Another week the monarch of the world
Went forth to hunt with lords and archimages,
Prepared to spend a month upon the chase,
To revel with his meiny, and to take

Illimitable game on waste and mountain.
He and his escort reached in merry pin
A town. The night came on, and all was dark.
The chiefs dismissed the escort and recited
Tales of the Sháhs. He saw afar a fire,
Such as Sháhs kindle on Bahman's high day.*

The king of kings gazed at the light and spied
A pleasant village with a mill before it,
Where sat the village-chiefs, while all the maidens,
Each with a crown of roses on her head,
Were feasting by themselves beside the fire.
The minstrels sat about, the maidens sang
Tales of the royal wars, and every one
Began to tell a story in her turn.
They all were moon-faced, all had lock??curl,
All were sweet-spoken, and all savoured musk.
They sat ranked on the grass and close before
The mill-door, singing, with a posy each,
And half bemused with wine and merriment.
Then from that scene of revel rose a cry,
And one exclaimed: “The toast of Sháh Bahrám!
He hath Grace, stature, mien, and love. Before him
The rolling sphere upstandeth. Thou wouldst say:—
‘His face distilleth wine, the scent of musk
Proceedeth from his hair.’ He only hunteth
The lion and the onager, and so
Folk title him ‘Bahrám Gúr.’”

This he heard,

And rode toward them. Drawing near the girls
He scanned the plain, beheld it filled with Moons,
And saw that he should stop short of the city.
He bade, and from the road cup-bearers came,
Provided wine and boon-companions,
And handed him a crystal cup. Meanwhile
Four of the girls, those chief in rank, came forth—
One Mushkináb,*

the others Mushkinak,
Náztáb, and Súsanak. With checks like spring,
With stately mien, and hand in hand, they went
Before the Sháh and sang about Bahrám,
The king of kings, the wise and prosperous.
Bahrám Gúr asked, for they perturbed his heart:—
“Who are ye,*

rose-cheeked? Wherefore is this fire?”
One said: “O cavalier of cypress-height,
So like a king in everything! our father

Is an old miller who is shooting game
Upon this mountain and will come anon
Since it is night, and he can see no longer.”
With that the miller and his men came bringing
Their quarry. When his eyes fell on Bahrám Gúr
He rubbed his face upon the dust and bare him
With awe and reverence. The Sháh bade give
That old man just arrived a golden cup,
And said to him: “Why keepest thou these four
With sunny faces thus? Is it not time
For them to wed?”

The old man offered praise,

And said: “There is no husband for them; they
Are maidens still and pure in chastity,
But that is all the property they have,
And this is all that I can say for them.”
Bahrám said: “Give me all the four, and henceforth
Regard them not as daughters.”

Quoth the ancient:—

“Do not as thou hast said, O cavalier!
No cups have we, no land, no crops, no silver,
No mansion, ox, and ass.”

Bahrám Gúr said:—

“'Tis well, for I would have them portionless.”
The miller said: “The four shall be thy wives,
The handmaids of the dust within they chambers.
Thine eye hath seen their good points and their ill,
And, seeing, hath approved.”

Bahrám Gúr said:—

“From holy God, the All-giver, I accept them.”
He spake and rose. Steeds neighed upon the plain.
He bade the eunuchs of his escort bear
Those Idols to the royal women's house,
And through the night the troops filed o'er the waste.
The miller marvelled, mused all night, and said
Thus to his wife: “This moon-like lord so tall
And masterful, how came he here by night?”
She answered: “He perceived the fire from far,
The noise the girls were making, and the sound
Of minstrels, harp, and revelry.”

The miller

Said to his wife: “Advise me, O my spouse!
If this affair will turn out well or ill?”
She answered: “It is all God's providence.
The man, on seeing them, asked not their race,
Thought not of dowry. On earth's face he sought
For Moons and not for money or kings' daughters.
If idol-worshippers saw these in Chín
There would be no more idol-worshipping!”

Thus till above the Raven's back the sun
Rose, and the world grew like a shining lamp,
They talked at large of base and upright men,
But with the day the village-chief arrived,
And said to that old man: “O brave of luck!*

Good fortune visited thy couch last night!
The verdant branches of thy tree bear fruit.
One looked, beheld the merriment and fire,
And, having turned his horse about, drew near;
So now thy daughters have become his wives,
And rest securely in his women's house.
By giving them such faces, hair, and carriage
Thou didst prepare them for the Sháh! Bahrám,
The king of kings, is now thy son-in-law!
Henceforth thou wilt be famous through the realm.
He hath bestowed upon thee all this province
And march, so sorrow not, for thou hast 'scaped
From cares and fears. Command. 'Tis thine to bid.
We all of us are thralls and bound to thee;
We all of us are subject to thee now,
Are subject! Rather we are all thy slaves.”
The miller and his wife in their amaze
Invoked God's name. The village-chieftain said:—
“Such locks as those and countenances too
Would bring the sun from his fourth heaven to woo.”