On his side Rustam called his mighty men—

Tús, Gív, Gúdarz, Ruhhám, and Faríburz,
Kharrád the warrior and Gustaham,
Gurgín the veteran, the cavalier,
And that illustrious man of war Bízhan.
“Ye men of wisdom!” said the peerless chief,
Addressing them at large in fitting words,
“Ye archimages wise and shrewd of heart!
The man whom God doth render fortunate
Is fit for crown and throne; he will possess
The world, prevail in war, and will not fear
The leopard, elephant, or crocodile.
Our strength is all from God, and to what end
Are we upon this darksome earth of ours?
To think no evil, but to choose the way
Of God and wisdom, since the world is no man's,
And 'tis not well to take much joy therein;
Our worth is based on right and hardihood
While knavery involveth harm and loss.
Pírán was heart-seared when he came to me
So hastily, he spake in many words
Of his good offices to Siyáwush,
Of his own travail and anxiety,
And how through his entreaties Farangís
Escaped the Dragon's breath; and yet withal
My heart foreboded that Pírán would be
Among the first to perish in this war,
His son and brother die before his eyes
With many of the noblest of his kin,
And that Khusrau would slay Afrásiyáb:
Such was my dream. Know that they all will perish
Beneath our feet, not one man will survive:
Howbeit I would not that this hand of mine
Should slay their general; he hath no craft
But honesty, and thinketh not of ill.
If then he shall accomplish what he said,
Be ancient wrongs forgotten; if he yield
The culprits and the goods, the strife is done,
The war for me is over; in this world
To deal uprightly is the best of all things.
If from these chiefs with thrones and elephants—
An army like the blue sea—he dispatch
Both crowns and wealth, I shall not trouble further
About the Turkmans. They will all pay tribute
Not being able to contend with us,
And we will spare their lives because the All-giver
Hath taught us wisdom and right ways. The world
Is full of treasures, thrones, and crowns: a man
Were fortunate indeed to win them all!”
Gúdarz in hearing this stood up and said
To Rustam: “O thou chieftain good and just,
The host's support, the adornment of the throne!
The crown and throne and helm are bright through
thee.
Resplendent wisdom is thy capital
And provand of thy soul. Peace is no doubt
A better thing than war, but mark this well—
The ox hath yet his hide. I will repeat
To thee a saying of the olden times:—
‘The souls of evil men shun righteousness
E'en as the shoulders shun the burden's stress.’
Pírán now giveth pledges in his strait,
But some day he will struggle to evade them.
The Maker fashioned him a double-dealer,
So hearken not to him and 'scape his guile.
When first we set the battle in array
We held a parley and forwent the fight
Because an envoy came to say from him:—
‘I am averse from strife and battlefield,
And, recking not of country and of tents,
Have girded up my loins to serve the Sháh.’
He heard from us much counsel and advice,
And said: ‘Henceforth is war no mate of mine;
I will depart and compass this affair
Without delay, announcing to my kin
My course herein, for I have throne and treasure
And cattle, and for them I will provide.’
I said: ‘Thy right course is to come at once;
Throne, wealth, and goods await thee in Írán;
But keep the matter secret that thy fault
May not be patent to Afrásiyáb.’
Pírán, when we had spoken, went his way,
And all that night companioned with the wind.
He sent Afrásiyáb a cameleer
To say: ‘Array thy troops; a host hath come.’
Thou wouldst have said that we had held no parle,
Because it came to nothing, and Pírán
Upon the tenth day led his army forth
Toward the plain and filled the world with troops.
Just now he set, O leader of the host!
Upon thy path another toy; just now,
On seeing thy lasso's coils, he feared for life.
Their whole reliance was upon Kámús,
And generals like Fartús and like Manshúr;
But since he hath beheld Kámús' fortune
Wrecked, and his slaughter in the lasso's coils,
Pírán now knocketh at the door of peace,
Not daring to remain upon the field,
And, since he knoweth that his fall is nigh,
Employeth colour, stratagem, and guile.
As for the criminals, the wealth, and goods,
‘Which I,’ he said, ‘will gather and surrender,’
Thou wilt perceive that when the tymbals sound,
And Tús and Faríburz advance to war,
He will in person lead the van and ever
Renew the combat. All his words are lies,
And Áhriman alone is his fit mate.
If thou art deaf to me mark what befell
My son Bahrám! Pírán thus held us back,
And set an ambush such that, when the day
Of battle came, he showed to us so great
A graveyard of Gúdarzians that I
Must weep blood all my life, and have for leech
An Indian sword.”

Said Rustam: “Be thy words

And wisdom wedded. He is as thou sayest.
We and that old man differ, 'tis no secret;
But, in as much as he hath done us good,
I would not fight him to the bitter end.
Remember how he acted toward the Sháh,
And how he mourned the fate of Siyáwush.
If he should break his word and set on us
I have my lasso at my saddle-straps
To take fierce Elephants. But I will fancy
No ill at first; we may escape a conflict;
But, if he should be faithless, he shall find
The outcome pain and grief.”

Gúdarz and Tús

Praised Rustam, saying: “Sol itself would fail
To cozen thee, and in thy presence sleights,
Deceptions, falsehoods, and Pírán's own words
Take on no lustre. May the earth ne'er lack
Our monarch's head and crown, and mayst thou hold
The chiefest place for ever.”

Rustam said:—

“'Tis dark and now our brains are dazed with talk;
Quaff we till midnight, then safeguard our troops,
And we shall see what God hath purposed for us.”

He said moreover to the Íránians:—
“To-night as we are drinking I will take
Some happy omen and, when morrow cometh,
Will shoulder Sám the cavalier's own mace,
Wherewith I fought against Mázandarán,
Attack the Crocodile in his own lair,
And capture camp-enclosure, crown, tiara,
Mace, mighty elephant, and ivory throne:
These will I bring and give the Íránians,
If after all I gird my loins for war.”
The noble lieges raised a shout and went
For rest and slumber each man to his tent.