A servant of the Sháh's, one hight Nastúh,
A wise, successful, and observant man,
Spake thus: “O Sháh! be happy. May the hand
Of ill be ever far from thee! My sire,
The wise Mihrán Sitád, hath still his wits,
Though old, and sitteth with the Zandavasta
In his retirement, having naught to hope for
Through age and weakness. Now but recently
I went and spent a day and night with him,
Told him about king Sáwa, his vast host,
And elephants of war. My father said:—
‘The ancient prophecy is then fulfilled!’
I questioned him: ‘To what referrest thou?’
He answered: ‘If the Sháh shall ask of me
I will reveal it.’”

Then the king of kings

Commanded that a noble should set forth
In haste and fetch the old man from his palace
Upon a litter. When that ancient came,
His heart all knowledge and his head all lore,
Before the Sháh, Hurmuzd inquired of him:—
“What know'st thou of the past?”

“O fluent Sháh,

And heedful,” said the elder, “when the Khán
Dispatched thy mother to Írán from Chín
I was the chief of eight score warriors
That went to ask of him her hand in marriage.
Thy father, that most upright king of kings,
Demanded no slave's daughter of the Khán,
But said: ‘Require a daughter of the queen;
No slave must be the consort of the Sháh.’

I went before the Khán and did obeisance.
He had five daughters in his women's bower,
All goodly, fit to deck the thrones of monarchs,
In gait like pheasants and in looks like Spring,
And all fulfilled with colour, scent, and beauty.
The monarch sent me to their bower. I entered
That famed court. They had decked the daughters' faces,
And twined their locks with roses, save thy mother
Who wore no coronet, no necklace, bracelet,
Or other ornament but sat there mute
With hanging head and shyly hid her face
Behind her sleeves; but she alone of all
Was daughter of the queen; none of the rest
Possessed such elegance, such bloom, and charm
Because the queen was daughter of Faghfúr,
And naturally indisposed to ill.
She sorrowed that her child should dwell afar,
And that pure daughter quit the monarch's palace.
Among those daughters her it was I chose;
I heeded not the others. Said the Khán:—
‘Select another; all the five are fair
And worshipful,’ and this was my response:—
‘My choice is made; to choose again were fatal.’
Then summoned he his priests and made them kneel
Before the royal throne and asked concerning
His daughter's future. Those astrologers
Replied: ‘Thou shalt see naught but good and hear
Naught but the truth. From her and from the Sháh
A prince like some fierce lion will be born,
Of lofty stature and with lusty limbs,
Brave as a lion, bounteous as a cloud,
Black-eyed, impetuous, and choleric,
Who, on his father's death, will be the king.
He will enjoy much treasure from his sire,
And in his latter days refrain from evil.
Thereafter will a mighty king arise,
Lead forth a valiant host of Turks and seek
With that array to occupy Írán
And country of Yaman throughout. The Sháh
Will be in dudgeon at him and will fear
His high, victorious fortune, but will have
Far off a subject, an exalted horseman
And loyal liege, tall and adust of body,
Upon his head crisp locks as black as musk,
Big both of bone and nose and swart of skin—
A warrior brave and strong, nicknamed Chúbína,
* And sprung from paladins. This strenuous man
Will come with some few soldiers to the Sháh,
Soon overthrow this Turk and wreck his host.’
Ne'er saw I one more glad than was the Khán
On hearing this. He gave the Crown of all
His daughters unto Núshírwán while I
Received her on the Sháh's behalf. This done
I hied me home, the Khán producing for us
Such wealth of jewels from his treasury
That we were put to it to carry them.
He came with me as far as the Jíhún,
Embarked his daughter and with doleful heart
Turned back, at one with sorrow for his child.
Now have I told my tale here in thy presence,
O king of men! Seek for the man himself
Within thy realm and bid thy couriers haste
Because thy triumph lieth in his hands,
But tell not friend or foe.”

E'en with the words

He yielded up the ghost, and all the folk
Bewailed him bitterly. The king of kings
Was all astound and poured down tears of blood.
“Mihrán Sitád,” he told the Íránians,
“Retained this story in his memory,
And after having told it to us died,
Committing his accepted soul to God,
And God be thanked that this old man hath uttered
Words of such import. Had I fetched him hither
But one hour later he had died and I
Had seen much grief. Our realm must now be searched
For this man whether he be lord or liege.
Seek indefatigably for this one
Until ye find him.”

An illustrious subject,

The master of the horse, named Zád Farrukh,
Who sought in all the pleasure of the Sháh,
Went to him and thus spake: “The indications
Detailed by that famed man before the lords
Can only, otherwise we clutch but wind,
Apply, methinketh, to Bahrám Chúbína,
Son of Gashasp, a noble, well skilled horseman
To whom thou gavest Ardabíl and Barda'
Where he became marchlord with drums and troops.”
The Sháh dispatched a speedy cameleer
To bid Bahrám Chúbína dally not
Upon the way but come from Ardabíl
To court alone without the drums and host.
* The messenger the joyful news conveyed,
And told him what Mihrán Sitád had said.