Zál hearing this had the gold trappings placed
Upon his steed, and faring night and day
Rejoined his troops. Whenas he saw Mihráb
Unmoved and full of knowledge and good counsel,
He thought: “What cause have we to fear this host,
For Khazarwán is but a pinch of dust
To me?”
Then to Mihráb: “O man of prudence,
Approved in all! now will I go by night
And lay a hand upon the foe for blood.
They shall be ware that I am back again,
Back with full heart and ready to avenge.”
He marked the stations of the hostile chiefs,
Then drew his bow amain and shot three arrows
Of poplar, bough-like, arching through the sky
In three directions, and a clamour followed.
When it was day the soldiers gathered round
And marked the arrows, saying: “They are Zál's!
None other shooteth with such shafts as these.”
Cried Shamásás: “O Khazarwán, thou Lion!
Hadst thou not been remiss in fight, not dallied
So with Mihráb, his army and his treasure,
Zál had not troubled thee.”
Then Khazarwán:—
“He is but one, not Áhriman or iron.
Fear not, for I will grapple him anon.”
Whenas the bright sun crossed the vault were
heard
Drums on the plain, and in the city sounds
Of tymbals, clarions, gongs, and Indian bells.
Zál donned his mail apace, bestrode his charger
As swift as dust, while all his warriors mounted
With vengeful thoughts and frowns upon their brows.
He led the army forth upon the plain,
Equipped with elephants and camp-enclosures,
Where host encountered host and made the waste
As 'twere a darksome mountain with the dust.
Then Khazarwán with mace and buckler rushed
A blow that brake his famed cuirass. When Zál
Withdrew the warriors of Kábulistán
Retreated, but brave Zál armed him afresh.
His head was wroth, his blood was up, he brandished
His father's mace, while Khazarwán advanced
To challenge fight, a roaring Lion he,
Before the host. Zál had no sooner raised
The reek of fight than Khazarwán was on him
As quick as dust, while Zál in fury charged
His foe, and brandishing the ox-like mace
Smote Khazarwán upon the head and made
The ground as 'twere a leopard's back with blood;
Then flung him down, trod on him, passed along
And led the army forward to the plain,
Inviting Shamásás to come and fight,
But Shamásás came not; his blood was chilled.
Zál next descried Kulbád amid the dust
And shouldered his steel mace. Thereon Kulbád,
Observing Zál with mace and scimitar,
Endeavoured to escape his foeman's sight,
But Zál the cavalier strung up his bow
And lightly aimed at him a poplar arrow,
Struck full upon the girdle of Kulbád—
A girdle that was wrought of links of steel—
And pinned him to the pummel through the loins.
His troops' hearts burned for him while Shamásás
Despaired, his face paled when those chiefs were slain,
And he and all his army in full flight
Dispersed like sheep upon a stormy day,
Pressed by the soldiers of Zábulistán
And by Mihráb. The field was such with corpses
That thou hadst said: “The troops are cramped for room.”
The Turkmans fled toward Afrásiyáb,
Their mail unfastened and their girdles snapped.
Káran, the son of Káwa, came in sight
Returning from pursuing Wísa's host,
Whose noblest he had slain so easily.
The armies met together, Shamásás
Met with Káran, the lover of the fray,
Who knowing his antagonists, and why
They were retreating from Zábulistán,
Bade trumpets sound and occupied the road.
Thus host encountered host. The paladin
Said to his troops: “Ye men of noble name
And ardent soul! go battle with your spears,
And may ye rob the foe of life.”
With cries
Of maddened elephants they seized their spears,
Which made a reed-bed of the battlefield
And veiled the sun and moon. He lightly slew
Those Turkman troops and flung them on the track,
Fell on the wounded and the prisoners,
And sent their dust up to the shining sun,
While Shamásás with certain men of might
Fled and escaped the murky dust of fight.
News of the death of those famed warriors
Came to the Turkman king; his heart was pained,
His cheeks were wet with his heart's blood. He said:—
“Naudar is in my prison, yet my friends
Are vilely slaughtered thus! What can I do
But shed his blood and give new cause for feud?”
He was enraged and cried: “Where is Naudar,
For Wísa calleth for revenge on him?
“That I may teach him war.”
Naudar on hearing
Knew that his time was come. A clamorous throng
Departed, bound his arms firm as a rock,
And haled him bare both head and foot, fordone,
In shameful plight before the Crocodile.
Full of impatience great Afrásiyáb
Looked out for him, and seeing him approach
Reminded him of their ancestral feud,
Began with Salm and Túr, and washed away
From heart and eyes the reverence due to kings.
“Thou hast deserved whatever ill may come,”
He said, called fiercely for a scimitar,
Smote Sháh Naudar upon the neck and flung
In foul contempt the body in the dust.
Thus passed that Memory of Sháh Minúchihr
And left Írán bereft of throne and crown.
O man of knowledge shrewd exceedingly!
Don not the whole robe of thy greed, for throne
And crown have seen already many an one
Like thee, and thou mayst hear their history.
If thou hast gained the object of thy lust
And appetite hath ceased, so strong before,
Why shouldst thou ask this gloomy mournful dust
To make thee miserable any more?
They haled the other captives forth in shame,
And asking quarter. Virtuous Ighríras
Saw this and anxiously besought the king:—
“To slay so many noble warriors
And horsemen in cold blood—mere prisoners
For magnanimity. 'Twere worthier far
To spare their lives. Commit them bound to me
And I will prison them within a cavern,
Well guarded. Prison will restore their wits;
But shed not blood.”
At Ighríras' request,
Perceiving his distress and earnestness,
The monarch spared their lives, and bade men take
The captives to Sarí in shameful bonds.
This done he marched from Dahistán to Rai,
Hid earth beneath his cavaliers and made
His chargers sweat, assumed the royal crown,
Bestowed a liberal largess of dínárs,
And played as monarch of Írán his part
With thoughts of war and vengeance in his heart.
This news reached Gustaham and Tús: “The Grace
Of kingship is obscured. They have struck off
Remorselessly with trenchant scimitar
The head that wore the crown, and all is over.”
Men tore their faces and plucked out their hair,
A cry of mourning went up from Írán,
The great put dust and earth upon their heads,
All eyes wept tears of blood, all robes were rent.
Men turned their faces toward Zábul; their tongues
Spake of the Sháh, their souls yearned for the Sháh.
They went to Zál in mourning and in pain,
With blood-stained cheeks and dust upon their heads.
They cried: “O good and valiant Sháh Naudar!
O great just monarch, wearer of the crown,
The head of kings and monarch of the world!
Thy head is seeking for a crown from dust
And earth is savouring of the blood of Sháhs.
The grasses on these fields and fells are hanging
Their heads in shame before the sun while we
Ask vengeance, mourning as it were a father,
In whom the stock of Farídún survived,
While earth was servant to his horse's shoe.
Now him and all that famous troop have they
Beheaded shamefully, despitefully;
But we will draw our swords of watered steel,
Will go to seek revenge and slay the foe:
So arm ye and revive the ancient feud.
The heaven is surely with us in our grief;
Its eyes rain tears of blood for very ruth.
Do ye too fill your eyes with tears like those
And strip your bodies of their dainty dress,
For in revenge for kings it is not well
That eyes should stint their tears or hearts their rage.”
The mournful multitude wept bitterly,
And burnt as though upon a raging fire,
While Zál rent all his raiment and sat down
With lamentable outcries in the dust.
He said: “My trenchant blade shall ne'er behold
Sheath till the Resurrection, my white charger
Shall be my throne, a spear mine only tree,
My place a stirrup and a dusky helm
The crown upon my head. There is no rest
Or slumber in this feud. No stream can match
The river of mine eyes. Oh! may the soul
Of great Naudar shine bright amid the mighty,
And may the Lord of earth bestow on you
A soul for Faith and duty. All of us
Are born to die; it is our lot whereto
We yield our necks.”
Now when the captives heard:—
“The Iránians are upon the march for vengeance,
They send out cameleers on every side,
Have gathered countless troops and have renounced
Home and delights,” they neither ate nor slept,
Such was their terror of Afrásiyáb.
A message from them came to Ighríras:—
“O man of mighty purpose, famous chief!
We are thy slaves in all, and by thy word
We live. Zál, as thou knowest, is at home
And acting with the monarch of Kábul.
