The Dabistán, or School of manners, Volume 1 (of 3): translated from the original Persian, with notes and illustrations
Religion
The Dabistán, or School of manners, Volume 1 (of 3): translated from the original Persian, with notes and illustrations
Iran -- Religion; Religions
As soon as a lofty mound had been formed of slaughtered noxious
creatures, which either walk, fly, or graze, then by the king’s
command a Mobid ascended the eminence and said: “Such is the
recompense of all who slay harmless creatures; such the retribution
which awaits the destroyers of animals free from crimes.” He then said
to the harmless creatures: “The equitable king of kings, in order to
destroy the noxious animals which cause you so many calamities, has
come forward in his own precious person, and taken vengeance for the
misdeeds of these wicked creatures: now depart in peace; behold the
vengeance inflicted on your sanguinary foes; and commit no sin before
the protector of your species.” They then left a road open for the
innoxious animals to escape and hasten to their mountains and deserts.
This kind of hunting they called _Shikár-i-dád_ or _Dád-shikár_; i.
e.: “the hunt of equity,” or “the equity-hunt.” The royal governors
also in their respective provinces adopted a chase of the like
description. Whenever the sovereign was of such a character as not to
deviate from the Farhang code, if any person declined rendering
allegiance to the prince chosen by him for his successor, that person
was immediately destroyed by the people.
In the reign of _Sháh Gilív_, a champion having beheld in a vision,
that the king had raised to the throne one of the princes who met not
his approbation, immediately on awaking put himself to death. Sháh
Gilív, on hearing this, said to the son of the deceased: “When a
person is awake, rebellion is to be abhorred; but not in a state of
sleep, as it is then involuntary.”
Also in the reign of _Bahman_, the son of Isfendiar, the son of
_Ardashír_, the son of _Azad Shai_,[366] one of the generals, _Bahram_
by name, governor of Khorasan, having made arrangements for revolt and
rebellion, the soldiers on learning his designs put him to death, and
offering up his flesh after the manner of the Moslem sacrifice,
divided it and ate of it, saying, “He is a noxious animal.”
In the same reign, a champion, by name _Gilshásp_, saw in a trance
that he had rebelled against Bahman: on relating the dream to his
soldiers, they for answer drew forth their swords and shed his blood,
saying: “Although there is no blame to be attached to the vision, yet
he is the genius of evil for publishing it abroad.”
_Ayín Shakíb_, a Móbed, who saw in a vision that he was uttering
imprecations against _Ardíshír_, the son of _Babagán_, the son of
_Azád_ the Jaiyánían, immediately on awaking cut out his tongue: such
was their devotedness to their kings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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