[He] quickly assembled and took along the
multitude of brave and warlike peoples of the East. While there
was such chaos occurring in the land of Iran, [in Armenia] Yovhan
Patrik and Byzantine troops were holding the city of Dwin
under siege. They were fighting using [siege] machinery and were
close to destroying the wall.
When news of this [i.e., events in Iran]
reached them, they left off [the siege] and departed for Atrpatakan.
They ravaged the entire country, putting all men and women to
the sword. Taking all the loot, captives, and booty, they returned
to their country.
Now when the clamorous news of this
[event] reached Ormazd, the king of Iran, at the court of the
Sasanians, he felt no few pangs of alarm. Summoning the naxarars
who were at the royal court, the brigades of hamaharzes
and the p'ushtipans, he planned to take the treasury of
the kingdom [17] and the entire court host [zamenayn
ambox drann ark'uni], pass across
the great Tigris river by bridge to Vehkawat [The edition
of Yovhannes Karapet (Baghesh, 1851), p. 56 has end Zom
i Vehkawat, i.e., Zom is a placename.], cut the
bridges down and find asylum in the multitudinous hosts of the
king of the Tachiks.
However, this did not come to pass.
For the king's men, and hamaharzes and pushtipans
resolved to kill Ormazd [g31] and to enthrone his son Xosrov.
They decided to free [Vndo, Vstam's brother] to make him their leader
and chief of the operation. They went to Gruandakan fortress and
released him and all the captives with him. [Vndo] sent a trustworthy
messenger with very swift horses to his brother. [18] They went
to Gruandakan fortress and released him and all the captives with
him. [Vndo] sent a trustworthy messenger with very swift horses
to his brother Vstam with the written message: "Come as fast
as you can, and participate". And Vstam arrived quickly.
Then all the naxarars and commanders
of troops, and soldiers assembled in the hall of the court at
an hour when they met there. Entering the royal chamber, they
seized, quickly blinded and then killed king Ormazd.
They enthroned [Ormazd's] son, [Xosrov
II Aparvez, first reign 590] as king of the land of Iran, then began
to prepare to flee to the other side of the great Tigris river.
Not many days later Vahram arrived with speed, like a pouncing
eagle [ibrew zxoyanal artsuoy].
Because Xosrov was a small boy when enthroned, his uncles [k'erhink'n, "mother's brothers"] Vndo and Vstam took him across
the great Tigris river by bridge [ew ants'in
yaynkoys getoyn metsi Dglat'ay
end zom. The editor (p.32 n.2) considers zom
a corruption of Greek "bridge", though on p. 57 Zom
becomes a place-name.] destroying the bridges after them.
[Meanwhile], Vahram came [19] and took all the tun, treasury,
and women of the court and sat upon the throne of the kingdom.
He ordered wooden rafts tied together and crossed the river to
seize Xosrov. But [the latter] out of dread was in no way able
to halt for rest. As soon as [his party] crossed, they fled, wondering on the road
whether it would be better to go to the king of the Tachiks or
to the king of the Byzantines.
Finally they decided it best to seek
refuge with the king of the Byzantines. "For", they
said, "despite the hostility existing between [us] , nonetheless
[the Byzantines] are Christian and merciful, and they are unable
to break a sworn oath". Going west by a direct route, they
entered the city of Xaghab where they stopped.
[As for Vahram], although he crossed
the river he was unable to catch up. He returned to Ctesiphon.
[g32] [The text styles Xosrov ark'ay and Maurice t'agawor,
though elsewhere both are called t'agawor. Hereafter we
shall translate t'agawor as "emperor" when it
refers to the Byzantine ruler, and as "king" for the
shah.]
