I had a companion in Isfahan

Who was a warrior, playful, and cunning

His hands were always stained with blood and dagger

He roasted the enemy’s heart like kebab on fire

I never saw him without his quiver

From the steel of his arrows, fire never missed

A hero with the claws of an ox-tiger

The fear of him shook even lions into turmoil

In his dispute, he threw the arrow so

That Azra threw one at each of them

I have not seen a thorn in a flower as he went

His arrow pierced through the paired shields

Close to the head of a warrior, he struck the stone

He did not blend his own head with the dust

Like a sparrow in the day of locusts in battle

What difference does it make whether it's a sparrow or a man before him

If you confronted him with Fereydun,

He would not be spared by the blade

His panthers, with the force of their claws beneath

Plunged their claws into the brain of the lion

You wore the belt of battle-tested experience

And if you were a mountain, you would have been torn from your place

You struck the armored one like an axe

You passed over men and struck on horseback

He had neither manliness nor humanity

No second person in the world has heard of such a man

You never left me for a moment

For you had a head with true nature

My unexpected journey snatched me from that land

Where I had no days left in that shrine

Fate transferred me from Iraq to Syria

It was good to arrive in that pure land and find a place

In short, I stayed there for some time

In hardship and ease, in hope and fear

My cup filled again from Syria

My desires pulled me back to my home

Such was the fate that happened by chance

That my path again crossed Iraq

One night, my head fell into thought

In my heart, that master of arts passed by

The salt of my ancient beard was renewed

For I had eaten salt from the hand of a man

I went to meet him in Isfahan

With affection, I became a claimant and a seeker

I saw a young man turned old by the wheel of time

His bow was the arrow, his purple, the gold

Like a white mountain, his head was crowned with snow-like hair

The flow of his water ran from the snow of age upon his face

The heavens have found strength in him

The head of his manhood has risen high

The world has taken away pride from his head

The head of weakness now bowed to his knees

I said to him, 'O lion-hearted lord'

What has made you so worn, like an old fox?

He smiled, for since the day of the Tatar war

I sent that warrior to his death

I saw the earth from a spear as if it were a reed bed

Flags were held aloft, like fire within it

I stirred up dust and commotion like smoke

What use is boldness when fortune is absent?

I am the one who, when I charged

I snatched the ring from the palm of my hand

But when my fortune did not aid me

They took hold of me like a ring

I considered escape a gain

For the fool sharpens his claws against fate

What help can my helmet and armor give me

When my bright fortune did not assist me?

When the key to victory is not in hand

The arm cannot achieve victory

A group of fierce tigers and elephants of strength

In iron, the head of men and the hooves of beasts

At the same moment we saw the dust of the army

We donned our armor and helmets

Like a cloud, we urged on the Arab horses

Like rain, we poured down upon the enemy

The two armies clashed from ambush

It seemed as if the sky had struck the earth

From the falling arrows, like hail

In every corner, a storm of death arose

Make preparations for hunting the powerful lion

The dragon's mouth is wide open for the snare

The earth and sky became darkened by the violet dust

Like stars, within it, lightning flashed from swords and shields

When we noticed the enemy cavalry

We formed a shield wall, shield upon shield, with the infantry

We split through hair with arrows and spears

When fortune did not shine, we still fought

What strength did the claw of human endeavor bring

When the arm of success did not offer aid?

The sword of the defiled ones was blunt

For the vengeance of the harsh star was swift

None from our army escaped the battle

None returned except with blood-soaked garments

Like a hundred grains gathered in a cluster

We fell, each grain in its own corner

In cowardice, we parted ways

Like a fish that falls into the washing basin with its armor

No one could place an arrow in the silk

For I told them to sew the anvil with arrows

When fate turned away from us

The shield before the arrow of destiny was of no use

Listen to a more wondrous tale

That without luck, effort is worth no more than two pennies