Tús and Gúdarz son of Kishwád met Rustam
One day's march from the court. Both he and they
Alighted and saluted heartily.
They reached the court all loyalty and mirth,
But, when they did obeisance, Kai Káús

Made no response but frowned on them in anger,
And bare him like a lion of the wood,
First stormed at Gív, then wholly lost to shame
Proceeded: “Who is Rustam that he thus
Should disobey me and break fealty?
Had I a sword I would smite off his head
As 'twere an orange. Seize him! Gibbet him
Alive, and name him not to me again.”
Gív's heart was pained; he cried: “Wilt thou lay
hand
On Rustam thus?”

But upon this the Sháh

Raged at them both, so that all present marvelled.
He bade Tús: “Go and hang them both alive,”
Arose himself, and flamed like fire from reeds,
While Tús drew near and seized the hand of Rustam,
To all the warriors' wonder, purposing
To lead him forth and to beguile his wrath;
But Rustam furious with Káús replied:—
“Indulge not such a fire within thy breast.
Thy deeds grow worse and worse! Thou art not fit
For sovereignty. Hang for thyself you Turkman
Alive, then rage and scorn thine enemies.
Mázandarán, Sagsár, Hámávarán,
Rúm, Misr, and Chín are all my charger's thralls,
My sword and arrows have transfixed their livers.

Thou livest but through me. Why waste thy heart
In vengeance?”

In his wrath he struck the hand

Of Tús, thou wouldst have said: “An elephant
Hath struck him!” Tús fell headlong to the ground
While Rustam passed him by with angry mien,
Went out, and mounted Rakhsh in wrath, exclaiming:—
“I conquer lions and distribute crowns,
And who is Sháh Káús when I am angry,
Or Tús that he should lay a hand on me?
My might and my successes are from God,
Not from the Sháh or host. Earth is my slave
And Rakhsh my throne, a mace my signet-ring,
A helm my crown; my mates are sparth and spearhead,
My two arms and my heart my Sháh. I lighten
Night with my sword and scatter heads in battle.
Why doth he vex me? I am not his slave
But God's. The warriors called me to be Sháh,
But I refused the throne of sovereignty
And looked to custom, law, and precedent.
Do I deserve thy words? Art thou my patron?
Mine was the throne. I set Kubád thereon.
What care I for Káús, his wrath and bluster?
If I had not fetched Kai Kubád myself,
When he had fallen into low estate,
And brought him to Írán from Mount Alburz,
Thou hadst not belt or vengeful scimitar,
Or might and majesty entitling thee
To speak a word to Zál the son of Sám.”

He told the Íránians: “Valorous Suhráb
Will come and leave not either great or small;
So make shift, all of you! to save your lives,
And let discretion be your remedy.
Ye will not see me more within Írán:
The land is yours and mine the vulture's wing.”
He smote his steed and left them while his skin
Split, thou hadst said, with rage. The nobles' hearts
Were troubled; they were sheep, he was their shepherd.
“Here,” said they to Gúdarz, “is work for thee;
Thine is the hand to make the broken whole;
Thy words no doubt will influence the Sháh.
Go then to this insensate, speak to him,
Ply him with patient and persuasive speech:
Perchance thou mayst restore our fallen fortune.”
Then all those warrior-nobles sat in conclave—
Gív and Gúdarz and lion-like Bahrám,
Ruhhám and brave Gurgín. They said: “The Sháh
Regardeth not the feelings of the great.
Since Rustam, who is chief of paladins,
First saved Káús none else hath succoured him
In all his straits and dangers. When the dívs
Bound in Mázandarán the Sháh and us
What toil and hardship Rustam underwent
On his account, and rent the fierce dívs' reins,
Then set the Sháh upon the throne and summoned
The mighty men to do him reverence!
Another time too when our sovereign's feet
Wore heavy fetters in Hámávarán
What monarchs Rustam slaughtered for his sake
And never turned away but brought Káús
Home to his throne, and did obeisance to him!
If Rustam's recompense must be to hang
Then we must flee just when at such a crisis
We should take action.”