Then king Xosrov sent men bearing costly
gifts to emperor Maurice, and he wrote him the following: "Give
me the throne and place of rule [which belonged] to my fathers
and [20] and ancestors: dispatch an army to assist me defeat my
enemy; establish my reign and I shall be your son. I shall give
you the areas of the Syrians, Aruastan in its entirety as far
as the city of Nisibis and from the country of the Armenians,
the land of Tanuterakan rule [zyerkren Hayots'
zashxarhn Tanuterakan ishxanut'ean ] [extending]
as far as Ararat, and to the city of Dwin, and as far as the shore
of the Sea of Bznunik' [Lake Van] and to Arhestawan [I shall also
give] a large part of the land of Iberia, as far as the city of
Tiflis. Let there be an oath of peace between the two of us, lasting
until our deaths, and between our sons who rule after us".
The emperor assembled the entire senate
[Snkghitosn] to ask their advice. He said to them: "The
Iranians have killed their king Ormazd and then enthroned his
son. However, the troops of the realm seated yet another man as
king in the East, and he [Vahram] came with a large army and seized
the kingdom for himself. [Ormazd's] young son has come to us as
a fugitive seeking an auxiliary army from us, and in return
has promised to do thus and so. Now what shall we do, accept him?
[20] Is he worthy of acceptance or not?" [The senators] replied:
"It is not worth accepting him, for [the Iranians] are an
impious people, and thoroughly false. For, in times of their own difficulties
they make promises, but when the turmoil ends, they break those
promises. We have suffered much wickedness from them. Let them
wipe out each other, and we will have peace".
King Xosrov was in great danger then
and could see death before his eyes because, having escaped from
the lion's mouth, he had fallen into the mouths of enemies from
which there was no escape.
However, the emperor rejected the Senate's
counsel, and instead sent his own son-in-law, Phillipicus,
entrusted with a reply of acceptance [for Xosrov]. He received
[Xosrov's] oath and gave him an imperial auxiliary army [including]
Yovhan Patrik from Armenia [i Hayots' koghmane], the
stratelat Nerses [g33] from Syria plus their troops. They
mustered 3,000 cavalry [massed] in hundreds and in thousands,
in brigades, under their own banners.
The mother of [the Iranian commander] Shapuh
was the daughter [22] of the Asparapet (who was from the
naxarar House of the Part'ews which had died out) [The
text seems corrupt: dustr Asparapetin aynorik,
or er naxarar tann Part'ewats',
ork' merheal ein...] and the sister of Vndo
and Vstam. Vndo himself was a wise and sagacious man, and very
brave-hearted, as I have said. He fought a great battle at
Melitene, but was defeated and left. Then came Tam Xosrov who
fought two battles: one in Basen [district] at Bolorapahak where
the Murts' and Arax [rivers] mingle; and one in Bagrewand [district]
at Ket'n. He was very successful in both [battles]. After remaining
for two years, he departed.
Then came Varaz Vzur who fought one
battle at Ut'mus village in Vanand. At first he was driven off,
but he later triumphed. He remained for one year, and then departed.
Then came marzpan Hrahat who
went to Mrtsuni [having] his kinfolk for support in battle. They were defeated there, but later triumphed. Turning thence he fought and won a battle at Tsaghkajur
in Bznunik'. He departed after four months.
[23] Next came marzpan Hrarti
Datan. Thereafter, however, the Iranians were unable to resist
the Byzantine troops. It was during this period that Ormazd was
killed and his son Xosrov was enthroned. [Hrarti Datan] departed after two
years.
After this Iranian border-guards
[sahmanakalk' parsits'] came [and this continued]
until the expiration of the peace which had existed between the Iranians
and the Greeks, between the two kings, Maurice and Xosrov.
Then came Vendatakan, then Xorakan. The latter was killed by Iranian troops at Garni who then rebelled and went to Geghums. Then came Merakbut, then Yazden, then Butmah, then Hoyiman. [g34]
an Iranian romance [regarding] the universal
defeat of that Sasanian brigand, Xosrov Apruez [Matean
zhamanakean patmut'iwn t'agaworakan
Vep ariakan vanumn tiezerakan, hen
Sasanakan yApruezn Xosrovean.] who put everything
to flame, agitated the sea and land, and brought ruin upon every
country.
