The Yatkar-i-Zariran Or Memoirs of Zarir, Unknown
The Yatkar-i-Zariran Or Memoirs of Zarir
Category: Zoroastrian
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The “Yatkar-i-Zariran,” purports to tell of the old religious wars of Zoroaster's time, and recounts the heroic deeds of a champion named Zarir, whom Firdausi also mentions, but who is otherwise unknown. Doubtless this very Yatkar or some older version of it was among the sources to which the poet Firdausi appealed in writing his “Shah-Nameh.”

The Yatkar-I-Zariran
Or
Memoirs of Zarir

Charles F. Horne, Ph.D.

In the Name of the Creator Auharmazd

By the name of the Creator Auharmazd and by the good omen of good creation, may there be good health and long life to all men good and righteous workers, and especially to him for whom this book is written.

1. This book, which is called the Yatkar-i-Zariran, was written at that time when King Vishtasp with his sons, and brothers, family-chiefs, and equals accepted from Auharmazd this holy religion of the Mazdayasnians.

2. Then Arjasp, the King of the Khyaonas, had the startling news that King Vishtasp had, with his sons, brothers, and family-chiefs and equals, accepted from Auharmazd this holy religion of the Mazdayasnians.

3. Thereby he was much distressed.

4. He sent forward, to the country of Iran, Vidarafsh the sorcerer, and Namkhvast of Hazar, with two myriads of chosen soldiers of good horsemanship.

5. Then Jamasp, the leader of the leading men, immediately entered and said to King Vishtasp, “From Arjasp, the King of the Khyaonas, have come two messengers, than whom there is nobody more handsome in the whole country of the Khyaonas.

6. “One of them is Vidarafsh, and the other Namkhvast of Hazar. They have with them two myriads of chosen troops. They hold a letter in their hands and say, ‘Let us go in before King Vishtasp.’”

7. King Vishtasp said, “Allow them to come in before me.”

8. Then they went in and paid homage to King Vishtasp and gave the letter.

9. Aprahim, the chief of the scribes, got up on his feet and read the letter aloud.

10. And in the letter it was thus written: “I have heard that your Majesty has accepted from Auharmazd the pure Mazdayasnian religion. If you will not think of it, great harm and unhappiness may result to us from that religion.

11. “But if it please your Majesty, and you give up this pure religion, and be of the same religion with us, then we will pay homage to you as a king and then we will give you, from year to year, plenty of gold, plenty of silver, and plenty of good horses and the sovereignty of many places.

12. “But if you will not give up this religion and will not be of the same religion with us, then we will come to attack you. We will eat the green corn of your country and burn the dry, and we will capture the quadrupeds and the bipeds of your country, and we will order you to be placed in heavy chains and distress.”

13. Then when King Vishtasp heard these words he was much afflicted.

14. Afterward when that brave commander of the army, the hero Zarir, saw that King Vishtasp was terrified he at once went in before him.

15. He said to King Vishtasp, “If it please your Majesty I will dictate a reply to this letter.”

16. King Vishtasp ordered: “Make a reply to the letter.”

17. And that brave Commander of the army, the hero Zarir, thus dictated a reply to the letter: “Greetings from King Vishtasp, the King of Iran, to Arjasp, the King of the Khyaonas.

18. “Firstly, we will not give up this holy religion and will not be of the same religion with you. We have accepted this holy religion from Auharmazd, and we will not give it up, and we will drink next month the drink of immortality without you.

19. “There in the field of Hutosh-i-Razur and in Murv of Zartusht, where there are neither high mountains nor deep caverns, on open plains or deserts, horses and footmen will solve the question of our difference.

20. “You come from there, so that we may proceed from here and you see us and we will see you.

21. “Then we will show you how the demons are beaten at the hands of angels.”

22. Aprahim, the chief of the scribes, finished the letter, and Vindarfsh the sorcerer, and Namkhvast of Hazar received it and made salutations to King Vishtasp and went away.

23. Then King Vishtasp gave an order to his brother Zarir that ordered a fire to be kindled on a lofty hill in high mountains.

24. “Inform the city and inform our good troops that with the exception of the priests who consecrate water and the fire-temples and take care of them as their servants, nobody, from the age of 10 to the age of 80, should stay in his house.

25. “They must act in this way that they should come to the court of King Vishtasp within two months. If they will not come within two months, then when they do come they need not bring the gallows with them. We will order them to be put to gallows there in their own country.”

26. Then this news reached all men of the fine cavalry. They came to the court of King Vishtasp with their brave soldiers. They blew their trumpets, played upon their flutes, and sounded their drums.

27. They formed themselves into a riding caravan. The elephant-keepers went with their elephants, the keepers of the beasts of burden went with their beasts, and the carriage-drivers went with their carriages.

28. In that cavalcade there were many spears of heroes like Rustem, many quivers full of arrows, and many beautiful coats of mail, and many coats of mail with four folds.

