Such was the state that Zahhak, day and night,

Opened his lips to curse the name of Fereydoun.

On his lofty throne, filled with fear of descent,

His heart trembled at the thought of Fereydoun.

One day, upon his ivory throne,

With a turquoise crown placed on his head.

From every land, he summoned the leaders,

To strengthen his reign and fortify his rule.

He then spoke to the wise priests,

O you, virtuous and noble sages!

I have a hidden enemy among us,

And this truth is clear to the wise.

Though young in years, he is vast in wisdom,

A man of ill birth, bold and immense.

Though few in years, O righteous ones,

The priest spoke tales of him in this matter.

For an enemy, no matter how small or weak,

Should never be left to his own devices.

I do not belittle even the smallest enemy,

For I fear the misfortunes of fate.

Therefore, I need a larger army,

Made of men, demons, and fairies alike.

I shall raise such an army,

Blending humans and demons together.

You must all agree to this plan,

For I cannot be patient with this tale.

A document must now be written,

Declaring the general shall only destroy evil.

He shall speak nothing but truth,

And shall never falter in justice.

Out of fear of the general, all the righteous,

Unanimously agreed to the plan.

On that document, compelled by the dragon,

The young and old alike signed their testimony.

Then one by one from the king's court

The cries of the oppressed rose

They called the oppressed before him

And seated them among the nobles

The chief said to him with a grim face

Speak, tell us from whom you have seen injustice

He cried out and struck his hand upon his head from the king

Saying, 'O king, I am Kaveh the blacksmith seeking justice'

I am a harmless blacksmith

But fire comes upon me from the king

Whether you are a king or a dragon in form

You must judge this story

If the seven realms belong to you as king

Why should all the suffering and hardship be for us?

You must reckon with me

So the world will remain in awe

Unless from your reckoning it becomes clear

How my turn came in this world

For your serpents must have the brain of my child

From every community they must be given

The general listened to his words

He was astonished to hear such words

They returned his child to him

They searched for his kin in kindness

Then the king ordered Kaveh

To be a witness to that document

When Kaveh read the entire document

He quickly went to the elders of that land

He shouted, 'O stalwart men of the demon

Hearts torn from fear of the world's king'

You all have set your faces towards hell

And entrusted your hearts to his words

I will not be a witness to this document

Nor will I ever fear the king

He roared and leapt trembling from his place,

He tore the document and cast it at his feet.

His noble son stepped forth before him,

And stormed out roaring into the street.

The nobles praised the king, saying:

O famed ruler of the earth!

May no ill wind from the heavens strike you,

And none surpass you on the day of battle.

Why does Kaveh, the naive speaker,

Dare to make himself bold before you?

All our documents and pledges to you,

He tears apart and defies your command.

The famed king quickly replied:

You must hear this marvel from me.

When Kaveh emerged from the royal court,

My ears were filled with his cries.

Between him and me, from the palace,

It seemed as if an iron mountain had risen.

I do not know what may come after this,

For no one knows the secrets of fate.

When Kaveh left the royal court,

The marketplace gathered around him.

He roared and cried out,

Calling the world to justice.

From that leather which blacksmiths use to shield their legs,

When striking blows upon anvils.

Kaveh fastened it atop a spear,

And a cloud of dust rose from the marketplace.

He marched roaring, spear in hand,

Calling out to the noble worshippers of God.

Whoever wishes for Fereydoun's reign,

Must free his heart from Zahhak's chains.

Arise, for this leader is a demon's kin,

And in his heart, he is the enemy of the Creator.

With that worthless, unworthy skin

The sound of the enemy came from a friend

A brave man went forward

The world gathered around him, not in thought

He knew where Fereydun was

He gathered his forces and went straight

He came to the gate of the new leader

They saw him there and a clamor arose

When the king saw that skin on the spear

He set a good star in motion

He adorned it with Roman brocade

With gems and gold embroidery

He struck it on his head like the moon's glow

The king cast a fortunate omen

He hung red, yellow, and purple from it

They called it the Kaveh banner

From then on, whoever took the throne

Placed a crown on their head for kingship

On that worthless blacksmith's leather

New gems were hung one after another

With valuable brocade and silk

It became the Kaveh star

Which was like the sun in the dark night

The world was full of hope because of it

The world turned for a while in this way

It had a hidden destiny

When Fereydun saw the world in that state

He saw the world turned upside down before Zahhak

He came to his mother with a belt around his waist

With the Kian crown on his head

I am going to the battlefield

You must do nothing but pray

Worship the Creator of the world

Know that all good strength comes from Him

Tears streamed from his mother's eyelashes

She prayed to her Lord with a broken heart

She said to God, 'O my protector

I entrust him to you, O ruler of the world

Turn away eternal evil from his soul

Cleanse the world of the foolish

Fereydun prepared to leave swiftly

And began to conceal his words from everyone

He had two fortunate brothers

Both older and noble

One was named Kianush

The other named the noble Shadkam

Fereydun spoke to them

Rejoicing, he said, 'Be happy and brave

For the heavens will not turn but for goodness

The crown of greatness will return to us

Bring the wise blacksmiths

We need a heavy mace made

When he opened his lips, they both hurried

They rushed to the blacksmith's market

Whoever was renowned in that trade

They directed towards Fereydun

The world-seeker quickly took his compass

And showed them the shape of the mace

He drew a design on the ground before them

Shaped like the head of a buffalo

The blacksmiths set their hands to work

And soon the heavy mace was made

They brought the mace before the world-seeker

Shining like the sun's glow

He was pleased with the blacksmith's work

He rewarded them with clothes, silver, and gold

He gave them much joyous hope

Promised them great rewards

If I bury the dragon beneath the earth

I will cleanse your heads of dust