Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Vocals by Iranian colleagues in Iran whose names are withheld to protect them due to the risk of repression by the Iranian government, kamancheh by Amirhossein Eskandary, lyrics by Ferdowsi, music by Farya Faraji.
The Epic Iranian series is a musical project where the sounds of the living traditions of Iranian music as they exist today are used to explore the history and epic narrative repertoire of Iranian civilisation. These are not "epic music" in the cinematic, orchestral film-soundtrack sense of the term, but music rooted in the authentic practices of Iranian traditional music that showcase the epic narrative repertoire of Iran's long history.
Kāveh the Blacksmith is a legendary Iranian hero from the Shāhnāmeh. He lives under the rule of Zahhāk, a monstrous tyrant whose serpents require the brains of young people as food. After many of Kāveh’s sons are killed, Kāveh publicly defies Zahhāk. He tears off his blacksmith’s leather apron, raises it on a spear as a banner, and led the people in rebellion. The apron becomes the famous Derafsh-e Kāvīānī, the national banner of Iran. Kāveh then rallies behind Fereydun, the young hero destined to overthrow Zahhāk.
The story as told in this now "canonical" form originates from Iranian mythology but is found in this form in Ferdowsi's Shāhnāmeh, the national epic of Iran, which is where the lyrics sung are from.
The music uses the Phrygian mode, called Makam Kurdi in Arabic and Turkish music. This mode has largely been out of use in Iran after the Safavid era and the formation of the modern dastgāh system that replaced the earlier Makam mystem of Iran, but has seen a resurgence with the introduction of Western music theory in the mid-1800s onwards. It is documented in Medieval Iranian pre-Safavid sources, and its history in the region dates back to the earliest modal evidence in history, found in the Mesopotamian musical system. The instruments used are the kamancheh, daf, tombak, setar and tanbour.
Lyrics:
تو شاهی و گر اژدها پیکری
بباید بدین داستان داوری
که گر هفت کشور به شاهی تو راست
چرا رنج و سختی همه بهر ماست
چو برخواند کاوه همه محضرش
سبک سوی پیران آن کشورش
خروشید کای پای مردان دیو
بریده دل از ترس گیهان خدیو
همه سوی دوزخ نهادید روی
سپردید دل ها به گفتار آوی
نباشم بدین محضر اندر گواه
نه هرگز بر اندیشم از پادشا
چو کاوه برون شد ز درگاه شاه
بر او انجمن گشت بازارگاه
همی بر خروشید و فریاد خواند
جهان را سراسر سوی داد خواند
خروشان همی رفت نیزه به دست
که ای نامداران یزدان پرست
کسی کو هوای فریدون کند
دل از بند ضحاک بیرون کند
بپویید کاین مهتر اهرمن است
جهان آفرین را به دل دشمن است
بدان بی بها ناسزاوار پوست
پدید آمد آوای دشمن ز دوست
که اندر شب تیره خورشید بود
جهان را از او دل پر امید بود
Translation:
“You are king, though you bear the form of a dragon;
You must submit to judgment in this matter.
If indeed the Seven Realms are rightfully yours to rule,
Why then are all the suffering and hardship ours?”
When Kaveh had read the whole declaration,
He quickly turned toward the elders of the realm.
He cried: **“O you who stand as servants of demons,
Whose hearts are severed by fear of the lord of the world!
You have all turned your faces toward Hell;
You have surrendered your hearts to his words.
I shall not bear witness to this declaration,
Nor shall I ever give thought to the king!”
When Kaveh departed from the king’s court,
The people of the marketplace gathered around him.
He raised his voice and cried aloud,
Calling the whole world toward justice.
Shouting, he went forth with spear in hand:
**“O renowned men who worship God!
Whoever desires Fereydun
Must free his heart from Zahhak’s bondage!
Hasten! For this ruler is Ahriman himself;
In his heart he is the enemy of the Creator!
From that worthless, unworthy hide
There arose a cry distinguishing enemy from friend;
For in the darkness of night it was like the sun,
And through it the heart of the world was filled with hope.