Men like Barzín, Káran the warrior,
Kharrád, and that host-shatterer Kishwád,
Are men of might with hands that reach afar
And will not keep their clutches off Írán.
Now when these warriors wheel about us here
And brandish their sharp lances in his sight
The great Afrásiyáb will be enraged,
His heart will be inflamed against his captives,
And for his crown's sake he will bring to dust
The heads of all our blameless company.
If prudent Ighríras see fit to free us
We will disperse, praise him before the great
And make thanksgiving unto God for him.”
Wise Ighríras replied: “Such skilleth not;
'Twere a foe's act; this human Áhriman
Would be incensed. I will not take other order
So that my brother may not turn upon me
In vengeance. If now Zál is keen for war
I will deliver you to him, myself
Evacuate Ámul, forbear to fight
And bring to infamy my honoured head.”
At this reply the nobles of Írán
Bent to the ground, and full of praise for him
Despatched a courier from Sarí with speed
To Zál, the son of Sám. The message ran:—
“Our God hath pitied us; wise Ighríras
Is now our friend. This is the pact between us:
If only two Íránian warriors
Shall come and offer fight that noble man,
Who walketh fortune's path, will quit Ámul
For Rai, and so some one of us may scape
The Dragon's clutch.”
The courier reached Zábul
And made the glad news known to Zál, who called
The nobles, told them all, then said: “My friends,
Pards of the fray and winners of renown!
Who is the warrior of princely heart,
All black with courage, who will raise his neck
To touch the sun by undertaking this?”
Kishwád accepting struck his breast and said:—
“My hand is ready for an act so just.”
The glorious Zál approved him, saying thus:—
“Live happily while months and years endure.”
So from Zábul a troop of warriors
Intent on war set face toward Ámul.
When they had journeyed for a stage or two
The tidings came to Ighríras their friend,
His troops and left the captives at Sarí.
When fortunate Kishwád arrived he found
The key to loose their bonds, provided steeds,
And from Ámul sped toward Zábul. When Zál
Was told: “Kishwád is coming back in triumph,”
He gave a largess to the mendicants,
The robe that he was wearing to the messenger,
And when Kishwád approached went out to meet him
In state, while weeping tears of joy for those
That had been captive in the Lion's clutch,
And then with dust upon his head wept tears
Of grief o'er famed Naudar. He took the loved ones
Within the city, gave them palaces,
And they became as when Naudar was king,
Possessed of crowns and thrones and diadems,
While Zál distributed his treasure-store
Until the army could desire no more.
When Ighríras went from Ámul to Rai
The king asked: “Wherefore hast thou acted thus?
Why hast thou mingled colocynth with honey?
Did I not bid thee: ‘Slay these evil men;
It will be folly to imprison them?’
The warrior's head is not concerned with statecraft,
His fame is gained upon the battlefield;
Nor should the soldier tread the path of wisdom,
For wisdom never mingleth with revenge.”
“Tears and compassion are not wholly needless,”
Fear God and do it not, for crown and girdle
See many like thee but are no man's own
For ever.”
Hearing this Afrásiyáb
Was silenced, for the one was full of fire,
The other wise; and how should wisdom fit
Dívs' heads? At his reply the chieftain raging,
Like elephant gone mad, drew forth his scimitar
And cut his brother down; that man of wisdom
And goodness passed away. Zál heard, and said:—
“Now shall the fortune of Afrásiyáb
Be darkened and his throne laid waste.”
He blew
The trumpets, bound the tymbals on, arrayed
The army like the eye of chanticleer
And went toward Párs, in anger and revenge,
With troops that stretched from sea to sea, and darkened
The sun and moon with dust. Afrásiyáb,
On hearing Zál's design, marched forth his host
Toward Khár of Rai, drew up and took his stand.
The outposts were engaged both day and night;
Thou wouldst have said: “The world hath but one hue.”
'Twas thus until two sennights passed away,
And horse and foot were weary of the fray.
After the execution of Naudar the throne remains for a while vacant, his sons Tús and Gustaham being considered unworthy to succeed. Zav, by the advice of Zál, is made Sháh. The war against Afrásiyáb continues, and the sufferings of both armies are aggravated by drought and consequent famine. Both sides become eager for peace, which is successfully negotiated, rain falls and Zav dies.
Zav is described in the Sháhnáma as the son of Tahmásp and descended from the race of Farídún. In the Bundahish he is said to be the grandson of Naudar.369 Zav is mentioned in the Zandavasta: “We worship the Fravashi (i.e. the immortal principle) of the holy Uzava, the son of Túmáspa.”369a
The passing over of Tús and Gustaham, the sons of Naudar, on the express ground of their unfitness, as not being possessed of the divine Grace of sovereignty, seems to find its justification in what we learn of their characters later on, at all events in the case of Tús, who is described as being hot-headed, revengeful, and a brave but unsuccessful general. Gustaham almost drops out of the poem and his place is taken by another hero of the same name, Gustaham the son of Gazhdaham—the castellan of the White Castle.
Tús is represented as always resentful of the slight put upon him; it induces him to oppose the accession of Kai Khusrau, and subsequently to make the unprovoked attack which results in the death of Farúd, that Sháh's brother.
In the terms of the treaty of peace between Zav and Afrásiyáb, which make the Jíhún the boundary between Írán and Túrán, we have the beginning of much geographical confusion in the Sháhnáma. The Aras was really meant.370
Drought and famine are frequent phenomena in the table-land of Írán.
One night as Zál sat speaking to his chiefs
And retinue about Afrásiyáb,
He said: “Although our paladins possess
Unsleeping fortune and enlightened minds
We need a Sháh, one of the royal race,
Skilled in the lore of eld. The host resembleth
A ship whereto the throne is wind and sail.
Oh! had but Tús and Gustaham the Grace. …
We lack not troops, but men, however noble,
That have not prudence, merit not the crown
And throne. We need a Sháh of puissant fortune,
A man of Grace through whose words wisdom shineth.”
They found none of the seed of Farídún
But Zav, son of Tahmásp, with monarch's might
And hero's worth to grace the lofty throne.
Káran took with a gallant company
The joyful news to Zav: “In thee reviveth
Acclaim thee as the Sháh, O worthy one!”
On an auspicious day fair-fortuned Zav
Came and acceded to the lofty throne.
The mighty praised him, showering offerings;
Zál too did homage. Five years passed away
While Zav, a wise old man, sat on the throne
And judged and lavished till the world grew young.
He kept his soldiers back from evil ways,
Wrapped up himself in communings with God.
None dared to rob or slay, but after him
Men saw no lack of slaughter. There was a famine,
There was not dew or rain, the ground and herbs
Were parched, and bread was worth its weight in drachms.
The hosts had faced each other for five months,
Engaged in fierce encounters day by day
As fitteth chiefs and heroes, but that famine
Left them resourceless, wasted woof and warp,
And all confessed: “We are ourselves to blame,”
While wails and cries for help rose from both hosts.
At length an envoy came to Zav and said:—
“It is our own fault that this Wayside Inn
Affordeth naught but travail, care, and anguish.
Come let us share the earth and bless each other.”
They gave up thoughts of war for famine pressed,
Agreed to drop the ancient feud, to share
The portion of Írán both near and far
'Twixt the Jíhún and marches of Túrán,
And so along toward Khutan and Chín,
Was given to the Turkmans as their kingdom,
While Zál abandoned all the nomad tribes.
Such was the sharing, such the Turkmans' bounds.
Then Zav led forth his host to go to Párs,
Old as he was he made earth young again;
While Zál departed for Zábulistán
And men received them both with open arms.
The roar of thunder filled the mountain-tops
And earth recovered colour, scent, and beauty;
It was as 'twere a youthful bride, arrayed
In fountains, pleasances, and rivulets,
For fortune would be neither dark nor hard
If man had not the temper of a pard.
Zál called the chiefs and offered thanks to God,
Who had converted scarcity to plenty,
Men set up feasting-places everywhere
And banished feud and cursing from their hearts.
Thus for five years men knew not wrong or travail,
Yet verily the world grew sick of justice
And longed to be within the Lion's claws.
Now when he reached his sixth and eightieth year
That sun-like ruler's leaf began to sear,
The Íránians' fortune halted and the day
Of Zav, the righteous worldlord, passed away.
