بخش 21

Rustam, overwhelmed with grief, ordered a royal bed to be prepared for his son. But before he could even reach King Kavus, news arrived that Sohrab had passed away, needing a coffin instead of a throne. Rustam collapsed in anguish, lamenting that he, an old man, had killed his own young and noble son, a descendant of the great Sam. He cursed his own hands and wished for death, dreading the moment he would have to face Zal and Rudabeh, and worst of all, Sohrab's mother. He wondered how he could explain such a tragedy—that he had killed his innocent son who had come seeking him. He feared that his name would be cursed forever. He ordered a shroud of royal brocade for Sohrab, and as the coffin was carried away, he set fire to his own tent and all his possessions in a fit of despair. The Iranian nobles sat with him in the dust, offering words of comfort, but Rustam's pain was too deep. The poet reflects on the cruelty of fate, which gives a crown with one hand and a noose with the other, urging detachment from this transient world. King Kavus tried to console Rustam, reminding him that death is inevitable for all, and that no amount of grief or anger can bring back the dead. He told Rustam that fate had brought Sohrab here to die by his hand, and he must accept it. Rustam, though broken, asked the King to spare the Turanian army, led by Human, as they were innocent of this tragedy. Kavus agreed, putting aside his enmity for the sake of Rustam's grief.