How the Nobles heard that Shírín had come to the Bower of Khusrau Parwíz and how they advised him and were satisfied with his Answer

Now when these tidings of Khusrau Parwíz
Came to the nobles and the host: “Shírín
Is in the Sháh's bower and the old affair
Hath been revived,” the city was aggrieved,
And full of care, distress, and malisons.
For three days none approached him. On the fourth,
When the world's Lustre shone, he sent and called
The chiefs and set them on the nobles' seats.
He said to them: “For days I have not seen you,
And grieve thereat. I am concerned for fear
Of your concernment and solicitous
About your dealings.”

Thus he spake but none

Replied; they simply held their tongues, but those
Aggrieved and angry looked at the high priest,
Who seeing this rose to his feet and thus
Addressed Khusrau Parwíz: “O righteous judge!
Thou hast in youth's day come to be the king,
Hast seen from fortune much of good and ill,

And heard how in the world no stint thereof
Ariseth from the deeds of those in power;
How when a noble race hath been defiled
Defiled too are the mighty sprung therefrom.
Know this, that never hath a noble son
Laid hands upon his father's life* unless
His mother had befouled the seed and smirched
Her offspring. Thus Zahhák, the Arab, slew
His sire and brought ill on Jamshíd's head, thus
Sikandar, who poured out Dárá's blood, brought
So great a fire of feud upon ourselves
Although his father called Dárá his brother,
While Failakús was wont to call him son.
* When sire is pure and mother virtueless
Know that no holy son will come to birth.
None seeketh for uprightness in perverseness
If he is fain to fill his sleeves with right.
Our hearts are sad because a potent dív
Is now the great king's mate, for had there been
No other woman in Írán e'en then
How could Khusrau Parwíz thus honour her?
If but Shírín were absent from his bower
His face would be resplendent everywhere.
Thine ancestors, those wise and upright men,
Ne'er would have thought of this.”

When he had spoken

At great length, and the king of kings returned
No answer, he said thus: “At dawn to-morrow
We will assemble here and haply have
The Sháh's reply; our talk was long to-day.”
Next day they rose at dawn and went to offer
Their service to the Sháh, and some one said:—
“It is not right to speak such words,” another:—
“The words were wisdom's mates,” a third: “He will
Reply to-day, and what he saith should make
For happiness.”

The archimages all

Set forward and with stately steps approached
The Sháh. The magnates took their seats and then
A man came with a bowl all furbished bright
As Sol and passed before the chiefs in turn.
Now warm blood had been poured therein. He set
It gently by the Sháh. All turned away
Their faces and the assembly was all talk.
Khusrau Parwíz looked on them and they quaked.
He said to the Íránians: “Whose blood
Is this and wherefore is it set before me?”
“'Tis noisome blood,” the archimage replied,
“And so polluteth him that seeth it.”
When he had spoken thus men took the bowl,

Passed it from hand to hand, cleansed it of blood,
And scoured it out with water and with sand.
Then when that noisome bowl had been made bright
And clean, the washer filled it full of wine,
And sprinkled it with musk and with rose-water.
The bowl shone out sun-bright. Khusrau Parwíz
Said to the archmage: “Verily the bowl
Appeareth otherwise!”

The archmage said:—

“Live ever more! Good hath appeared from ill.
Thy bidding hath turned Hell to Paradise,
And from ill-doing good is manifest.”
“Shírín,” Khusrau Parwíz said, “to this city
Was e'en as this disgustful bowl of bane,
But in my bower she is a bowl of wine,
And savoureth as we. She first obtained
Her ill repute through me; she did not court
The friendship of the Great.”

All blessed him, saying:—

“May earth ne'er lack thy crown and throne. They grow
In goodness whom thou makest good, and mighty
Are those whom thou hast made so in the world,
For to be Sháh, archmage, and chief is thine,
And have withal on earth the Grace divine.”