Not calling any of his warriors
That world-aspirant hurried off from Barda',
And when he came the Sháh accorded audience.
On seeing the visage of the king of kings
The veteran much praised that noble one,
Who at first sight grew favourably disposed,
Perceived the marks named by Mihrán Sitád
In him, smiled and grew blithe of countenance,
Received him well and lodged him splendidly.
When sombre night flung off its musky veil,
And Sol displayed its face, the marchlord came
To court, and all the chiefs made way for him.
The world-lord summoned him and made him sit
Among the magnates, told him how Írán
Was placed and what Mihrán Sitád had said,
Then asked about king Sáwa, saying: “Shall I
Make peace or send forth troops?”

The warrior

Replied: “We may not make a peace with him,
For, since he fain would fight, to sue for peace
Will mean defeat for us; the foe moreover
Will be emboldened if he see thee weak.
To proffer feast in war-time is to make
Contention like submission.”

Said Hurmuzd:—

“What is the course then? Shall I seek delay,
Or march to battle?”

He made answer thus:—

“It augureth well if* foes behave unjustly.
What said the noble counsellor? ‘No match
For justice is injustice.’ Therefore seek
To fight with this injurious enemy,
For fire and water will not flow together;
* But if thou actest otherwise herein
The ancient sky will choose another Sháh.
If we put forth the might of our own arms,
And what we have of prowess, holy God
Will neither blame us nor shall we be shamed
Before the heroes when the truth is sought.
Shall we be weak enough to shun the combat
While yet ten thousand of Íránians
Remain unslain? What will malignants say
To thee if thou flee foes without a fight?

When I pour arrows down on them and make
My bow as 'twere a cloud in Spring, and when
A hundred thousand swords and iron maces
Are brandished in the ranks of war, and yet
We gain no glimpse of triumph but despair
Of fortune in our hearts, then we will be
Our foemen's to command for we shall have
No body, life or spirit, left to us;
But let us struggle till we see if heaven
Will bring us gain or loss.”

On hearing this

The Sháh smiled and the court grew bright, and then
The veterans left the presence with full hearts,
And talking with Bahrám Chúbína said:—
“Henceforth if he shall speak with thee be modest,
Because king Sáwa hath such mighty powers
That e'en to ants and gnats they bar the way!
Who after what thou said'st before the Sháh
Will venture to be captain of the host?”
He answered them: “Illustrious warriors!
I will be captain by our great Sháh's leave.”
Informants on the watch went to the world's king,
And told him of this speech and ten times more.
The king of kings rejoiced thereat and ceased
To fear those troops. He gave Bahrám Chúbína
The chief command, exalting to the clouds
His valiant head. All warriors that sought
For glory hailed him captain of the host.
He came before the king with girded loins,
Equipped for war, and said: “By thy permission
I will call o'er the roll and ascertain
Who are the fighting-men and who are slack
In quest of fame.”

The Sháh said: “Thou art leader

Responsible for good and ill alike.”
The chief went to the royal muster-ground,
And bade the troops parade. He made his choice
Of those that were the crown among the chiefs,
And entered on the roll twelve thousand names
Of mail-clad warriors on barded steeds.
All those enrolled were forty years of age;
The older and the younger were rejected.
Bahrám Chúbína held the chief command
As one renowned in war. He made one hight
Yalán-sína—a man of vengeful breast—
* Chief of the warrior-chiefs to go before

