سندبادنامه 2: شعر (متقارب)

“The righteousness of the servants and rectitude of the nations, the safety of creation from every grief,
comes from two things with no third between them: the cleaving of the sword and the gentleness of the pen.”
Therefore He reinforced religion with kingship, and gave lustre to kingship through religion, and made each of the two
settled, firm, powerful, and fortified by the other; and after obedience to the divine commands and prohibitions,
He commanded compliance and submission to those in authority, and deemed obedience and submission to them equal
to His own pleasure and that of the prophets who are absolute deputies, as He says:
“Obey God and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you” (4:59). Hence, from this
it becomes clear that religion without kingship goes to ruin, and kingship without religion becomes void.
And the Prophet—peace be upon him—said: “Religion and kingship are twin brothers.” And Gushtāsp, who was the central gem in the necklace

of the Chosroes of the Persians and great men of Iran, says: “Religion is strengthened by kingship, and kingship
is protected by religion”: religion grows powerful through kingship, and kingship remains stable through religion; and if the awe of the sword is not paired
and aligned with the firmness of the pen, and if there is no hope of recompense
and reward for good deeds, and no fear of retribution and punishment for evil deeds, the order of the world and the worldly will become invalid,
and fall from the path of rectitude, and no creature will put forward good deeds or store up virtues.
show no inclination; and when the principles of religion fall into disorder and the rites of punishment are neglected and abandoned, piety
and probity depart, the rules of chastity and restraint suffer disruption and dispersion, and the beliefs
of hearts retreat entirely, the organization of people and the welfare of lands scatter and disperse from the thread of order
and arrangement, the governance and administration of cities and inhabitants crumble,
affairs become tied to force, power, capability, and strength, and 'he who conquers plunders' becomes manifest,

and 'The sword belongs only to the one who draws it, / and dominion has ever belonged to whoever prevails'
comes true. Thus, in accordance with these clear premises and evident principles, it becomes manifest
that the sword and the pen, and religion and kingship, are twins and companions:

"When both unite in a resolute soul, / it reaches every height of glory."
And just as obedience to the resolute prophets is among the duties imposed by the intellect, following those in authority is among

the requisites of the Sharīʿa. And just as He commanded the prophets and messengers to deliver the message, reveal proof,
and display miracles, He directed rulers and sultans to exercise justice and manifest virtue,
as He said: "Surely God commands justice and kindness" (16:90). And just as
the prophets have ranks, rulers and commanders have degrees. And the Commander of the Faithful ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb,
may God be pleased with him, who was the destroyer of the foundation of polytheism and the builder of the principles of Islam, and by whom the foundation of religion
and state was consolidated, and the rites of kingship and the religious community were confirmed through him, says:
"The most blessed of rulers is the one through whom his subjects are blessed." The most fortunate of sultans is he whose subjects
dwell under the shadow of his favor and care and within the protection of his immunity and defense, and whose submissive people
find rest in the neighborhood of his security, impregnable sanctuary, and unburdened and lofty courtyard. And the Prophet,
peace be upon him, said: "The sultan is the shadow of God on earth; to him every wronged person repairs." He states that
the king is the shade of the sun of the Creator's mercy over the expanse of the earth—that is, those burning in the critical heat
of the jaundice of tyranny, the sunstruck victims of oppression, and those thirsting in the Midsummer month of disappointment may find rest in the shade of his clemency and the courtyard of
his justice, and travelers through the wasteland of deprivation in the midday heat of separation may drink the pure water of bounty from the fountain of
his justice and the watering-place of his virtue, reciting:

"No poor man suffers poverty when his cloud rains upon you, / and in no land where you are the raincloud does drought remain."

O right hand, whose drinking-place is [the grant of] needs, / and O left hand, whose earning-place is [the fulfillment of] hopes!

In your eloquent speech is the unique jewel of the learned, / on your fingertips is the feast of bounties.
And since it has been demonstrated by these premises that the most excellent of the prophets is the one to whom the Book
and Sharīʿa were revealed, it is established by these principles that the best of sultans is the one in whom
the form of virtue and the shape of justice have attained existence; and it has become apparent that the superiority
and distinction of the station of those in authority over the classes of mankind lies in their spreading justice
and bestowing security and virtue:

"Were it not for intellects, the lowliest lion / would be closer to honor than man."
And the description of his virtues and character was this:

"His gifts enriched and satisfied, leaving, by God, / no one on earth who recognizes poverty."

