A cameleer brought from Afrásiyáb,
In hottest haste about the time of sleep,
To Siyáwush a letter full of love,
And blazoned like the starry sky: it ran:—
“Since thy departure I enjoy no pleasure,
My thoughts permit me not a moment's peace.
Moreover I have sought thee out a seat,
Such as thou wilt approve, within Túrán.
Though it be pleasant whither thou hast gone,

And griefless there, yet quit thy realm and bring
The heads of evil-wishers to the dust.”
The chieftain packed the baggage and set forth
With all speed as the king commanded him.
A thousand female camels with red hair
They loaded up with various merchandise.
He made a hundred camels carry treasures
And drachms, while forty others bore dínárs.
Ten thousand swordsmen went along with him—
Picked horsemen from Írán and from Túrán—
Preceded by the baggage-train and litters
With lovely ladies in their bravery.
Of rubies and turquoises fit for kings,
Or torques and diadems inlaid with gems,
Of ambergris, of aloe-wood, and musk,
Of spicery, brocade, and silken cushions,
From Párs and Chín and Mizr were thirty loads.
The leader and his noble retinue
Proceeded till they came to blithe Bahár.
When he arrived he pointed out a site
Two leagues in length and breadth. Thereon he built
A city famous for its rosaries,
Its lofty palaces, and orchard-grounds.
He limned within the hall full many a picture
Of kings, of battle, and of banqueting,
And painted there Káús with mace and armlets,
Crowned on his throne, with elephantine Rustam,
With Zál, Gúdarz, and all that company.
Elsewhere he limned Afrásiyáb, his army,
Pírán, and Garsíwaz the vengeful one.
That pleasant city was the talk of all
Good men both in Írán and in Túrán.
At every corner was a cupola,
Whose summit reached the clouds. There minstrels
sat
And sang while chiefs and warriors kept guard
Around. Siyáwushgird the common voice
Called it; that city made all hearts rejoice.