The great Sháh wrote a letter to the lord
Of all the West and to the king of Chín,
Wherein he offered first his praise to God
Who is and will be to eternity,
And then went on: “This letter of good counsel
Is for two Suns at their meridian,
Two men of weight and courage, kings of earth,
One monarch of the West, the other of Chín,
From him who hath surveyed the world throughout,
To whom mysterious things have been disclosed,
Who brandisheth the sword and massive mace,
Who addeth lustre unto famous crowns,
Who turneth into night the light of day,
Who openeth the hoards of hope and fear,

To whom all labours have grown easy, one
In whom all splendour hath displayed itself.
I do not ask of you your diadems,
Your hoarded treasures, thrones, or palaces:
My wish is, after all my weary toils,
That my three sons should dwell in peace and love.
The brother as to whom your hearts are sore
(Though none hath felt a chilling breath from him)
Doth come in haste because of your chagrin,
And of his eagerness to see you both.
He hath resigned his kingship for your sakes—
An action worthy of the noblest men—
And taking to the saddle from the throne
Hath girt his loins that he may do you service.
Now since he is the youngest of the three
He hath a right to love and tenderness.
Hold him in honour, and repent yourselves;
As I have fed his body feed his soul,
And after he hath been with you awhile
Send my beloved one back to me.”

They sealed

The letter with the signet of the Sháh.
Íraj set forth with such attendants only,
Both young and old, as were imperative;
And Salm and Túr, when he was drawing nigh,
Unwitting of their dark design, led forth
The troops to meet him as their custom was.
When they beheld their brother's face of love
They showed to him an altered countenance,
And bent on quarrel gave the peaceful one
A greeting but not such as he desired.
Two hearts were full of vengeance, one was calm:
Thus all three brothers sought their royal tents.
The troops saw, as they looked upon Íraj,
That he was worthy of the throne and crown,
And could not res because the love of him
Possessed their hearts e'en as his face their eyes;
And when, dispersing, mate went off with mate,
Their talk in private was about Íraj:—

“This is the one to be the king of kings!
May none beside him have the crown of might.”
Salm from apart was spying on the troops,
Their doings made him heavy, and he sought
His royal tent with a revengeful heart,
With liver full of blood, and frowning brows.
He had the enclosure cleared while he and Túr
Sat with their counsellors, and talked at large
Of kingship, crown, and all the provinces;
And in the midst thereof Salm said to Túr:
“Why have the soldiers scattered into groups?
Didst thou not mark how, when we were returning,
The soldiers as they passed along the road
Could not refrain from looking at Íraj?
Our troops when they came back were altered men.
He turned my heart to gloom, thoughts thronged, I saw
That henceforth they would wish no Sháh but him.
Unless thou shalt uproot him thou wilt fall
From thine exalted throne beneath his feet.”
In such a mind they closed the interview
And spent the night devising what to do.