Rudaki: Ode to Nasr bin Ahmad (From Persian)

Ode to Nasr bin Ahmad

By Rudaki

Translated from Persian by A.Z. Foreman

....They knew that the king intended to stay there for that summer also. Then the army's captains and royal nobles went to Abu Abdillah Rudaki, the most honored man in the king's inner circle, who had his ear more than anyone else. They said to him "we will give you five thousand dinars if you can find a way to get the king to move on from here. We are really missing our wives and children, and we're so homesick for Bukhara, it's well-nigh killing us." Rudaki agreed. Since he'd taken the Amir's pulse and understood his state of mind, he realized that prose would not move him, so he opted for verse and composed an ode. When the Amir had taken his morning drink, Rudaki came in and sat down in his place. When the musicians were done, he took up the harp. Playing in Amorosi Minor, he began this poem...

      (From Nizāmī Arūzī's "Four Discourses")

Rolling Moliyan's aromas blow our way

       Memories of friends that love us flow our way.

Where the grit and gravel of the Oxus runs

       Silken soft beneath our feet, we'll go our way.

Thrilled to greet a friend, Jayhun's waves jump their banks

       Half-way up our horses' flanks to show our way.

Here's to you Bukhara and your king. Cheer up!

       He'll return in cheer again. We know our way.

Bright Bukhara is the sky. Our king its moon.

       Soon the moon will move back home to glow our way.

Green Bukhara is a garden. He, its tree,

       He's a cypress bound for home to grow our way.

The Original:

دانستند که سر آن دارد که این تابستان نیز آنجا باشد. پس سران لشکر و مهتران ملک به نزدیک استاد ابو عبدالله الرودکی رفتند و از ندماء پادشاه هیچ کس محتشم‌تر و مقبول القول‌تر از او نبود. گفتند:پنج هزار دینار تو را خدمت کنیم اگر صنعتی بکنی که پادشاه از این خاک حرکت کند که دلهای ما آرزوی ديدن زن و فرزند همی‌برد و جان ما از اشتیاق بخارا همی برآید. رودگی قبول کرد که نبض امیر بگرفته بود و مزاج او بشناخته. دانست که به نثر با او در نگیرد روی به نظم آورد و قصیده‌ای بگفت و به وقتی که امیر صبوح کرده بود درآمد و به جای خویش بنشست و چون مطربان فرو داشتند او چنگ برگرفت و پردهٔ عشاق بنواخت و این قصیده آغاز کرد:

بوى جوى موليان آيذ همى      ياذ يار مهربان آيذ همى

ريگِ آموى و درشتيهاى او        زيرِ پايم پرنيان آيذ همى

آبِ جيحون از نشاطِ روىِ دوست      خنگ مارا تا ميان آيذ همى

اى بخارا شاذ باش و دير زى       ميز زى تو شاذمان آيذ همى

مير ماه است و بخارا آسمان       ماه سوىِ آسمان آيذ همى

مير سرو است و بخارا بوستان       سرو سوىِ بوستان آيذ همى