The matchless Rustam heard the words with shame,
And felt an ardent longing to depart.
He gathered horses out of all the herds
That wandered o'er the deserts of Túrán,
Together with ten thousand boys and girls—
Slaves fit to serve a king—with bags of musk,
With skins of marten, ermine, and grey squirrel,
Of minever and weasel. On the backs
Of elephants were furs, perfumes, dínárs,
Gold, tapestries, and havings great and small,
Stuffs for apparel, treasures, drachms, and swords,
As well as other weapons, crowns, and thrones.
They packed the loads, set forward to Írán,
And, going from Túrán toward Zábul,
Drew near to glorious Zál, while Tús, Gúdarz,
And Gív, those famous chiefs, went to the Sháh
At Párs.

When news reached base Afrásiyáb

That Tús and Rustam were across the river

He set off westward toward the sea of Gang,
With vengeance in his heart intent on war.
He found the country all turned upside down,
The nobles slaughtered and the folk enslaved;
No horses, treasures, crowns, or thrones were there,
There was no verdant leafage on the trees;
The world had been consumed with fire, and all
The palaces had been o'erthrown and burned.
The king wept tears of blood and thus harangued
The captains of the host: “A man must lose
His reason to forget these outrages!
Fill all your hearts with vengeance, make your shields
Your beds, your helmets pillows, let us fight
Till heaven itself shall fall in our revenge;
For country's sake, for treasure, child, and kin,
We will tread down the cities of Írán
In striving after vengeance; 'tis not well
To be thus downcast just because the wind
Was in their favour in a single fight.
From all sides will we gather arms and troops,
And make a new departure.”

He assembled

Without delay a host equipped for war,
And led his warriors and lion-men
Against Írán. His plan was to attack
From every side. No respite was afforded,
He burned up all the settlements and trees,
And brought the Íránians to a parlous case.
For seven years there was a rainless sky,
The favour changed, conditions were reversed,

And all were beggared by distress and travail.
Much time elapsed with matters in this stay
While at Zábul the mighty Rustam lay,
And Turkman sworders in the world held sway.