The warfare of Gúdarz and of Pírán
Being ended, the victorious Sháh prepared
For war again, and chiefs with countless troops
Flocked from all sides; the sound of clarions
Arose. They pitched the camp upon the plain,
And set upon an elephant a throne
Of turquoise, and the world's face grew like Nile.
The Sháh sat throned and crowned, from plain and court
Shouts rose, no room was left to move on waste
Or sleep in city. When the noble Sháh,
Thus seated, dropped the ball within the cup,
And girt his loins, there was tarrying
Throughout the realm save at the great king's gate,
Such was his ordinance for all the kingdom.
Of those whom he had strictly charged, and sent
Out to the marches, with Luhrásp and Rustam,
The strong of hand, who could despoil the deep

Of crocodiles, and with far-famed Ashkash,
The paladin, approven, great, and ardent,
He bade the efficient to return to court.
He oped his treasury to pay the troops,
Spake often of the spirit of his sire,
Chose envoys fluent, shrewd, and well advised,
And sent this letter in the ancient tongue
To all the chiefs and nobles: “Kai Khusrau,
The victor, seated on his elephant,
Hath dropped the ball; the land is like the Nile.
Let there be neither rest nor sleep for you,
But only vengeance on Afrásiyáb.”
When all the men of leading in the realm
Had read the letter of the Sháh a shout
Ascended from the warriors of the world,
The earth began to heave as 'twere the sea,
The chieftains out of all the provinces
Marched court-ward with their troops, and when a host
Had formed war-worthy he inspected it,
And drew it up as on the field of battle.
He chose out thirty thousand cavaliers,
Who drew the sword, among those famous troops
To occupy with him the army's centre,
And bathe their hands in blood in every fight.
He further chose three persons from the host,
Great men and prudent, having forms of brass;
The three were Rustam, that great paladin,
Gúdarz, the ancient, cunning Wolf, and Tús,
The paladin, who wore the golden boots,
And had the custody of Káwa's standard.
On his right hand the Sháh placed Tús, with whom
Were Manúshán and well advised Khúzán—
Both kings in Párs and helmed with helms of gold.
Beyond these were Árash—a Fire in fight—
And king Gúrán—the Lustre of the host—
The one the monarch of the Khúzíans,
And fortunate in battle-time, the other
King of Kirmán, impetuous in strife—
Sabbákh, the wary monarch of Yaman,
Íraj of lion-heart—an Elephant
For bulk—who was the ruler of Kábul,
A worldlord and a man both wise and holy,
Shammákh, who was the native king of Súr,
Girt for the fray, and, greater still, Káran,
The fighting-man, victorious everywhere,
The shatterer of hosts, who ruled Kháwar,
A worldlord, wary, and imperious.
All those that held descent from Kai Kubád—
Great men of understanding and high birth—
The Sháh set on his left with Diláfrúz
To marshal them. The chiefs sprung from Gúdarz,
Who plied the sword by night despite the gloom—
Bízhan, the son of Gív, and brave Ruhhám,
Both reckoned by the Sháh among the great—
Gurgín, Mílád's son, and the troops from Rai,
All marched as bidden by the Sháh. Moreover
The scions of Zarasp, who gave new lustre
To glorious Ázargashasp, kept guard
Behind the Sháh with cloud-transfixing spears.
He gave the right wing into Rustam's charge,
Where all the troops were one in heart and body,
For all those from Zábulistán—the chiefs,
And kin of Zál—he stationed on the right,
Retaining for himself the chief command.
Then for the left wing he selected troops,
Like Sol in Aries, led by Gúdarz,
Son of Kishwád, Hajír, and by Farhád.
The chiefs from Barda' and from Ardabíl,
When ranked before the ruler of the world,
Requested that Gúdarz might be their leader,
And drew up on the left. The monarch bade
To hold the way before the central host
With elephants of war with towers thereon;
The earth was like the Nile. Within the towers
He stationed archers valiant in the fray,
And thousands strong, and round each elephant
Three hundred horse—famed fighting-men—as guards.
The warriors from Baghdád who were with Zanga,
The son of Sháwarán, picked men of Karkh—
He ordered with their arbalists to take
Their place afoot before the elephants,
And had two miles of mountain fronted them
They would have pierced the rocks' hearts with their
arrows;
No one was able to withstand their shots.
Behind the elephants he placed the footmen
With head-transfixing spears nine cubits long.
They held in front their bucklers of Gílán:
The blood seethed in their livers. After these
Came foot in line with breastplate-piercing shafts
And shields, then warrior-horsemen with full quivers.
Out of the army of Kháwar*