On the death of Zav his son Garshásp succeeds to the throne, and Afrásiyáb seizes the opportunity to renew the war. Garshásp himself dies, and the Íránians being hard pressed appeal to Zál, who promises that his son Rustam shall come to their assistance. The poet then tells how Zál gave Sám's mace to Rustam, how the latter won his charger Rakhsh, and how Zál led the host against Afrásiyáb, and sent Rustam to fetch Kai Kubád from Mount Alburz to be Sháh in succession to Garshásp.
In the summary in the Dínkard of the lost Kitradád Nask mention is made of Keresásp, who is placed between Kai Kubád and Kai Káús.373 Keresásp appears there to be identical with the great hero, of whom an account has been given in the introductory note to Farídún, and if so apparently we must identify Garshásp, the tenth Sháh, with him as well. In the Sháhnáma, however, he is a mere nominis umbra, and Firdausí places him before kai Kubád, the first Sháh of the Kaiánian dynasty, and makes him the son of the preceding Sháh Zav and the last of the Pishdádians. His personality had already, as we have seen in the note above referred to, become split up, and his reign is a blank so far as he is concerned.
The reader will note Rustam's reference to bishops acting as castellans.373a In the wars between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sásánians, bishops and other ecclesiastics often took a very important part in the defence of besieged cities. Thus S. James, the Bishop of Edessa, took a leading part in several successful defences of Nisibis against Sapor II.374 The fact of the church militant thus became impressed on the Eastern mind, and by an anachronism not uncommon with him, Firdausí transfers the usages of later times to earlier ages. The reader will note too the vision of the divine Grace of kingship which prepared Kai Kubád for his accession to the throne. It appeared again visibly in the shape of a ram before the accession of Ardshír Pápakán, the first Sháh of the Sásánian dynasty. When it quitted Yima it flew away in the shape of a bird.374a
Zav had a puissant son by name Garshásp
Who sat upon the throne and donned the crown.
He ruled the world with majesty and Grace,
But tidings reached the Turkmans: “Zav hath gone
And left an empty throne.”
Afrásiyáb
Sent up the war-cry, launched his ships and made
For Khár of Rai, but no one brought to him
A greeting from Pashang, whose head was filled
With hate, his heart with strife. All wild with grief
For Ighríras, of throne and crown he recked not,
Would never look upon Afrásiyáb
And let the shining sword grow dull with rust;
Albeit messengers were sent to him
Month after month, but he denied himself,
And said: “Whatever prince were on the throne
A friend like Ighríras would profit him,
But thou art one to shed a brother's blood
And flee before the nursling of a fowl.
I sent thee forth to battle with the foe
And thou hast slain thy brother! I disown thee:
Thou shalt not look upon my face again.”
Thus matters fared awhile; at length the tree
Of bale bore colocynth. 'Twas in the year
Wherein Garshásp the son of Zav departed
That evil showed itself, for tidings reached
There came a message to Afrásiyáb—
A stone flung by Pashang: “Cross the Jíhún
And tarry not until yon throne be filled.”
Between Jíhún and plain of Sipanjáb
Afrásiyáb arrayed his armaments,
And thou hadst said: “Earth is a turning sky
Where Indian swords are shedding souls for rain.”
So sped that splendid army forth to war.
“There is a claimant for the throne of might,”
Such tidings reached Írán. The throne was void,
The outlook dark. Anon the streets and quarters
Were all astir, cries rose from all the land
And men turned toward Zábul. The world was filled
With strife and folk spake bitterly to Zál:—
“Thy handling of the world hath been too lax.
Since thou hast held Sám's place as paladin
Our minds have not been joyful for a day.
When Zav departed and his son was Sháh
The hands of evil men were kept from ill.
Now seeing that Garshásp hath passed away
The world is Sháhless and the army chiefless.
A host hath crossed Jíhún, men cannot see
The sun for dust. If any shift thou knowest
Use it, because Afrásiyáb approacheth.”
Zál answered: “Since I girt the belt of manhood
None hath essayed to wield my sword and mace,
And horsemen showed their cruppers, not their reins,
When I appeared. I have fought night and day
And all my life have dreaded growing old.
At length my back is bent, I wield no more
A falchion of Kábul; yet God be praised
That from my root a glorious shoot hath sprung,
Whose head will reach the sky, and thou shalt see
It grow in valour, Rustam being now
A straight-stemmed Cypress whom the crown of greatness
Becometh well; but he must have a charger;
These Arab horses will not do for him.
I will seek out some elephantine steed,
Wherever there are herds, and say to Rustam:—
‘Wilt thou consent, consent with all thy heart
To gird thy loins to execute revenge
Upon the offspring of Zádsham?’”
Írán
Was glad of heart and blithe of face as Zál
Sent camel-posts to every quarter, armed
His cavaliers, and said to Rustam thus:—
“Mine elephantine son, a whole head taller
Than other men! a work of toil is toward
To break thy slumbers, quiet, and delights.
Thou art not yet of age to fight, my son!
But what of that? This is no time for feasting.
Yet with the scent of milk upon thy lips,
And with thy heart all set on sports and pleasures,
How shall I send thee to the battlefield
Against the Lions and the mighty men?
Now for thine answer, and may majesty
And goodness be thy mates.”
Then Rustam thus:—
“O noble prince, ambitious of renown!
My courage publicly. The paladin
Hath surely heard of the fierce elephant,
And Mount Sipand, and I shall lose my fame
If now I tremble at Afrásiyáb.
This is the time for fight and not for flight.
The overthrow of Lions, the pursuit
Of war, renown, and battle, fashion heroes;
But 'tis not so with women; their concern
Is food and sleep.”
Zál said: “O gallant youth,
The chief of princes and the warriors' stay!
My heart rejoiceth when I hear thee speak
Of that white elephant and Mount Sipand,
For truly since that fight was won with ease
Why fear I for thee now? Afrásiyáb
And his designs deprive me of my sleep,
Yet can I send thee to contend with one
Who is a gallant king and loveth battle?
Now is thy time for feasts and twanging harps,
For quaffing wine, and tales of warlike deeds;
'Tis not thy time for warfare, fame, and strife,
Or sending up the earth's dust to the moon.”
He said: “I am not one for ease and revel.
'Twere base to pamper in luxuriousness
Such arms as these, and these long hands of mine.
What though the battlefield and fight be hard
God and victorious fortune are mine aids.
In battle thou shalt mark me how I go
Upon my ruddy charger through the blood,
And I will carry in my hand a cloud377
That is of watered hue but raineth gore,
While from the substance of it flasheth fire:
Its head shall bruise the brains of elephants,
My quiver when I clothe myself in mail
Shall shock the world, and all the fortresses
My breast and arms and neck, need never fear
An arbalist or catapult, or want
A bishop for their castellan. The rocks
Shall redden to their cores when I advance
My lance in fight. I need a steed hill-high
Caught by my lasso, up to weight like mine
In war, and not impatient of restraint.
I need a mace too like a mountain-crag,
For hosts will come against me from Túrán,
And when they come, though I should fight unaided,
Their blood shall rain upon the battlefield.”
The paladin was moved, and thou hadst said,
“He will pour out his soul.” He thus replied:—
“O tired of ease and revel! I will bring thee
The mace of Sám the cavalier, preserved
In memory of him, wherewith thou slewest
The elephant. Live ever, paladin!”
Zál ordered: “Bring the mace employed by Sám
In his campaign against Mázandarán
Our foemen's breath away.”
When Rustam saw it
He smiled with joy, called blessings down on Zál,
And said: “Thou art the chief of paladins;
But now, to bear my person, mace, and Grace,
I need a steed.”
Zál mused at what he said
And oft invoked God's blessing on his head.
When Zál had gathered all his herds of horses,
And many from Kábul, the herdsmen drove them
Past Rustam, calling out the royal brands.
Whenever Rustam caught a steed he pressed
Its back until its belly reached the ground.
At length a herd of piebald steeds sped by,
Among them a grey mare short-legged and fleet,
With lion's chest and ears like two steel daggers,
Her breast and shoulder full and barrel fine.
Behind her came a colt as tall as she,
His buttocks and his breast as broad as hers,
Dark-eyed and tapering—a piebald bay
With belly hard and jet-black, hoofs of steel,
His whole form beautiful, and spotted roan
Like roses spread upon a ground of saffron.
He could discern the tiny emmet's foot
Upon black cloth at night two leagues away,
And pluck of lions bred on Mount Bístún.
