§ 8 How the Khán bethought himself and wrote offering his Daughter in Marriage to Núshírwán

On hearing this the Khán turned wan and like
The flower of fenugreek, his heart grew full
Of terror at the words, his brain was rent
By his solicitude. He sat in dudgeon
With his advisers, and he thus addressed
That noble company: “Ye men of wisdom!
What is our rede herein? Who can be more
Concerned and hurt than I by this mischance?
He must not conquer in the fight or all
Our fame will turn to infamy.”

The sages

Took cognisance of all the affair and spake,
Suggesting divers lines of policy.
Then said the Khán: “Our policy is this—
To send a pledge of good faith to the Sháh,
To take a deeper view and to arrange
That he shall be affined to me. I have
Full many a daughter in my ladies' bower—
All crowns upon the heads of noble dames—
And I will wed one to the king of kings,
And thus cut short my cares in that regard.
If we make blood-relationship with him
None will advise him to our detriment.
On his side it will be a joy and honour,
While war with any other is a jest.”*


The chiefs approved the counsel of the king,
And cried: “That is the course.”

C. 1698
He chose three men

Of rank out of the host, men that could speak,
And grasp an answer. He unlocked his hoards
Of coin and said: “Why should we treasure jewels
Save to win fame, shun shame, or occupy
In largess, feasting, and expedient?”
He had a gift made ready such as none,
Or great or small, e'er had beheld, and calling
A well experienced scribe declared his mind.
He first of all gave praises to the Maker,
All-wise, all-powerful, and all-sustaining,
The Lord of Saturn and of Sun and Moon,
The Lord of victory and mastery,
Who asketh from his slaves but righteousness,
And brooketh not that justice should be balked:—
“His blessing be upon the Íránian king,
The Lord of scimitar, of mace, and helm,
The Lord of understanding, crown, and throne,
And dowered by the God of victory
With fortune and content. The king of kings,
Of royal race, wise, weighty, learned, and just,
Is ware that men, albeit great and noble,
Fain would be dear in other men's regard.
Now when my sage ambassadors, the men
That are both mine associates and allies,
Had come back from thy court to mine and told me
At large about the Sháh—his justice, wisdom,
Good fortune, crown, pre-eminence, and throne—
His Grace divine caused to arise in me
A great desire to shadow 'neath his wings.
Now naught is dearer than our own heart's blood,
And prudent children and our hearts are one;
So let him, if he will, demand of me
One of my stainless daughters—her that is
Most gentle, fair, discreet—and she in sooth
Shall profit him, the marches of Irán
And Chín shall meet, our worship be the more.”
This was all written out on silk of Chín,
And carried with the seal to the wazír.
The Khán selected from among his kin
Three men of noble rank and eloquence,
And they departed from the exalted court
Írán-ward to the exalted Sháh who, when
He heard thereof, prepared his crown and sat
Upon his royal throne of ivory.
So those three men of prudence and high rank
Arrived before the exalted throne. They brought
Three turbans, of dínárs some thirty thousand,
And laid them as a gift before the Sháh.
The gifts of gold and silver, the brocade
Of Chín, made earth more brilliant than the sky.
Now when the envoys duly had been seated
They called down blessings in their native tongue,

C. 1699
And then the Sháh's chief minister prepared
Fit lodging for them. Heaven revolved one night,
And when the bright sun rose above the mountains
The Sháh sat down upon the turquoise throne,
And set a crown of jewels on his head.
He ordered that the archmages and the chiefs
Should sit in conclave with the famous sages,
And said thus: “Bring and lay before the scribe
The letter writ on silk.”

The nobles all

Sat round while Yazdagird drew near the Sháh,
And read the letter which amazed the throng,
Such good will, fair excuse, and compliment
Were patent in the utterance of the Khán.
All those illustrious and prudent chiefs
Began to praise the king: “Thanks be to God,
With whom our refuge is, that He hath set
Upon the state a Sháh endowed with Grace,
With victory, and majesty, a Sháh
Good, kind, and prudent, one that is in fight
A mighty, raging elephant, in feast
A gallant host. All foes are underlings
Of thine, if they be worthy of that title.
We all were fearful of this power from Chách,
And of the Khán, who hath both crown and treasure,
By the imperial Grace is now our friend,
And seeketh with the Sháh affinity.
One that is wise among the warrior-chiefs
Will tender peace and justice. Since the Khán
Is ware that he can not withstand the Sáhh
He seeketh for affinity to him.
There should be no delay in this affair,
For such affinity disgraceth none.
His troops extend from Chín up to Bukhárá,
And all the chiefs are under his protection.”
Now when the Sháh heard what those sages said—
Those magnates and archmages shrewd of heart—
They cleared the hall of strangers and then brought
The ambassadors in haste before the Sháh.
The king of kings received them graciously,
And set them near the throne. Those chosen men
Of Chách beheld the chief in all his pomp
Of troops, wealth, crown, and gave their master's
message,
Protesting that their words were true. The Sháh,
When he had heard the fervent words thus uttered
In gentle accents by the chiefs of Chín,
Replied: “The Khán is great, wise, worshipful,
Desireth kinship with us through his child,
And illustrateth thus his own good will.
The man whom understanding maketh wise
Will look upon affairs with wisdom's eye;

C. 1700
We will take order, will advise us well,
And make response to all that he hath said
On this condition—that the Khán of Chín
Shall give our heart the liberty of choice.
I will dispatch a wise man who shall look
On all his women-folk and shall select
The most illustrious and dear to him,
See what her own maternal grandsire was,
And her own quality of royal birth.
When what we name shall have been done the Khán
Will have performed his portion of the pact.”
The envoys called down praises, saying thus:—
“The Khán of Chín rejoiceth in the Sháh,
And were his ladies' bower a cloud of jewels
He would withhold it not from Núshírwán.
Select among the sages one to go
Before the Khán whose ladies shall not fail
In that one's sight their faces to unveil.”