Šāh-nāmah - The Šahnama of Firdausi, Volume 6

Now, when the time of birth drew near, the archmage
Told not the secret e'en to the air. The daughter
Of Ardawán brought forth a son—one ardent
And with the royal mien. The minister
Excluded all folk, named the babe Shápúr,²⁶²

And hid him seven years till he became
A king in looks, in mien, and Grace. It chanced
One day that the wazír drew near, perceived
Tears on Ardshír's face, and addressed him thus:—
“O Sháh! successful art thou yet thy soul
Is fed on care! In this world thou hast gained
Thy full desire and cast thy foeman's head
Down from the throne. Now is the time for mirth
And quafling wine, not for solicitude.

He answered:—

“O holy archimage and confidant!
Our scimitar hath justified the age,
Grief, travail, and distress have passed away.
My years amount to fifty-one, my hairs
Once musk are camphor, and my roses gone.
I ought to have a son before me now,
A joy of heart, a source of strength, a guide.
A sonless sire is like a sireless son,
And taken only to a stranger's breast.
A foe succeedeth to my crown and wealth,
And all my gains are travail, pains, and dust.”
Then thought that shrewd old man: “'Tis time to
speak.”
He said: “O Sháh! who cherishest thy lieges,
Magnanimous, shrewd-hearted, and supreme!
If thou wilt promise me to spare my life
I will remove my lord's distress.”

The Sháh

Replied: “O sage! why shouldst thou fear for that?
Say what thou knowest and enlarge thereon,
For what is better than a wise man's words?”
He made reply: “Pure and shrewd-hearted Sháh!
I gave a casket to thy treasurer:
Now let the Sháh vouchsafe to ask for it.”
The Sháh said to his treasurer: “He asketh
For that which he consigned to thy safe keeping.
Restore it that we may examine it,
And haply cease to live a life of care.”
The treasurer produced and gave the casket
Back to the minister. The Sháh inquired:—
“What is there in it under lock and seal?”
He made reply: “The blood of mine afiliction,
And parts of shame dissevered by the roots.
To me thou gavest Ardawán's own daughter
Until thou shouldst require her corpse of me.
I slew her not because she was with child,
And I feared God, but sacrificed my manhood,
When thou didst give that order, and cut off
My parts of shame that none might slander me,
Or plunge me into infamy. Thy son
Hath been in keeping of thy minister
Seven years. No other king hath son like him,
And his sole semblance is the moon in heaven.
In love I gave to him the name Shápúr,
And may his fortune jubilate the sky.
His mother too is with him, educating
The prince her son.”

The world's king marvelled at him,

Began to muse upon that child, then said:—

At break of day

The minister arrived and brought the boys
In dress, in stature, and in mien so like
As not to be distinguished. Thou hadst said:—
“A holiday is toward in the park,
And prince Shápúr is in the thick of it,”
For when the youth began to play he bore
The ball off from the rest so that Ardshír,
On coming to the ground, accompanied
By young and old, and looking at the boys,
Could from his bosom heave a deep, cold sigh,
Could point his son out to his minister,
And say: “Behold a young Ardshír is yonder!”
The counsellor replied: “O Sháh! thy heart
Hath testified to thine own son, but wait
Till yon fair children drive the ball anear thee.”
Then Sháh Ardshír bade an attendant: “Go,
And drive the ball from them that I may see
Which boy will come forth bravely midst the brave,
As though a lion, and bear off the ball
Before my very eyes, regarding none
Of all this company, for such will be,
Past doubt, my very son in blood and body,
In limbs and race.”