Now Rustam gazing on the mare observed
That elephantine colt, and coiled his lasso
To catch it, but an ancient herdsman cried:—
“O chief! forbear to take another's charger.”
“Whose?” Rustam asked. “The thighs have not been branded.”
The herdsman answered: “Never mind his brand;
There are all kinds of rumours as to him.
We call him Rakhsh. He is a piebald bay,
As good as water and as bright as fire.
We call him ‘Rustam's Rakhsh,’ but know of none
To master him. He hath been fit to saddle
These three years. All the nobles have observed him,
But at the sight of noose and cavalier
The dam is like a lion. We cannot tell,
O chief of paladins! the reason why,
But as a prudent man forbear to fight
A Dragon such as this, for when the mare
Is in the fighting humour she will rend
The hearts of lions and the hides of pards.”
The old man's sayings opened Rustam's eyes,
He cast his royal lasso and entangled
The piebald's head. Then like a furious elephant
The dam advanced as she would tear off Rustam's,
Who roared as savage lions roar and scared her,
Then with one buffet on the withers sent her
All trembling to the ground. She rose, sprang back,
Then turned and joined the herd, while mighty Rustam
Stood firm and drew the lasso tighter still,
And laid his hand upon the bay colt's back
The hero thought: “This is the mount for me;
Now I can act.”
He mounted swift as wind,
The ruddy steed sped with him. He inquired:—
“What is this Dragon's price or who can tell it?”
“If thou art Rustam,” said the herd, “redress
Írán upon his back. Its broad champaign
Shall be his price; then thou wilt right the world.”
The hero's lips grew coral-like with smiles;
He said: “All good is God's.”
Bent on revenge
He saddled ruddy Rakhsh, and giving him
The rein observed his courage, strength, and blood,
And that he could bear rider, arms, and mail.
The piebald grew so precious that at night
They burned wild rue to right and left of him
For fear of harm. “They practise sorcery,”
Thou wouldst have said. In fight no deer was swifter.
He was soft-mouthed, foam-scattering, light in hand,
With rounded buttocks, clever, and well paced.
The gallant rider and his new-found steed
Made Zál's heart joyful as the jocund spring.
He oped his treasury-door, gave out dínárs,
Nor recked of day or morrow. When he mounted
His elephant and dropped a ball the sound
Made by the cup was heard for miles around.
There was a noise of drums and clarions,
Of mighty elephants and Indian gongs;
'Twas Resurrection in Zábulistán
And earth called loudly to the dead: “Arise!”
A host departed from Zábul like lions;
As paladin, then veteran warriors.
The troops so spread o'er passes, plains, and dales
That ravens had not room to fly, while tymbals
Beat everywhere and tumult filled the world
As at that time of roses Zál led forth
The army from Zábul. Afrásiyáb
Thereat arose from banquet, rest, and slumber,
And marched toward Khár of Rai along the meadows
Among their streams and reeds. The Íránian host
Fared o'er the desert to the scene of war,
And when the armies were two leagues apart
Zál called the veterans, and thus harangued them:—
“Ye men of wisdom, well approven warriors!
We have arrayed us here an ample host
And with advantages; yet with no Sháh
Upon the throne our plants want rede, our toils
Lack purpose, and our troops a head. When Zav
Was on the throne new glory ever came,
And now we need a Sháh of royal seed
To gird him there. An archimage hath told me
Of valiant Kai Kubád of royal stature,
A future Sháh of Farídún's own line
In whom Grace, height, and lawful claims combine.”
Then glorious Zál spake unto Rustam, saying:—
“Bestir thyself, take up thy mace, select
Do homage unto Kai Kubád, but stay not
With him, be back within two sennights, sleep not,
But late and early hurry on and tell him:—
‘The soldiers long, and deck the throne, for thee.
We see none fitted for the royal crown,
O monarch, our defender! but thyself.’”
When Zál had spoken matchless Rustam swept
The ground with his eyelashes, joyfully
Got on the back of Rakhsh, and proudly rode
In quest of Kai Kubád. A Turkman outpost
Held the road strongly, but he charged the foe
As champion of the host with his brave troops,
Armed with the ox-head mace. He brandished it
And towering in his wrath struck out and raised
His battle-cry. The Turkmans' hearts all failed,
His arm laid many low. They strove with him,
But had to flee the battle in the end.
With broken hearts and tearful eyes they turned
Back to Afrásiyáb, and told him all.
He sorrowed at their case, called one Kulún,
A gallant Turkman warrior full of craft,
And said to him: “Choose horsemen from the host,
Go thou too to the palace of the king,
Be careful, prudent, and courageous,
And specially keep watch with diligence;
And fall on outposts unawares.”
Kulún
Departed from the royal camp with guides
To bar the road against the noble foe,
With warriors and lusty elephants.
Now Rustam the elect and brave marched on
Toward the new Sháh, and when within a mile
Of mount Alburz perceived a splendid seat
With running water and abundant trees—
The home for youth. Upon a river's bank
Was set a throne besprinkled with rose-water
And purest musk. A young man like the moon
Was seated on the throne beneath the shade,
While many paladins with girded loins
Stood ranked as is the custom of the great,
And formed a court well fitted for a Sháh,
Like Paradise in form and hue. On seeing
The paladin approach they went to greet him
And said: “Pass not, O famous paladin!
We are the hosts and thou shalt be our guest.
Dismount that we may join in jollity,
And pledge thee, famous warrior! in wine.”
But he replied: “Exalted, noble chiefs!
I must to mount Alburz upon affairs
Of moment, and not loiter in my task.
I have much work to do, the Íránian marches
Are full of foes, all households weep and mourn,
I must not revel while the throne is void.”
They said: “If thou art hasting to Alburz
For we who revel here are cavaliers
From that blest land, and we will be thy guides
And make friends on the way.”
He thus replied:—
“The Sháh is there, a holy man and noble.
His name is Kai Kubád, sprung from the seed
Of Farídún the just and prosperous.
Direct me to him if ye wot of him.”
The leader said: “I wot of Kai Kubád.
If thou wilt enter and delight our hearts
I will direct thee and describe the man.”
The peerless Rustam hearing this dismounted
Like wind, and hurried to the water's edge,
To where the folk were seated in the shade.
The youth sat down upon the throne of gold
And taking Rustam's hand within his own
Filled up and drained a goblet “To the Free!”
Then handed it to Rustam, saying thus:—
“Thou askest me, O famous warrior!
About Kubád, whence knowest thou his name?”
Said Rustam: “From the paladin I come
With joyful news. The chiefs have decked the throne
And called on Kai Kubád to be the Sháh.
My sire, the chief whom men call Zál, said thus:—
‘Go with an escort unto mount Alburz,
Find valiant Kai Kubád and homage him,
And have prepared the throne.”’ If thou hast tidings
Give them and speed him to the sovereign power.”
The gallant stripling, smiling, answered: “I
Am Kai Kubád and sprung from Farídún,
I know my lineage from sire to sire.”
When Rustam heard he bowed, rose from his seat
Of gold to do obeisance, and thus spake:—
“O ruler of the rulers of the world,
The shelter of the brave and stay of chiefs!
Now let Írán's throne wait upon thy will,
Great elephants be taken in thy toils.
Thy right seat is the throne of king of kings;
May Grace and glory be thine own! I bring
A greeting for the king of earth from Zál,
The chieftain and the valiant paladin.
If now the Sháh shall bid his slave to speak
I will acquit me of the chieftain's message.”
Brave Kai Kubád rose from his seat, intent
Upon the speaker's words, while peerless Rustam
Discharged his embassage. With throbbing heart
The young prince said: “Bring me a cup of wine,”
And drank to Rustam's health, who likewise drained
A goblet to the monarch's life, and said:—
“Thou mindest me of glorious Farídún”
(For Rustam was rejoiced at seeing him),
“Not for an instant may the world lack thee,
The throne of kingship, or the royal crown.”
The instruments struck up, great was the joy,
The grief was small, the ruddy wine went round
“Mine ardent soul in sleep saw two white hawks
Approaching from Írán, and bringing with them
A crown bright as the sun. They came to me
With dainty and caressing airs and set it
Upon my head. I wakened full of hope
Because of that bright crown and those white hawks,
And made a court here such as kings would hold,
As thou perceivest, by the river-side.
Like those white hawks hath matchless Rustam come
With news that I shall wear the warriors' crown.”
