“Disarm,” said Rustam to the Íránians.
“Before the All-conquering we need not mace,
Or belt or treasure. Stoop ye all your heads
To darksome dust, then crown them, for the chiefs
Are minished not by one for whom our hearts
Would now be mourning. When the tidings reached
The world's king he repeated them to me
Forthwith: ‘The chieftain Tús hath gained the moun-
tains,
Defeated by Pírán and by Húmán!’
The Sháh's words robbed me of my wits, my brain
Seethed for the fray, while for Gúdarz, Bahrám,
And for Rívníz my heart turned ebon-black.
I sped forth from Írán without delay
Intent upon the fight, but when I saw
The Khán, the men of name and warriors,
Especially Kámús, his Grace and stature,
Such shoulders and such limbs, such hands and mace,
Why then methought: ‘My time is o'er!’ For since
I girt me as a man I have not looked
In my long life on better men or arms
Assembled anywhere. I have invaded

Mázandarán, a land of dívs, where nights
Are dark and maces massive, yet my heart
Forwent its courage never and I said:—
‘I tender neither heart nor life.’ Howbeit
In this campaign my days were plunged in gloom,
My heart—the lustre of the world—was darkened!
If now we fall in sorrrow in the dust
Before all-holy God it will be well,
For He hath given strength, success, and aid
From Saturn and the sun. Long be it so.
God grant that fear may never fall on us!
Let men too bear the Sháh the news forthwith,
Let him adorn his throne, set on his head
The royal cap, give great gifts to the poor,
And may their blessings be upon his soul.
Now put we off our mail and rest in peace.
No doubt both grief and longing pass away,
And fate is counting up our every breath,
But still 'tis good to add up cups of wine,
And not to stare at yon unloving sky:
Quaff we till midnight then, and let our talk
Be of the mighty men, with thanks to God,
The Conqueror, from whom are manhood, fortune,
And prowess; we should not possess our hearts
Too much in sorrow and laboriousness
In this our Wayside Inn.”

The nobles blessed him,

And said: “May crown and signet lack thee never!
All honour to the stock, the native worth,
And mother that brought forth a son like thee.
A man of elephantine Rustam's strain
Is more exalted than the turning sky.
Thou knowest what thou hast achieved through love
For us. Let heaven rejoice because thou livest.
We were as good as slain, our days were done,
But now we live and light the world through thee.”

Then having bade to fetch the elephants,
Crown, ivory throne, and golden torques, he brought
Forth royal wine and goblets, and first gave:—
“The monarch of the world,” and when he grew
Blythe in his cups they parted glad and gay.
When Luna rent the robe of night and set
Its turquoise throne in heaven the scouts dispersed
About the plains and hills, and when the rust
Of night's rest passed, when day's bright Falchion
showed,
And earth grew jewel-like, the drum-roll rose
Before his tent, the chiefs arrived, and Rustam
Said: “We have found no traces of Pírán!
Return we to the field and send our troops
In quest of him.”

Bízhan the lion-man

Advancing came upon a world of corpses,
Of goods, and treasure; all the plain was strewn
With wounded men flung down and bound; of others
Still living they saw none. Tents and enclosures
Filled all the earth, and tidings came to Rustam:—
“The foe hath fled the field.”

Like lion wroth

He raged about the Íránians' sloth and slackness,
And said reviling them: “Hath no one wisdom
Paired with his brain? How when two mountains thus
Shut in our foes could they escape in mass
From us? Did not I say: ‘Send forward scouts,
And make each gorge and dale like plain and waste?’*

Ye thought of ease and rest, the foe of toil
And march. Slack bodies bring forth care and travail,
But he who chooseth labour fruiteth treasure.
How can I say: ‘I am at ease to-day’?
I tremble for Írán.”

Then leopard-like

He raged at Tús and said: “Is this a bedroom?
Or battlefield? See to Húmán, Kulbád,
Pírán, Rúín, and to Púlád thyself
Henceforth with thine own host upon this plain:
We are not of one province, thou and I.
If ye have strength fight on your own account,
For how should ye have me, when I have gained
The victory and its results are spoiled?
See from what company the scouts were drawn,
And who is head man of the family,
And when thou findest any of those scouts
Let him be beaten on the feet and hands
With sticks, take what he hath, make fast his feet,
Set him upon an elephant and thus
Dispatch him to the Sháh for execution.
The ivory thrones, the jewels, and dínárs,
Brocade, crowns, treasure, coronets, and all
That they took from us, seach for and bring hither,
For there were many kings upon this plain;
The most illustrious of the world were here
From Chín and from Sakláb, from Hind and Wahr,
And all possessed of realms and treasuries.
First let us choose a present for the Sháh,
And then my portion of the spoils and thine.”
Tús and his warriors went and gathered all
The golden girdles and the amber crowns,
The ivory thrones and the brocade of Rúm,
The arrows, the horse-armour, and the bows,
The iron maces and the Indian swords,

And raised a mountain 'twixt the other two:
The troops stood round and gazed. Then had an
archer,
A cavalier, broad-chested, strong, and valiant,
Shot a four-feathered arrow o'er the heap,
The carry had not reached from end to end!
When Rustam saw the spoil he stood amazed,
And oft invoking the Creator said:—
“Our changeful lifetime giveth feast and fight
By turns, transferring wealth from host to host.
It giveth now with curses, then with blessings;
One gathereth wealth for others to enjoy.
Kámús was minded, and the Khán as well,
To burn Írán. With these huge elephants,
These havings, troops, and stores, their joy was all
In them and in their multitudes of men,
And for a while God was not in their thoughts,
God who created heaven and earth and time,
Much manifest and much mysterious.
Their host is not, their goodly wealth is not,
Their aims and unjust doings are no more!
Now will I send the Sháh these chosen chiefs
From every realm on their huge elephants,
Together with these golden thrones and crowns,
And goods on lusty camels. I will send
Such goods as are most worthy to be sent,
And journey hence myself with all dispatch
To Gang, for heroes cannot brook delay.
To spare the guilty and the murderers
Is weakness; let us wash our hands in blood.
I will allow the bad no rest but bring
The heads of these idolaters to dust,
And show to all the way of Holy God.”
Gúdarz replied: “O thou of goodly rede!
Mayst thou remain till place shall be no more.”
Then matchless Rustam sought a messenger
To bear the first news to the imperious Sháh,
And chose out Faríburz son of Káús,
Commended by his kinship, and thus said:—
“Famed chief, of royal race, thyself a king,
Accomplished, understanding, nobly born,
Both glad thyself and making others glad!
Take up a task. Go, bear to our young Sháh
My letter, and convey with thee the captives,
The camels, and this wealth—all that there is—
Torques, treasure, bracelets, crowns, and diadems,
The mighty elephants and ivory thrones.”
“O raging Lion,” Faríburz replied,
“My loins are girded even now to ride.”