§ 1 The Prelude

V. 870
In His name Who is Lord of moon and sun,
The name revealed by wisdom to the heart,
The Lord of being and uprightness—One
That brooketh not perverseness on thy part—
The Lord of Saturn, Mars, and Sol, from Whom
Our gospel are, our hopes, and dread of doom!

I know not how to praise Him though in thought
I pour my soul. He fashioned space and time;
The emmet's foot with proofs of Him is fraught.
From yonder circling sun to earthly grime,
Bright fire, air, water, all are witnesses,
And give thy soul assurance, that He is.

Let it be thine the Maker to revere,
Who hath no need of aught, no need of crown
And throne, of minister and treasurer,
Of less or more, of fortune's smile or frown;
Yet, though He needeth naught, His slaves are we,
And bow before His bidding and decree.

Since He created wisdom and the mind,
Past doubt, and set the heaven and stars on high,
In Him supreme the sole Creator find,
And Source of happiness and misery,

V. 871
Of night and day, of circling sphere above,
Of food and sleep, of anger and of love.

Of Rustam's wondrous deeds there is no scant,
His legend in the hearts of all is rife;
A crocodile in water, elephant
On land, wise, shrewd of heart, a man of strife,
Consummate both in war and valiancy,
A man of knowledge, wit, and weight was he.

His battle with Kámús I next present
In mine own words but based on document,
So turn now to the rustic minstrel's lay,
Mark what that man world-proven hath to say.