The next day, when this cup-bearer (the sun), morning-
Scattered rubies of ruddy wine (its effulgent rays) on the
dust,
The two armies, like a sea of fire raging,
Opened (strung) again the bow from the ambuscades.
Again they came to battle;
Came a-hunting for lion-overthrowing.
The (clang of the) globular bell, liver-twisting, and the
clamour of camel-bells,
Took brain from the head, and colour from the face.
Verily, the brazen drum of wolfish hide
Made—not the heart; nay, the steel (sword) soft!
“Șubh-khez” may mean—early riser, or early rising. The same may be said of all compounds formed of a noun and a verbal root.
5At the time of fear even the man of war becomes heartless (wanting in heart), and his weapon useless.
Through the tumult (of battle) earth's foundations (the
mountains) fell;
The sky cast the shoe (ceased from motion), and the sun
the nail (supporting it in the sky).
Of the people of Ílák, a head-exalter went forth;
A horseman, the hastener like a fire.
From head to foot concealed beneath iron (armour);
In hardness and iron-heartedness like the world (merciless
Time).
He sought a warrior like the raging elephant;
That one who came escaped not from his píl-pá mace.
The brave ones (of Rúm) experienced faint-heartedness as
regards him;
They turned the head from the lion's grasp.
After a while, a fierce black lion (of Rúm)
Came forth from the line of the centre-place,
—On a horse of Bukhára-breed; in stature, the elephant,—
Shouting and more raging than the river Nile.
To the warrior of Ílák, of Satan-face, he spake,
Saying:—“The sun (Sikandar's chosen warrior) has come
forth from concealment.
“Like cup-bearers, I am—cup in hand;
“Not of wine,—of the blood of the warriors of Ílák!”
This he said, and pressed his thigh against the steed;
Uplifted the heavy steel mace.
Since the sky is called sabz-khing, the shoe and the nail are mentioned.
In battle, from much galloping, shoes and nails are cast.
From the mace of that elephant, battle-essaying,
The head of the elephant-form (the Ílákí untried in battle)
came from its footing.
By the steel mace, the Ílákí became low;
With the deluge of his blood, the earth became intoxicated.
From that multitude, a horseman, more head-exalting,
Urged his mountain-like steed against that mountain-
With another wound, he became low with the earth;
Thus passed from his hand some neck-exalters.
In the end, that head-casting (the slaughtering of the
enemy)
Gave to him the pride of head-exalting.
Of the steel-armoured ones (of Russia), his diamond sword
Slew many; but, alas, he also was slain.
From the former (mid-day) prayer till the other (afternoon)
prayer,
Another contest-maker went not to the battle-field.
Again the blood in the liver expressed the agitation (of
wrath),
God's detailed decree reproved God's general decree
(saying:—Why hast thou not accomplished the
appointed order?).
“Bar baná gosh zadan” signifies—tambih kardan; apancha zadan; khabar-dar-sákhtan; agáh gardánídan; bedár namúdan; bar káre tahríṣ namúdan.
“Ḳaá” signifies—hukm-i-kullí azal; hukm-i-iláhí ki dar haḳḳ-i-
“Ḳadar” signifies—hukm-i-juzí??vát; ánchi, ba tadríj ba abḳ-i-án dar 'arșa,e uhúr mí rasad.
From the Russian (army), came a horseman like the
elephant,
With a face (ruddy) like the red-coloured (bakam) tree;
eyes (black) like the (black) Nile.
He sought out an opponent from among the men of Rúm;
Kept displaying manliness; kept slaying men:
Drew a multitude in this way to blood;
Drew out the life from the body of many.
From much slaying of men, war-essaying,
The judgment of none came towards contest (with him).
When the Russians obtained such superiority over the
Rúmí,
He regarded (even) the elephant low (weak) as regards his
mace.
He kept circling, the Indian steel (mace) in his grasp,
Slew some of the Rúmish and Chíní army.
Assumed height of stature like the length (the shaft) of
the spear;
Began spear-playing in that battle-field.
From the flank of the monarch's camp
An excellent horseman urged forth his steed:
Not a horse,—an eagle he urged;
Not a sword,—a crocodile he belted:
His silk (soft) body in a yellow quilted garment;
A cap of steel like lapis-lazuli.
He came into the battle-field like a raging 'Ifrít,
A battle-weapon, “the char-pahlú” in his grasp:
The chár-pahlú is a short spear whose point has four sides.
35Brought a great assault, and to the Russian spoke,
Saying:—“This very moment, thou shalt sleep in the
dust.
“I am Zarívand of Mázandarán,
“To whom battle is sport; I am Ahriman!”
When the Russian looked at him and at his form,
With yellowness (through fear) his head began to wander:
He knew that in the circling of combat with him
A warrior like that was not his man.
He gave the rein towards his own camp;
Kept going, fleeing, like the fierce wind.
The bold horseman (Zarívand) delivered his spear
Behind the back of that lion, back-turned (in flight).
The weapon scratched the back of the flying one;
The spear went forth four hands from his chest.
From the swiftness with which his steed, wind-footed,
went,
He caused that transfixed body to reach its place.
To him relation and stranger hastened;
They found a slain one a cross become.
When they (the Russians) saw that that dragon of battle
Made the back-bone (“salb”) of warriors a cross (“salíbí”),
The rein (of attack) front and rear became bound;
No one of Russian Purtás moved from his place.
When the army became distressed with patience-exercising,
Like a mountain-fragment went forth a Russian,
The second line may be:—
The desire came his to flee from the anger (of his enemy).
Of the relations of Kintál, by name Gúpál,
Against whom, the champion (Zarívand), like?? Píltan
(Rustam), moved proudly.
The two swordsmen strove together;
Raised the sword in every direction.
In the end the endeavour of Zarivand, the hero,
Took the striver's (Gúpál's) life in an assault.
Thus, until of the Russians, sphere-inclining (arrogant),
He brought down seventy bodies from their footing.
At that savage lion, Kintál was confounded;
For he saw the foot (the standing) of the army languid on
account of that work.
He put on the cuirass; raised the helmet;—
Like a cypress whose fruit and leaf were the sword.
Like a dragon, he came to the saddle,
(And) loosed his steed against him.
When Zarívand saw that the lion (Kintál) came,
He roared like the roaring cloud.
Against each other, the sharp sword drew they,
From heat become quick rising like the sky:
Two parts, like the (forked) compass, centre-travelling,—
One slow of motion, the other quick of revolution.
Much they circled around (each other);
(And) delivered many a wound (burning) like fire.
Not superior became one to the other;
The contest passed from morning to night.
“Parrah” signifies—border, as—parrah-i-koh; parrah-i-bíní; parrah-
Of these two, one warrior was sometimes circling about the other; sometimes standing in the centre like the point about which the leg of a compass revolves.
At length, the king of Russia (Kintál) struck a sword-
At that person adorned like the bride:
Brought him from the saddle of gold to the dust;
Brought forth the destruction of that furious (teeth-
When the slayer (Kintál) obtained his desire over his
enemy,
He hastened with gladness towards his own camp.
Heart-straitened became the world-possessor (Sikandar) by
that affair,
That the chief of Gílán had come to the dust.
For the arranging of his affairs (burial), he ordered
In a way that was suitable to him.