Within the Turkman army brave Húmán
Came like a lion to his brother, saying:—
“O paladin of great Afrásiyáb!
We long for fight. The fifth day is at hand
That all these cavaliers have borne their mail;
Their loins are chafed with iron, their hearts with ven-geance,
Their eyes are on Írán. Why keep the hosts
Confronting thus? What is thy purpose? Speak!
If thou intendest to engage, engage,
And if thou meanest to retreat, retreat,
For 'tis a shame to thee, O paladin!
And old and young will laugh at thy proceedings.
'Twas this same host that fled from us in battle,
Disgraced and pale; their slain filled all the field;
The whole earth ran with blood; but, as for us,
We lost not any cavalier of name;
Moreover Rustam is not in command.
If thou distastest fight and bloodshed choose
Some troops, give them to me, and be spectator.”
Pírán, on hearing, answered: “Be not hasty,
And harsh. Know, brother! that this man of war,
Who thus hath come against me with a host,
Is of the chiefs of Kai Khusrau the choicest,
The greatest noble, and a paladin.
Now in the first place Kai Khusrau is higher
Amidst all peoples than my sovereign;
Next, of the paladins of Kai Khusrau
I know not any equal to Gúdarz
In dignity, position, manliness,
In prudent counsel and sagacity;
Then in the third place he is inly seared,
And full of anguish, for his many sons,
Whom with their heads dissevered from their trunks
We left, and laid the earth's dust with their blood;

V. 1163

So long as life is in him he will writhe
In serpent wise to compass his revenge;
And fourthly he hath brought and massed two hosts
Between two mountains. Seek where'er thou wilt
There is no way to him. Perpend, for this
Is no brief toil. We must induce the foe
To quit their station on yon walls of rock,
And haply they may make through weariness
Some weak manœuvre and attack us first;
Then, when the foes have left their vantage-ground,
We will pour showers of arrows on their heads,
Enclose them as with walls and, like fierce lions,
Prey on their lives, appease our lust on them,
And our renown shall go up to the sun.
Thou art the army's stay, our monarch's chief;
Thy crown is raised o'er Saturn and the sky,
Should one so famous hanker still for fame?
Moreover none among their famous men
Will venture forth against the roaring Leopard:
Gúdarz will send out from among his troops
Some one of small renown, and much ambition
To fight with warriors, to contend with thee;
And then if thou shouldst roll earth over him
'Twould not enhance thy fame, while to the Íránians
It would be no great loss, but should he shed
Thy blood the Turkman host would be dismayed.”
Húmán gave heed to what Pírán was saying,
Yet thought his conduct foolish and replied:—
“What cavalier among the Íránians
Will come to fight me? Thou art bent on kindness,
But lust of fighting hath come over me.
If thou art not desirous to engage,
And hast no fire of battle in thy soul,
I will go saddle me my gallant gray,
And challenge combat at the break of day.”