Now Rustam when he heard was sorely grieved,
He shook as 'twere a bough upon a tree,
And drawing near to Púládwand, and seeing

His mountain-height grieved for those gallant four
Like onagers contending with a lion,
Saw one host sorely stricken and the other
Unbroken, and he thought: “Our day hath darkened,
Our nobles' heads are dazed! Good sooth! the strife
Hath turned against us and our fortune sleepeth!”
Then gripping with his legs he urged on Rakhsh,
And raging challenged Púládwand to fight,
Exclaiming: “O thou ill-conditioned dív!
Thou shalt behold a change of fortune now.”
The voice of Rustam reached those warriors,
And he, perceiving them dismounted, said:—
“O Thou Almighty Ruler of the world!
Thou art above the unseen and the seen.
Far rather would I lose mine eyes in battle
Than look upon this miserable day,
Whereon such cries have risen from Írán,
Such from Húmán, Pírán, and yon fierce dív!
Gív and Ruhhám and Tús are all unhorsed,
And e'en Bízhan who used to mock at lions!
The chargers of the great are pierced with arrows,
The riders fight afoot as best they may.”
Then closing with the dív he threw his lasso,
But Púládwand, brave horseman though he was,
Ducked in alarm, he had had fight enough;
But when the cast had failed and he was safe
He said to Rustam: “O thou gallant one,
Thou veteran Lion and illustrious,
Who scarest mighty elephants! ere long
Thou shalt behold the billows of the deep.
Consider now the fire of mine attack,
My lasso, courage, might, and enterprise.
Thou shalt behold no traces of thy Sháh,
His nobles, or his mighty men henceforth,
Or of thy land, unless in dream, for I
Will give thine army to Afrásiyáb.”
“How much more shirking, blustering, and guile?”
Said Rustam. “Let no warrior play the shrew
Or he will give his head up to the winds
Assuredly. Though thou be brave and proud
Thou art not Sám nor yet stiff-necked Garshásp.”
Then Púládwand recalled a saw of old:—
“They who unjustly seek to cause a fight
Return with livers pierced and faces white;
If friend or foe harm thee 'tis well thou still
Do thy devoir alike to good and ill.”
He thought: “This is that Rustam who o'ercame
By night with his huge mace Mázandarán,”
And then he said: “O man approved in war!
Why stand we here so long to no result?”
Two mighty Elephants, two warlike Lions,
Were they; they wheeled, the dust rose from the waste,
And elephantine Rustam with his mace
Struck his foe's head: all present heard the crash.
Such darkness filled the eyes of Púládwand
That he relaxed his hold upon his bridle,
And, swerving to the right hand in his pain,
Exclaimed: “An ill day this!”

Now matchless Rustam—

Looked for the brains of Púládwand to pour
From both his ears but, since he kept his seat,
Invoked the Maker of the world and said:—
“O Thou exalted over fortune's wheel,
The Lord, the All-seeing, and the Nourisher!
If I am fighting in an unjust cause
My spirit doteth not upon this world;

But if the wrong is with Afrásiyáb
Deprive me not of strength and skill in arms.
It is not meet that thou shouldst loose my soul
From bondage by the hand of Púládwand,
For if I am to perish by his prowess
No warrior will remain throughout Írán,
No husbandman and no artificer,
No dust, no country, and no field or fell.”
He said to Púládwand: “What harm hast thou
Got from the whirling mace? Thy hands relax
Thy sable reins. Down, dív! and beg thy life.”
He said: “Thy mace hath harmed me not.”

They closed,

And Púládwand employed his sword of steel
With many a feint and many an artifice,
But failed to pierce through Rustam's tiger-skin,
Which filled the liver of the dív with blood.
That fierce one raged at fate because his sword
Availed not on his foeman; he was troubled
At Rustam's neck and shoulders, and again
Spake to him: “Doff this tiger's legacy,
This armour, with that sable helm of thine,
And put on others. I will do the like,
And come with speed.”

But Rustam said: “Not so.

That is no channel for a warrior's stream.
I will not change my gear, do thou keep thine.”
Then both the warriors wheeled till Púládwand,

Whose massive mace fell but without effect
On Rustam's tiger-skin and coat of steel,
Said: “Wrestling is the test 'twixt man and man.
Take we each other by the leathern belt,
That we may know which one the will of fate
Dismisseth worsted from the battlefield.”
Then Rustam said: “O ill-conditioned dív!
Thou canst not stand a warrior's blow, but like
A fox employest craft. What profit is it
To have thy head ensnared? Hast wile or spell
In wrestling that will free that neck of thine
From mine encircling arms?”

They made a pact

That none should interfere from either side,
Then, lighting from their chargers, both the foes
Took time wherein to breathe them and repose.