Three sennights passed, Khusrau arrived at Gang,
And, listening to the sound of flute and harp,
Laughed and went round the circuit of the hold,
Astonied at the inconstancy of fortune.
He was amazed at seeing such a place—
A heart-alluring heaven—standing there,
And said: “The builder of these walls built not
As one expectant of calamity,
Yet now the murderer of Siyáwush
Hath fled for refuge to these walls from us!”
He said to Rustam: “Mark, O paladin!
Discerningly the bounties and the triumphs
In fight accorded us by God, the Worldlord!
This wicked man pre-eminent in ill,
Rage, folly, and deceit, hath made this hold
His refuge, here obtained a rest from fortune,
And, worst of villains, groweth worse with age.

If I would thank God for His mercies here
I must not sleep all night; success and power
Both come from Him who fashioned sun and moon.”
There was a mountain on one side the city,
Preventing all attack, upon another
A river ran, one to rejoice man's soul.
They pitched the camp-enclosure on the plain,
The paladins took station round the hold.
The host extended over seven leagues,
And earth saluted the Íránians.
The camp-enclosure on the right was Rustam's,
Who asked the Sháh for troops, while Faríburz,
Son of Káús, and Tús, with trumpets, drums,
And heart-illuming standard, marched and pitched
Upon the left, and, thirdly, Gív took station.
Night came; from every quarter shouts arose;
Earth was all strife and stir, its heart unseated
By din of trumpet, kettledrum, and fife.
Whenas the sun had cleared the sky of rust,
And rent in twain heaven's sable stole, the Sháh
Went round the host upon his night-hued steed,
And spake to elephantine Rustam thus:—
“O thou illustrious leader of the host!
Afrásiyáb, I hope, will have no longer
The world to look on even in his dreams,
But whether I shall take him dead or living
He shall behold the sword-point of God's slave.
Methinketh that a host will come to him
From every side, so mighty is his sway;
They fear him and will succour him through fear,
Not of their own wills and for vengeance-sake;
So ere he call up forces let us seize
The roads, moreover raze the castle-ramparts,
And sink their dust and stones in yonder river.
The day of stress is over for the troops,
A day of ease succeedeth one of toil;
No army feareth vengeance or attack
From foes withdrawn for shelter to their walls.
The city, where Afrásiyáb is now
Heart-broken, shall become a brake of thorns.
As we recall the words of Kai Káús
We are reminded of our righteous cause,
He said: ‘Time shall not clothe in rust and dust
The boughs and trunk of this revenge of ours.
'Twill be an evergreen, and not a heart
Will shrink from dying in this royal feud,
But sire to son for three score centuries
Will hand it on and, when the sire shall pass,
The feud shall stay, the son take up the woe.’”
The mighty men called praises down on him,
They hailed him as the monarch of pure Faith,
And said: “Thou shalt avenge thy father thus;
Be ever happy and victorious.”