Gorgani, Vis and Ramin, The Mobad Learns of Rāmīn's Return to Vis
Vis and Ramin – The Mobad Learns of Rāmīn's Return to Vis
When King Mobad learned
That Rāmīn had revealed his evil jewel (his love),
He went again and sat with Vis;
The broken bond was again renewed.
Rāmīn's heart would turn away from Vis
Only when Iblis would turn away from evil deeds.
If one day a donkey's ear became a lion,
Rāmīn's heart would become sated with Vis.
And if one day a sparrow became a falcon,
Rāmīn's heart would turn from this nature.
---
The King Complains to His Mother
At that moment, the king went to his mother,
Complaining bitterly of his brother (Rāmīn).
He said to her: "Is this work good?
Does any wise man approve it?
Rāmīn seeks to ruin my wife,
To make me ill-named in my kingship!
When a woman has two brothers (i.e., two husbands),
What shame in the world is worse than this?
My heart is cut off from patience entirely,
Therefore I have revealed this secret.
I have hidden this shame from you much;
When I became helpless, I told you.
So that you may know Rāmīn's state,
And not call me to vain cursing.
For I bear this from him in misery,
Until your eye becomes a spring cloud (with tears).
You are both my hell and my paradise;
You do not approve this ugly name for me.
My face will become white from shame
When I wash my face with his blood!"
---
The Mother's Counsel
His mother answered: "Never
Does a cat cut off its own two paws!
Do not kill him—he is your brother!
You have no other brother like him!
In battle, he is your helper and support;
In feast, he is your sun-like light!
Without Rāmīn, you will become friendless;
Life without him will not be pleasant for you!
When you sit, he will be your companion,
Your ally and your straight support!
God has given you no son
Who will one day be lord of the world!
Wait—he is your back and refuge;
Your place will remain in his hand!
Man's life is not eternal;
One day, life will come to an end for him.
When God's command comes to your soul,
Your home and house will fall into the enemy's hand!
It is better that he remains in your place,
Perhaps he will be the world-adorned one like you!
Perhaps kingship will remain in this jewel,
And our lineage will remain in this Kayān!
Do not kill your brother; let the woman go!
Place the key of affection in someone else's hand!
There are countless idols and beauties
With tresses of musk and bodies of silver!
Choose one idol and place your heart on her;
Give her the key of the treasuries!
Perhaps from that pearl, you will find a door
That will be worthy of kingship and joy!
What hope do you have from Vis's lineage,
Except that she is from the seed of Jamshid?
Though her lineage is fine and good,
With this goodness, there is a hundred kinds of harm!
O King, do not make yourself a commander (of fate)!
Do not stain your soul with this vengeance!
You will find a thousand mates like Vis;
Why do you not turn your heart from that nurse?
I have heard another news:
I think I have heard worse news!
I heard that that evil-natured, ill-tempered one (Vis)
Has again entered Vīrūy's bond!
She sits with him day and night in eating,
Sometimes wise from wine, sometimes drunk!
Vis always sought from her fortune;
Now she has seen her heart's pain rise!
What do you want from poor Rāmīn?
From Vīrūy, ruin comes to you!
If Rāmīn is in Hamadan, it is because
He is as kind to Vis as you are!
But from this speech, it remains there,
That Vis has driven his love from her heart!
This is the harm of Vis of evil nature:
She brings new friends every day!
What use is such beauty and goodness,
When her love does not remain with anyone for a month?
She is like a rose, however beautiful its color—
It does not last long, and its love does not remain!"
---
The King's Anger
When the Mobad heard this speech from his mother,
His heart became a little lighter toward his brother.
He became so angry with Vis and Vīrūy
That his face turned yellow from wrath.
At once, he sent a letter to Vīrūy,
His pen becoming sharp as a sword from fury.
He said to him: "Why do you not say what I commanded you,
That you seek excess and injustice against me?
Who is your refuge, or what is your back,
That your banner is so high and you are self-willed?
Do you not say who gave you this boldness,
That you are a fox and seek the nature of a lion?
Why do you act like a lion with lions,
When you cannot stand against a running wild ass?
How can you take my queen from me
In this helplessness and weakness?
Though Vis is your sister,
Why does my wife sit in your embrace?
Why do you keep her in your house?
I will not hear an excuse from you in this work!
Where have you seen a woman as the mate of two husbands,
Two vengeful elephants tied to one hair?
Unless, until I did not see your place,
It increased because your back and refuge were bad!
As long as you are brave and lion-hearted,
I have not seen any name you have made in the world!
