Learn Farsi: در همین آغاز، بهترین پیکرتراش بلافاصله به کار پرداخت. - Right at the beginning, the best sculptor immediately set to work.

While پرداختن on its own usually means "to pay" (like paying a bill), when it is paired with the preposition به (be) followed by a noun or a long infinitive, it becomes a formal verb of engagement. In this structure, it means "to engage in," "to address," or "to set about" doing something. Here, به کار پرداخت translates to "set to work."

What is the function of همین in the phrase در همین آغاز?

همین is the emphatic form of این (this) and often translates to "this same." However, when placed before time expressions or locations, it acts as an intensifier. In this sentence, it emphasizes the exact moment, translating to "right at" or "at this very." Thus, در همین آغاز means "right at the beginning."

How is the word پیکرتراش (sculptor) built?

It is a compound noun made of two parts: پیکر (peykar), meaning "figure" or "body," and تراش (tarâsh), which is the present stem of the verb تراشیدن (tarâshidan - to carve, scrape, or shave). A sculptor in Farsi is literally a "figure-carver."

I know بلافاصله means "immediately," but what is its literal breakdown?

It is a highly common adverb formed from Arabic components: the prefix بـ (be-, "with"), the negative word لا (lâ, "no"), and the noun فاصله (fâsele, "distance" or "gap"). Put together, it literally means "with no gap" (referring to a gap in time), hence "immediately."