One of Asfandiyár's exalted sons,
Whom he named Núsh Ázar, was on the ramparts
To see who came forth from the Íránian host,
And advertise his sire. At sight of any
He used to hurry from the walls forthwith.
When he perceived Jámásp upon his way,
And on his head a fair Túránian helm,
He said: “A horseman from Túrán hath come:
I will descend and tell Asfandiyár.”
He hastened downward from the castle-rampart,
And spake on this wise: “Noble paladin!
I see a horseman coming in the distance,
And on his head there is a sable helm.
I will go see if he is from Gushtásp,
Or from Arjásp, a foe. If he shall prove
A Turkman then will I cut off his head,
And fling his feckless body in the dust.”
Said great Asfandiyár: “The traveller,
Since he is unattended, is but lowly.
In sooth he is a warrior from Írán,
And cometh unto us with some dispatch;
My sire hath put that helmet on his head
In apprehension of our valiant foes.”
When Núsh Ázar, the paladin, had heard
He went in haste upon the castle-rampart;

He recognised Jámásp when close at hand,
Descended, and informed his glorious sire:—
“Jámásp is at the gate.”

He had it opened,

The sage came in, did reverence and, coming
Before Asfandiyár, repeated to him
The message of Gushtásp, his sire, in full.
Asfandiyár replied: “O Memory
Of this world's heroes, wise, courageous,
And of exalted rank! why bow to one
In chains, for one in irons, hand and foot,
Is not of man's seed, but an Áhriman?
Thou givest me greeting from the king of kings,
So that thy heart is not informed by knowledge,
Since it is for Arjásp to greet me now,
Because the plain is all Íránians' blood.
They bound me innocent. Gurazm forsooth
Must be the Sháh's son, I be fettered thus!
Mine irons are my witnesses to God
That I have had injustice from Gushtásp,
And that Gurazm's words pleased Áhriman.
Such was the recompense of all my toil,
While for my treasury 'tis stocked with irons.
Oh! may I ne'er forget this injury,
And stultify my wisdom through thy talk.”
Jámásp replied: “O speaker of the truth,
World-taker, lion-thrower, bent on fame!
If thou art thus heart-wearied of thy sire
His throne is overturned; yet for the sake
Of pious Sháh Luhrásp, slain by the Turkmans
In battle, and of those God-fearing priests,
Who had the Zandavasta in their hands,
Of whom four score were slaughtered—archimages
And sages pure of heart, quenched in whose blood
The sacred Fire hath died within the fane—
Such ill deeds cannot be accounted lightly.

Possess thy heart with sorrow for thy grandsire,
Rise in thy wrath and let thy cheeks be pale,
For if thou art not stirred up to avenge him
Thou art not worshipful and well advised.”
Asfandiyár made answer to him thus:—
“O famed, high-starred, heroic, and prevailing!
Reflect that for the old Luhrásp—that man
Of piety, the father of Gushtásp—
The son that sought erewhile his father's throne,
And his prerogative, will best seek vengeance.”
Jámásp replied: “If thou wilt not avenge
Thy grandsire thou art void of principle.
The wise Humái and Bih Áfríd, whose faces
No breath of air had seen, are in Túrán
As prisoners, all misery and anguish,
And foot it wan of mien.”

Asfandiyár

Thus answered: “Did Humái at any time
Remember me in my confinement here?
And, further, as for noble Bih Áfríd,
She never looked on me, as thou mightst say!
Why now should I distress myself for them?
No one from them hath ever come to me.
A father well may see to his own daughters,
A sire the better undertake for them.”
Jámásp replied to him: “O paladin!
Thy sire, the world-lord, with his soul all gloom,
Is now upon a mountain with his chiefs,
With tearful eyes and unfed lips; the Turkmans
Beleaguer him; henceforth thou wilt not see
His head and crown. The Maker will condemn
Thy disregard of love and Faith. Thy brethren,

For thou hadst eight and thirty—Mountain-pards,
And Lions of the plain—all couch in dust
And brick, because the foe let none escape.”
Asfandiyár rejoined: “I used to have
Full many a noble brother, and while I
Lay bound they all made merry! No one thought
Of wretched me! If I take action now
What profit, seeing that the foe hath raised
The reek from them?”

Jámásp, on hearing this,

And noting how the captive's heart was seared,
Rose to his feet in sorrow and in anger,
With anxious heart and eyes fulfilled with tears,
And said to him: “O chief of paladins!
Although thy heart and mind are darkened thus,
What sayest thou of the case of Farshídward,
Who went so heavily on thine account?
Where'er he was, at fray or festival,
He was all pain and curses on Gurazm;
His body hath been slashed with scimitars,
Helm and cuirass are cloven, and his soul
Is breaking with his love for thee! Oh! pity
His weeping eyes.”

When Farshídward was named

Asfandiyár wept blood, his heart was grieved,
He cried: “O wretched, valiant warrior!
O lion-hearted hero, chieftain, prince!
I have been wounded by those wounds of thine,
And I have bathed my cheeks in my heart's blood.”
When he became composed he asked Jámásp:—
“What was thy purpose in concealing this?
Give orders that some blacksmiths shall be brought,
And let them file the fetters from my feet.”
Jámásp fetched blacksmiths, and they brought with
them
Their heavy hammers and their files of steel.
They filed the rings, the rivets, and the chains,
And all the bridge-like fetters made in Rúm.
The bonds took long to file; the captive's heart,
Remiss no longer, grew impatient.
He said thus to a smith: “Thou awkward lout!
Thou bindest but thou canst not break the bonds!”
He drew his hands away, arose in dudgeon,
And, stretching out the chains to their full length,
Strained with his feet and struggled with his hands,
And brake in pieces fetter, ring, and chain.
The breaking of his bonds exhausted him,
The anguish overcame him and he swooned.
That reader of the stars who saw the marvel
Was full of praises of the noble prince.
Whenas the lusty hero had regained
His wits he ranged the bonds and chains before him,
And said: “These presents given by Gurazm
Have severed me from fight and festival.”

With aching body galled and stiff with bondage
He went off to the bath. He then demanded
The raiment of a king and therewithal
The armour of a paladin, and bade:—
“Bring my fleet charger, helm, and scimitar.”
Now when his eye fell on his steed he called
Upon the Giver of all good, and said:—
“If I did wrong I have been vexed with bonds,
But what hath this my prancing Barbary
Done to be starved? Go groom and feed him up.”
He sent for smiths, the prowest in their trade,
Who came, repaired his arms, and hauberks made.