بخش 11

What did that brave narrator say, who suddenly grappled with a male lion? "If you seek the name of a man, you must wash the face of an Indian sword. You must not avoid dangers, for the day of shame and battle will come. When times become tight, caution will not save you. If you mix war with too much prudence, the brave will not count you among the warriors. Reason and faith have their own path, but noble words are often bound." Now, there is a colorful story from the path of the warrior Rustam. I heard that one day, the Elephant-Bodied Hero (Rustam) held a feast for the assembly at his home in Navand, where high palaces stood and where the blazing fire of Barzin now shines as a guide. The great nobles of Iran gathered at that banquet: Tus, Gudarz, Bahram, Giv, Gorgin, Zangeh Shavaran, Gostahm, Kharrad, Barzin, and Goraz. Each leader brought a group of renowned soldiers. The army did not rest for a moment, engaging in polo, archery, drinking, and hunting. One day, while drunk, Giv said to Rustam, "O famous hero! If you desire to hunt, let us go like running cheetahs to the hunting grounds of Afrasiyab. Let us cover the face of the sun with the dust of our horses and find peace for a long day. We will lasso the running onager and bind the lion with our swords. Let us hunt in the plains of Turan and leave a memory in the world." Rustam replied, "May your end not come without your desire! Tomorrow at dawn, we will go to the plains of Turan and will not rest from hunting and galloping." Everyone agreed to this plan. At dawn, they set out with hawks, falcons, and litters, joyful and swift, towards the river Shahd and Afrasiyab's hunting grounds. On one side was sand and water, on the other Sarakhs and the desert, with herds of deer and sheep on the plain. The plain became filled with tents and pavilions, and the deer were bewildered by the crowd. The land was emptied of lions, and the birds took flight. In every direction, there were piles of birds and game, killed or wounded by arrows. They laughed and were happy, spending a week with wine in hand, sometimes galloping, sometimes sitting in joy. On the eighth morning, Rustam made a wise decision. He told the leaders, "Surely Afrasiyab has heard of us by now. He will devise a plan and attack, making the hunting ground tight for us. We must send a scout to the road so that if he spots the enemy, he can warn us." Goraz strung his bow and went to keep watch. With a guard like him, the army felt safe and continued to hunt and feast. News of them reached Afrasiyab in the dark of night. He called his experienced commanders and spoke of Rustam and the seven brave heroes, saying, "We must prepare a surprise attack. If we capture these seven heroes, we will make the world tight for Kavus. We must go like hunters and strike their army suddenly." He chose thirty thousand swordsmen and told them there was no time for delay. They marched through the desert, raising their necks for war. He sent troops from every side to block the path of the heroes. Goraz saw the dust of the army and the flag of the Turanian commander. He returned as fast as the wind to the hunting ground where Rustam was drinking with his army. He told Rustam, "Arise and turn back from your pleasure! There is an immeasurable army coming; the flag of the tyrant Afrasiyab shines through the dust like the sun." Rustam laughed heartily and said, "Fortune is with us! Why do you fear the King of Turks and his horsemen? His army is no more than a hundred thousand. In this plain of vengeance, if even one of us is here, the war of the Turks seems small. With seven famous heroes gathered here, one of us is equal to a thousand of them. Even if I were alone on my horse Rakhsh, I would not need an army from Iran to fight him. You, cupbearer, pour me some Babylonian wine!" The cupbearer poured the wine, and Rustam drank, toasting first to King Kavus, wishing his land prosperity. Then he kissed the ground and drank to the memory of Tus. The leaders rose and pleaded with Rustam, saying, "This is not the time for wine; even Iblis wouldn't drink now! Only you can handle wine and the mace and the battlefield at the same time." Rustam drank the red Babylonian wine from the yellow cup to the health of Zavareh. Zavareh then took the cup, toasted King Kavus, drank, kissed the ground, and Rustam praised him, saying, "A brother drinks the cup of a brother; the lion is the one who hunts the cup of wine.