Intelligence came to Faghfúr of Chín:—
“A man of Grace and courage from Írán
Hath reached Shangul as an ambassador,
And verily is of heroic race.

Great exploits have been wrought in Hind and by
The hand too of this valiant lion-man
Through resolution and the might of fortune.
Naught but the crown and throne befitteth him,
And on him hath Shangul bestowed a daughter,
So that his diadem might reach the moon.”
That mighty world-lord wrote to Sháh Bahrám
A letter superscribed: “From him that is
The monarch of the world, the head of nobles,
And crown of chiefs, to that ambassador
Of Persia who with thirty comrades reached
Kannúj,” and then proceeded: “I have had
Accounts of thee, thou famed and glorious man!
About thy wisdom, prudence, and advice,
And how thou standest steadfast everywhere,
So that the wolf and that notorious dragon
Could 'scape not from thy shafts and scimitar.
The lady given to thee is my kin,
Her dust is worth the whole of Hindústán,
And thou hast raised thy head on high by thus
Affining with this mighty potentate,
While in Írán 'twill magnify the Sháh,
Whose crown well may bediadem the moon,
Because his envoy took fit comrades, reached
Kannúj, and clasped a Moon upon his breast.
Now bear the toil, come hither, and abide
Within this land so long as thou mayst wish.
I will illume mine eyes with seeing thee,
And make thy rede the breastplate of my soul.
Thou shalt go hence at will. I will not bid thee:—
‘Abide awhile.’ So with a robe of honour,
And wealth, depart with joy, thou and thy chiefs,
Well furnished. 'Tis no shame for thee to come
To me; I have no quarrel with the Sháh.
On no wise be remiss in coming hither,
And, when thou wouldst depart, then tarry not.”
This letter reached Bahrám Gúr and perturbed him.
He called a scribe, wrote his reply, and planted
A tree within the orchard of revenge.
The letter thus began: “I have received
Thy words. Thou canst have seen no land but Chín,
For thou hast superscribed thy letter thus:—
‘From him that is the monarch of the world,
The most exalted of the glorious chiefs.’
It is not so; new-fangled majesty
Like thine I do not recognise. Bahrám Gúr
Alone is king of kings; we know none other.
No man remembereth any king like him
In courage, knowledge, Grace, and lineage.
Him I acknowledge, as victorious world-lord,
And know him greater than all other kings.
Again, for what thou saidst about my deeds,
And of my toil endured in Hindústán,
That too was all the star of Sháh Bahrám,
Who hath Grace, throne, and fame. Accomplishment
Is the Íránians' own, they hold fierce lions
Of no account. They all are single-hearted,
They worship God, and in their blest estate
They fear no ill. Again, if king Shangul
Bestowed his daughter on me I achieved
That honour by my courage. He is great,
By his own courage driveth wolf from sheep,
And, thinking good to make affinity
With me, bestowed on me his worthy child.
Again, for what thou saidst: ‘Arise and come,
And I will guide thee unto every good,’
The Sháh sent me to Hind, and shall I go
To Chín for painted silk? If I propose
A course like that he will approve it not.
Thou sayest further: ‘I will send thee home
Enriched with treasures.’ God hath set me past
The need of clutching after others' goods.
I praise Bahrám for all his bounty to me,
And offer up thanksgiving to my God
Three watches of the day and of the night.
And fourthly, all the praise that thou hast lavished
Upon me in excess of my deserts,
This I accept from thee, O king of Chín!
And will report it to the Sháh. May God
Give thee so many blessings that the sky
May not distinguish 'twixt their warp and woof.”
Bahrám dispatched this letter to the king
Of Chín when he had sealed it with his ring.