At length he called the Sháh's ambassador
And spake to him at large in gracious words:—
“I am the servant of thy lord; in all
That he commandeth me will I obey.
Thus say to him: ‘Exalted as thou art,
Still thy three sons are precious unto thee;
And kings esteem their own sons very precious
When they are such as ornament the throne.
I grant what thou hast said, I too have children
And judge by them; yet if the mighty Sháh
Were to require mine eyes of me, or ask
The kingdom of Yaman and desert-tribes,
It were of lesser moment than for me
To never look upon my children more;
Still if the Sháh wish this I may not walk
Save as he biddeth me, and my three children,
If so he will, shall cease to be my kin;
But when shall I behold those princely sons
Who are the lustre of thy crown and throne?
Let those blithe youths come hither and illume
My gloomy soul; to see them will rejoice
My heart, and I will contemplate their shrewdness;
Then I will give to them my three bright Eyes
According to our customs. Furthermore,
When I perceive that they are upright men,
I will join hand in hand in league with them,
And whensoe'er the Sháh would see his sons
They shall return.’”

Jandal, the sweet-voiced speaker

On hearing kissed the throne with reverence,
Then uttering praises hied him to his lord,

To whom he told what he had said and heard.
The monarch bade his sons attend, he spake
About the mission of Jandal, and said:—
“The monarch of Yaman is king of peoples,
Sarv is a cypress throwing lengthy shadows.
He hath three daughters—pearls as yet unpierced—
Who are his crown, for he hath not a son.
Before all three of them Surúsh would kiss
The ground, I ween, if he might have such brides.
These I demanded of their sire for you
And took such order as becometh us.
Your duty now will be to go to him,
But be discreet in all things small and great.
Be complaisant but guarded therewithal,
Heed what he saith and answer courteously.
If he consulteth you advise him well.
Now hearken to my words and ye shall prosper:
Among the peoples none can equal Sarv,
For he is fluent, ardent, shrewd, and pure.
Allow him not to find you off your guard,
For wise men work with subtilty. The first day
He will assign you chief seats at a feast,
Bring forth three sun-faced maids like garths in spring,
All full of grace, of colour, and perfume,
And seat them on the throne, these Cypresses
In height and in appearance so alike
That none could tell their order as to age.
Now of these three the youngest will walk first,
The eldest last, the other in the midst.
The king will place the youngest maid beside
The eldest youth, beside the youngest prince
The eldest maid, and pair the mid in age.
Know, for 'tis worth your while, that he will ask:—
‘How range ye in respect of age these damsels?’
Reply: ‘The youngest hath the highest place,
The eldest hath a place below her rank,
The mid in age is placed as she should be,
And thou hast failed in this attempt of thine.’”
The pure and high-born three paid all regard
To what their father said, and left his presence
Fulfilled with wisdom and with artifice.
How should the sons by such a father taught
Be ill advised or indiscreet in aught?