Shangul said to Bahrám: “O man approved!
All enterprises prosper in thy hands.
A wood near by my city troubleth me.
There is a wolf there like a crocodile,
And rendeth lions' hearts and leopards' hides.

Let it be thine to go against this wolf,
And pierce its hide all over with thine arrows.
The world may find rest then and by thy Grace,
Victorious one! Thenceforth in mine esteem,
And that of all this noble company,
Thy station shall be such that evermore
The folk of Hind and Chín all shall acclaim thee.”
Bahrám, the honest, said: “I need a guide;
Then by God's strength, when I behold the beast,
Thou shalt perceive its garment*

soaked in blood.”
Shangul provided him a guide that knew
The creature's lair and haunt, and then Bahrám
Went with his trusty guide toward the wood
Of that blood-shedding wolf. Much spake the guide
About its lair, its height and breadth and bulk,
Showed where it was and went back while Bahrám
Approached apace. Iránians thronged behind him
With loins girt for the fray, but when they saw
Afar so vast a wood, the monster's bulk,
And lair that it had made, all said: “O Sháh!
Adventure not; thou wilt surpass the bounds
Of hardihood because, however brave
Thou art in fight, none hath fought rocks and moun-tains.
Say to Shangul: ‘This may not be. I have
No sanction for this combat from the Sháh.
I fight when I am bidden so that he,
On hearing of it, may advance my rank.’”
Bahrám replied: “If holy God hath given
My dust to Hindústán how can I die
Elsewhere? That is beyond me.”

That brave youth

Strung up his bow, and thou hadst said: “He holdeth
His own life cheap!”

He sped toward the wolf

With head all rage and heart resigned to death.
He grasped his royal bow and, having drawn
Some poplar arrows from his quiver, poured
His shafts like hail till by that token anguish
O'ercame the wolf. On seeing the beast's end nigh,
Bahrám, exchanging bow for sword, smote off
Its head, exclaiming: “In the name of God,
Who hath not mate or peer and gave to me
Such Grace and might! By His command the sun
Is bright in heaven.”

He bade bring wain and oxen

To carry that wolf's carcase from the wood.
They bore it. When Shangul saw it afar
He had his banquet-hall decked with brocade,
And when the mighty king sat on his throne
He set Bahrám upon the seat of honour

While all the chiefs of Hind, and cavaliers
Of Chín, applauded him. The lords all came
With offerings and spake thus to Bahrám:—
“None ever did a deed to equal thine;
Its brilliancy is more than eyes can bear.”
As for Shangul he was both glad and grieved,
Appearing cheerful and depressed, by turns.
There was a dragon, an amphibious beast,
Which haunted streams and sunned itself ashore;
It, with its breath, could suck huge elephants
Down,*

and raise waves upon the dark blue sea.
Shangul spake thus to his companions,
His clever confidants: “By turns this envoy,
This lion-man, doth please and trouble me.
If he remained he would be my support,
The ruler of Kannúj and of my realm,
But if he goeth from me to Írán
Bahrám will devastate Kannúj; with such
A servitor to such a lord this land
Will lose both hue and odour. All the night
Have I been musing o'er his case and framing
A fresh device—to send him to that dragon,
Which surely he will 'scape not. Then shall I
Be censured not on his account if he
Will fight with dragons.”

So he called Bahrám,

Told stories of the mighty men, and said:—
“God, Author of the soul, hath led thee hither
Out of the country of Írán to purge
The ills of Hindústán as is the way
Of men of name. A matter fraught with pain
And travail is confronting us, of travail
At first but treasure in the end. If thou
Accomplish this depart on thy return
With my good wishes home.”

The Sháh replied:—

“I may not leave the way of thy behests,
But will perform thy bidding faithfully
Unless the heaven itself shall turn awry.”