When Farrukhzád had gone back to the Sháh,
All over dust and in his fighting-gear,
He lighted from his charger, did obeisance,
Blood in his eyes and anguish in his heart,
And said to Yazdagird: “Why weep so much?
Is it to wash the throne of kings with tears?

Thou only of the royal race art left
To wear the crown and sit upon the throne.
One, with a hundred thousand enemies,
How canst thou battle when exposed to all?
Betake thee to the forest of Nárwan;
The folk will gather to thee there and thence,
Like valiant Farídún, do thou renew
The fight like fire.”

The king of kings gave ear.

New thoughts occurred. Upon the morrow's morn
He sat upon his throne, assumed the crown,
Held an assembly with his men of lore,
The magnates and shrewd-hearted archimages,
And said: “What seemeth good to you herein?
What precedents recall ye from the past?
Saith Farrukhzád to me: ‘Depart and take
Thy followers to the forest of Nárwan:
The people of Ámul, are servitors,
The people of Sarí all slaves, to thee,
And, when thy troops are many, come again
With puissance to battle with the Brave.’
Do ye approve?”

They all of them exclaimed:—

“That is the course.”

The king of kings rejoined:—

“It is not well. I purpose otherwise.
Shall I desert the chieftains of Írán,
And this great host, our country, throne, and crown
To save myself? That were not majesty,
Or manliness or policy. To fight
The foe is better for me than disgrace.
The leopard spake a saw in this regard:—
‘Whene'er the time of stress shall come on thee
Turn not in folly from thine enemy.’
For just as subjects should obey their king
In good and ill so he must not desert them
In their distress and go off to his treasures.”
The great men blessed him, saying: “Crown
and signet
Exist for ends like these. Think what thy will
And wishes are, and what assurances
Thou wouldst of us.”

The Sháh thus answered them:—

“Anxiety is ruin to the heart.
Our best course is to go to Khurásán
Where we shall feel secure from strife with foes,
For there we are possessed of many troops,
And valiant paladins. The Turkish chiefs
And Khán of Chín will come and do us homage
While I will make the union stronger still
By marriage with the daughter of Faghfúr.
A great host will arrive to succour us,
The magnates of Túrán and mighty men.
There is the warden of the marches too,
Máhwí, with horsemen, elephants, and wealth

Of all kinds. He is our chief governor,
The highest of the guardians of our coasts.
I raised him when he was a vagabond,
A minstrel and a braggart, giving him,
Though worthless, name and worth, men, government,
Lands, elephants. Base though he be and vile
Still his advancement hath been at my court.
Now I have heard an archmage quote this saw:—
‘Of one whom thou hast wrongly harmed beware:
Of one made rich by thee thy hopes are fair.’
I never injured him in aught, and he
Will 'venge me on my foe.”

But Farrukhzád

Smote his two hands together and exclaimed:—
“O Sháh who fearest God! put little trust
In those of evil bent. In this regard
There is a modern saw which runneth thus:—
‘Howe'er on birth thou practise witchery,
And strivest such an one from rust to free,
Since the All-giver framed him thus to be
To loose God's bonds thou wilt not find a key.’”
“O mighty, raging Lion!” said the Sháh,
“To make this trial will work me no hurt.”
He stayed that night and, when the morning broke,
Those noble men set forth and left Baghdád
For Khurásán, and took their travail lightly.
The chieftains of Írán all sorrowful
Accompanied their Sháh, that noble man,
And called down blessings on him, saying: “May
time,
And earth, ne'er lack thee.”

From the host rose wails

For grief and at the going of the king,
And all the Íránian thanes—the warriors' stay—
Drew near to him with outcries and in tears,
And said to him: “O Sháh! we are thy slaves
With souls and bodies filled with love for thee.
We all will go with thee to learn how fortune
Will sport with our king's life, for if we lose
Our Sháh how can our hearts find joy in home,
And country? We will quit our settlements,
Our children, and our wealth to share thy toils.
We care not for our lives without thy throne:
May fortune ne'er abandon thee.”*

With eyes

All tears the king of kings said to those nobles:—
“Be ever more intent in praising God.
It may be I shall look on you again,
And that our sorrows and distress will cease.
Ye all are my true helpers and the heirlooms
Left by my sires. I would not have you harmed:
Share not mine ills then. We will mark the intent
Of circling heaven, its progress, and to whom
It showeth love. Resign yourself thereto:
None can evade its secret purposes.”
Then said he to the merchantmen of Chín:—
“Make no long tarrying here, else will the Arabs
Convert your quest of gain to loss.”

They parted

With pain and trouble, sorrow, care, and wailing.
So Farrukhzád, son of Hurmuzd, led forth
The troops and called the veterans of Írán,
And then the Sháh set out with wail and woe.
The leader led the van. Stage after stage
He marched to Rai and tarried there for wine,
And minstrelsy, thence went he to Gurgán,
Like wind, and stayed one se'nnight sad or glad.
Departing thence toward Bust he set his face
With wrinkled cheeks and body in ill case.