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English translation

Thus spoke he who was the master of the world, Who in the domain of speech was the lord of the auspicious conjunction. When Khosrow had been with Gol for six months, Every moment his pleasure with Gol was renewed. Sometimes he drank rose-colored wine with Gol, Sometimes he borrowed a hundred kisses from Gol. Sometimes he would repay that debt to Gol, Sometimes he gave the price of coquetry to Gol. Sometimes he held her silver bosom in his embrace, Sometimes he took the dust of her path in gold. At times he devised a new pleasure, At times he began a private retreat. At times he tasted sugar from her rose, At times he drew in a chest of sugar. Since he held such a heart-ravisher like Gol in his embrace, He did not remember Hosna for a single moment. When there is a rose, who would remember Hosna? When there is a pearl, who would remember glass? When there is a head, it does not lack a crown; When the moon comes, it does not lack stars. When the morning arrives, who seeks the union of stars? When water comes, dry ablution is discarded. Often it happened that Hosna stood before the prince, And the king did not remember her. Often it happened that she showed herself to the king, And the king remained free and detached from her. In joy, Khosrow and Gol day and night Were always together like wine and milk. The heart of Hosna fell into a boil of jealousy because of Gol, Sometimes she rose and sometimes she fell unconscious. Her jealousy boiled in that grief, Her bosom became an ocean of tears. From the wise man, this saying pleased me well: That the fire of jealousy is hotter than fire itself. A woman's jealousy is blessed to no one, For a woman's jealousy is like the wound of a sword. She would allow her head not to be in its place, But with the burning of her jealousy she had no stability. Only he knows what human jealousy is Who has lived in jealousy from morning to night. On a night that was blacker than pitch, A dark night like the day of separation from the beloved, The world darker than a black man's face, Narrow like an ant's eye to Hosna in her confinement, Her breath ablaze with the fire of her heart's sigh, Sitting shedding tears, her chest burning. All night Hosna was devising riles, How she could remove Gol from her way. She constructed a trick with the tip of her pen, And wrote a letter to Jahan-Afruz. Jahan-Afruz was her mistress, And selected Hosna was her servant. In that letter, she wrote about the state of Hormoz: That this young man is a cunning king. He is not a physician, he is a crown-wearer, Who is the son of the Caesar of Rome and a king. If one day he becomes angry with the heavens, His anger will throw dust into the eyes of heaven. And if he opens his face in love, The moon and sun will kiss the ground before him. His army is more than thousands; Count a hundred for every drop of rain. Take his treasury small by comparison: Take one leaf from every branch. There is no end to his bay and piebald horses, But their number is like the sand of the desert. Such a king is he, I have told you of his state; Because of that beautiful-faced one, he fell into this pocket. The physician's role was the trick of that deceiver, Who had worked with them before this. Since Khosrow's heart desired Gol, He came from the city of Rome with an army. From Ispahan, he brought her with a hundred charms; He took her out by the path of the people of Rey. Even a swift Arab horse cannot do this run; Even a hundred tricksters of Rey cannot do this. When he gained control of Gol, he led her astray; He suddenly took her from the king's garden at night. It became known to me halfway through the journey That that woman is Golrokh and he is the King of Rome. Had I known of this matter there, I would have brought the king out of this burden. I felt great sorrow from this affair, But what can I do since the deed has happened? On that night the giant left Ispahan, My heart wanted its mistress. Hormoz did not let me leave his presence, Otherwise I would have done the work by my own head. Now both Golrokh and the prince, Sometimes eat sugar and sometimes drink wine. Together in pleasure, these two are happy-hearted, From the crow's feather to the heron's feather. They do not rest for an hour from pleasure; Hosna's heart was vexed to death with jealousy. What a great shame it is upon Ispahan, That someone steals a woman from the king of kings! Wherever in the world this saying is told, They will say 'there is no power but in God' out of shame for our king. Even if I am nobody in that presence, I cannot bear this shame of the king. Since Hormoz acted so unmanfully, I consider this a shame, and you know it. Send two trusted men