Piran chose a thousand select riders

All warriors and all renowned

Piran said to them, 'Quickly'

You must spur your swift steeds'

Travel day and night like fierce lions

You must not rest along the way

For if Giev and Khosrow reach Iran

The women of Iran will become like lions

No soil or water will remain in this land

And Afrasiab's heart will be seared by this wound

They raised their heads in agreement with his words

They galloped continuously, day and night

They sought neither rest nor sleep, day or night

And this news reached Afrasiab

Thus they came to a deep river

The army scattered like warp and weft

Its bottom was deep and its width was short

Crossing it was difficult and perilous

Farangis sat on the watchtower

On the other side, Giev and the king were asleep

Farangis looked from that place

And saw the banner of the Turanian commander

She ran to Giev and warned him

And cut short the sleep of those who lay there

She said to him, 'O weary man, arise!'

For the time of your escape has come

If they find you, they will kill you

And our hearts will be wrung with your pain

My eyes and my son's will be filled with tears

They will take us bound before Afrasiab

And after that, I know not what harm will come

For no one knows the secrets of the high heavens

Giev said to her, 'O moon among women'

Why have you troubled yourself so much?

You and the king ascend to the high peak

Pay no heed to Piran and the army

The victorious world-creator is my ally

The head of fortune is in my embrace

Khosrow said to him, 'O warrior'

Now my task for you is prolonged

I have escaped from the trap of calamity

Do not become the breath of a dragon

Now I must go to the plain

To scatter blood with my sword

Giev said to him, 'O glorious king'

The world has become in need of your name

My father is a hero, and I am a hero

We will not turn away our lives and souls from kingship

I have seventy-eight brothers

The world has passed under your name

There are many heroes, but few kings

What is it if one is not found?

If I am killed, it is another matter

The head of a crown-bearer will be crowned

If you are destroyed far from here

I will see no one worthy of the crown and throne

My seven years of toil will be in vain

Moreover, I will bring shame upon my lineage

You choose the high ground and observe the army

May the creator of the world remember me

He donned his armor and came forth like a lion

And his trusty steed beneath him

On this side was the king, and on that side the army

The river had become an obstacle, blocking the path

Giev roared like the spring thunder

Searching for the leader of the army

When Piran heard him, he cursed him

And said to him, 'O evil-blooded offspring of demons!'

Since you came alone to this battlefield

You, a brave one, came before the army

Now your food will be the tip of the spear

Your shroud will be the talons of the falcon

Even if a rider were a mountain of iron

When a thousand come around him like ants

He will be overwhelmed, even though an ant is small

These are not ants; they are men and horses in armor

They will tear his armor to pieces

When he becomes a corpse, they will drag him to the dust

The raging lion told a tale

That when time comes for a deer

Time counts down its breaths for it

And it comes running before me and passes

Time has now brought you before me

Here before this renowned assembly

Giev said to him, 'O lion-hearted commander'

It is fitting that you bravely enter the water

You will see what this skilled rider

Will bring upon your head, O renowned one

You are a thousand, and I, a renowned and brave one

Will bring the heads of the arrogant down

When I bring my mace that turns heads

I will bring all the leaders under my feet

When Piran heard this, he unleashed his wrath

His heart became full of blood and his eyes full of tears

He spurred his horse and pressed his thighs

And raised his heavy mace over his head

Like a ship that enters a river from the plain

He paid homage to the giver of good deeds

Giev did not hasten the test

Until the commander came out of the water

Giev turned from the high ground to the low

Fleeing from the new commander

When he had distanced himself from the water and his army

He hurled his war mace from the saddle

The tall hero fled from him

He unfastened the twisting lasso from the saddle strap

The opponent drew near to Giev

The world became dark as a black night

Giev, the glorious one, twisted his mane

He cast the lasso and made it a noose

The hero's head came into the snare

He lifted him from the saddle with the bend of the lasso

He threw him down on the ground, humiliated

And dragged him swiftly to the riverbank

He threw him on the ground and bound his hands

He took his weapons and mounted his horse

Holding his banner in his grasp

He went to the bank of the Golzariyun water

When the Turks saw their commander's banner

They were compelled to go forward

There came a roar and the wail of trumpets

The sound of iron flutes and Indian bells

The world-experienced Giev entered the water

Like a ship that takes speed from the wind

He raised his heavy mace in his hand

The army was astonished by his deed

The reins became light and the stirrups heavy

The heads of the arrogant were dazzled by fear

With sword and spear that turns heads

The guiding hero slew them

The plain became like a mountain of the fallen

Those brave ones were weary of one man

The backs of the heroes were all turned towards him

As a lion enters before a flock

When the army was defeated before Giev

Such a vast army and new warriors

They turned back in confusion and left the water

As if they had never seen an army even in their dreams

He rushed to Piran

Intending to sever his head from his body

He dragged him on foot, humiliated

Rushing and full of pain like the senseless

He said, 'This cowardly and faithless one'

Has been caught in the dragon's breath'

Siavash gave his head at his word

If he became wind, this one will also become wind

He praised King Piran

And kissed the ground with a cry

He said, 'O king, seeker of knowledge'

Like the shining sun among the crowd

You have known my pain and sorrow

My fight with the king for your sake

It is fitting that I escape from the clutches of this dragon

Through your fortune and glory, I find release

Giev looked towards Keykhosrow

To see what command the new king would give

He saw Farangis with tearful eyes

Her tongue full of curses for Afrasiab

She said to Giev at that moment, 'O glorious one'

You have endured much hardship on the long journey

Know that this old hero

Is wise, generous, and of a bright spirit

After the just judge, the guide

Know that he saved us from bloodshed

His ill will is a veil over our souls

And he seeks pardon for his deeds

Giev said to her, 'O head of women'

May your soul be immortal forever'

I swore a mighty oath by the moon

By the crown and throne of the benevolent king

That if I lay hands on him on the day of vengeance

I will make the ground crimson with his blood

Keykhosrow said to him, 'O lion-hearted one'

Do not stain your tongue with an oath to God

Now make him bold with an oath

Pierce his ear with a dagger

When blood drips from your dagger to the ground

You will remember both love and vengeance

Giev went and pierced his ear with a dagger

He did not speak a harsher word than the oath

Piran then said to the king

That Kalbad has undoubtedly joined the army

Order that my horse be returned to me

Know that you have spared my life and possessions

Giev said to him, 'O brave warrior'

Why did you become weak on the battlefield?

Do you think you can get your horse back with an oath?

I will bind your two hands with a long rope

That no one can untie these bonds

Only Golshahr, the untier, will do

For she is the chief of your women

And your mind and body are not hidden from her

The hero agreed to that

He bought his horse and life with an oath

That no one can untie those bonds

Except Golshahr, who will make that device

He gave him his horse and bound his two hands

Then he ordered him to mount