The servant did his bidding,

And drove the ball before the cavaliers.
The boys as swift as arrows followed it,
But, when they neared Ardshír, came to a stand,
Albeit unwillingly. Shápúr alone,
That Lion, still came on, seized, and bore off
The ball before his sire, and then, withdrawing,
Restored it to the boys. The Sháh's heart joyed,
As when an old man groweth young again,
The horsemen raised the young prince from the ground,
And passed him on from hand to hand until
The king of kings could clasp him to the breast,
And bless the Judge of all. He kissed Shápúr
On head and face and eyes, and said: “Such wonders

musk and ambergris withal
Upon Shápúr until his head was hidden
With gold, and none could see his face for jewels.
The Sháh heaped gems too on his minister,
Set him upon a seat inlaid with gold,
And gave him wealth enough to furnish all
His house and halls. The Sháh then bade the daughter
Of Ardawán to go in peace and joy
Back to the palace, pardoned all her fault,
And cleansed his Moon of rust. He had all men
Of parts within the city brought to teach
The boy to write the ancient tongue, to wear
The mien of royal haughtiness, to wheel
His steed in battle, and thus mounted show
His spear-point to the enemy, to quaff,
Give largess, entertain at feasts, array
The host, and all the toil and work of war.
He had a new die struck for all the coinage
Both gold and silver, large and small alike;
On one side was his own name, on the other
That of his great wazír—one held in honour
As an experienced man and counsellor.
Both names appeared on documents. The Sháh
Gave him the ring, the signet, and the rule,
Bestowed a treasure on the poor that lived
By labour, chose a site where brambles grew,
And made thereof a jocund seat, its name
Jund-i-Shápúr, thus only known to fame.

Shápúr grew cypress-tall and, since they feared
The evil eye, was ever with Ardshír,
Attending like wazír and minister.
The Sháh had not a day's repose from warfare,
Or leisure to disport himself, for when

His glorious minister

Replied: “O Sháh, whose heart is bright, whose words
Are true! dispatch we an ambassador
To Kaid of Hind who is a man of knowledge,
And good at need, can estimate high heaven,
And tell the door of joy, the road to ruin.
He will divine, accounting it no toil,
Nor asking guerdon for his answering,
If thou without a rival wilt possess
The seven climes.”

On hearing this the Sháh

Chose him a high-born youth of ready wit
To go as envoy to the sage of Hind,
With many steeds, with gold, and silk of Chín,
And said to him: “Go to the sage and say:—
‘O man of fortune and of truthful speech!
Find from the stars when I shall rest from war,
And win me full possession of the realm,
For if I must be evermore in toil
I will not be so lavish of my treasure.’”
The envoy came to Kaid with gifts and largess,
And gave the message of the king of kings,
Explaining all. Kaid greeted him, grew grave,
Turned to his arts, brought forth his astrolabe,
Observed the stars, and placed upon his lap
An Indian planisphere to ascertain
High heaven's purpose touching peace, success,
Woe, and mishap, and then informed the envoy:—
“I have discerned the fortunes of Írán,
And of the Sháh. If he will blend with his
The offspring of Mihrak, son of Núshzád,
The Sháh will sit in peace upon his throne,
And need not send his armies anywhither,
His wealth will wax, his travail wane. Depart.
Weigh not these two realms' feud.²⁶⁷

Írán will prove
Conformable when this hath been achieved,
And he will compass all his heart's desire.”
He gave the envoy gifts, and said: “My sayings
Must not be hidden. If he shall obey,
High heaven will give him cause to prize my
words.”
The envoy went back to the Sháh and told
What he had heard from noble Kaid, whereat
Ardshír was vexed, his visage grew like gall.
He answered: “God forbid that I should see
Descendants from Mihrak and bring my foe

Within a little while the monarch's fortune
Grew bright. He went to hunt at dawn one day
With wise Shápúr. The horsemen ranged around,
And cleared the plain of game. A spacious seat
Appeared afar with garth, park, hall, and palace.
Shápúr rode on until he reached the village,
And halted at the mansion of the chief.
There was a pleasant garth inside the walls,
A verdant spot, and when the youth went in
He saw a maiden like the moon, who plied
A wheel and bucket at a well. Now when
She saw Shápúr she came and showered blessings:—
“Be happy, smiles and joy be thine, and all
Thy years unscathed! Thy courser is athirst,
No doubt, and all the water in the village
Is brackish, but in this well cold and sweet.
With thy permission I will water him.”
Shápúr replied: “What words are these, fair
maid!
I have attendants; they shall draw the water.”
The maiden turned her back upon the youth;
She went apart and sat beside a stream.
He bade a servant: “Bring a bowl and draw.”
The attendant heard and ran; rope, wheel, and

He took the rope himself,

But found the work severe. Discovering
The bucket's weight he praised that fair-cheeked
maid,
And said: “good sooth, she is of royal race
To raise a bucket of such weight as this!”
When he had drawn the bucket up the damsel
Came and saluted him most graciously,
And said: “Live happily while time endureth.
May wisdom ever be thy monitor.
The virtue of Shápúr, son of Ardshír,
Could doubtless turn the water in the well
To milk!”