Dirhams are in their death throes in his palm; / that is why the profession of faith is upon his tongue.
Therefore it is incumbent that the most favored of servants and the most devoted of well-wishers
persevere in obedience and submission to them to the extent of their capability and the reach of their power,
and adorn the past obligations of beneficence and honor with further acts of thanksgiving, and in whatever
lies within the scope of their capacity and the vessel of their strength, offer laudable endeavors and agreeable and praised deeds,

so that they may qualify for greater praise and assume the mantle of increased trust from the king of their age,
the brilliance of their worth and the superiority of their virtue may become manifest, and they may obtain widespread fame
and renowned renown, for they have said:

"Upon the servant there is an obligation that he must fulfill, / even if the master is exalted and his virtues are sublime."
Praise and gratitude are due to God Almighty, who adorned the territory of Islam with the beauty of justice and the perfection
of virtue belonging to the most just of kings and the most excellent of sultans, the supreme just Khāqān of the world, the aided, triumphant,
victorious, and exalted king, the honor of the kings of nations, master of the Turks and Persians, support of the Imam,
helper of mankind, light of the state, glory of the religious community, refuge of the nation, majesty of the realm, crown of the kings of the Turks,
pillar of the world and of religion, succor of Islam and the Muslims, vanquisher of enemies and rebels, shadow of God
on the earths, sultan of the land of the East and the West, Alp Qutlugh Tonga Bilge Abū l-Muẓaffar Qilich
Ṭamghāj Khāqān, son of Qilich Qara Khān, proof of the caliph of God, supporter of the Commander of the Faithful—may God exalt
his supporters and multiply his power—and made the pavilions of his majesty and dignity firmly pitched and established with the ropes of divine assistance,
and conveyed the inherited and acquired kingdom to the worthy and rightful heir,
and caused the suns of equity and the full moons
of fairness to rise from the horizons of his realms and the paths of his ways, and from the fountains of his justice and the springs of his virtue
caused the flow of security and peace to run into the streams of his kingdom and state, and made the mandate of his commands and prohibitions
effective, absolute, commanding, and governing across the territory of the earth and the climes of the world, so that

the aggressors against the realm and the rebels against the dynasty drew their heads into the collar of seclusion, and the God-fearing
and the righteous drew their feet into the skirt of security and well-being. The bride of kingship and dynasty has opened her mouth like a rose into the smiles of equity, and the gates of tyranny and injustice are bolted against all classes of subjects with the nail
of justice. The falcon and the partridge share the same nest in partnership, and the sparrowhawk and the sparrow
show harmony in the same dwelling; the haunches of wild asses are untroubled by the claws of lions,
and the throats of pheasants are spared the talons of falcons:
Justice has spread its wing over mankind, / so that the eagle does not pounce upon the dove.

From his justice and equity it is no wonder / if the clawed predator bears the litter of the dove.

When his hunting dogs need a new collar, / they draw raw quarry from the lion's mane.
His benevolence has drawn the cloak of mercy over all quarters of the aggrieved, and his subtle favors
have opened the doors of clemency to the oppressed. The daily ledger of royalty has been dated with the chronicle of this king,
and the scroll of equity has been adorned with the pen of this dynasty's justice. And this itself
is an outflow from an overflow and a part of a whole, as the poet said:
And following this drizzle is a sweeping torrent, / and behind this sprout is a blooming meadow;

Thus the battle-lines assemble for their clash, / and ahead of the engagement they have vanguards.
And like the squadrons meeting for their clash, / having vanguards sent before the encounter.

had remained untrodden, and the highway of equity, which had been effaced and blotted out under the trampling feet of tyranny, were traversed and made clear; the order of the kingdom and the splendor of the realm returned to their customary stability and familiar way,
and attained fixity and constancy upon the foundations of rectitude and the bases of decrees. Consequently, hearts take the steps of affection in passion for him, and souls gird the loins of service in devotion to him, and the inward convictions of sincere servants and the outward witnesses of affectionate counselors
grow firmer by the hour and more steadfast by the moment that the foundation of this dynasty shall remain forever and ever, and the lofty castle of this kingdom—may its quarters and corners never cease to flourish, and its flanks and foundations be fortified—shall escape the hand of the vicissitudes of interregnum into the haven of immunity and safety,
and annex the realm of Iran to the expanse of Turan, and the khutba, coinage, and pulpits of the cities of the horizons
shall be adorned with his exalted titles and address:
The maiden cities and the matrons have sought you in marriage, / and toward you, rather than other kings, is their repose.
The Qurʾān has come, and its verses have announced the good news / of an increase in kingship whose time has now arrived.
Dour camels have borne your praise across the deserts, / and ships in the seas have vowed allegiance to you.
O reviver of nations whose black calamities / and griefs had severed their life-veins!
And upon every pulpit prayers are offered for him / in good deeds, followed by their 'Amen.'
May you ever dwell in blessings whose springtide lasts / forever, and whose pure spring remains before the eyes!

The virgin and mature realms have sought you in betrothal; / thus in you alone, beyond all other kings, their tranquility lies.
O Chosroes, may the kingdom be joyous for you; / may the entire world be conceded to you!
Through you, the inhabited quarters of tyranny were laid waste; / may your foundation of justice stand firm!
The khutba acquired honor from your name; / likewise may every year and month be exalted!
Since your right hand gave kingship prosperity, / may the signet-ring of Jam[shīd] be in your left hand!
And whatever was in the realm of Jam[shīd], / may it all be under the bezel of your ring!