I shall narrate what happened to the
country, how it was ruined, making use of legends [charhets'its'...arhaspels vipasanelov]. [I shall tell] about Wrath from On High,
how anger blazed forth below; about the fire and the bloodshed,
the pillaging expeditions, the raids which brought death [accompanied
by] the screams of dews and the roar of dragons. [I shall
speak of] the race of Mages [zazants' k'awdeats'],
about men descended from giants, armed braves, cavalrymen from
East to West, from North to South; about the Southerners [the
Arabs] who arose with great turbulence and attacked [Iran and
Byzantium] [yardzakeal i veray mimeants'
"attacked one another"] and executed the command of
the Lord's anger over every country. [The Arabs] spun like a whirlwind,
became a storm, and corrupted everything below them, devastating
mountains and hills, tearing apart plains in various places, and
crushing rocks and stones under the trampling hooves of their horses.
Now I shall begin the romance about that destructive corrupter,
Xosrov, God's accursed. [g35]
Vahram's attack on Xosrov, and the two
letters to Mushegh; Mushegh's loyalty to Xosrov; the great battle;
the defeat of the rebels; Xosrov's lack of gratitude toward Mushegh
which resulted in Mushegh's plans to kill him; the writing of
an accusation to the emperor by means of the Byzantine princes;
the emperor's dissatisfaction with that and the letter to [the
princes] and to Xosrov; the dispatch of Byzantine troops; the
summoning of Mushegh to the Palace by the emperor.
After the death of Kawad's son, Xosrov,
his son, Ormazd, ruled over the land of Iran [579-90]. [Ormazd's]
mother, Xosrov's wife named Kayen, was the daughter of the great Xak'an, king
of the T'etalats'ik'. Thus [Ormazd] inherited a bad
[nature] from his father's line, but an even more bestial [nature]
from his mother's line.
He did away with all the naxarars
and [26] the earlier, more indigenous Houses of the land
of Iran. He killed the great Asparapet of
the Part'ew and the Pahlaw who was [descended] from the son of
Anak (whom [the Armenians] put to death) whom that bandit king
Xosrov of Armenia took as a dayek, whom they spirited away
to the court of their king in Iran [The text seems corrupt: Span
sa zAsparapetn mets zpart'ewn ew zpahlawn or er i zawake Anakay
mahaparti. zor arhareal dayekats' i hine anti Xosrovay ark'ayi
Hayots' p'axuts'in i durhn ark'uni iwreants' i koghmans parsits'].
The king fulfilled [on the son] the rewards promised to his father
Anak once [the son] had fled there, namely, the bun [native
habitat] of Part'ewakan Palhaw itself. He tied a crown on his
head and exalted him, making him second in the kingdom.
The Asparapet had two sons, one
named Vndo, the other Vstam. They accepted troops from the land
of Armenia and assembled whomever they found at hand then. When they mustered they were
some 15,000 men, each brigade of naxarars [arranged] in
hundreds and in thousands in brigades and under their banners.
All were armed, all were choice warriors, [27] burning with bravery,
like fire. They neither panicked nor turned back. Their faces
were like eagles'. Their light-footedness was like the lightness
of wild goats running upon the plains. With dilligence and full
loyalty they took the road.
The Mithraist rebel took his troops
[The translation is uncertain: arheal apstambin
mihrats'eloyn zzawrs iwr... ], elephants,
and all the royal treasures and reached Atrpatakan. They encamped,
at a little distance from each other, in the district of Vararat.
Then Vahram wrote a hrovartak to Mushegh and to other naxarars
of Armenia. It went as follows: "I had thought that as soon
as I started battling with your enemies, you would come from those
parts and help me; and that I and you, united, would do away with
that universal pestilence, the House of Sasan. But you, massed
and coming against me in battle, are helping them. I am not afraid
of the army of Roman elders who have come against me. But you,
Armenians show the love of your master at an inopportune time.