29. The caravan of the country of Iran was such that its din went up to heavens and the noise of the moving swords went up to hell.

30. On the road where they passed they dug up the way so much that owing to the dust the river stopped from flowing with its water to such an extent that it was not possible to drink the water for one month.

31. For fifty days it was not clear, and birds did not find any resting-place, except when they sat on the heads of horses, on the points of spears, or on a mountain with lofty summit. Owing to the dust and smoke, night and day could not be distinguished.

32. Then King Vishtasp gave an order to his brother Zarir that said: “Prepare a camp so that Iran may encamp, so that we may know whether it is night or day.”

33. Then Zarir came out of the road of march and pitched a camp, and the Iranians went to camp, and the dust cloud settled down. Then the stars and the moon appeared clear in the heavens.

34. Afterward 300 iron pegs were struck, with which 300 asses were tied. On the two sides of every ass were 300 golden bells.

35. Then Vishtasp sat on the Kyanian throne and called before him his minister Jamasp, the foreteller, and said: “I know that you, Jamasp, are wise and foreseeing and versed in knowing the stars.

36. “Thou knowest this also, that when it rains for ten days, how many drops fall over the earth and how many drops fall over drops.

37. “Thou knowest also which trees will bloom; which will bloom during the time of the day, and which during that of night, and which at noontime.

38. “Thou also knowest which breeze contains moisture and which does not contain it.

39. “Thou also knowest this, that in the constellation of the dragon the month will be in such a way. Then tell me in the battle of Vishtasp which of my sons and brothers will live and which will die?”

40. Jamasp Baetash said: “I wish I was not born from my mother, or that if I was born I had, through my luck, died a long time before, or that I had met with an accident and had fallen into the sea, so that your Majesty would not have asked me this question. But since you have asked me I do not like that I may say anything but the truth.

41. “If it please your Majesty, your dagger may take my life. So take an oath by the name of the glory of Auharmazd, the Mazdayasnian religion, and the life of your brother Zarir. — Rub three times for Dravasp your sharp and shining sword and arrow made of the jaw-bone, and say, ‘I will not strike you, I will not kill you, I will not place you in the position of defending yourself with a shield, so that speak out what will be the result of the battle of Vishtasp.’”

42. Then King Vishtasp said: “I swear by the name of the glory of Auharmazd, the Mazdayasnian religion, and the life of my brother Zarir, that I will not strike you, I will not kill you, and also I will not place you in the position of defending yourself with a shield.”

43. Then Jamasp Baetash said: “If it please your Majesty, you may order this large army of the country of Iran to stay at the distance of a quick arrow-shot from the priest of the king.”

44. Then King Vishtasp ordered that the large army of the country of Iran should stay at the distance of a swift arrow-shot from the exalted priest of Vishtasp.

45. Then Jamasp Baetash said: “Fortunate is he who is not born of his mother, or if born dies immediately, or to whom the measure of long duration has not reached.

46. “In a month’s time, when brave men will fight with brave men, and heroes with heroes, many sons with mothers will be without fathers, and many fathers will be without sons, and many brothers will be without brothers, and many wives with husbands will be without husbands.

47. “Many Iranian horsemen would come who would walk in toward the camp of the enemy happy and pompously. They would like to shed the blood of the King of Khyaonas, but they would not find it.

48. “Fortunate is that man who does not see the following persons: the magician Bidarafsh, when he comes and excites the battle and works destruction and kills the brave commander Zarir who is your brother, and snatches away from him his horse, the black iron-hoofed horse of Zarir; and that Namkhvast of Hazar who comes and excites the battle and works destruction and kills that Pat-khosrob who is a righteous man among the Mazdayasnians and who is your brother, and snatches away from him his horse also, the horse with golden handle; and that Namkhvast of Hazar who comes and excites the battle and works destruction and kills that Farsh-havard who is your son and who, since he was born, lives in the district of the fortress of Kaiba, and who is dearer to you than your other children.

49. “Out of your sons and brothers twenty-three will be killed.”

50. Then when King Vishtasp heard these words, he fell down upon the ground from his exalted throne.

51. He took a knife in his left hand and a sword in his right hand and caught hold of Jamasp tightly and said: “You magician, deceitful slave! you are not right, since your mother was a sorceress and your father a liar.

52. “If I had not taken an oath by the name of the glory of God and the religion of the Mazdayasnians and the life of my brother Zarir, these words would not have been spoken by you. Then I would have cut your head with these two weapons, the sword and the knife, and thrown it upon the ground.”

53. Then Jamasp said: “May it please your Majesty, get up from the ground and sit again on the Kyanian throne, because what I have predicted to happen shall happen at the time when it should happen!”

54. King Vishtasp did not get up and did not look up again.

55. Then the brave general, powerful Zarir, came and said: “May it please your Majesty, get up from the ground and sit again on the Kyanian throne, because in a month I will go and kill fifteen myriad Khyaonas with my own strength.”