When Rustam heard thereof he said: “Thy dream
Had a prophetic source. Now let us rise
And journey to Írán and to the chiefs.”
His steed, while Rustam girt his loins like wind
And journeyed proudly with him. Night and day
He travelled till he reached the Turkman outposts,
When bold Kulún, ware of his coming, marched
To meet and fight with him. The Sháh thereat
Was fain to put his battle in array,
But mighty Rustam said to him: “O Sháh!
'Tis not a fight for thee, they will not stand
Against my battleax and barded Rakhsh;
My heart and arm and mace are help enough;
I ask but God's protection. With a hand
Like mine and ruddy Rakhsh to carry me
Who will confront my mace and scimitar?”
He spake, spurred on and with a single blow
Threw one and hurled another at a third
Whose brains ran down his nostrils. Those strong hands
Unhorsed the foe and dashed them to the ground,
And in their fall brake heads and necks and backs.
Kulún beheld this dív escaped from bonds
With mace in hand and lasso at his saddle,
Charged him like wind and thrusting with his spear
Brake through some fastenings of his mail, but Rustam,
What while his foe was lost in wonderment,
Seized on the spear and wrenched it from Kulún,
Then roared like thunder from the mountain-tops,
Speared him and having raised him from his seat
Put down the spear's butt to the ground.386 Kulún
Was like a spitted bird in sight of all.
The victor rode Rakhsh over him, and trod him
And left Kulún upon the field. His troops
Fled in dismay from Rustam. In an instant
Their fortune was o'erthrown. He passed the outposts
And hastened toward the hills. The paladin
Alighted at a place with grass and water
Till night had come and he had furnished robes
Fit for a paladin, a royal steed
And crown, then introduced the Sháh to Zál
Unnoticed. For a week they sat in conclave
But kept their movements secret. All agreed:—
“Kubád hath not his peer in all the world.”
For seven days they revelled with Kubád,
Upon the eighth hung up the crown on high
And 'neath it decked the throne of ivory.
'ABBÁSIDS, dynasty of, 13, 14
Abbreviations, list of, 93
Abtín, father of Farídún, 144, 151, 153, 171, 174
Abú-'Alí Muhammad, Sháhnáma of, 69
Abú Bakr, Khalífa, 12
Abú Dulaf, friend of Firdausí, 35, 39
Abú'l 'Abbás Fazl bin Ahmad, minister of Mahmúd, 30–32, 36
Abú'l Kásim, Firdausí, 24, 38, 112
Abú Mansúr bin Abdu'r-Razzák, Sháhnáma of, 67–70, 99
Abú Mansúr bin Muhammad, patron of Firdausí, 29, 110
Abú Tálib, uncle of Muhammad, 12
Afrásiyáb, ruler of Túrán, xv, 42, 55, 72, 337, 342 seq., 362, 366 seq., 374 seq., 381, 382
'Afrít, genie, 42
Aghrérad, prince (Ighríras), 338
Ahmad Hasan Maimandí, minister of Mahmúd, 32, 39, 45
Ahmad ibn Muhammad, patron of Firdausí, 29
Áhriman, the Evil Principle, xii, 5, 6, 50, 138, 159, 194, 287
ridden by Tahmúras, 125
Ahura Mazda (Urmuzd), 235
Ahwáz, place, 286
Aláns (Alani), people, xiii, 19, 217, 223
Alburz, mountain, xv, 4, 71, 145, 152, 168, 235, 248, 250, 277, 298, 351, 373, 382 seq.
Alexander, the Great (Sikandar), 14, 49
persecutor of Zoroastrianism, 15, 59, 61, 63, 338
legendary barrier of, 16
paternity of, 55
'Alí, Khalífa, 12, 40, 41, 106, 107 cult of, 13
assassination of, 13
Firdausí's references to, 24, 37, 40, 41, 106, 107
'Alí Dílam, friend of Firdausí, 35, 39
Allah, Muhammadan name of the Deity, 50
Alptigín, chief, 20
Amín, Khalifa, 14
Ámul, city, 145, 177, 289, 298, 344, 366, 367
Anæsthetics, employment of, 236, 321 seq.
Anbar, city, founded by the Azdites, 11
Animals, domestication of, 126
Ant, the poet's plea for the, 201
Apsheron, peninsula of, 58 note
Áptya, Vedic form of Abtín, q.v., 171–174
Arabia, 189 ancient trade of, 11
Arabic, language, 32 infrequent in Sháhnáma, 47
Arabs, their raids into and domination over Írán, 11–14
Aras, river, 9 confused with the Oxus, 71
Architecture, invention of, 129, 133
Ard, day of, 24, 88
Ardshír Pápakán, Sháh, 42, 62–64
Aries, constellation, 88, 310, 335
Arjásp, ruler of Túrán, 61
Arnawáz, wife of Farídún, 142, 146, 147, 148, 161 seq., 166, 177
Arrán, district, 9
Arslán Jázib, general, 100 referred to, 114
Artaxerxes II., Sháh, 59
Arwand, river (the Tigris), 160
Árzú, wife of Salm, 188
Aryan, meaning of, 7
race, 7; relations of Indian branch with Íránians, 15
Asfandiyár, Íránian hero, 42, 55
Ashkánian, dynasty, 49
Asoka, Indian king, 15
Assyrians, their attacks upon Írán, 10
Astrologers, important figures in the Sháhnáma, 52, 251, 278
Astyages, king of the Medes (Manda), 18, 72, 144
Áthwya, Zandavastic form of Abtín, q.v., 171–174
Atropatane, province (Azarbái-ján), 9, 56
Ázarakhsh, fire-temple, 61
Ázarbáiján, province (Atropa-tane), 9, 56, 61
Ázargashasp, spirit of the lightning, 73, 248, 309, 349
Azdites, Arab tribe, 11
Azhi and Azi, demon, 142. See too Daháka and Zahhák
BADAKHSHÁN, region, 300
Baghdád, city, 14, 160
Bahman, Sháh, 42
Bahrám, Chubína, 14
Bahrám Gúr, Sháh, 42
Baisinghar Khán, his Life of Firdausí, 23
his Preface to the Sháhnáma, 67–68
Bait al Mukaddas, city, 161
Báj, Zoroastrian system of praying, 80
Baku, town, 58 note
Balkh, ancient seat of Aryan civilisation, 7
situated on ancient trade-route, 57
seat of the Magi and of legend, 60
Zoroaster's successful evangel at, 61
as rhyme-word, 74
Bármán, Túránian hero, xv, 342, 346 seq., 354, 356
Barsam, implement in Zoroastrian ceremonial, 80
Barzín, fire-temple, 237
Barzín, Íránian hero, 365
Bástán Náma, 66–67
Bazh, suburb of Tús, 38
Bedouins, 135, 179
Bihistún, trilingual inscription on rock of, 16
Birmáya, cow, 151–153, 162
Bishop, as castellan, 373, 378
Bístún, mountain, 328, 379
Bíwarasp (Zahhák), 72, 135, 144
Brains, human, prescribed to Zahhák by Iblís, 139, 146
Buddhism, 15; regarded as idolatrous by Zoroastrians, 16
Bundahish, Pahlaví treatise, 70 note, 91, 92, 117, 125, 131, 235, 236, 337 note, 338, 369
Bust, place, 252 stream of, id.
Búzurjmihr, chief minister of Sháh Núshírwán, 27
CÆSAR, 84, 262
Cæsarean birth, of Rustam, 236, 321 seq.
Calendar, old Persian, 88
Cancer, Moon in, an evil omen, 188
Canopus, star, 188, 266
Caspian, sea, 3, 4, 16, 19, 56, 57, 338
Castellan, bishop as, 373, 378
Castes, division of Aryans into, 7; of Íránians into, 130–133
Castle, White (Sipand), 236, 354, 369.
Catullus, quoted, 60
Caucasus, 16
Cháha, hostelry of, 45
Chahár Makála, treatise, 23
account of Firdausí in, 38, 39, 45.
