Sikandar led his troops toward Bábil;
The air was hidden by their dust. He marched,
He and his host, a month; they saw no rest-place.
At length they reached a mount whose top was
hidden.
A black cloud rested on it; thou hadst said:—
“'Twas near to Saturn.” They could find no road,
And Sháh and army halted in dismay.
They scaled laboriously the craggy height,
And even light-armed troops were overworn.
When they were all exhausted by the march
A deep sea showed upon the farther side.
The host rejoiced to view sea, plain, and road.
They marched toward that deep sea, and praised the
Maker.
The place was full of beasts; the army lived
On game. Far off a savage showed all hairy,

With mighty ears. His body 'neath its fell
Seemed indigo, his ears like elephant's
In breadth. On seeing such the soldiers seized
And bore him to Sikandar who beheld
Amazed, invoked o'er him the name of God,
And said: “What man art thou? What is thy name?
What get'st thou from the sea? What seekest thou?”
“My father and my mother,” he replied,
“Gave me, O Sháh! this name of Gúsh-bistar.”*

The Sháh asked: “What is that amid the water
Out yonder toward the rising of the sun?”
“O Sháh!” he said, “for ever live renowned.
There is a city there like Paradise,
And not, thou wouldest say, compact of earth.
Thou wilt not look on palace there or house
Whose outside is not made throughout of bones,
And, brighter than the sun, within the halls
Are limned the visage of Afrásiyáb,
And that of Kai Khusrau, the combative,
His greatness, manliness, and enterprises.
All these are painted on the bones of fish;
Thou wilt see nowhere any dust or earth;
The people live on fish and naught besides.*

Myself I will escort the army thither
If the famed Sháh shall bid.”

Sikandar said

To him with ears: “Go to, fetch me a native
That I may look upon a novelty.”
So Gúsh-bistar set forth at once and made
All speed to go to city and to folk,
And gave them Cæsar's message, saying: “The Sháh,
That famed one, calleth for you.”

Of that city,

When young and old and high and low heard this,
There went across the water seventy men,
Possessed of wisdom or advanced in years,
And clad in silks, and some were young, some old.
The old and famed bare each a golden cup
A-brim with pearls, the young bare each a crown.
They came to Cæsar, bowed, and reverenced him;
They held long talk with him and said: “The trea-sures
Of Kai Khusrau are in our custody,
And would befit a new Sháh like thyself.”
Thereat Sikandar hurried o'er the water
Toward their city, viewed it all—its marts,
And streets—and visited the treasure-house.
The hoard was all of crowns and thrones of gold,
With coronets and necklaces and girdles.
None knew its worth for none could reckon it.

The Sháh took all and sped to camp, rejoicing.
He stayed that night, but when cock-crow had come
Rose at his gate the sound of kettledrum.