He said to that sweet-spoken maid:—

“How know'st thou, moon-face! that I am Shápúr?”
She answered him: “Full often have I heard
This saying from the lips of truthful men:—
‘The brave Shápúr is like an elephant
In strength, as bounteous as the river Nile,
In height a cypress, with a frame of brass,
And like Bahman in all.’”²⁷⁰

He said: “O moon-face!

Tell truly what I ask. Declare thy stock,
Because thy mien is royal.”

She replied:—

“The daughter of the village-chieftain I,
From whom I get my comeliness and strength.”
“Lies never pass with princes,” he rejoined,
“A tiller of the soil would not possess
A moon-faced daughter, fair, all scent and hue.”
“O prince,” she said, “when life is guaranteed me,
I will inform thee fully of my birth,
Safe from the anger of the king of kings.”
He said: “Revenge on friends is not a plant
That groweth in our garden, so say on,
And fear not me or our just, noble Sháh.”
“The very truth is that I am,” she said,
“The daughter of Mihrak, son of Núshzád.
A pious person brought me as a child,
And gave me to this worthy village-chief;
So now, for fear of the illustrious Sháh,
I draw the water and do other chars.”
Shápúr took up his lodging there and, when
The village-chief was waiting on him, said:—

It came to pass that soon that straight-stemmed
Cypress,
Like blossom, came to fruit. Shápúr conveyed her
To his own palace from the chieftain's house,
And cherished her like some ripe quince.²⁷¹

Now when
Nine months had passed that Moon-face bare a son,
The image of his sire. Thou wouldst have said:—
“Asfandiyár hath come again or famed
Ardshír, the cavalier.”^271a

The prince, his sire,
Named him Urmuzd, for he was like a cypress
Midst herbs, and after seven years possessed
No equal in the world. His parents hid him,
And never let him go abroad to play.
Once when Ardshír went hunting for a week,
As did Shápúr withal, Urmuzd escaped
Unnoticed, weary of his tasks, and ran
Forth to the riding-ground of Sháh Ardshír,
A lasso in one hand and in the other
Two shafts, with other boys with balls and sticks,
Just as the world-lord with his retinue,
And with his shrewd high priest, came from the chase.
When he was nigh the ground one of the youths
Smote strongly and awry so that the ball
Rolled near the Sháh. None followed it, the boys
Stopped short, balked in their game, except Urmuzd
Who, rushing like a blast before the Sháh,
Bare off the ball before his grandsire's face,
Amid the soldiers' hue and cry, and shouted,
So that the conquering Sháh was all amazement:—
“The sticks, the riding-ground, and pluck are mine,
And mine it is to battle with the brave!”
Thus to the archmage said Ardshír: “Inquire
About the lineage of this noble youth.”
The archmage asked. None knew, or would not say.
“Take up the youth and bring him,” said the king.
The archmage went and raised him from the dust,
Then bare him to the Sháh of noble men,
Who said: “Illustrious child! what is thy stock?”
He answered in loud tones: “My name and race

Then, while his father listened,

He told at large what happened at the well.
Ardshír rejoiced to hear the tale and went
Back to the palace with his minister,
Embraced that darling child, then sought his throne.
He had a golden ante-throne prepared,
And bade bring torque and golden coronet
Wherewith they decked the young child's head, then
fetched
Both gold and jewels from the treasury,
And heaped them till the boy's head disappeared,
Whereat his grandsire drew him from the heap,
Bestowed the gold and jewels on the poor,
And still more splendid presents on the sages,
Decked with brocade the Fire-fanes and the hall
Wherein were held Naurúz, and Sada-feast,²⁷³

Made ready with his lords a banquet-house,
Placed minstrels everywhere, and then addressed
The land's wise chieftains: “Never should one slight
The sayings of a learned astrologer,
For thus said Kaid of Hind: ‘Ne'er will thy fortune,
Thy throne, thy realm, thy crown, thy treasure, host,
Thy royal diadem, thy Grace, and state,
Be glad and jocund till the families
Of thee and of Mihrak, son of Núshzád,
Shall be conjoined in blood.’ For eight years now
The sky hath blessed our wishes. Ever since
Urmuzd was added to my peace the world
Hath granted what I would, earth's seven climes
All have been ordered, and my heart hath had
Its will of fortune.”