suddenly, So that I may steal Gol from this king. I will hand her over to the trusted men, For I have three hundred tricks and deceits for her. Now I have sent this letter on its way, I have made you aware of good and bad. When she finished the letter, the tip of her pen Came to the market and took the letter. She came near the merchants, There were many old and young. There was a merchant from Ispahan, Who was subtle in trading. At that moment Hosna called him to herself, And questioned him openly and secretly. First she bound him with a strong oath, Until the merchant became her confidant. She unlocked a jewel from her arm, And placed that man with the letter before her. She said to him: 'Take this jewel and accept it, But accept this secret of mine and deliver it. When you deliver the letter to that beloved, You shall receive thousands of other jewels. Deliver the letter to Jahan-Afruz, And ask of her whatever you desire. Now I wish that at the time of morning, You set out from here toward Ispahan. Keep this letter with you like your soul, And if you wish, bring its reply back.' When that unaware man spoke in every manner, The merchant of Ispahan accepted with an oath. From the city of Rome, he went out like a wind; What wind? He went faster than anything I can say. He went to the sea and traveled in the sea, And from there he also crossed the desert. At evening time he arrived in Ispahan, And delayed the night until the morning. When the vanguard of the day prepared for the road, His face turned pale from the paleness of the day's face. Quickly the man turned his head toward the road, Until he found his way to Jahan-Afruz. Before her curtain, the wise man Praised Jahan-Afruz greatly. Jahan-Afruz then opened the curtain, Until he placed that letter before the curtain. When that fairy-faced one opened the seal of the letter, Her face turned lotus-colored from her jealousy of Gol. The world became like silk in her eyes; You would say Jahan-Afruz left the world. A fire rose to her head, Such that her eye became like a tulip. For a time she clapped her hands and tore her hair, At times her lip, at times her face she tore. Her nails turned blue and her face like blood; Her green silk became rose-colored from blood. Then she took that letter to the king, So that the king became aware of that desired one. Her garment having taken spots of blood, Her letter soaked in tears. For he knew the state and work of that moon, And his heart was aware of her love. They said to take that letter immediately, And deliver it to the King of Ispahan. When the King read the letter of Hosna, He fell into a state of melancholy in that frenzy. When he read the letter and became aware, Grief worked upon him like poison. In this thought, you would say the King died; Like a madman, he bowed his head for a time. When he came to himself, that one who had gone out of himself, Separation behind him, intellect gone before him, He called two people and spoke of Hosna, Saying: 'What that cypress-like one said is very good. You must go quickly, So that perhaps our moon also comes out of the blue. If she stole Gol and it is right, I will steal her back; this is the answer.' Those two left Ispahan immediately, Like sinners coming out of hell. When they reached the sea from the desert, They entered and crossed the sea. At last, when they traveled in Rome, They found the path to the palace of Gol. When Jonah's moon breathed from the breath of the whale, The twilight poured ruby around the sky. Those two went to the king's threshold, Watching the path from every side. In this arrangement, both from the morning Stood until the time of darkness. When a week passed, one morning Hosna came out of the door like a wind. She saw those two and suddenly recognized them, But at that moment she cast her gaze on the road. She went forward quickly from before that door, And called those two from under her veil. When those two reached Hosna, They asked, spoke, and heard. Thus spoke the cunning Hosna to them: 'A chest must be built without fail. Good and swift beasts of burden are needed, Suitable and worthy of that task. So that I may steal Gol in the morning, And hand her over to you both like the wind. You put Gol inside the chest, And tie both her hands around her head. Bind her mouth with her headscarf, And tie the strap of her veil over her.' She said this, and went after them, And went from that spot to the place of both. When she found out the place of both, She came to the palace of the King of Rome. When ten days passed, that master man Stood in his mastery in his work. Finding an opportunity, he called Gol to an empty place, And like a diamond, he opened his tongue at once. He said to Golrokh: 'O lady of the kingdom...'