All men rejoiced except Shangul whose heart
Was pained, the matter made his visage wan,
And when night came he summoned his wise men,
Both those of his own kin and aliens,
And thus he said: “This man of Sháh Bahrám's,
Who hath such might, such limbs, and mastery,
Do what I may, is worsted by no toil!
Now if he goeth from us to Írán,
And cometh to the monarch of the brave,
He will depreciate my host and say
That here in Hindústán there is no horseman,
And so my foemen may grow insolent.
I will behead the envoy, will destroy him
By stealth. What say ye? What do ye advise?”
“Bring not thy heart, O king!” the wise men
answered,
“To sorrow by such deeds. For thee to slay
The ambassadors of kings would be an act
Unwise and senseless. No one e'er conceived
A thought on this wise. Compass no such plan.
Thou wilt be execrated by the chiefs,
And people should respect their sovereign.
By putting this man's head within the shears
Thou wilt bring longsome trouble on thy land.
Forthwith will come an army from Írán,
And with a potentate like Sháh Bahrám;
None of us in these regions will survive,
And thou wilt have to wash thy hands of kingship.
This man is our deliverer from the dragon,
And slaying should compensate not his toils;
Here hath he killed the dragon and the wolf;
Give him more life, not death.”
On hearing this
Shangul grew gloomy, for the sages' words
Perturbed him. Passing thus the night, at dawn
He sent a messenger to Sháh Bahrám,
And, when they were together privily
Without a minister or counsellor,
Said: “O thou Joy of hearts! thou hast prevailed.
Attempt no greater feat. I will bestow
My daughter on thee as thy wife, for thus
Shall I be profited in word and deed.
Bahrám was in amaze,
And mused upon his throne, his birth, and glory.
“There is no remedy for one's own acts,”
He thought, “and this thing cannot bring reproach;
Besides by this I may preserve my life,
And look again upon Íránian soil,
For, as the case is, we have tarried long;
The lion is taken in the fox's net!”
Thus said he to Shangul: “I will obey
Thy hest and make thy word my rule of life.
However of thy daughters choose me one,
Who, when I see her, may obtain my praise.”
The king of Hind, on hearing this, rejoiced,
And decked his halls with painted silk of Chín.
Shangul's three daughters came like jocund spring
In all their bravery, their scents, their colours,
And looks, and then he bade Bahrám Gúr: “Go,
Prepare thy heart to see a novel sight.”
Bahrám Gúr went immediately, beheld
The hall, and of those moon-faced maids chose one
Like jocund springtide, Sapínúd by name,
All grace and modesty, all wit and charm;
On him Shangul bestowed her—one that seemed
A straight-stemmed cypress and a smokeless lamp—
Then chose the richest of his treasuries,
Gave to the moon-faced maid the key thereof,
Called for Bahrám's companions, cavaliers
Of noble rank and masterful, and gave them
Dínárs and drachms and every kind of wealth,
With camphor, aloe-wood, and ambergris,
Steeds, golden trappings, girdles, and for those
Of highest rank, gold crowns, while for Bahrám
He had a turquoise crown and glorious throne
Of ivory prepared, and decked his palace
Of jewelled tracery. All men of name
Within Kannúj resorted to that place
Of feasting, waiting on their king with joy.
They spent a se'nnight thus with wine in hand,
All glad and jocund in the banquet-hall,
With Sapínúd beside Bahrám, the king,
Like wine in crystal goblet glittering.