Khusrau then bade a scribe to come to him,
Supplied with paper, musk, and spicery.
They wrote a letter from the battlefield,
Couched in befitting terms, to Sháh Káús.
The scribe began it with the praise of God,
Who is the Guide, and Object of all praise,
And then Khusrau dictated: “May the power
Of my great sovereign, fearful for my life
As though he were my sire, last like the hills,
And be his foes' hearts stricken. From Írán
I reached the sandy desert of Farab,
And fought three mighty battles in three nights.
The horsemen of Afrásiyáb were more
Than sages dream of. I have sent the king
Three hundred of our noblest foemen's heads—
That of the brother of Afrásiyáb,
His son, his honoured nobles, and his kin—
Together with two hundred men of name
In bonds, and each a hundred lions' match.
We fought upon the desert of Khárazm.
In that great conflict heaven blessed our efforts,
Afrásiyáb hath fled and we have crossed
The river in pursuit, and wait the issue.”
They sealed the letter with a seal of musk,