Chálandshán, Ahmad ibn Muhammad of, 29
Chamrosh, mythical bird, 235
Characters, chief of Sháhnáma, 49
Characteristics, of Írán, 3
Charrae, defeat of Crassus at, 15
Children, sometimes brought up un-named, 8, 179
Chín, country (often=Túrán), 189, 229 seq., 261, 262, 351, 371
brocade of, 269, 333, and passim
sea of, 252, 349
Climate, of Írán, 4, 5
Climes, the seven, 40, 71, 122, 123, 238
Clouds, personified as water-stealing demons, 7
Cocks and hens, taught to crow at daybreak, 126
Companions, the Prophet's, praise of, 106
Cosmogony, ancient Íránian, 5, 71; Firdausí's, 102
Crassus, defeat of at Charrae, 15
Creation, Zoroastrian account of, 5, 117
Firdausí's, 102–106
Culture-heroes. See Gaiúmart, Húshang, Tahmúras, and Jamshíd
Cyrus, the Great, 18
DAÉVAS, demons (dívs), 130
Daháka (Zahhák), 7, 142, 172
Dahistán, fortress, 280, 344 seq., 349, 353, 363
Dakhma, 81
Dakíkí, poet, 28, 67, 69, 109 verses by, 69
Damáwand, mountain, 143, 144, 148, 169, 173
Dámdád, Nask, 70 note
Dánishwar, the dihkán, 67, 68
Dárá, son of Dáráb, Sháh (Darius Codomanus), 42, 49
Dáráb, Sháh, 42, 49
Darband, town and pass of, 16
Darius, Hystaspis, 6, 9, 65
Codomanus, 49, 64
Dastán (Zál), 84, 248, 264
Dastán-i-Sám (Zál), 84
Dastán-i-Zand (Zál), 245, 248
Daulat Sháh, his Life of Firdausí, 24
Destiny, Muhammadan and Zoroastrian conceptions of, 52
Dihkán, generic title, 56
Dihkán=minstrel, 66, 81
Dijla, river (the Tigris), 160
Dílamids, dynasty, 14
Dínár, coin, 81
Dínkard, Pahlaví treatise, 70 note, 373
Diram, coin (drachm), 81
Dív, demon (Daéva), xii, 42, 50, 82, 130, 209
Black, xii, 82, 117, 120, 121, 126, 127
Binder of the (Tahmúras), 42, 124
White, 82
Divining cup, 51
Drachm, coin (diram), 81
Dragon=Zahhák, 158, 161, 163, 169, 275, 288
Farídún as, 186
of the Kashaf, 235, 296
Dragon's child (Rúdába), 304
Drangiana, province (Sístán), 4
Dreams, veridical, 51
Drought and famine, in Írán, 370, 371.
Dualism, 5, 49, 50, 52, 56, 58
Dunbar, place, 252, 256,
Dust, prevalence of, in Írán, 3 as a metaphor, 73
Dynasties, Íránian, in Sháhnáma, 49
EDESSA, S. James of, 374
Ekbatana, city (Hamadán), 17
Elements, the four, 102, 286
Elephant, White, xiv, 327, 377
Ellipi, kingdom of, 9, 17
Euxine, sea, 16
Eyes, metaphor for children, 178, 180, 181, 194
FAGHFÚR, dynastic title of the princes of Chín and Máchín, 262
Fakká, a kind of drink, 43 note
Famine and drought, in Írán, 370, 371
Farának, mother of Farídún, 145, 151, 157, 175
Farídún, Sháh, xii, xiii, 30, 42, 54, 55, 142 seq., 149 seq., 170, 278, 286, 288, 329, 335, 341, 349, 351, 364, 370, 382, 384, 385
flag of, 293, 295
Farr, divine Grace or Glory, 82
Farsang, measure of length (parasang), 82
Farúd, son of Siyáwush and half brother of Kai Khusrau, 370
Farwardín, name of day and month, 88, 133 263
Fátima, daughter of Muhammad and wife of 'Alí, 12
Fazl, son of Ahmad. See Abú'l 'Abbás Fazl
Firdausí, materials for life of, 23
autobiographical references of, 24 seq.
Nizámí's account of, 38, 45
bitterness against Mahmúd of, 33
Satire on Mahmúd of, 40
referred to, 373
takes up the Sháhnáma on Dakíkí's death, 28
writes Yúsuf and Zulíkha, 45
death of, 45
his epic method contrasted with Homer's, 47
his adulation of Mahmúd, 30, 112
Fire, ancient cult of the Aryans, 7, 49, 56
priests. See Magi
region of, 56
Húshang's discovery of, 123
his institution of feast of (Sada), 123
Fish, mythological, 71, 72, 148, 252
Flesh-meats, introduction of, attributed to Áhriman, 138
Forts, hill, description of, 236, 329
Frangrasyan (Afrásiyáb), 338
Frásíyáv (Afrásiyáb), 338
Fravashí, immortal principle, 369
GAIÚMART, Sháh, xii, 117–121, 123
Gandarep, monster, 143, 172–173
Gang-i-Dizhukht, city, 161, 226
Garshásp (Keresaspa), 174
Garshásp, Íránian hero, 42, 144, 207, 212, 214, 239
Garshásp, Sháh, xv, 174, 373 seq.
Garsíwaz, brother of Afrásiyáb, 342, 349
Gaumata, Magus (the false Smerdis), 58, 59
Gazhdaham, the castellan of White Castle, 354, 369
Genealogical tables, 90–92
Ghazní, city, 20, 357
Ghúl, sorceress, 42
Gíl (Gílán), 231
Gílán, region, 230
Gimirrá. See Kimmerians
Glory, the divine. See Grace
Go-between, old woman as, 280 seq.
Gog, and Magog, 16
Golden Fleece, land of the, 57 age, 129, 134
Gomer. See Kimmerians
Grace or Glory, the divine, 82, 116, 130–135, 208, 237, 338, 340, 341, 351, 369, 370, 374, 378
visible appearances of, 82, 130, 374, 385
Greeks, 10, 14
Griffon, 235
Gúdarz, Íránian hero, 42
Gushtásp, Sháh, 42, 61
Gustaham, son of Naudar, 351, 353, 364, 369, 370
Gustaham, son of Gazhdaham, 369
Ha'íy, son of Kutíba, patron of Firdausí, 35, 39
Haitálians, people, 20
Hámávarán, country, 338 king of, 338
Harát, city, 7, 39 battle of, 21
Hárunu'r-Rashíd, Khalífa, 14
Háshimí, a descendant of Háshim, the great - grandfather of Muhammad, 25
Hauz, 203
Hawk, domestication of, 126
Heroes, chief, of mixed descent, 55
Hindústán, 163, 231, 261
Hira, city, 11
seat of dynasty of Al Munzir, 55
Hirmund, river, 358, 359
Homa or Soma, 8, 143
Homer, his epic method contrasted with Firdausí's, 47
Horoscopes, 152
of the sons of Farídún, 188
of Zál, 251, 278
of Rustam, 278, 307
Hourí, maid of Paradise, 272
Huns, 10, 19
Húshang, Sháh, xii, 42, 122, 126, 341
IBLIS, the Muhammadan Devil, xii, 136 seq.
occasional substitution of for Áhriman, 50, 70
Íd-i-Kúrdí, feast of, 143
Ighríras, brother of Afrásiyáb, xv, 55, 337, 343 seq., 347, 363 seq., 374
Imagery, of Sháhnáma, 72
Indo-European race, its divisions, 7
Indus, 71, 252
Introduction, to Sháhnáma, viii, 3–95
Íraj, youngest son of Farídún, xiii, 54, 174, 195–205, 217, 335, 349
naming of, 188
daughter of, xiii, 205, 206
Iram, gardens of, 100, 113
Írán, xv, 113, 152, 153, 189, 364 and passim
boundaries and characteristics, 3 seq.
gradual desiccation of, 3
drought and faminein, 370, 371
a land of contrasts, 5, 58, 60
Arab conquest of, 12
Íránians, the, 9 passim
their historical relations with the Semites, 10; Greeks and Romans, 14; Aryans of India, 15; Túránians, 16
their traditional relations with ditto, 54, 55, 66
Írán-vej, region, 9, 62
Irmá'íl, Zahhák's cook, xii, 145
Irmán, region, 345, 358
Ismá'íl, brother of Sultán Mah-múd, 21
Ispahán, city, 351
Istuvegu. See Astyages
JALÚLÁ, battle of, 12
Jámásp, chief minister of Sháh Gushtásp, 42
James, S., bishop of Edessa, 374
Jamshíd, Sháh, xii, 42, 129 seq. meaning of name, 130
Jandal, envoy of Farídún, xii, 177–183
Jasha, king, 67, 68
Jesus, 42
Jewels, discovery of, 133,
Jíhún, river (the Oxus), 215, 375
as boundary between Írán and Túrán, 71, 370, 371
Julian, Emperor, 12
Jupiter, planet, 72, 161, 188, 281
Justinian, Emperor, 16
KÁBUL, city, 57, 234, 256, 262, 268, 277, 282, 283, 286, 294, 298, 300, 302 seq., 365, 378
Kábulistán, country, 15, 252, 263, 286, 299, 316, 357
idolatry in, 16, 258
the Beauty of (Rúdába), 302
Kádisiyya, battle of, 12, 143
Kahtán, desert, 287
Kaiánian, dynasty, 49, 373
Kaiánúsh, brother of Farídún, 158 seq.
