Now when Dárá had perished in the war,
And all his family had had their day,
He left one son behind—a potent prince,
A wise and valiant man by name Sásán,
Who, when he saw his father slain, and fortune
Averse from the Íránians, fled before
The host of Rúm and 'scaped the net of bale.
He died in wretched plight in Hindústán,
And left a little boy. Thus every sire
Throughout four generations gave his son
The name Sásán. They all were camel-drivers,
Or shepherds, and hard workers all their years.
The youngest of the race came to Pápak,
Beheld his master-shepherd on the plain,
And said: “Hast thou employment for a hireling,
Whose life is being spent in sore distress?”
The master-shepherd took that luckless one,
And worked him day and night. His industry
Found favour, and he rose to be chief shepherd.
Pápak, son of Rúdyáb, one night thus dreamed:—
He saw upon a mighty elephant
Sásán and in his hand a Indian sword,
While all that came to him saluted him,
And did him homage; he addressed them kindly,
And purged their gloomy hearts of grief. Next night,
When sleeping much perturbed, he dreamed about
Fire-worshippers who bore three blazing Fires,
Such as Ázargashasp, Kharrád, and Mihr,*

Bright as Sol, Mars, and Venus; all blazed up
Before Sásán, their fuel aloe-wood.
Pápak awoke, his soul and heart possessed
By care. Those skilled in dreams and in that lore
Puissant, magnates, sages, counsellors,
Assembled in the palace of Pápak,
And as he set forth what had chanced, and told
His dreams to them at large, the adviser mused,
The interpreter gave ear, and in the end
Said: “O exalted king! this must be scanned,

For one whom thou beheldest thus in sleep
Will raise his head above the sun as Sháh,
Or, if the dream be not of him, his son
Will have the world.”

Pápak rejoiced on hearing,

Rewarded each according to his rank,
Then bade his master-shepherd to forsake
The flock and come. It was a winter's day.
Wrapped in his cloak, its wool was thick with snow,
His heart with fears, he came in haste. Pápak
Dismissed all strangers, slave and counsellor
Went, and he graciously received Sásán,
Assigning him a seat beside his lord,
And asked him of his quality and birth.
The herd, through terror of him, answered not,
But said at last: “O prince! if thou wilt give
A promise to respect thy shepherd's life
I will inform thee of my quality
When thou shalt grasp my hand and pledge thyself
To harm me not in public or in private.”
Pápak, on hearing this, loosed his own tongue,
Invoked the Giver of all good, and said:—
“I will not harm but make thee glad and honoured,”
Then spake the youth: “I am, O paladin!
Son of Sásán and sprung from Sháh Ardshír,
Whom chroniclers call by the name Bahman,
The great son of the brave Asfandiyár,
Who was Gushtásp's memorial.”

Pápak

Wept from those shrewd eyes that had seen the dream,
Then brought the raiment of a paladin,
And steed with royal trappings, saying thus:—
“Go to the bath what while they fetch fresh raiment.”
He raised Sásán o'er that chief shepherdship,
Prepared for him a noble residence,
And, having lodged him there, provided slaves,
Both boys and girls, to wait on him, bestowed
Addition by all means, set him past need
Of wealth, then gave the Crown on his own brows—
A daughter well beloved—to him as spouse.