All his underlings

Gave him thenceforth the style of “King of kings.”^273a

He ordered

The whole world with his troops, a shepherd he
With soldiers for his flock.

He kept a staff

Of experts in his public offices,
Committing naught to those incompetent.
They made a point of style and penmanship,
And when one showed superiority,

When governors

Went to their provinces he used to charge them:—
“Hold money vile and sell no man for pelf,
Because this Hostel bideth not with any,
But seek for wisdom and all righteousness;
Let greed and madness be afar from thee,
And take none of thy kith and kin; the troops
That I have given thee are friends enough.
Give largess monthly to the poor, but naught
To foes. If by thy justice thou shalt make
Thy province prosper thou wilt prosper too
And joy in justice, but if any poor
Sleep there in fear thou sellest thine own soul
For gold and silver.”

All that came to court

On state affairs, or to require redress,
Were met by trusty henchmen of the Sháh,
And asked about the royal governors:—
“Are they just men or covetous? Do any
Lie wronged by them? What learnéd men are there?
Are any faint through want? Would any be
Of service to the Sháh as being old
And veteran, or devout? The king of kings
Saith: ‘Let my toils and treasure gladden none
Except the men of wisdom and of lore,
For what is better than one wise and aged?
I seek experienced men and youths approved,
And patient, for if youths are wise and apt
To learn they fittingly replace the old.’”
As often as his host went forth to war
He acted prudently and cautiously,
And chose some scribe—a wise, learned, heedful man—
And charged him with a courteous embassage
Lest there be unjust strife. The envoy used
To visit the Sháh's foe to learn his case,
And list to him if he were wise and held
War's sorrows, toils, and ills calamities.

As thou
Wouldst live unvexed and scathless turn in naught
From these my counsellings, and in thy triumphs
Incline to God because He is past doubt
Thy guide.”

Whenever there arrived an envoy

From any part, Rúm, Turkistán, or Persia,
The marchlords got to know it, for they held
Such things of moment; lodging was provided,
This was the business of the governors,
With provand, raiment, and no stint of carpets,
Upon the route. They would inform themselves
As to the envoy's business with the Sháh,
And then a scribe upon a noble beast
Would go to Sháh Ardshír that troops might meet
The envoy. Then the conquering Sháh would have
His throne made ready and attendants ranked
On either side thereof in cloth of gold,
Would have the envoy summoned to the presence,
Seat him beside the throne, greet him, and learn
His business good or ill, name, and repute,²⁷⁸

His views of right and wrong, about his land,
About its customs, king, and armaments,
Conduct him to a palace with the state
That was befitting an ambassador,
And furnish what he needed, then invite him
To feast and revel, seat him by the throne,
Would take him out on royal hunting-days,
Escorted by a countless retinue,
Dismiss him with the forms due to an envoy,
And fashion him a monarch's robe of honour.
He sent withal archmages to all parts—
Men wise and shrewd and kindly—to build cities,
And lavish wealth thereon, that every man
Resourceless, homeless, and estranged from fortune,
Might have a living and a dwelling-place,
And thus increase the number of his subjects.
So his good name is current now as then
Upon the lips and in the thoughts of men,
And one sole monarch²⁷⁹