Kaid, dynasty of, 55
Kai Káús, Sháh, 42, 338, 373
Kai Khusrau, Sháh, 42, 369
Kai Kubád, Sháh, xv, 42, 373, 382 seq.
Kákwí, grandson of Zahhák, xiii, 225 seq.
Kandahár, city, 286
Karabagh, district, 9, 56
Káran, Íránian hero, xiii, 207, 211, 214–226, 249, 337, 344 seq., 361, 365, 370
Kargasárs, tribe, 253, 277, 279, 286, 290, 294, 298, 319, 340.
Kannúj, city, 99, 115, 261, 357
Karkwí, descendant of Zahhák, 290 seq.
Karmá'íl, Zahhák's cook, xii, 145
Karshipta, mythical bird, 235
Kashaf, river, 235, 296 seq. dragon of, id.
Kastarit. See Kyaxeres
Káús. See Kai Káús
Káwa, the smith, xii, 155 seq., 160, 214, 361
flag of, 143, 157, 160, 211, 217, 218, 237, 332
Keresáspa, Íránian hero, 171 seq., 234, 235, 373
Khár, of Rai, 368, 374, 381
Kharijites, Muhammadan sect, 13
Kharrád, Íránian hero, 365
Khazars, people, 17
Khazarwán, Túránian hero, xv, 345, 358 seq.
Khil'at, robe of honour, 82
Khudai Náma, 66
Khusrau. See Kai Khusrau
Khutan, region, 371
Khvaitúk-das, next-of-kin marriage, 60
Kishwád, Íránian hero, 207, 344, 354, 365, 367
Kimmerians, people, 10, 17
Kitradád, Nask, 373
Knathaiti, Pairika, female personification of idolatry, 172
Kubád, brother of Káran, xv, 207, 217, 218, 346 seq.
Kubád, Sháh. See Kai Kubád
Kulbád, Túránian hero, 361
Kulún, Túránian hero, 382, 383, 386, 387
Kundrav, minister of Zahhák, xii, 143, 164 seq.
Kur'an, 99
Rustam referred to in, 236
Kúrds, people, 9, 64, 147
Kurúkhán, Túránian hero, 353
Kús, place, 177
Kyaxares, king, 18
LIBRA, constellation, 310
Lion's House (constellation of Leo), 188
Luhrásp, Sháh, 42
Lumsden, his edition of the Sháhnáma, 76
MACAN, his edition of the Sháhnáma, 76
Madá, the Medes, 18, 56
Magi, priests of the Medes, 9, 56
preservers of tradition, 56, 60
principal seats of, 60
literature of, 61
language of, 64
Magic, 51
derivation of word, 56
sympathetic, 8
Magog, Gog and, 16
Magophonia, 59
Magus, a priest of the Medes. See Magi
Máh Áfríd, the mother of Minú-chihr, 205
Máh-i-Ázáda Khú, the wife of Túr, 188
Mahmúd, Sultán, 21 seq., 31–45, 84
Firdausí's panegyrics on, 29 seq., 112 seq.
Satire on, 23, 40 seq.
spiteful allusions to in Sháhnáma, 33, 34
Mai, city, 252, 256, 261
Maidán, riding-ground, 83
Mámún, Khalífa, 14
Man, the first, 5
Firdausí's discourse on the nature of, 104
Manáchihr, 206
Manda, nomad tribes, 17, 18
Mansúr, Sámánid, prince, 20, 21
Mánúskihar (Minúchihr), 338
Mardás, Arab king, 135 seq.
Margh, city, 256
Mars, planet, 72, 332, 339
Marv, city, 7, 45
Máshya, and Máshyóí, 117, 131
Mayors of the palace, Oriental, 14
Mázandarán, country, 4, 5, 12, 253, 290, 294, 296, 298, 319, 323, 339, 378
Mazdak, heresiarch, 63
Medea, land of, 57
Medes, 9, 10, 17, 18, 56, 58, 72
Median, language (Zend), 64 seq.
Mercury, planet, 72
Mihráb, king, xiv, xv, 234, 256 seq., 275 seq., 284 seq., 299 seq., 358, 359, 361
Míl, as rhyme-word, 75
Minúchihr, Sháh, xiii seq., 42, 206, 209 seq., 234 seq., 337, 339 seq., 348, 363
Mohl, his edition and translation of the Sháhnáma, 76, 77
Moola Firúz, 201
Moon, Firdausí's discourse on the nature of, 05
one of the seven planets, 72
Moses, of Chorene, 72, 144, 236
Mu'áwiya, Khalífa, 12, 13
Múbid, 83
Muhammad, the Prophet, 12, 13, 40, 41, 106
Muhammad, son of Abdú'r-Razzak, 68, 99
Muhammad Lashkarí, friend of Firdausí, 99
Muhammad Mahdí, his edition of the Sháhnáma, 76
Mumasenni, tribe, 237
Munzír, dynasty of Al, 55
Mutawakkil, Khalífa, 14
NAHÁVAND, battle of, 12
Names, in sympathetic magic, 8, 117, 179
Naphtha, wells of, 56
Narímán, Íránian hero, 42, 174, 207, 239, 329, 333
Narimanau, epithet of Keresáspa, 172, 174
Nárwan, forest of, 217, 218
Násiru'd-Dín, title of Subuktigín, 21, 114
Nasr, brother of Sultán Mahmúd, 21
Nature-worship, of the Aryans, 7, 51
Naudar, Sháh, xv, 248, 288, 289, 326, 337 seq., 369
Níl, as rhyme-word, 75
Nile, 40, 71, 114
Nímrúz=Sístán=Zábulistán,396 252, 264, 346, 357
Nineveh, fall of, 10
kings of that attacked Írán, 10
Níshápúr, city, 36, 45
Nisibis, sieges of, 374
Nizámí-i-'Arúdí, author, 22
his account of Firdausí, 38 seq., 45, 46
Noah, the Íránian, 129
Nuh bin Mansúr, Sámánid prince, 36
Nuh II., Sámánid prince, 21
Núshírwán, Sháh, 16, 27, 42 has Bástán-náma compiled, 67
OCEANUS, Homeric and Oriental, 71
Ox, the first, 5, 117
Oxus (Jíhún), ancient trade-route, 57
confused with Aras, 71
PADASHKVÁR, mountain-range, 338
Pahlaván, 83
Pahlaví, meaning of, 64, 83
Firdausí's use of the word, 69
Parí, 83
Párs, country, 351, 353 seq., 357, 368, 371
Parthians, people, 10, 19, 60, 61, 64
Pashang, father of Minúchihr, 205
Pashang, father of Afrásiyáb, xv, 336, 337, 342 seq., 374, 375
Patrons, of Firdausí, 29
Perfumes, invention of, 133
Periods, mythic and historic, of Sháhnáma, 49, 53
Persians, 8, 9
Petroleum, in ancient cult and modern industry, 56 seq.
Píl, as rhyme-word, 75
Pírán, Túránian hero, character of, 55
Pisces, constellation, 310
Pishdádian, dynasty, 49, 116, 373
Planets, created by Áhriman, 52
Pleiades, 245, 267, 332
Prelude, to Sháhnáma, 99
Prometheus, 57
Purmáya, brother of Farídún, 158 seq.
RAI, city, 363, 366 seq.
Khár of, 368, 374, 381
Rakhsh, Rustam's steed, xv, 373, 378 seq., 386
Roc, mythical bird, 51, 235
Romans, the, 10, 14
Rúdába, the mother of Rustam, xiv, 145, 234, 280 seq., 299 seq.
described, 257, 259 seq.
