Rostam Farrochzād

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Rostam Farrochsad in Schahname

Rostam Farrochzād ( Persian رستم فرّخزاد Rustam Farruchzād ; † 636 ) was Ērān Spāhbed ("Reichsfeldherr") in the Sassanid Empire under Yazdegerd III.

Rostam came from either Persarmenia or, more likely, Media and served with his brother Churrazād in the Persian army. In 633 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Sassanid troops by the new great king Yazdegerd; In this capacity he was able to successfully repel a first attack by the Arabs attacking since 633 in the Battle of the Bridge . However, he could not take advantage of this victory, since there was a revolt in Ctesiphon: Apparently a noble party from Persis protested against the dominance of the Median group around Rostam. Instead of pursuing the defeated Arabs, Rostam had to move to Ctesiphon with his army .

He fell in 636 (or 638) fighting the Arabs at the Battle of Kadesia .

Rostam Farrochzād in Shāhnāme

Towards the end of the Shahnameh , the "book of kings" by the Persian poet Firdausi (940 / 41-1020), in which the reign of Yazdegerd III. is described, reports Firdausi of an alleged letter from Rostam to his brother Khurrazad. This letter is famous for its critical attitude towards the Islamic conquerors.

Firdausi has Rostam write:

A wise man is grieved
when he hears what fate Heaven will determine:
To be imprisoned in the hands of Ahriman
Makes me sad and torments me.
This house will no longer see a king,
royal splendor and victories will pass.
The sun likes to look at us from heaven,
But the day of our defeat is not far away.
Mars and Venus are set against us,
Heavenly law determines the course of the world.
Saturn and Mercury split up,
and Mercury is in the twin house.
Ahead of us lies war, and the struggle for power.
Life is desolate and our hearts are narrow.
I see fate, I am mute and silent,
My mouth does not want to say another word:
I am ready to weep for the Persians,
The house of Sassan is doomed.
Say goodbye to the splendor, crown and throne,
The king will fall and is already lost.
The empire that the Arabs win with power,
When the stars determine us defeat and flight.
Four hundred years will pass,
our name will be forgotten, our fame will not endure.

They sent us a messenger,
To say that they leave us the land,
From Kadesia to the river,
They just want to cross the country on foot.
They want to give us taxes and hostages,
Live according to our King's orders.
But these are only words and not deeds.
Reality lets us expect something else:
There will be war and there will be a fight,
many proud warriors will suffer death.
And all my commanders, like a man,
Like Merui of Tabaristan,
Like Armani and Labui,
fight with heavy clubs. They
say: Reject their word and ask the figures,
Who they are, that they dare not stop
Before Mazandaran's borders and Iran's house.
For better or for worse, issue orders,
With club and sword and the necessary luck,
With fierce struggle we drive them back.
....

When Minbar and Throne become one in the land,
And Abu Bakr and Omar are known,
Our heroism is
over. Glory is forgotten, glory is gone.
The stars are weighted to the Arabs,
crown, throne and king are lifted:
a madman will come after many days
With his followers to tell us rules:
They dress black, everyone has a headdress,
a wrapped scarf made of black silk brocade.
No golden shoes and no flags,
no crown, no throne like our ancestors did.
Some people live in jubilation, others live in fear
, there will be no more justice and benevolence.
At night it is better to go to sleep in secret,
because greedy eyes want to see us cry.
Strangers will rule us, and with might
plunder us, turn day into night.
Honor and justice have no value,
lies and deceit will flourish and revered.
Once proud warriors are without a horse, with empty hands.
Those who brag about weapons are called knights.
Agriculture is without wages,
origins and skills are mocked,
men become thieves and are not ashamed,
cursing and blessing are equal in court.
The future will be worse than what we have known,
cold-hearted kings will rule with a hard hand.
No father will trust his son,
and the son will not see the father's honor.
A failed slave will rule us,
where he comes from will not matter.
Nobody is ready to keep his word, the
tongue and mind are full of wickedness.
The Iranian, the Turk, the Arab perish,
instead a mixture of people emerges,
which one calls neither Persians nor Turks nor Arabs,
whose words are a game that does not know action.

Men will act saints and wise men,
To earn their bread with lies.
The rich man will hide his property,
But his enemies will leave nothing to the heir.

Worry and anger, bitterness and suffering,
Fate holds ready for us in the future,
As much as luck under Bahram offered us.
No festival, no state receptions, only misery and hardship,
no dance, no music, nothing of all for
betrayal and lies and falling,
sour milk becomes the drink and coarse our dress,
greed for money brings us bitterness.
Fathers and sons will both lie to each other
And deceive each other in false beliefs.
Winter and spring will pass
without seeing a festival or celebration.
We do not enjoy wine at the festival,
instead the blood of our brothers is shed.

These thoughts make
my mouth dry and my cheek pale, my heart becomes heavy and I am afraid.
I haven't known
such dark days in our royal land since I've been a soldier .
The heavens deceived us, refused our supplications,
they turn away, cruel things will happen.
My steel sword fought lion and elephant,
It will not protect us, I know it, From
the wild Arabs, and whatever I see,
It only increases my suffering and makes my woe greater.
I wish I didn't know, couldn't see the
good and bad that Heavens call us.
The noble knights who are around me,
despise Arabs, without fear they are.
They think the battlefield will be a flood,
An oxus will flow out of Arab blood.
No one of heaven's will knows,
And what task he names our army.
When fate withdraws its favor,
why still fight, why a war?

My brother, may God bring you to safety,
you shall bring comfort to the heart of the king.
My grave will be in Kadesia ,
the shroud shield, blood will be crown to me.
Heaven will be done,
your heart should not see any sorrow over it.
Protect the king and be ready
to give your life for his in the battle.
The days are at hand and heaven will be
Like Ahrimann, our bitterest enemy and torment.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Freely translated from Dick Davis: Shahnameh. Penguin Group, New York 2006, p. 833 ff.
personal data
SURNAME Rostam Farrochzād
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rustam Farruchzād; Ērān Spāhbed; رستم فرّخزاد (Persian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Imperial general in the Sassanid Empire under Yazdegerd III.
DATE OF BIRTH 6th century or 7th century
DATE OF DEATH 636