§ 11 How Shangul fought with Rustam and fled

Shangul came forth before the host and shouted.
“I vanquish heroes and I love the fray,
And I will see,” he said, “what battle-gear
Of manliness this man of Sigz possesseth.”
The voice reached Rustam, who looked forth, beheld
him,
And said: “Mine one petition to the Maker,
Both publicly and privily, hath been
That of this mighty host some alien
Might have the pluck to challenge me to fight.
I will not leave Shangul, the Khán of Chín,
Or any warrior of Túrán alive.”
He came and shouted: “Base-born miscreant!
Zál named me Rustam; wherefore call'st thou me
‘The man of Sigz?’ Know that the man of Sigz
Will be thy death, thy mail and helm thy shroud.”
This said, he grasped a life-destroying spear,
And urged his heavy mountain of a steed.
He charged like wind, loosed his heroic arm,
And thrusting with his spear unhorsed Shangul,

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Dashed him down headlong, and rode over him,
Yet harmed him not. Then Rustam quickly drew
His scimitar, but from the hostile host
Came warriors with swords of tempered steel;
Men from Túrán, Sakláb, and Hind surrounded
The paladin as 'twere an onager,
And snatched Shangul from that fierce Elephant:
He 'scaped from Rustam, scathless 'neath his mail,
Fled with a care-worn visage to the Khán,
And said: “This is no man; he hath no equal
On earth; he is a furious Elephant
Upon a Mountain; we may fight in mass,
But let not any one attack the Dragon
In single combat, for he cannot 'scape.”
“This morn thy views and words were other,” said
The Khán, and bade the troops charge mountain-like
In full force to hem Rustam in and end
His life. That Lion drew his scimitar,
And brake the left wing of the host of Chín;
Each stroke strewed trunkless heads upon the plain.
No mountain could withstand him in the fight,
Or elephant his fury. Warriors
Beset him till they dimmed the sun above him,
While from the many spears, swords, shafts, and maces,
Employed against the lion-taking chief,
One would have thought that he was in a reed-bed,
And all the realm a winefat running blood.
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At every blow he sliced a hundred spears,
And as an angry lion roared and raged.
Behind him came the warriors of Írán
With vengeful hearts and eager for the fray.
As for the maces, mallets, spears, and swords,
Thou wouldst have said: “Hail falleth.” Corpses,
hands,
Heads, coronets, and helmets of the slain
Filled all the field, high heaven seemed earth with
dust,
And many a neck and breast were cloven piecemeal.
The troops all cried: “The plain is like a mountain
With slain!” The hosts of men from Chín and
Shakn,
From Hind, Sakláb, Harát, and from Pahlav*


Stretched o'er plain, height, and river, and they all
Were smitten by one man!

Then to Kulbád

Pírán turned, saying: “This battlefield hath lost
Its charms, for he is irresistible;
There is no leader like him in the world.
No sage would credit that one cavalier
O'erthrew three hundred thousand warriors.
This feud hath brought ill on Afrásiyáb;
Where will he find repose and rest from Rustam?
Good sooth! we shall be blamed when he inquireth
Concerning this campaign, and then if he
Is wroth our heads will be in jeopardy.”