Rue, wild, as a preservative from harm, 380
Rúm, the Eastern Roman Empire, 15, 183, 189, 229
brocade of, 157, 252, 316, and passim
Rustam, Íránian hero, xiv, xv, 42, 56, 68, 174, 234, 236, 237, 320 seq., 373, 376 seq.
his birth prophesied, 278, 307, 321
Cæsarean birth of, 236, 321 seq.
origin of name, 322
SACAE, Scythians, 17, 19
Sacaestan. See Sístán
Sacrifice, human, and Serpent worship, 143
Sada, feast of, xii, 123, 124
Sagittarius, constellation, 188
Sagsár, and Sagsárs, district and tribe, 279, 290, 323, 339
Sahí, wife of Íraj, 188
Saifu'd-Daula, title of Sultán Mahmúd, 21
Salm, eldest son of Farídún, xiii, 42, 54, 174, 183 seq., 335, 342, 344, 362
naming of, 187
Salt, Rustam's caravan of, 330 seq.
desert, 3
Sám, Íránian hero, xiii, xiv, 42, 95, 174, 207, 212, 231, 234 seq., 337, 339 seq., 345, 346, 358, 375
“One blow,” 297, 299
slays dragon of the Kashaf, 296 seq.
mace of, 235, 290, 297, 328, 378
Sáma Keresáspa Narimanau, Íránian hero, 171 seq.
Sámánides, dynasty, 14
Samarkand, city, 7, 19
Sapandarmad, month and day, 24, 88, 89
Sapor II. See Shápúr, son of Urmuzd
Saráparda, 84
Sarí, city, 230, 289, 363, 366, 367
Sarv, king of Yaman, xii, xiii, 178–186, 211, 214, 218, 286
Sásánian, empire, 11
dynasty, 49
Sásánians, 374
Satire, Firdausí's on Sultán Mahmúd, 40
Saturn, planet, 72, 245, 295, 311
Scriptures, Zoroastrian. See Zan-davasta.
Serpent, on Zahhák's shoulders, 139
worship and human sacrifice, 143
Shabdíz, Mihráb's steed, 326
Sháhnáma, original compilation of, 66
more than one, 29, 66, 67, 69
Dakíkí's beginning of, 28
Firdausí's, viii, 23 seq., 108 seq.
scene of, 3
date when finished, 24
length, metre, language, and theme of, 47
anomalies of, 48
divisions and chief characters of, 49
machinery of, 51
leading motives of, 53
cosmogony of, 71
imagery of, 72
editions of, 76
translations of, 87
Shahrináz, wife of Farídún, 142, 146, 164 seq., 177
Shamásás, Túránian hero, xv, 345, 346, 358 seq.
Shapígán, treasury of, 61, 62
Shápúr, Íránian hero, 210, 211, 215, 352
Shápúr, son of Ardshír, Shápúr I. (Sapor I.), Sháh, 42, 63
Shápúr, son of Urmuzd, Shápúr II. (Sapor II.), Sháh, 62, 63, 374
Shídásp, minister of Tahmúras, 127
Shídúsh, Íránian hero, 211, 354
Shí'ite, Firdausí a, 24
Shí'ites, Muhammadan sect, 13
Shíráz, city, 236
Shírwí, Íránian hero, 207, 215, 223, 225, 230, 232
Shíz, seat of the Magi, 60
Sikandar (Alexander the Great), Sháh, 42, 49
legendary barrier of, 16
paternity of, 55
Símurgh, mythical bird, 51, 235, 242, 253, 276, 302, 326
nest of described, 244
efficacy of feathers of, 246, 320
Síndukht, wife of Mihráb, xiv, 259, 281 seq., 299 seq.
Sipand, mountain, xiv, 236, 329 seq., 377
Sipanjáb, region, 375
Sístán,398 4, 119, 120, 159, 168, 173, 182
origin of name, 19
Siyámak, son of Gaiúmart, xii, 117, 119 seq.
Siyáwush, son of Kai Káús, 55
Soma. See Homa
Sóshyans, the Zoroastrian Messiah, 131
Spica, star, 245, 271
Spityura, brother of Yima (Jam-shíd), 130
Sróvbar, mythical serpent, 172
Subuktigín, the father of Sultán Mahmúd, 20, 21
Sughd, district, 19
Sun, Firdausí's discourse on the nature of the, 105
one of the seven planets, 72
Sunnites, orthodox Muham-madans, 13
Surúsh, angel, 51, 119, 120, 159, 168, 173, 182
Sviatoi, island, 58 note
TABARISTÁN, chief of, a patron of Firdausí, 39, 40
Tahmásp, father of Zav, 369, 370
Tahmúras, Sháh, xii, 42, 125 seq.
Talímán, king, 211, 217, 352
Tammísha, wood, 177, 230
Taráz, city, 257, 266, 269
Tausar, high priest under Ardshír Pápakán, 62, 63
Thornbrake town, the world, 310
Thraétaona, 171 seq.
Thrita, 171 seq.
Tishtar, Sirius, 235
Trade-routes, ancient, 11, 57
Traitana, 7, 8, 171 seq.
Translation, the principles adopted in present, 77–86
Translators, of the Sháhnáma, list of previous, 87
Trita, 7, 8, 171 seq.
Túmáspa (Tahmásp), 369
Túr, second son of Farídún, xiii, 42, 54, 174, 183 seq., 335. 342, 344, 362
naming of, 187
Túrán, 189, 229, 351, 371
Túránians (Turkmans), 9, 10, 54
relations of the Íránians with, 16
Turkmans (Túránians), 20, 189, 371
Turks, 10, 20
Tús, son of Naudar, 351, 353, 364, 369, 370
Tús, city, 38, 39, 41, 45
prince of, 100, 114
governor of, 39
'UMAR, Khalifa, 11 seq., 67
Umayyads, dynasty, 12, 13
Urmuzd, the Good Principle, 5, 50
Utbí, Al, historian, 32
'Uthmán, Khalífa, 12
Uzava (Zav), 369
VALKASH (Vologeses), king, 62, 63
Varengana, the raven, 235
Vedas, 129, 144, 171, 234, 337
Venus, planet, 72, 303, 322, 332, 339
Vivanghat, 129
Vologeses I. (Valkash), 62, 63
Vologeses II., 19
WATER, scarcity of, 3
stealing demons, 7, 338
Water-courses, underground, 3
West, the, Salm's portion of the world, 189
Wísa, Túránian hero, xv, 337, 353, 356 seq., 361, 362
Wisdom, discourse in praise of, 101
White Castle (Mount Sipand), 236, 354, 369
Writing, art of, taught by the dívs to Tahmúras, 127
YA'KÚB LAIS, chieftain, 67, 68
Yama (Yima, Jamshíd), 7, 129
Yaman, country, 178, 181 seq., 266, 286
king of (Sarv), xii, xiii, 178, 179, 182
Yima (Yama, Jamshíd), 7, 129, 130, 374
Yúsuf and Zulíkha, Firdausí's, 45, 46
ZÁBUL, Zábulistán, country,400 248, 252, 254, 264, 282, 324, 345, 357, 358, 361, 364, 366, 367, 371, 375, 381
Zádsham, king of Túrán, 342 seq., 376
Zahhák, Sháh, xii, 42, 54, 72, 135 seq., 173 seq., 275, 278, 288, 290, 292, 303, 326, 338, 358
his minister (Kundrav), xii, 164 seq.
his capital, 161
Zál, the father of Rustam, xiii seq., 95, 145, 235 seq., 337, 345, 346, 358 seq., 364 seq., 370 seq., 381, 382, 384, 387
Zál-i-zar (Zál), 84, 248
Zamyád, Yast, 338
Zand, comment, 65
Zandavasta, 64 seq., 70 note, 129, 144, 171, 172, 174, 234, 337, 338, 369
Zarang, city, 4
Zarasp, son of Minúchihr, 248
Zarathustra (Zarduhsht, Zoroaster), 235, 236
Zarduhsht (Zoroaster), 53, 61
title of a line of priest-princes, 61
Zarír, Íránian hero, 42
Zav, Sháh, xv, 369 seq.
Zend, language, 64
Zirak, an archimage, 149, 150
Zirih, sea or lake, 4
Zoroaster (Zarduhsht), 53, 61, 62
Zoroastrian calendar, 59
cosmogony, 5
conception of destiny, 52
propaganda, 58 seq.
scriptures, 61 seq.
Zoroastrianism, 49
conceptions of, 5, 51, 52
original seat of, 56 seq., 62
scriptures of, 61 seq.