Thereupon Gúdarz

Made haste to go before the Sháh and said
Thus: “What hath Rustam done that thou shouldst
send
The dust up from Írán to-day? Art thou
Forgetful of Hámávarán, forgetful
Of what the dívs did in Mázandarán,
That thou sayst: ‘Put him living on the gibbet?’
Vain words become not Sháhs. When he hath gone,
And that great host and wolf-like paladin
Have come, whom hast thou left to take the field
And strew the dark dust o'er him? Gazhdaham
By sight or hearsay knoweth all thy warriors,
Yet saith: ‘Ne'er let a cavalier propose
To fight Suhráb. Small wisdom 'twere for any,
Though brave as Rustam, to encounter him.’
Kings should be wise, for haste and wrath avail not.”
The Sháh, perceiving that Gúdarz spake justly,
Repented of his folly and replied:—
“Thy rede is right; the old give best advice.

Now go to Rustam, treat him courteously,
Induce him to forget my hastiness,
Assure him that my favour is restored,
And bring him hither to illume my soul.”
Gúdarz went after Rustam with all speed,
Attended by the leaders of the host.
They gathered round him and saluted saying:—
“Live happy evermore, be all the world
Beneath thy feet, and mayst thou sit for ever
Upon the throne. Thou knowest that Káús
Is brainless and no picker of his words
When angered, but regretteth them anon,
And groweth reconciled through sheer good nature.
If Rustam be aggrieved against the Sháh
The Íránians have done naught to drive him hence
And hide his glorious face. The Sháh moreover
Is sorry for those words of his and gnaweth
His hand's back in chagrin.”

The hero said:—

“I need not anything of Kai Káús.
A saddle is my throne, a casque my crown,
My mail my raiment and my purpose death.
What is Káús to me? A pinch of dust.
Why should I fear or tremble at his wrath?
Do I deserve such unbecoming words
From one that I released from bonds and led
To crown and throne? Once in Mázandarán
I fought against the dívs, and once I fought
The monarch of Hámávarán and freed
Káús in his foe's grip from bonds and woe.

Now I have had enough; my heart is full;
I fear but holy God.”

As soon as Rustam

Had had his fill of speech Gúdarz rejoined:—
“The Sháh and famous warriors suspect
That thou art frightened at this Turkman chief.
They say in private: ‘Gazhdaham was right,
Our fields and fells will know us now no more,
For sithens Rustam is afraid of fighting
'Tis not for thee and me to tarry here.’
I noticed that the Sháh's ill will and wrath
Made hue and cry at court, and all men spake
About the brave Suhráb. Eclipse not thou
Thy high fame in the world by this withdrawal,
And further, since a hostile host is near,
Dim not this crown and throne so wantonly,
For we have been insulted by Túrán,
And none whose Faith is pure approveth that.”
The matchless hero all amazed replied:—
“I would not live a coward, I would tear
My soul out first. I flee, as well thou knowest,
Because the monarch scorned me, not from fight.”
He shrank from that reproach, retraced his steps,
And came to Sháh Káús, who seeing him
Arose and thus excused what had occurred:—
“My temper is by nature choleric,
And trees must grow as God hath planted them.
Through this new, unexpected foe my heart
Was faint as a new moon. I sought a cure

And sent for thee. Thy tarrying made me wroth,
But having wronged thee, elephantine chief!
I sorrowed and my mouth was filled with dust.”
Then Rustam answered him: “The world is thine.
We are thy subjects, thine is to command.
I am a liege, if worthy of the name,
Before thy gate to do thy will. Thou art
The Sháh, the lord of earth; I am thy slave.”
Káús replied: “O paladin! be bright
Of mind for evermore. To-day we hold
A banquet and to-morrow think of battle.”
He had a royal pleasure-house made ready;
Its hall was like a garden in the spring.
They called the chiefs and scattered gems for joy.
Half through the night they revelled and their talk
Was of the doings of the mighty men.
They drank till hearts and eyes were dazed with
wine,
And all became bemused, returning home
While tedious night was traversing the dome.