Never one day did you bind (conquer) a kingship,
Never one day did you break an evil ploy!
Never did you place tribute on any Kayān,
Never did you open a city in victory!
I have never seen your arts,
Nor heard them from friend or enemy!
You know what your lineage is—
At the time of height, it is low!
You resemble a mule in essence,
Who, when asked, takes pride in its mother!
Your arrows are useful in every work—
In hunting and play, not in battle!
On the field, you ride well,
And you play the ball well alone!
As long as you are in the harem and house,
You show the arts of heroes well!
When you enter the field with warriors,
You flee like women from men!
You act like a lion in the Kayān of the moon,
But a fox has made you low from there!
Surely you have forgotten my blow,
Which took sense from your soul and body!
Likewise, the blows of the famed ones,
The praised meadow, the swift horsemen!
In vengeance, like a lion of the meadow;
In striving, like the thunder of spring!
Even now, from the borders of the Kayān of the moon,
Surely sighs and groans come!
My sword and my falcon are still in place,
Which sweep enemies from the face of the earth!
When you read this letter, listen to me,
For my sword's food is your blood!
I have heard all you said before;
You did not show your manliness to people!
You said: 'The king came suddenly,
Like a fierce lion leaping from ambush!
Therefore, he took Vis from Gurab,
Because I was like a drunkard asleep!'
If I had been in the Kayān of the moon,
The Emperor would never have taken Vis!
Now, at least, you are not drunk—you are awake!
You are fortunate and a king in your place!
I have informed you of your work;
I have made my heart single-minded for your battle!
Post watchmen on every road!
Likewise, border guards on every border!
Gather the army of the land of Iran—
From Azerbaijan, Ray, and Gilan!
Prepare the army's equipment until I come,
For I will soon open your bonds!
Scatter your treasure to the wind of vengeance,
That your toil may be found like the wind!
I will not come to this battle as before,
So that you may find mercy from the battle in your soul!
I will make the Kayān of the moon into a plain from the slain;
I will drive the Tigris of blood upon the plain!
I will bring Vis without shoes and without a veil,
On foot, like dogs, before the army!
I will disgrace her so that after this,
No one will seek enmity with the great ones!"
---
Vīrūy's Response
When the king sent this letter to Vīrūy,
He informed the great ones at once.
From the road of the moon and the battle of Vīrūy,
All prepared their equipment well.
At dawn, the wail of the pipe rose;
The army flowed like a sea from its place.
You would say the river Jayhun from Khorasan
Came swiftly toward the mountains!
Wherever the king set his camp,
The moon dared not pass over its head!
The earth was wearied from the army's load,
As they went like iron mountains!
You would say the army was the wall of Yājūj;
They were also like Mājūj without number!
The army went before the Emperor;
The Emperor followed the army on the road.
---
Vīrūy's Defiance
When the army came near Shah Vīrūy,
His strength and power left his hand.
The world grew dark in Vīrūy's eyes;
His eyes became like blood from the king's wrath.
He said: "O wonder! What is all this speech?
Who is this great strife against Marv?
He has placed my sister in the harem,
Driven out in the winter month of Dey!
He struck and then raised a cry,
So that there would be two kinds of injustice!
My chosen sister is now his wife;
You would say he is her evil-wisher and enemy!
He drove her from before him in a hundred humiliations,
And with one letter, he does not call her again!
He did the sin and became vengeful against us—
Such is one who turns from justice!
The Emperor is neither of stone nor of brass—
Why did he need to speak so much boast?
He brought an army once and saw me;
He found me so low, I think he did not approve!
He became so ill-fated before me
That in the world, it became a tale of humiliation!
Our struggle was not hidden, O two commanders,
That it could be changed otherwise by speech!
After he fell from our hand,
Why did he pour all this wind upon us?
I have not seen a tale more wondrous than this:
Two fear a broken bow!
What does he frighten me with, who is himself afraid?
No wise man holds my battle easy!"
---
End of Passage
This passage is a turning point in the story:
-
The king learns — He discovers that Rāmīn has returned to Vis.
-
The king complains to his mother — She advises him not to kill Rāmīn, as he is his brother and his only support.
-
The king's anger — He sends a threatening letter to Vīrūy, blaming him for harboring Vis.
-
The king's threats — He threatens to destroy Vīrūy, disgrace Vis, and bring war.
-
Vīrūy's defiance — He responds with sarcasm and defiance, mocking the king's threats.
The stage is set for the final confrontation between the king and Vīrūy. The drama of Vis and Ramin is reaching its climax.
Posted Jul 29, 2026, 1:03 PM UTC