Flutes and pipes Play a drunken rhyme Entertaining The soldiers in the palace Naked bodies Female slaves from Asia Dance with promise For a night of pleasure Mouths smell wine The feast is going wild Victorious and glorious The men exalt their king As in a fevered dream Thais is entering And she provokes him To do a special deed
"You have conquered The capital of Orient Display your power And make your enemies weep Destroy their pride The jewel of the desert As they once destroyed Our temples for their king"
"Burn this city to the ground Take a torch and spread the fire"
Persepolis Now a pile of dust A blackened carcass A land of ash
Persepolis You lost your crown Persepolis Burned to the ground
Consumed by hate Ablaze by pride Persepolis Naked as the sand
Persepolis You lost your crown Persepolis Burned to the ground
"Burn this city to the ground Take a torch and spread the fire"