THE SCENE: In the Persian national epic the Shahnameh, a battle between the holy Manuchehr and his devious brother Tur and Salm is represented in poetic terms as a literal fight between light and darkness.
THE TEXT: The army moved forward like a mountain, and the two sides met in close combat. The plain became a sea of blood, as if red tulips had sprung up everywhere, and the elephant’s legs glowed like pillars of coral. Until night came, and the sun disappeared, all the advantage was with Manuchehr, because the world’s soul loved him.
Tur’s and Salm’s hearts seethed with fury, and they plotted an ambush so that when night turned to day, the two warriors held back, and none of their men advanced to battle. Night came and day disappeared; darkness covered all the earth, and the two unjust brothers readied their soldiers for a night attack.
Tur set off with a hundred thousand troops in the darkness of the night but as they neared the camp they came on the Persian forces drawn up behind their banner, ready for war. They had no choice but to attack, and the war cry went up from their midst. The sky was clouded by the cavalry’s dust, and swords glittered in the dark like lightning; it was as if the air itself caught fire, flashing like diamonds and burning the ground. The din of weapons deafened the fighters, and fire ascended to the heavens. Manuchehr lifted his head from where he had been lying in wait, and Tur had no means of escape. He tugged at his reigns and turned to flee, as his soldiers’ cries re-echoed around him. Manuchehr sped after him and, as he closed on him, flung a spear at his back. The sword dropped from Tur’s hand, and Manuchehr grasped him, lifting him from the saddle and hurling him to the ground.
There and then he severed his head and left his body for the animals to devour. Then he returned to his own camp, his mind filled with the turnings of fate, which brings now prosperity and now defeat.
– The Shahnameh, Abolqasem Ferdowsi, 10th Century AD
