Zahhák had “Farídún” upon his lips

Both day and night, his lofty stature bent
Beneath the terrors of his heart until
One day, when sitting on the ivory throne
And wearing on his head the turquoise crown,
He called the notables from every province
To firm the bases of his sovereignty,
And said to them: “Good, wise, illustrious men!
I have, as sages wot, an enemy
Concealed, and I through fear of ill to come
Despise not such though weak. I therefore need
A larger host—men, dívs, and fairies too—
And ask your aid, for rumours trouble me;
So sign me now a scroll to this effect:—
‘Our monarch soweth naught but seeds of good,
He ever speaketh truth and wrongeth none.’”
Those upright men both young and old subscribed
Their names upon the Dragon's document,
Against their wills, because they feared the Sháh.
Just then was heard outside the palace-gate
The voice of one that clamoured for redress.
They called him in before the Sháh and set him
Among the paladins. Zahhák in dudgeon
Said: “Tell us who hath wronged thee.”

Then the man

Smote on his head before the Sháh and cried:—
“O Sháh! my name is Káwa and I sue
For justice. Do me right. I come in haste
Accusing thee in bitterness of soul;

An act of justice will enhance thy greatness.
I have had many an outrage at thy hands,
For thou hast stabbed my heart unceasingly,
And if the outrages had not thy sanction
Why hath my son been taken? I had once
In this world eighteen sons: but one is left!
Have mercy! Look on me this once! My liver
Is ever burning! What is mine offence,
O Sháh? Oh, say! If I have not offended
Seek not occasion 'gainst the innocent,
Regard my plight and save thyself from woe.
My back is bent with length of years, despair
Hath seized my heart, my head is all distraught,
My youth is gone, my children are no more,
And children are the nearest kin on earth.
Oppression hath a middle and an end,
And pretext ever. Tell me what is thine
For wronging me and ruining my life.
A smith am I, an inoffensive man,
Upon whose head the Sháh is pouring fire,
And thou art he, and, though of dragon-form,
Must still do justice in this cause of mine.
Since thou dost rule the seven provinces
Why should the toil and hardship all be ours?
We have accounts to settle—thou and I—
And all will be aghast if they shall show
That this my son hath perished in his turn
With all the rest to feed those snakes of thine.”
The monarch listened and was sore amazed.
They set the young man free and strove to win
The father by fair words, but when Zahhák
Bade him subscribe the scroll he read it through
And shouted to the ancients of the realm:—
“Confederates of the Dív with impious hearts!
Ye set your faces hellward and have yielded
To that man's bidding. I will not subscribe,
Or ever give the Sháh another thought.”
He shouted, rose in fury, rent the scroll
And trampled it; then with his noble son
In front of him went raving to the street.
But all the courtiers blessed the Sháh and said:—
“Illustrious king of earth! may no cold blast
From heaven pass o'er thee on the day of battle.
Why was this insolent Káwa countenanced
As though a friend of thine? He tore the scroll,
Refusing to obey thee, and is gone
Bent on revenge and leagued, as thou wouldst say,
With Farídún! A viler deed than this
We never saw and marvel such should be.”
He answered quickly: “I will tell you wonders.
When Káwa entered and I heard his cries,
A mount of iron seemed to rise betwixt us;
And when he beat his head a strange sensation
Convulsed me. How 'twill end I cannot tell;
The secrets of the sky are known to none.”
When Káwa left the presence of the Sháh,
A crowd assembled in the market-place.
And still he shouted, crying out for aid
And urging all to stand upon their rights.
He took a leathern apron, such as smiths
Wear to protect their legs while at the forge,
Stuck it upon a spear's point and forthwith
Throughout the market dust began to rise.
He passed along with spear in hand exclaiming:—
“Ye men of name! Ye worshippers of God!
Whoe'er would 'scape the fetters of Zahhák
Let him resort with me to Farídún
And shadow in his Grace. Come ye to him;
The ruler here is Áhriman—God's foe.”
So that poor leather, worthless as it was,
Discriminated friends and enemies.
He took the lead, and many valiant men
Resorted to him; he rebelled and went
To Farídún. When he arrived shouts rose.
He entered the new prince's court, who marked
The apron on the spear and hailed the omen.
He decked the apron with brocade of Rúm
Of jewelled patterns on a golden ground,
Placed on the spearpoint a full moon—a token
Portending gloriously—and having draped it
With yellow, red, and violet, he named it
The Káwian flag. Thenceforth when any Sháh
Acceded to the throne, and donned the crown,
He hung the worthless apron of the smith
With still more jewels, sumptuous brocade,
And painted silk of Chín. It thus fell out
That Káwa's standard grew to be a sun
Amid the gloom of night, and cheered all hearts.
Time passed and still the world maintained its secret.
When Farídún saw matters thus, and all men
Submiss to vile Zahhák, he came to Farának
With girded loins, crowned with a royal casque,
And said: “I go to battle, but do thou
Devote thyself to prayer. The Maker ruleth.
In weal and woe alike clasp hands to Him.”
With tears and bleeding heart she cried: “O God!
My trust hath been in Thee. Turn from my son
The onslaughts of the wicked on his life,
And rid the world of these infatuates.”
Then Farídún gat ready with despatch
And secrecy. He had two brothers, both
Of noble birth and older than himself,
Hight Kaiánúsh and prosperous Purmáya.
He said to them: “Live, gallant hearts! in joy.
Revolving heaven bringeth naught but good;
The crown of power is coming back to us.
Provide me cunning smiths and let them make me
A massive mace.”

They sought the smiths' bázár

In haste, whence all the aspiring craftsmen went
To Farídún, who taking compasses
Showed to the smiths the pattern, tracing it
Upon the ground. It had a buffalo's head.
They took the work in hand, and having wrought
A massive mace they bore it to the hero.
It shone as brightly as the noonday sun,
And Farídún, approving of the work,
Bestowed upon the makers raiment, gold,
And silver, holding out to them beside
Bright hopes and promise of advancement, saying:—
“If I shall lay the Dragon in the dust
I will not leave the dust upon your heads,
But justify the entire world, since I
Have Him in mind who judgeth righteously.”