Afrásiyáb said to his troops: “Our fortune
That was awake is sleeping. Ye are feeble,
And I must to the field. Be leopard-like
In resolution if but for to-day,
Attack from every quarter and fight on.
Lay ambuscades on all sides for the foe,
And bring the sun down with your spears.”

He quitted

The centre of his host, heart-seared, revengeful,
Charged Tús and slaughtered many of Írán
Till Tús, whose heart misgave him, showed his back.
One came for aid to Rustam saying thus:—
“The matter goeth ill with us to-day:
Our whole right is a sea of blood, the banner
Of our Íránian horsemen hath gone down.”
Came elephantine Rustam from the centre
With Farámarz and troops. Confronting them

Were many buckler-men who hated Rustam,
Allies and kinsmen of Afrásiyáb,
Swift in revenge, of whom the matchless one
Slew many, backed by Tús and Farámarz.
Afrásiyáb, when he beheld the flag
Of violet and Káwa's standard, knew:—
“'Tis Rustam of the elephantine form,
The noble chieftain sprung from Narímán,”
And raging as it were a warrior-leopard,
Sat tight and went up to encounter him.
As soon as Rustam saw the sable flag
He bounded like a lion in its rage,
Then full of fury gave fleet Rakhsh the reins
And, with blood streaming from his lance's point,
Encountered proud Afrásiyáb. One shaft
Of poplar, pointed like a willow-leaf,
Pinned to his head the Turkman's helm, while he
Speared warlike Rustam full upon the breast,
The point went through the leather of his belt
But failed against the tiger-skin cuirass;
Then matchless Rustam, bent upon revenge,
Speared his opponent's charger through the chest.
The speedy steed fell prone in agony
And threw the rider, whom the hero strove
To seize around the waist and make an end.
Húmán apart caught sight of him and, raising
His massive mace upon his shoulder, smote
The shoulder-blade of elephantine Rustam,
While both the armies shouted. Rustam turned
And looked behind him, thus the king escaped
His grasp, and mounted on a speedy steed,
While by a hundred shifts Húmán, the son
Of Wísa, saved him from that Dragon's clutch.
The hero-flinging crown-bestower followed
Húmán in furious haste but caught him not,
His time had not yet come. Shouts rose to heaven,
And massive maces whirled. There came to Rustam
Some of the army of Írán lest harm
Might fall upon him, and the noble Tús
Made question of him: “Felt the Elephant
The impact of the Onager's assault?”
He answered: “Neither heart of stone nor anvil
Can bear the buffets of a massive mace
When wielded by a man with chest and arms;
As for that mace wherewith Húmán struck me—
Call it not iron; it was merely wax.”
When Rustam's foeman turned and fled the troops
All gave a shout and raised their spearheads cloudward.
If slain and wounded covered not the ground
It was a field of tulips and of saffron;
The horses trampled blood, the elephants
Had feet incarnadined. The Turkmans fled,
Swift as the wind, because the arm of Rustam
Did execution on them. For three leagues
That matchless hero like a raging dragon
Pursued the foe. Then he returned to camp,
And thou hadst said that heaven befriended him;
The soldiers came back satiate with spoil;
And iron, gold, and silver, weapon, rein,
Spearhead, and girdle covered all the plain.