When news came to King Kavus,

That the army of demons was pressing hard.

He ordered Rostam, son of Zal,

First to gird his loins for that vengeance.

To Tus and to Goudarz, of the lineage of Keshvad,

To Giv and to Gorgin, the noble ones.

He ordered them to array the army,

To adorn the spears and shields.

The pavilions of the king and the leaders,

Were erected on the plain of Mazandaran.

On the right wing, Tus, son of Nozar, stood,

The heart of the mountain full of the sound of trumpets.

Like Goudarz, son of Keshvad, on the left wing,

The mountain had become entirely iron (full of armored soldiers).

The commander, Kavus, in the center,

The army arrayed in ranks from all sides.

In front of the army, the elephant-bodied (Rostam),

Who had never seen defeat in war.

A famous warrior from Mazandaran,

Carrying a heavy mace on his shoulder.

Who was seeking fame and was a seeker,

A wielder of the mace and an orator.

By the order of the king of the demons, he went,

Before the commander, Kavus, the fierce.

His armor gleamed on his body,

The heat of his sword burned the ground.

He came and passed before the Iranian army,

The mountains and plains resounded from his voice.

He kept saying, 'Who seeks battle with me?',

Anyone who stirs up dust from the water.'

No one went out before the seeker,

Neither their veins stirred in their bodies nor their blood.

At that time, the king said aloud,

To the wise warriors and men of action.

Why have your heads become bewildered by these demons?

Your faces have become dark from his voice.

The brave ones did not give an answer to the king,

The army had withered, it was said, from Juyan (the warrior).

Suddenly, Rostam turned his reins,

Having turned his spear towards the king.

He said, 'May I have your permission, O king,

To go before this incompatible demon?'

Kavus said to him, 'This is your task,

No one from Iran will seek this battle.'

When the champion heard this word from him,

He came like a furious lion.

He spurred Rakhsh, the brave one, from his place,

With the spear in his hand.

He went to the battlefield like a drunken elephant,

With an elephant under an dragon in his hand (metaphor for his strength).

He twisted the reins, and dust rose,

The battlefield trembled from his roar.

He said to Juyan thus, 'O ill-omened one,

You have thrown your name among the arrogant ones.'

Now is the time for forgiveness for you,

Not the time for battle and peace.'

She who gave birth to you will weep for you,

Whether she was a nurturer or a biter (harsh).

Juyan said to him, 'Do not be safe,

From Juyan and from the cold-edged dagger.'

For now, with the pain in your mother's liver (grief),

She will weep for this armor and helmet of yours.'

When Juyan's voice reached Rostam,

He let out a roar like a furious lion.

Then he came behind him like a whirlwind,

He aimed his spear at his belt.

He struck the spear at the joint of the armor and chainmail,

The chainmail had no joint or knot left.

He separated him from his saddle and lifted him up,

As if he were placing a bird on a spit.

He threw him from his horse's back to the ground,

His mouth full of blood and his armor torn to pieces.

The brave ones and heroes of Mazandaran,

Remained astonished in that situation.

The army became broken-hearted and pale-faced,

The talk rose from the battlefield.

The leader of Mazandaran ordered,

To the entire army from one end to the other,

That they should all attack and bring war,

They should all adopt the ways of a leopard.

The trumpets and drums rose from both armies,

The sky became indigo, the ground ebony.

Like lightning flashing from dark clouds,

Fire blazed from maces and swords.

The sky became red, black, and violet,

From the many spears and various banners.

The ground became like a sea of pitch,

All its waves from daggers, maces, and arrows.

The swift-footed warriors running like ships on water,

As if they were rushing towards drowning.

Maces rained down on helmets and shields,

Like autumn wind raining down leaves from a willow.

For one week, the two fame-seeking armies,

Had faced each other.

On the eighth day, the world-ruler King Kavus,

Took the royal crown from his head.

Before the world-ruling God of the universe,

He came, weeping at his feet.

After that, he rubbed his face on the ground,

He said thus, 'O just judge.'

Upon these fearless and reckless demons,

You are the creator of water and earth.

Grant me victory and glory,

Renew for me the throne of kingship.

After that, he covered his head with a helmet,

He came to his renowned army.

A roar arose and the wailing of trumpets,

The army stirred like a mountain from its place.

The commander ordered Giv and Tus,

To bring the war drums to the rear of the army.

Like Goudarz with Zangeh of Shaveran,

Like Roham and Gorgin, the warriors.

Geraz was advancing like a boar,

With a banner raised high.

Like Farhad, Kharad, Barzin, and Giv,

They went with the renowned warriors.

Tahmtan (Rostam) first came to the center,

He washed the ground with the blood of brave ones.

Like Goudarz, son of Keshvad, on the right wing,

He carried weapons, army, war drums, and baggage.