in the world we find
That now recalleth lost Ardshír to mind,

May his end all goodness know.
The Shah had many secrets, for he kept
His agents everywhere. Whene'er the rich
Grew poor the Sháh would help him, if informed,
And leave him prosperous with fertile lands,
Home, slaves, and underlings, arranging all
Without the city's ken, and put his children,
If they had talent, in the charge of tutors.
In every quarter of the towns were schools,
With colleges for worshippers of Fire.
He suffered none to want save such as kept
The fact a secret, and his custom was
To go at daybreak to the public ground,
Where all that sought redress could come, and there
Judged subject and friend's son impartially.
His justice made the whole world prosperous,
And all his subjects' hearts rejoiced in him.
When any king to justice is allied,
In time's despite his footprints will abide.
Observe the policy of this brave chief,
Who, thou wouldst say, engrossed all excellence.
His agents, wise and watchful officers,
Went through the world. Where any land lay waste,
Or streams ran low, he took the taxes off;
No holding was too mean for his regard.
If any thane was poor, and losing all,
The Sháh supplied both implements and cattle.
And let him not be ousted from his home.
Now hear, O king! the sayings of this sage
And make the world as bright as in his age;
As thou untroubled and unvexed wouldst be,
And pile up wealth not gained injuriously,
Seek that thy subjects may be unvexed too,
And have from all the praises justly due.
In Rúm and Chín, in Turkistán and Hind,
The world grew as 'twere Rúman silk to him,
Both toll and tax came in continually
From all lands, none opposing him. He summoned
The nobles of Írán and set those worthy
Upon the royal throne, then rose and made
Oration to them well and graciously:—
“O chieftains of the state, ye that are wise
And prudent! know that swiftly turning heaven
Assaileth not through justice nor embraceth

The tithe,
That erst I took, and impost less or more,
I have employed on useful works and kept
A countless host at court. I sought your good,
Your safety, and the abatement of the Faith
Of Áhriman. Clasp, all! your hands to God,
Be diligent and break not His behest,
Who is the Lord and Giver of all things,
The Artist of the sky above, the Helper
Of the oppressed; but glory not o'er others
By reason of His favour, nor thereby
Deceive thy heart, for pride will have a fall.
Where are the men whose crowns erst frayed the
clouds?
Where those whose quarry was the mighty lion?
They, all of them, are couched on dust and brick,
And he is blest that sowed but seed of good.
List, all of you that are within my realm!
To these my final counsels. Now will I

Know this:
An unjust monarch is a ravening lion
Upon the pasture-land; so is the subject
That heedeth not with diligence and pains
The Sháh's command; his life will be all grief
And toil, and never will he reach old age
Within this Hostelry. If thou hast need
Of goodness and of greatness thou wilt win them
Not by thine avarice and arrogance.
May all my subjects' hearts be glad, and may
The world too prosper 'neath my righteous sway.”

When Sháh Ardshír resumed his seat, an elder,
By name Kharrád, one just in word and thought,
Advanced before the throne, thus saying: “O king!
Be blest while time endureth, ever glad,
And of victorious fortune. May realm, crown,
And throne rejoice in thee. Thou hast attained
To such an eminence that bird and beast
Rank at thy throne, before it and behind.
Exalted over all that wear the crown
Art thou—the greatest man in all the world.
Who can describe thy justice? Thou art based
On justice and on greatness. More and more
We offer up our praise and thanks to God

Thou, who the marrow of the tale wouldst win!
Divorce thy heart from this old Wayside Inn,
Which hath seen many like to thee and me
But with none resteth; whatsoe'er thou be—
King or attendant—it will outstay thee,
For be thou drudge, or lord of crown and throne,
Thou hast to pack thy baggage and be gone.
The sky will melt thee, though of iron mould,
And favour thee no more when thou art old;
So when the charming Cypress bendeth low,
And when the dark Narcissi overflow,
When cheeks of cercis take a saffron hue,
And he is grave anon that erst was gay,
Then, since souls slumber not as bodies do,
Bide not alone, thy mates are on their way.
Be thou a monarch or of subject birth
Thou'lt have no dwelling-place save darksome earth.
Where are the chieftains with their crowns and thrones,
The cavaliers of fortune ever bright?

