the treasure, and an army arrayed like this."

Niyatus accepted everything. He spoke, then turned his face away weeping. The army marched along road and ridge, Niyatus at the front with mace and blade.

When Khosrow heard that the army was coming, he led his forces out from the city. When the dust of the captains appeared and the banners of the armored horsemen came into view -- the army marching like a storm, alert riders and proven men -- Khosrow's heart bloomed like a rose in spring. He set his bright and generous heart afire, dug his heels into his mount, rode out, saw Niyatus, and embraced him. He asked after the Caesar with noble courtesy, the Caesar who had borne such hardship and emptied his treasury besides.

From there he drew toward the litter. Through the curtain he saw Maryam's face. He greeted her and kissed her hand. The sight of that beautiful face made him glad. He brought the army to the royal enclosure, prepared a hidden place for the moon-like princess, and spent three days in conversation with her.

On the fourth day, when the world-illuminating sun blazed forth, he had a fine pavilion decorated and summoned Niyatus, along with Sarges and Kut the warrior and all the army's commanders, great and small. He asked them: "Who are the chiefs and the fighting men?" Niyatus selected seventy men, each of whom could hold the field on the day of battle, each commanding a thousand picked swordsmen under his banner.

When Khosrow beheld that select army -- proud horsemen hungry for war -- he called blessings upon the Creator who made the wheel, and time, and earth. He blessed Niyatus, his army, the renowned Caesar, and his realm. He told the commanders: "If the Creator is my ally on the day of battle, I will show my power and turn the earth into the Pleiades. I will think only of my friends. Heaven will be my ally and the love of the noble lords my garden."

On the eighth day, the sun-faced king arrayed the army like the turning heavens. The thunder of war-drums rose from the court. The sky went black with the army's dust. He chose an elite force from the freemen and marched toward Azerbaijan. For two weeks, by the king's command, armies poured without pause into the camp. The king's pavilion stood on the plain of Duk, the army dense and the road three leagues long. He gave the entire Roman force to Niyatus and told him: "You are the chief over this flock."

From that place, with his mounted warriors, Khosrow spurred his swift horse and set his face toward the road to Lake Chichast. He was riding joyfully, seeking the way, when he came to the place where Musil the Armenian held sway -- a man who had carried himself proudly among the great. His ally in the camp was Banduy, Khosrow's maternal uncle.

Two riders broke from the army and galloped across the field. Khosrow spotted them from the road. He told Gostaham: "Those two bold men, racing their horses across the battle plain -- go toward them and see who they are, and why they ride so hard."

Gostaham said: "O king, I believe that piebald rider is my brother Banduy the valiant. His companion is from another army."

Khosrow said to Gostaham: "When has this ever happened, O bold rider? Banduy's business is always rough. Only pure God can be his supporter and shield. If I want him alive, he shall be in a dungeon. If killed, he shall hang from the gallows of the square."

Gostaham replied: "My king, that is the truth -- but consider that he is your uncle. If he comes near and it is truly he, then seek nothing from Gostaham but his life."

At that moment the two riders reached the king. They dismounted in the shade. They approached Khosrow, praised him, and bowed. Khosrow asked Banduy: "I thought I would find you hidden in the dust."

Banduy told him everything that had befallen him -- the humanity he had witnessed from Bahram, the stratagems he had devised in those times, and the disguise of royal garments. As he spoke, Khosrow wept freely. Then he asked: "Who is this man with you?"

Banduy said: "O sun-faced king, how do you not ask with love about Musil? Since you left Iran for Rome, he has never slept beneath a roof. The open field and camp are his dwelling -- not tent or pavilion. He has a great army with him, arms of rank, and a treasury of silver. From the moment you departed, he has been on this road, longing only for the king's return."

Khosrow said to Musil: "Your hardship will never remain hidden. We shall strive until your days improve and your name among the lords grows greater."

Musil said: "O king, grant me one new thing in my lifetime: let me come and kiss your stirrup and praise your glory and splendor."

Khosrow said: "Because of your suffering, I will make your treasury blaze with glory." He drew one foot from the stirrup. The alert-hearted man could not contain himself -- he kissed the king's foot and stirrup, trembling with awe.

When the king-worshipping man had finished, the world-seeker commanded him to remount. From that barren plain he spurred his horse and rode hard until he reached Adur Gushnasp. He entered the fire-temple, trembling, his heart pierced through with pain. The chief priest came with the Zend-Avesta in hand, before the God-worshipping lord of the world. The king unfastened his golden belt, heaped gems upon the sacred fire, and circled it in prayer. He cried out, passed beyond the priest, and said: "O just and pure Judge, bring the heads of my enemies into the dust. You know that I cry out for justice, that I plan only the path of goodness. Do not approve the injustice of the unjust."

He said this, fastened his golden belt, and turned his face toward the plain of Duk, riding onward, his heart wounded and seeking the way.

When Khosrow returned to his own camp, that long night grew dark. He dispatched alert intelligence agents to investigate the state of the world. When the army of the south learned that the world-illuminating king had arrived from the road, they strapped war-drums to the backs of elephants and the earth became like the Nile in flood. Renewed by the news, they came to Khosrow's side as allies.

When word reached Bahram Chobin that the royal glory had been refreshed, he immediately singled out a man of fame from his army -- a man of learning and dignity named Dana-Panah, who had always been Bahram's well-wisher. He summoned his chief secretary and discussed the necessary matters. He ordered grand letters written to those mighty lords -- to Gostaham, Gorduy, and Banduy the warrior, whose name had carried glory from among the great; to Shapur and Andian the horseman, and every renowned champion.

The letter began: "From the Creator of the world, I seek blessings in secret. When you have all woken from sleep, do not rush so headlong toward ruin.

"Since the seed of the Sasanians first appeared in the world, nothing has come from them but tyranny -- roaming the earth and ruling by force. Start with Ardashir son of Babak, who made the world dark again with his sword and bewildered the heads of every lord. I speak first of Ardavan, that illustrious man of bright spirit -- you have heard what befell the famous Sufzay, what came from Piruz's impure designs: freeing Qobad from his chains and delivering those lords to the wind.

"Qobad the ill-natured gained strength, washed away virtues from his heart and took up faults. He killed that renowned, good-hearted man, and the hearts of the lords hardened against him. A man who is unworthy of his own kindred, who chooses desire over his own child -- he is unworthy of strangers too. No one seeks ivory from the boxwood tree.

"Put no hope in the Sasanians. Do not seek rubies from the red willow. When this letter comes to you -- may the day of Ohrmazd be auspicious for you -- your place at my side is bright. The sleeve is of the same shirt. Our rest and sleep were in one place, whether the sky was dark or the sun stood high.

"When you all come to my side, this dark soul of mine will be illuminated. I will not fear Rome or its king. I will bring their heads and thrones underfoot."

They sealed the letters with his seal. A messenger set out, traveling in the guise of a merchant, and came swiftly to the gate of Khosrow's court. He brought a caravan of varied goods, along with the letters and gifts.

But when the messenger saw the grandeur and the vast army -- so many that you would say there was no room left on the earth -- he said to himself: "With a king like this, no one will seek refuge from Bahram the champion. I am just a harmless Persian, and I have thirty camel-loads of goods. Why should I destroy myself? Greatness has risen from the pit."

He decided: "I will take the letters to Khosrow myself and bring him fresh gifts." With this calculation he came before the king, bearing silver, letters, and offerings. He laid Bahram's words before the king of the world.