The ranks on battle-days, to wheel his steed,
Proclaim his ancestry, and set on strife
The warriors' thoughts. One named Ízid Gashasp,
* Who drew not rein at fire, he bade to guard
The baggage-train and dress the wings. He made
Kandá Gashasp, who as he rode would grasp
The tails of lions, leader of the rear.
Then to the troops thus spake the paladin:—
“Ye ardent chiefs! if ye would have God's help
In lightening your dark task inflict not harm
Or loss and never gird your loins for ill,
And when at night the clarion-call ariseth
Leap up and one and all so spur your steeds
That in the dark more tumult may arise.
Through strength derived from resting horse and man
Will take no thought about the day of battle.”
When tidings reached the king of how the wise
Bahrám Chúbína acted he rejoiced
Both at the words and deeds; he oped his treasures,
And paid the troops. He gave Bahrám withal
* Arms from the magazines which he unlocked,
Assembled in the city all the herds
Of battle-steeds that were at large, and ordered
The captain of the host to ask of him
Whate'er was needful, saying: “Thou hast seen
All sorts of warfare and hast heard what stores
King Sáwa, that illustrious man, possesseth
Of treasure, arms, and troops, and how his Turks
Set earth a-quaking on the day of battle.
Now thou hast chosen out of all the host
Twelve thousand men in mail on barded steeds!
I know not how such numbers can avail
Upon the day of fight, and thou hast chosen,
Instead of youthful sworders, men of forty!”
The chief replied: “Well-starred and courteous Sháh!
The saying of the mighty thou hast heard,
Who ruled the world as Sháhs in days of old:—
‘When conquering fortune is assisting thee
‘Tis well though little other aid there be,’
And by this token I will prove it too
If now the Sháh, whose word is law, will hear:
When Kai Káús was in Hámávarán,
In bonds with countless others, Rustam chose
Twelve thousand fit and warlike cavaliers,
And freed him, and no harm befell the chiefs.
Again, Gúdarz, son of Kishwád, the head
Of noble and illustrious men, employed
Twelve thousand men in mail on barded steeds
To execute revenge for Siyáwush.
Again, the glorious Asfandiyár
Was leader of twelve thousand warriors
Against Arjásp and by a stratagem
Made dust fly out of host and hold alike.
* When any host exceedeth this amount
It is too large for dash and enterprise;
The leader that conducteth countless troops
To battle is discomfited in fight.
As for thy saying: ‘Men of forty years
Are not so eager for the fight as youths,’
The man of forty hath experience,
And excellence in point of hardihood,
Remembering the seal of bread and salt
O'er which the heaven hath so oft revolved.
In dread too of the voice of calumny,
And loss of fame, he shirketh not the fight.
Moreover wife and child and family
Irk not the feelings of a veteran.
A young man is deceived by outward show,
And when he should have patience he is rash.
He hath not wife or child or tilth; to him
The worthy and the worthless seem alike.
Since wisdom resteth on experience
He seeth not the import of affairs.
If he is conqueror in any fight
He laugheth with delight and wasteth time;
But if one chanceth to prevail against him
His foes see nothing but his back.”

On hearing,

The king grew fresh as roses in the Spring,
Then said: “Depart, put on thy mail, and go
Forth from the palace to the riding-ground.”
The general left the king, called for his girdle,
Mail-coat, and Rúman helm, had his steed barded,
And set the coiled up lasso in its straps.
The world-lord with his arrows, clubs, and balls
Went out upon the ground with his wazírs.
The general approached with mace and mail
And Rúman casque. The world-lord, seeing, blessed him.
He kissed the ground and showed a liege's prowess
With mace, at polo, and in archery.
The king then had the banner brought that bare
A violet dragon for device, the banner
That had been borne in fight in front of Rustam,
* Grasped it immediately and, handling it
With smiles, bestowed it on Bahrám Chúbína,
Invoking many a blessing on him, saying:—
“My predecessors used to hail as chief

Of all our race the man whose name was Rustam,
The paladin, the conqueror of the world,
Triumphant and of ardent soul. Thou holdest
His flag. Mayst thou be conquering and loyal!
Thou art a second Rustam to my thoughts
In courage, prowess, and obedience.”
The paladin saluted him and said:—
“Be always conquering and bright of mind.”
With peerless Rustam's banner in his hand
The general left the plain for his abode,
And on their several ways the Sháh's troops went.
The captain of the host was well content.