Aged eight and seventy years²⁸⁶

the watchful world-lord
Grew sick; he knew that death was drawing nigh,
That his green leaf would wither, so he summoned
Shápúr, addressed him counsel past compute,
And said: “Be mindful of my charge, but hold
The words of evil speakers merely wind.
When thou hast heard my sayings practise them,
Discerning haply worth from worthlessness.
I with the scimitar of justice righted
The world and honoured men of noble birth.
That done, the earth waxed but mine own life waned
When I had toiled and sweated much, and treasures
Had multiplied to me. So now I leave
The travail and the pleasure all to thee.
We are in turn exalted and abased,
Such is the process of the circling sky,
Which whiles afflicteth, whiles affecteth, us!
Now fortune is a vicious steed, and scath
Will wreck thee in prosperity, anon
A horse well trained whose neck is arched for thee
In all good will. Know, son! that this false Hostel
Hath terrors even for the happy man.
Be heedful of thine own and wisdom's case
If thou wouldst 'scape ill days. When monarchs honour
The Faith then it and royalty are brothers,
For they are mingled so that thou wouldst say:—
‘They wear one cloak.’ The Faith endureth not
Without the throne nor can the kingship stand
Without the Faith; two pieces of brocade
Are they all interwoven and set up
Before the wise. The Faith doth need the Sháh,
The Sháh, were Faith to seek, would not be praised.
Each needeth other, and we see the pair
Uniting in beneficence. The man
Of Faith will carry off both worlds when he
Shall prove a lord of counsel and of wisdom.

Three things vex the royal throne:

The first one is the unjust sovereign,
The second, the exalter of the worthless
Above the worthy, and the third is he
That weddeth treasure and is instant still
For more. Be thine aim bounty, Faith, and wisdom,
And let no lie pass current for it darkeneth
A man's face; ne'er will he be great and famous.
See that thou heed not treasure, for dínárs
Involve mankind in toil. If greed of treasure
Possess the great king he will vex his subjects,
For where the thane's wealth is there is the Sháh's
Who, whatsoe'er the toil and pain may be,
Should guard it for him and should bring to fruit
His travail's bough. Strive to put wrath away,
And boldly blink the faults of other men.
If thou art wroth thou wilt repent withal,
So, when they make excuse, seek how to salve them.
Whene'er the Sháh is wroth the good misprize him,
And since he is to blame in seeking ill
He should adorn his heart with good. If once
Thou sufferest fear to come within thy heart
The counsels of thy foes' hearts will prevail.
Be boundless too in bounty; if thou canst,
My son! esteem not wealth. He should be king
The limit of whose bounty is the sky.
Whenever trouble is a monarch's lot
Let him hold counsel with his archimages,
Let him inquire too of the right and wrong
Thereof, and lay the matter up at heart.
“On days when thou art purposing to hunt,
And use the binding hawk, mix not thy pleasures,
As wine and feast with open air and chase;
Wine maketh heavy as all leaders know.
Abandon such pursuits when foes appear,
Spend money freely, edge the swords, and summon
The troops of all the realm. Defer not thou
The day's work to the morrow and seat not
An evil counsellor beside the throne.

Let such have no place near to thee although
One of thy counsellors. When thou art Sháh
Lay down revenge and wrath if thou wouldst have
The praises of the pious. He that sitteth
Upon the throne of state should be a wise,
God-fearing man. Be not a chatterer,
Nor make a show of sanctimoniousness
In others' eyes. Hear what men say, lay up
The best, and note what pleaseth thee; weigh well
Thy words to sages, being complaisant
And bright to all; scorn not the poor that beg;
Seat not an adversary on a throne;
Forgive the penitent, requiring not
Revenge for what is passed; be just to all,
And cherish all; the bounteous, patient man
Is blest. What time the foe doth flatter thee
Through fear, array the host, bind on the tymbals,
And go forth to the fight while he is shrinking,
And weak of hand; but if he seeketh peace
And right, and harboureth, as thou perceivest,
No mischief in his heart, take tribute from him,
Seek not revenge, and save his face. Adorn
Thy heart with knowledge; that hath worth; that
know
And practise. Thou wilt be beloved if bounteous,

its airs are all
Musk-perfumed and its streams run milk; the second
Is titled Rám Ardshír;^290a

thence reached I Párs;
The third Urmuzd Ardshír,^290b

whose airs would make
An old man young—the lustre of the province
Of Khúzistán;^290c

it hath folk, trade, and water.
Another one is Birka-i-Ardshír,^290d

Well stocked with gardens, pools, and rosaries,
And two are in the district of Baghdád
And the Farát, and rich in cattle, springs,
And grass—foundations both, as thou mayst say,
Of Sháh Ardshír.²⁹¹

Bear them in mind when thou
Hear'st aught concerning me.