Truly, did not the House of Sasan abolish your country and lordship?
why was it that your fathers always rebelled and went to serve
those [the Byzantines] who to this day are fighting over your
land? Should you come against me you will destroy so much of your
merit, for [28] should Xosrov triumph, the two of them united
[i.e., Xosrov and the emperor Maurice] will remove you from their
midst. If, however, it is agreeable to you, break with them, unite
with and aid me. Should I triumph, I swear by the great god Aramazd,
by the lord Sun, by the Moon, by Fire and by Water, by Mihr and
by all the gods, that I shall give you the Armenian kingdom. Make
whomever you want the king. And I shall leave you the entire country
of Armenia as far as Kapkoh and the Gate of [Caucasian] Aghbania;
from the Syrian area: Aruastan and Nor Shirakan as far as the
boundaries of the Tachiks, for this [territory] was yours from
your ancestors; [I shall give territories] extending westward
to Caesarea in Cappadocia. I shall not rule beyond the Arasp river.
[g37] Let the treasury of the Aryan kingdom be considered sufficient
for me and you. That should be plenty for you before your kingdom
is established".
Then, in accordance with their [Iranian]
custom, [Vahram] wrapped up salt, and sealed it with the hrovartak.
[The partisans of Mushegh] received
and read the hrovartak, but they neither replied nor did
they reveal [its contents] to many [naxarars] because they feared
their disunity.
[29] But [Vahram] wrote a second letter:
"I wrote to you to break with them, considering all the lands
and treasures of this kingdom sufficient for you and me. You,
however, chose not to listen, and you did not respond. I feel
sorry for you, because tomorrow at dawn [k'anzi
lini arh Sasanay appears in other mss. as
k'anzi vaghiw arhawotun ] I will show
you splendid elephants mounted by troops of armed braves who will
rain down upon you arrows of iron, shafts of tempered steel dispatched
by hard-hiting archers, powerful young men, well-armed, and
swift Tachik horses, axes and swords of tempered steel, and blows
enough for Xosrov and for you."
Mushegh replied to him [as follows]:
"God's compassion goes to whomever He grants it to. You should
feel sorry for yourself, not for us. I have come to regard you
as a boastful man, someone who takes comfort not in God, but in
bravery and the strength of elephants. And now I say to you that
if God so wills it, tomorrow you will be embroiled in a battle
with braves who will explode upon you and your multitude of elephants
like the most violent clouds in the sky. An enormous explosion
will be heard from on High, and a flash of lightning, and armed
men on white horses with unerring spears will attack you and pass
through your hosts the way lightning does through an evergreen
forest, burning [30] the branches as the bolts rain down from
Heaven to earth, [g38] burning the brush of the fields. For, should
God will it, a whirlwind will carry off your might like dust,
and the treasury of the court will return to the court."
Among [the Iranians] were Vndo and Vstam,
about whom I spoke earlier. The Iranians had about 8,000 cavalrymen.
At early dawn the next morning, just as the sun was rising [the
troops] drew themselves up, front facing front, and clashed in
battle. The massing and the melee were violent and in the agitation
the destruction was enormous. After fighting from dawn to dusk,
both sides became fatigued with warfare.
The killing was so great that a torrent
of blood flowed in streams and watered the entire country. Unable
to resist, the army of rebels fled before the Byzantine troops.
[The latter] pursued them, covering the plains and roads with
corpses, until it was dark night. [The Byzantines] put many
to their swords; many others they arrested, binding their hands
to their necks, and leading them before the king.
A multitude of elephants was coming
at a violent speed. Behind them were the armed azatagund.
From below [the Byzantines] [31] pierced the armor of the cavalrymen
who were mounted on elephants. Fighting fearlessly and courageously,
[the Byzantines] killed many elephants, cavalrymen, and elephant-keepers
and were able to forcibly lead off a multitude of the elephants,
which they brought before the king.
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