From that right wing to that left wing,

Giv went like a wolf before a lamb.

From morning until the sun became dark,

Blood flowed in streams like water.

Shame and the custom of kindness disappeared from faces,

Maces rained down as if it were the sky.

Heaps of slain were everywhere,

The grasses became stained with brain matter.

The trumpets and drums roared like thunder,

The sun behind a curtain of ebony (darkness).

From the side where the king of Mazandaran was,

The elephant-bodied one (Rostam) went with a large army.

He did not leave his place for a moment,

He firmly pressed his foot in the place of vengeance.

When the demons and the aggressive elephants,

Had turned their faces towards him (Rostam).

The world-seeker (Rostam) remembered the world-creator (God),

He entrusted his spear to the holder (God).

He brandished his mace and brought forth fury,

The air became full of clamor from his voice.

He brought forth that warrior, the slayer of leaders,

Neither fearing the demons nor heeding the elephants.

He had strewn the entire plain with elephant trunks,

They saw all the slain for several miles.

After that, Tahmtan (Rostam) asked for a spear,

He charged straight towards the king of Mazandaran.

When he (the king) cast his eyes upon Rostam's spear,

No bravery or anger remained with him.

He struck a spear at his (the king's) belt,

It penetrated his armor and reached his body.

From sorcery, his body became a mass of stone,

A group from Iran watched him.

Tahmtan remained in astonishment,

He held the spear in his neck (in surprise).

King Kavus arrived at that place,

With elephants, drums, banners, and army.

He said to Rostam thus, 'O honored one,

What happened to you that you remained here so long?'

Rostam said to him, 'Because the battle was fierce,

And the victorious fortune shone.

When the king of Mazandaran saw me,

With a heavy mace raised on my shoulder.

I entrusted the reins to Rakhsh, the brave one,

I struck my spear at his armor belt.

I thought he had fallen,

And would now come out from the saddle.

In this way, he became stone before me,

I was unaware of his intention (or of what was going to happen).

In this way, the rock became a mountain,

Free from the sorrow of war and manhood (he was no longer a warrior).

He must now be taken to the army's place,

Perhaps he will come out of the rock.

From the army, whoever was strong,

Strained their hands and tested their strength.

The heavy stone did not rise from its place,

Inside it was the king of Mazandaran.

Then the elephant-bodied one (Rostam) opened his hands (ready to lift),

He had no need for that test.

In such a way he lifted that stone,

That the entire army remained astonished by him.

They praised the creator (God),

And scattered gold and jewels upon him.

He took him before the king's tent,

Threw him down and delivered him to the Iranians.

He said to him, 'If you appear thus,

You will become free from this heaviness and sorcery.'

And if not, with mace, sword, and axe,

I will cut the entire stone piece by piece.'

When he heard, he became like a piece of cloud (he dissolved the stone form),

With steel on his head and armor on his body.

At that time, Tahmtan (Rostam) took his hand,

He laughed and turned his face towards the king.

He said thus, 'I have brought that mass of mountain,

From fear of the axe, he became distressed in my grasp.'

King Kavus looked at him,

Did not see him worthy of the throne and crown.

And remembered those old troubles,

His heart became tired, his head full of anger.

He ordered the executioner to take a sharp sword,

And take it and cut his body to pieces.

He quickly sent someone to his army's place,

He ordered that whatever spoils there were,

From treasure, thrones, doors, and jewels,

From horses, weapons, helmets, and belts,

They placed them everywhere like mountains upon mountains,

The entire army went as a group.

He bestowed treasures upon each person according to their merit,

Especially those whose suffering had been greater.

Of the demons, whoever was ungrateful,

And from them, the heart of the assembly was full of fear,

He ordered them to be beheaded,

They threw them where there was a passageway.

And after that, he came to the place of prayer,

He kept speaking secret words with the pure judge (God).

For one week before the pure God,

He kept traversing the ground with prayers.

On the eighth day, he opened the treasures again,

He bestowed upon whoever had need.

He continued in this manner for another week also,

He bestowed that which was necessary.

On the third week, when the affairs became settled,

He requested wine, ruby cups, and wine drinkers.

For one week with chosen ones, with wine in hand,

He then stayed in Mazandaran.

Tahmtan (Rostam) said thus to the king,

That people of all kinds come to service.

These skills of mine have arisen from my ancestors,

Who showed the right path in every direction.

He now has hope for Mazandaran,

I have given him the promise of righteousness thus.

Now the king's robe is needed first,

A covenant and seal firmly established upon him.

So that as long as he is alive in Mazandaran,

All the nobles will worship him.

When he heard the words of the king-worshipper (Rostam),

The awake world-ruler (Kavus) struck his hand on his chest.

At that time, he entrusted the royal throne to him (the new ruler of Mazandaran),

And from there, he set his face towards Pars.