Bízhan made ready for his setting forth,
Girt him, and set a casque upon his head.

He took with him Gurgín son of Mílád
To help in battle and in time of need,
And left the court with cheetahs and with hawks
To hunt withal upon his longsome journey.
Like foaming lion he fared and took the heads
From onager and antelope; the plain
Was thick with wild sheep torn; their hearts and
breasts
Felt the warm impress of the cheetah's claws.
His lasso ringed the necks of onagers,
He seemed like Tahmúras who bound the Dív,
While overhead the pheasants clutched by falcons
Dyed jasmine-leaves with blood. Thus sped the twain,
And thought the road a garden, till they reached
The forest that had caused the Sháh's concern.
Now when Bízhan cast eyes thereon the blood
Boiled in him with excitement, while the boars
Roamed freely, knowing not: “Bízhan hath mounted.”
On drawing near the forest to attack
He spake thus to Gurgín son of Mílád:—
“Go thou inside or stand aside, and when
I go to shoot the boars seek yonder pool.
Then, when a tumult riseth from the wood,
Take up thy mace, be ware, and with one blow
Behead each boar escaping.”

But Gurgín,

The warrior, answered: “Such was not the compact
With our young Sháh. Thou hadst the jewels, silver,
And gold, and didst adventure for this field;
Ask but mine aidance then to show the way.”
Bízhan heard with amaze, his outlook darkened,
But lion-like he went inside the forest,
Undaunted strung his bow, roared mightily
As 'twere a cloud in spring, and brought the leaves
Down like a shower of rain, then sword in hand
Like some mad elephant he chased the boars
While they rushed at him, tusking up the earth.
Then came one boar, a very Áhriman,
Whose tushes cut through trees like files through
stone,
And rent his haubork while the reek of fight
Rose o'er the mead. Bízhan's sword smote the boar
And clave its elephantine form. The beasts
So fierce before grew fox-like; all were stained
With blood from sword-cuts; they had had enough
Of combating. Bízhan cut off their heads,
And tied them to his charger's saddle-straps,
That he might lay the tusks before the Sháh;
And furthermore, in order to display
His courage to the Íránian chiefs, he flung
Some headless trunks, like mountains, on a wain,
And buffalos were wearied with the strain.