Vocals by Iranian colleagues in Iran whose names are withheld to protect them due to the risk of repression by the Iranian government, kamancheh by Amirhossein Eskandary, lyrics by Ferdowsi, music by Farya Faraji.
The Epic Iranian series is a musical project where the sounds of the living traditions of Iranian music as they exist today are used to explore the history and epic narrative repertoire of Iranian civilisation. These are not "epic music" in the cinematic, orchestral film-soundtrack sense of the term, but music rooted in the authentic practices of Iranian traditional music that showcase the epic narrative repertoire of Iran's long history.
Kāveh the Blacksmith is a legendary Iranian hero from the Shāhnāmeh. He lives under the rule of Zahhāk, a monstrous tyrant whose serpents require the brains of young people as food. After many of Kāveh’s sons are killed, Kāveh publicly defies Zahhāk. He tears off his blacksmith’s leather apron, raises it on a spear as a banner, and led the people in rebellion. The apron becomes the famous Derafsh-e Kāvīānī, the national banner of Iran. Kāveh then rallies behind Fereydun, the young hero destined to overthrow Zahhāk.
The story as told in this now "canonical" form originates from Iranian mythology but is found in this form in Ferdowsi's Shāhnāmeh, the national epic of Iran, which is where the lyrics sung are from.
The music uses the Phrygian mode, called Makam Kurdi in Arabic and Turkish music. This mode has largely been out of use in Iran after the Safavid era and the formation of the modern dastgāh system that replaced the earlier Makam mystem of Iran, but has seen a resurgence with the introduction of Western music theory in the mid-1800s onwards. It is documented in Medieval Iranian pre-Safavid sources, and its history in the region dates back to the earliest modal evidence in history, found in the Mesopotamian musical system. The instruments used are the kamancheh, daf, tombak, setar and tanbour.
Lyrics:
تو شاهی و گر اژدها پیکری
بباید بدین داستان داوری
که گر هفت کشور به شاهی تو راست
چرا رنج و سختی همه بهر ماست
چو برخواند کاوه همه محضرش
سبک سوی پیران آن کشورش
خروشید کای پای مردان دیو
بریده دل از ترس گیهان خدیو
همه سوی دوزخ نهادید روی
سپردید دل ها به گفتار آوی
نباشم بدین محضر اندر گواه
نه هرگز بر اندیشم از پادشا
چو کاوه برون شد ز درگاه شاه
بر او انجمن گشت بازارگاه
همی بر خروشید و فریاد خواند
جهان را سراسر سوی داد خواند
خروشان همی رفت نیزه به دست
که ای نامداران یزدان پرست
کسی کو هوای فریدون کند
دل از بند ضحاک بیرون کند
بپویید کاین مهتر اهرمن است
جهان آفرین را به دل دشمن است
بدان بی بها ناسزاوار پوست
پدید آمد آوای دشمن ز دوست
که اندر شب تیره خورشید بود
جهان را از او دل پر امید بود
Translation:
“You are king, though you bear the form of a dragon;
You must submit to judgment in this matter.
If indeed the Seven Realms are rightfully yours to rule,
Why then are all the suffering and hardship ours?”
When Kaveh had read the whole declaration,
He quickly turned toward the elders of the realm.
He cried: **“O you who stand as servants of demons,
Whose hearts are severed by fear of the lord of the world!
You have all turned your faces toward Hell;
You have surrendered your hearts to his words.
I shall not bear witness to this declaration,
Nor shall I ever give thought to the king!”
When Kaveh departed from the king’s court,
The people of the marketplace gathered around him.
He raised his voice and cried aloud,
Calling the whole world toward justice.
Shouting, he went forth with spear in hand:
**“O renowned men who worship God!
Whoever desires Fereydun
Must free his heart from Zahhak’s bondage!
Hasten! For this ruler is Ahriman himself;
In his heart he is the enemy of the Creator!
From that worthless, unworthy hide
There arose a cry distinguishing enemy from friend;
For in the darkness of night it was like the sun,
And through it the heart of the world was filled with hope.
