Bahrām goes to the chase and kills a dragon.

In his celestial dwelling on a day he set his vessel floating over wine*648.
He drank off rapidly some (bowls of) wine, and in (his) drunken­ness went towards the plain;
Prepared his lasso, to bring down the prey, (and) dug out many graves for onagers*649.
From all the onagers he took by force the plain became all covered with their bones.
At last a female onager appeared, and cast disturbance all throughout the world*650.
Its form a spiritual vision seemed, a being bright of face, of forehead wide.
Polished as golden ingot was its back; its stomach (as) with milk and sugar smeared.
A musky line was drawn from head to tail, and streak on streak was seen from haunch to hoof*651.
In place of horse’s housing it was clothed as with a veil of silk of rusty hue.
Its frame bore off the ball from all its kind*652; its haunches bore it off from all its frame.
A fire which made the hay its relative; a ruddy-faced one clad in darvīsh robe*653.
Its leg the Arab’s arrow brought to mind*654; its ear had drawn a diamond-dagger forth*655.
It had a breast free from the shoulder-mound*656; a neck safe from the dagger of the ear*657.
Upon its back the dusky leather strap had left the saddle-pommel ’twixt two roads*658.
Its crupper-slope from the skin’s darker part gained that which silver gains from black (opposed)*659.
Its side was full of fat, its neck, of blood*660, in hue this like cornelian, that like pearl.
The blood within its neck had drawn a hide like marvel of Peru upon its frame*661.
Haunches in close companionship with tail; a neck displaying boldness with its hoofs*662.
Bahrām dashed forward when he saw the “gūr”: after the “gūr” went (swiftly) Bahrām Gūr.
The onager, young, swift of foot, in truth; the hunter swift as lion in pursuit.
From day’s beginning till the (sun’s) decline the wild ass ran, the lion at its heels*663.
The king turned not his courser from the “gūr”—how from the “gūr” can reins (indeed) be turned*664?
The “gūr” before, the “gūrkhān”*665 on its tracks: the “gūr” and Bahrām Gūr, and naught besides*666.
Until it reached a cave far from the plain*667, by which the foot of man had never passed.
When near upon (his) prey, the hunter saw a dragon lying at the cavern’s mouth.
A pitchy mountain full of twists and turns—the mountain naught before that mountain-mass*668.
A fire, in blackness issuing, like smoke which through a chimney raises up its head*669.
Or like a tree devoid of fruit and leaves; hell’s keeper, and a go-between of death.
A cavern’s mouth its mouth, (and) in the world with naught but havoc was it occupied.
Sated with the wild ass’s foal just ate, ’twas in bold mood to overthrow (its) prey.
When the prince saw the affliction on his road, a dragon*670 he became on seeing one.
Grief for the “gūr” annulled his joy in “gūrs”; with hand on hip he firmly stood his ground.
He wondered what wild animal it was, in fighting it what plan (he) should (adopt).
The afflicted onager, he had no doubt, had suffered from the dragon grievous wrong;
And knowing he was just had summoned him to do it justice on the cruel (beast).
He said, To call it dragon and not ant,—such fault would shame me with the onager.
’Tis mine to act with justice, give redress*671; for life I have no fear, let be what may!
From his two-headed shafts of poplar white he sought an arrow of the broadest make*672.
He put it to the white-bark=covered bow*673, and for the swarthy dragon lay in wait.
Whilst with wide-opened eyes the dragon (stood), the shaft, two-headed, left the prince’s hand.
Its heads were planted on the (dragon’s) eyes, and stopped their (power to) look upon the world.
The two heads of the arrow of the prince, sharp-pointed, pierced the swarthy dragon’s eyes.
When to such straits the dragon was reduced*674, the prince approached it like a crocodile.
He boldly drove a javelin*675 at its throat, as lion’s claws are into wild ass (driven).
The javelin, six-sided, eight fists long*676, the throat and palate of the dragon tore.
A mighty clamour from the dragon rose; like tree or column on its head it crashed*677.
That awfulness and writhing scared him not—how should the cloud e’er fear the mountain’s height*678?
Ahriman’s*679 head he cut off with his sword—’Tis best one’s foe should lose his head, be killed—
He split it open (then) from mouth to tail, (and) in its stomach saw the ass’s foal.
He (then) was sure the vengeful onager had summoned him for vengeance (on its foe).
He bent his back (in thanks) to God that he had killed the dragon, not the dragon him.
When he desired to mount his steed and ride back to the plain where onagers were chased,—
Seeing the prince was going, the wild ass*680 came from afar and crept into the cave.
The prince again, to take the onager, found his way through the cavern’s narrow mouth.
When he got in with toil and pain, he found a treasure, and grew, as a treasure, bright.
Many large, splendid jars had (there) been placed, which fairy-like their faces veiled from man.
When it had brought the “gūrkhān” to the jars, leaving no trace, the “gūr” (then) left the vault*681.
Since to the treasure-lock he’d found a key, and cut the dragon from the treasure-house,
He came out through the cavern’s narrow mouth, and sought the road, and to the road a guide.
After a little while the royal guards came up in troops upon the prince’s tracks.
When one and all of them had joined the prince, they (all) drew up in (serried) ranks around.
The prince commanded that the servants (there)—(all) those who were both bold and also strong—
Should get into the treasure-house, the cave; should bear the treasure out and load it up.
Three hundred camels, (all) young Bactrians, (then) moved off loaded with the lawful hoards*682.—
When the prince rates an onager as self*683; and makes a dragon captive to an ant*684,
It follows that at last as his reward they give him safety and a treasure too.—
Then at the castle of Khavarnaq back, drinking and festive, he disposed the hoards.
Ten camel-loads he sent off on the road, a present to his majesty the king*685.
Ten did he give to Munẕir and his son, with certain other rare and precious things.
The rest he spent with fearless unconcern, free from examiners*686 and auditor.
So such a treasure as he’d brought to light*687, he dearly got, (and) cheaply did dispose*688.
(Then) Munẕir ordered, Let a painter come and once more paint a picture (as before).
The painter came, and took his brush and limned the picture of the dragon and the prince*689.
(And) whatsoe’er Bahrām did of this kind was in Khavarnaq by the painter limned.