نبرد بیژن و هومان: قصه‌های شاهنامه 11 الفارسية 1447

At dawn, Houmān donned his armor and set out to face Bizhan in battle. Bizhan, too, mounted his horse Shabahang in royal armor and rode boldly to meet him. To prevent either side from receiving help from their armies, the two warriors chose a remote, barren plain as their battlefield and pledged that whoever triumphed would allow the other’s interpreter to return safely.

The combat began—first with arrows, then with swords, maces, and finally hand-to-hand wrestling. From sunrise to sunset, in the heat of the battlefield, neither could overcome the other. After a brief pause to drink water, the fight resumed. At last fortune favored Bizhan: he hurled Houmān to the ground, drew his dagger, and severed his head, avenging Siyāvash and the seventy brothers of Giv.

Bizhan tied Houmān’s head to his saddle, but knowing he must pass before the Turanian army, he disguised himself in Houmān’s armor and standard. From afar, the Turanians believed their champion was returning victorious—until Houmān’s interpreter reached the camp and revealed the truth, plunging the army into grief.

Bizhan safely reached the Iranian ranks. The sentinels cried out in joy, and Giv embraced his son with tears. Gudarz, too, rejoiced and bestowed royal garments upon him.

In the Turanian camp, Pīrān mourned deeply for his two slain brothers—Houmān and Nastīhen. Nastīhen rose to avenge them and, with ten thousand horsemen, launched a night attack on the Iranian army. The Iranians prepared themselves, and Bizhan, with a thousand brave riders, met them in battle.

In the fierce clash that followed, Bizhan shot Nastīhen’s horse and then smashed his skull with a mighty blow of his mace. The Turanian troops broke and many were slain. When the survivors carried news of Nastīhen’s death to Pīrān, he collapsed in despair.

Seeing no choice but to continue the war, Pīrān arrayed his forces. Gudarz wrote to Kay Khosrow asking for reinforcements, and the king promised to dispatch a powerful army. Hoping to avoid a devastating battle, Pīrān sent a message offering to return all Iranian cities held by the Turanians without bloodshed. But Gudarz, long familiar with Pīrān’s evasions, refused: the king had ordered war, and peace was no longer an option.

Thus Pīrān appealed to Afrāsiyāb for help, and the Turanian king vowed to send reinforcements—setting the stage for a great and decisive confrontation between the two armies.

This story has been adapted into a modern, illustrated edition for children by Barf Publishing, with artwork by Mohammad-Ali Keshavarz and retelling by Maziar Baghlani and Ilnaz Ebrahimi.