The Sháh then bade a scribe come with Ardshír,
The high priest, and the scribe drew up on paper
A royal letter in the olden tongue.
He bathed his pen's two checks with ambergris,
And first gave praises to the Judge of all—
The Maker of the sky, height, depth, and love:—
“We all are thralls, He is the King of kings,
And wisdom beareth witness to His might.
No breath can pass, no emmet tread the ground,
Unless by His command. Him have I prayed
To further, if He will, my benison
Upon the Khán. Now, first, for what thou saidest
About the Haitálians: ‘They have girt up,
As I have told to thee, their loins for ill;
They have shed blood unjustly, wantonly,
And have been taken in their proper toils:’
The evil-doer, though of lion's strength,
Must not be bold with God. Though these men bare
Themselves like leopards thou hast conquered them.
Again, for what thou said'st about thy treasure,
Host, puissance of Faghfúr, his throne and crown:
The sage is not at one with him that speaketh

Of his own greatness. Never hast thou seen
The crown and throne of greatness, and the host
And march of Chách to thee are wonderful.
All greatness is a question of degree:
What star is higher than all other stars?
Such is the language to be held with one
That seeth not treasure, army, march, or travail.
The mighty of the world have seen or heard,
If they have seen not, me, that I account not
The sea of Chín as water, and that mountains
Flee from my wrath. Earth is my treasury,
My care extendeth over sea and land.
Now, in the third place, thou wouldst be my friend,
And hast at heart to make with me a league.
Since thou art fain to feast I will not fight,
For no one e'er preferreth fight to feast,
And furthermore a wise man never seeketh
To fight against a man of high renown,
Still less with one compact of war, no laggard
Upon the day of battle, used to strife,
In battle-time requiring no instructor,
And one that in the fiercest of the mellay
Is as heart-calm as when enthroned and crowned.
May He that made the world be thine ally,
Thy crown and signet still continue bright.”
They sealed this with the Sháh's seal, gave new
lustre
To royal crown and throne, prepared a robe
Of honour, as the royal usage is,
And bade the envoys come before the Sháh,
Who gave them verbal messages withal
In further explication of the letter.
The envoys well content then left the palace,
Set forth with acclamations on their way,
And came with tongues all praise before the Khán.
That world-experienced one put all folk forth;
His minister attended at his throne.
The Khán called in the envoys and inquired
At large of them concerning Núshírwán,
First of his sense, his knowledge, and his counsel,
His mien, his conversation, and his stature;
And secondly: “How many troops hath he,
And who of them hath crown and signet-ring?”
Inquired about his rule, if just or not,
About his realm, his treasure, host, and crown.
The spokesman of the envoys loosed his tongue,
And answered touching all that he had seen.
He told the Khán: “Account not Núshírwán,
O king! as one inferior to thyself.
A hundred ages see but few like him
For leadership, for statesmanship, and favour.
At home, at feast, at war, and at the chase
We never looked on such a sovereign.
In height he is a cypress-tree, in strength
An elephant; his hand is like the Nile
For bounty; throned he is a trusty sky,
In battle-tide a baleful crocodile.
When he is wroth he roareth like a cloud;
The mighty lion quaileth at his voice,
But gentle is it when he revelleth,
And his warm utterances ravish hearts.
In state and throne he is the blest Surúsh;
He is a royal and fruit-bearing Tree.
The whole folk of Írán compose his host,
And are the adorers of his diadem.
What time he holdeth court upon the plain
The world itself containeth not his troops.
His mace-men all have golden belts and all
His ministers decore and Grace divine.
As for the steps up to his ivory seat,
His elephants, thrones, armlets, torques and crowns,
No one in all the world can estimate
His state except the almighty Judge of all.
Although his foeman were an iron mount
'Twould be a needle's eye before his wrath.
Let him that is aweary of his life
Wax fierce and counter Núshírwán in strife!”