‘Kol’ evokes association with ‘kolu,’ a respected local lu?i (see LU?I) group in Shiraz that adhered to the virtues of JAV?NMARDI (Ma?jub, pp. 121-23) an ethical system dominated by bravery, and moral and spiritual nobility. The word in combination with ‘?,’ short for ?q? (see AQA), and ‘D?š,’ a word of Turkish origin meaning brother, offers an apt title for a story that tells the tale of a gallant and respected lu?i who lived in Shiraz in early 20th century.
    -ENTRY: D?Š ?KOL (Encyclopaedia Iranica)

Dash Akol was a thirty-five-year-old man, robust but rather ugly. Seeing him for the first time, most people would be repulsed. But once they sat and listened to his stories, or heard about his exploits from others, they would find themselves attracted to him. Those who were able to ignore the scars on his face found him a noble and attractive man with coal-dark eyes, black, bushy eyebrows, prominent cheekbones, a slender nose and an ebony beard and moustache. What had disfigured his face were the many wounds inflicted upon it. On his cheeks and forehead were the traces of saber cuts--cuts that had healed quite unattractively, exposing shiny pink flesh. The worst of these had produced a tuck under his left eye, disfiguring the left side of his face.

His father had been one of the notable landowners of the Fars province. When he died, his legacy had gone to his only son. But Dash Akol, carefree and a spender, felt no allegiance to money (or to other worldly things). He devoted his life to heroic deeds, restoration of people's lost freedoms and philanthropy. He was a simple man, attached to none other than these goals.

The money that he took in found its way either to those who were in greater need or to his diversions. These were to sit drinking strong brands of araq proclaim his presence at the intersections or haunt local gatherings accompanied by his retinue of followers. So much for his faults and his merits. The unbelievable thing, however, was that he had never had a great love in his life. Several times his friends had tried to set him up and, each time, he had shied away. But from the day he first became the executor of Haji Samad's estate and set eyes on Marjan, his life had taken a new turn.

The thing that was the clearest to him was that he was afraid of his own home; his present situation was unbearable--he had lost all interest in it. He wanted to go away, far away. The thought of drinking all night and pouring his heart out to his parrot crossed his mind. All of his life seemed useless--shallow and without meaning. A poem came to mind--in a fit of impatience, he murmured:

I envy the getting together of prison inmates, The sweetmeats of their gatherings are the links of their chains.

He remembered another poem which he recited even more loudly:

I have gone mad, people, Bring a remedy.
Bring a madman's only remedy, Bring a chain!

He recited the poem with grief, disappointment and bitterness; then, as though losing patience, or because his mind was elsewhere, he fell silent. It was dark outside when Dash Akol reached his usual corner, Sar-e Dozak. Here was the same square he had spent most of his time defending during his youth. No one had dared to come forward to challenge him. Without thinking, he walked over to the front stoop of a home, sat down and pulled out his pipe. He felt that the place had deteriorated; people, like himself who had become old and broken, had changed. His eyes swam in front of him and his head throbbed. Suddenly, a shadow approached him. Then he heard a voice, "C..cowards sneak ou..out at n.. night!"

Dash Akol recognized Kaka Rostam. He stood up and moved his hand to his waist. He spat and said, "Son of a coward! You consider yourself a Luti? Let me tell you, you are about to meet your match now!"

Valikhan took the parrot's cage to his home. That afternoon Marjan put the cage in front of her and stared at the bird's multi-colored wings, hooked beak and round tired eyes. Suddenly the parrot, in a voice that echoed Dash Akol's, said, "Marjan... Marjan... you've killed me. Whom can I tell? Marjan, your love has killed me." Tears ran down Marjan's cheeks.