the Sháh
Chose thirty thousand warriors and chiefs
Equipped with armour, shields, and Rúman helms,
And made that gallant horseman Faríburz
Their chief in consort with Tukhár, the king
Of Dahistán, who scorned all enemies,
And was by birth of noble Dashma's seed—
A family of puissance in those days.
Nastúh was at the side of Faríburz,
Supported by a crowd of warriors.
The great men and the war-experienced chiefs,
Brought from the desert of the Bedouins,
Were all commanded by Zahír, who used
To pluck gazelles away from lion's claws,

And bidden by Khusrau to join Nastúh,
Thus piling up the left wing of the Sháh.
There was a host from Barbaristán and Rúm,
Whereof the leader hight Kishwaristán.
These, thirty thousand strong in horse and foot,
Set forward likewise to the king's left wing.
There was another host from Khurásán,
Men of ambition and experience;
Their leader and their guardian in the quest
Of fame was Minúchihr, son of Árash.
There was a man of name too of the race
Of Gurúkhán—a king and of the seed
Of Kai Kubád: his name was King Fírúz—
A chief, the lustre both of heart and host.
There was the king of Gharcha too who used
To spring on elephants as lions do.
The Sháh assigned them posts by Minúchihr,
And made the head of all their house their captain.
Moreover from Mount Káf the mighty men—
The offspring of Jamshíd and Farídún—
Advanced in all their pride with spear and mace,
Incensed against the offspring of Zádsham.
Khusrau selected thirty thousand swordsmen—
Men of ambition and of royal seed—
And gave that force to Gív, son of Gúdarz,
In whom the marches joyed. Supporting him,
With troops in single and in double file,
Was Áwa, son of Samkunán; his warriors
Were brave and wary. To the right the Sháh
Dispatched ten thousand sworders—gallant horsemen—
And to the rear of Gív, son of Gúdarz,*

Ten thousand more brave troops. The swordsman
Barta
Marched with his mountaineers amid that throng—
A noble band and gallant combatants—
In Gív's support. The Sháh sent thirty thousand
Picked cavaliers of battle to the left,
All warlike youths commanded by Zawára,

And next selected from among the troops
Ten thousand well equipped, and made their head
Káran the fighting man that he might urge
His steed between the embattled hosts as champion.
To Gustaham, the son of Gazhdaham,
The Sháh said: “Be Káran the fighter's comrade,”
And bade the son of Tús to make the rounds
Throughout the host with trump and kettledrum
To stay from unjust deeds the hand of him
That did not worship God, to see that none
Among the soldiers was in want of food,
And also that no person was oppressed.
He was to ask the Sháh for what was needful,
And be in all the mouthpiece of the host.
The world was full of wains and buffalos
Sent forward with provisions by the king;
His scouts were visible on every side,
He roused the heads of sleepers from their slumbers,
Appointed watchmen's stations on the mountains,
And left behind no stragglers from the army.
To every quarter he sent spies and sought
With diligence to know how matters stood.
Caves, deserts, hills, and plains on every side
Were filled with dust raised by the troops, while rein
Was linked to rein, all necks were craned for fight,
And none was either fearful or distressed;
The Sháh took treasure with him on the march.
On this wise when he had arrayed the host
He sky-ward raised his Kaian diadem,
And friend and foe alike forbore to have
A purpose save the battles of the brave.