Thus, until one day when this old sphere
Produced the jewel (the luminous sun) from the river of
pitch (black night).
The battle-field became again arrayed;
The war-cry from the limits (of the two armies) raised:
From the camp of the (ruddy) Russians the sound of the
camel-bell
Ascended, from front and rear, to the bright red star,
Hyades-following.
The centre-holders (officers) of Russia drew up the ranks;
And from that centre arrayed like the bride,
One clad in an old hide came to the battle,
As the crocodile rises from the deep sea:
On foot, in the fashion of a mountain-fragment;
His bulk greater than five hundred horsemen:
A violent one, such that when he made ardent his grasp
for battle,
He made the (hard) diamond soft (like dough) by
squeezing:
Like an 'Ifrít for blood come;
Forth from hell's vestibule come (so black was he),
A chain about his foot bound;
Long and strong, conformable to his stature.
In that chain that lion-like demon
Made the world full of noise and full of clang.
In every direction, in which he used to leap (to the extent
of) an arrow-range,
The earth, by his powerfulness (in leaping), used to become
a pit.
His weapons, only iron (the horn on his forehead)—head-
By which he used to draw down the mountain.
The description of the demon-man extends from couplet 5 to 19.
9The second line may be:—
Long and strong even to his height (the shoulder where it was attached).
In every direction, with that iron, man-drawing,
He employed his hand for man-slaying.
From the stiffness which was of his raw hide garment
(skin),
The undressed grained hide of his limbs became (the
harder) rough skin (like the crocodile's or like the
surface of a file).
When he used to gather resolution as to contest,
The steel sword used not to display efficiency against him:
Came—a dragon-fragment like that,
An angel (the handsome Rúmí)-slayer, a man-devourer!
That one whom he chanced to see, he used to seize like
an ant;
Used to pluck off his head with the force of one hand:
Used to show no other inclination for other work;
Used to pluck from the body,—sometimes the foot,
sometimes the hand.
By the force of his hand,—of the king's camp
He shattered the foot and the flank of many individuals.
A solitary horseman,—powerful and active,
Perfect in the matter of battle,—
Came that he might display neck-exalting,
Might play with that fiery spear (the demon-man).
When that raging crocodile (the demon-man) saw him from
afar,
It was at once to seize, at once to slay.
Another renowned one came boldly;
That fighting lion brought him also low.
“Khil'at-i-khám” signifies—a garment of raw hide worn by desert-
In this way, with severe wounds,
He slew several of those renowned.
From the many hearts (of the slain) which that rending
lion shattered,
The (living) heart of the lion-men of the army broke.
The master of wisdom (Sikandar) was astonied,
Saying:—“He is neither man, nor animal, non-rapacious
nor rapacious.”
When the black night shouted against the day,
The sun, world-illuminating, became head-lowered.
In astonishment at the work of that Ahriman, the king
Urged words hidden in the assembly,
Saying:—“This man-slayer,—what a calamity (of Time or
of heaven) he is!
“Since a nation is helpless as regards combat with
him.
“Not a weapon, in the grip of his hand,—
“All those weapon-possessing become low by him.
“On that I am (decided), that he is not man-born;
“Or, if he be, he is not of this prosperous soil (of
Russia).
“He is of the desert place, of desert nature;
“In form, man-like; not of man-descent.”
An intelligent one, who knew that land (the natal place
of the demon),
Raised with majesty the standard of reply (stood up),
Saying:—“Since the king, justice-administrator, has
given the order,
“I will show to him the state of that animal.
“Near to the Darkness (where is the water of life) is a
mountain,
“To which the road is like a hair for fineness.
“In it,—such man-forms,
“In composition, of dust; in form, of iron.
“No one truly knows their origin;
“How, from the first, was their birth and being.
“All are ruddy of face and blue of eye;
“They fear not the time of rage of ilons:
“Are so strong and firm of step (in battle)
“That one individual is sufficient for an army.
“In conflict, whether it be the male or the female,
“He excites the Resurrection Day in the world.
“In every contest (with the sword, the arrow, the spear,
the mace) which occurs, they are perfect and true;
“Save thus (standing firm), they have not prepared a
belief.
“Of these, none has seen one (quite) dead;
“But (half) living; and that half living seldom,
“Each one has a few sheep,
“From which sheep they prepare their own goods.
“Their market is in new cheese and (animals bearing)
wool;
“Save these, are no goods in their estimation.
The Darkness (Zulmá) is a land where the sun's rays reach not.
42They do not quickly die; they enjoy long life; those half dead are few.
43The first line may be:—
45The wealth of each one is in sheep.
“No one has a treasury;
“They recognize only the black sable (which they cherish).
“The sable, which is exceedingly black,
“Springs from no place save this place.
“From the forehead of each one, of man or of woman,
“Is a horn, springing out like (that of) the rhinoceros.
“If their nature be not endowed with the horn,
“In form, whether they or the hideous Russians,—what
difference?
“That one to whom the desire of sleep comes,
“Goes, like the flying eagle to a tree:
“Presses his horn into a lofty bough;
“Sleeps like a demon—in that demon-bond.
“When thou beholdest him suspended to a bough,
“Thou seest a great dragon suspended.
“He sleeps night and day through senselessness;
“For sleep is the foundation of unwiseness.
“When the Russian shepherds pass by him,
“At that sleeping demon, they look:
“With caution towards that evil spirit
“Come; assemble secretly;
“Bring ropes, and bind him;
“(And) make his noose of chain of iron.
“When the ligature becomes strongly bound on him,
“Him, they drag with fifty men from the tree.
Observe the agent in the singular; the verb in the plural.
“Pínú” signifies—jughrát.
“When that bound one becomes acquainted with the
matter,
“He shouts a shouting, thunder-like.
“If he be able to break that bond,
“He slays each one with one back-hander.
“If he be secure in that bondage,
“They convey him with caution to Russia:
“About him, they put a strong chain ligature;
“And through him, gather water and bread:
“Take him to every street and every house (as a show);
“Take a grain (of food) by that their non-rapacious beast.
“And if fighting occur,—without their aid
“Their battle is (done) by that raging elephant.
“They drag him, like the dragon, by the chain;
“They cannot loose his neck from the bond.
“When such a fire becomes battle-seeking,
“In any, remains neither the colour nor the perfume of life.”
The world-possessor at the work of that foot-stumble
(the difficulty with the Russians),—
At that tale, remained distraught of brain.
To the possessor of news (the informer) he spoke, saying:—
“There is no wonder;
“Every wooden arrow is not from one forest.
“If my fortune concord,
“His head will sport on the spear-point.”
The second line means:—
(a) All the beasts of this mountain-land are not like this beast.
(b) All warriors are not the same. Some are bold; some not.
(c) Time is not always the same.