I have prepared

My baggage for the charnel-house. Bestow
My bier and take my seat. In this world I
Have borne great toils in public and in private.
Rejoice my soul with justice and be glad,
And conquering, on the throne.”

He spake, and fortune

Grew dark. Woe for his head and throne and crown!

To Him who made it let all praise ascend;
The Maker of space, time, and earth is He;
From Him are the beginning and the end,
From Him are passion and tranquillity:

He made the starry heavens, earth, and time
The great and little of the world are His,
From worthless stubble to the throne sublime
All things bear witness to us that He is.

Call none but Him the Author of the whole,
Whose ken naught open or concealed can shun,
Who showered blessings on Muhammad's soul,
And on his comrades also, every one.

They all were holy men and continent;
None can compute the words which erst they said;
Now by us too let countless words be spent
In thanking Him by whom the world was made.

Praise we the crown too of the king of kings,
Whose throne doth cause the moon itself to shine,
World-lord Mahmúd, the source whence largessings
And bounties spring, and who hath Grace divine.

Brave, bounteous, dowered with Grace, and just is he,
The age hath grown all joyful 'neath his sway—
The lord of peace, of crown, and treasury,
The lord of scimitar, of ax, and fray.

Our gracious world-lord, conscious what is meant
By merit, thanketh God through whom his hold
Is on the crown. Wise, fair, and eloquent
Is he, in years a youth, in wisdom old.

His Grace compelleth rain from Jupiter,
We sport beneath the shadow of his wings,
In fight he maketh heaven his echoer,
He scattereth jewels at his banquetings.

When he is wroth the mountains melt away,
The welkin quaketh o'er the dust below;
His sires were Sháhs and monarchs ere his day,
And sun and moon toy with him as they go.

Throughout the world I witness his renown;
Until the end may good attend him still;
His mien hath given lustre to the crown,
And fortune been his breastplate 'gainst all ill.

Throughout the world all men of Faith divine,
And all the kings, rejoice in him alone,
Whose glorious fortune maketh heaven to shine,
For earth but baseth his illustrious throne.

He is a mighty Elephant of bale
In fight and at the feast a faithful sky,²⁹³

For there, since his bright projects never fail,
Each billow of his ocean runneth high.

Earth's monarchs are his quarry in the chace,
Wild beasts and cattle in his peace abide,
In battle-days the whizzing of his mace
Dissundereth lion's heart and leopard's hide.

May his head flourish, justice fill his heart,
And with the world his head and crown ne'er part.

Shápúr ascends the throne and addresses the chiefs. He wars with success against Rúm, appoints Urmuzd his successor, and dies.

This reign affords a good illustration of the inaccurate way in which events are recorded even in the most historical of the four dynasties of the Sháhnáma. Shápúr, son of Ardshír (Sapor I., A.D. 241-272), is confused with Shápúr, son of Urmuzd (Sapor II., A.D. 309-379). Important historical events are transferred from the former's reign to the latter's where, to save repetition, they will be dealt with. Again, Shápúr son of Ardshír's two wars with Rome, which historically are parted by a considerable interval of time, are rolled into one. The first war ended in A.D. 244, and the second did not begin till some fourteen or more years later. The latter is the one chiefly commemorated in the Sháhnáma. In the course of it the Roman Emperor Valerian, the Bazánúsh of Firdausí, was defeated and taken prisoner in Mesopotamia owing to the treachery of Macrianus, his Prætorian prefect, and died in captivity. Shápúr then made a raid into Cilicia and Cappadocia—names which appear as Kaidáfa and Pálawína in the poem.²⁹⁴

Subsequently he withdrew his forces, and during his retreat was handled very roughly by Odenathus, prince of Palmyra, who later on made himself master of Mesopotamia and ruled from the Tigris to the Mediterranean till his assassination in A.D. 267. A trace of Shápúr's mishap seems to survive, but the tale is told in connexion with Shápúr, son of Urmuzd. The triumph over Valerian was commemorated in many memorials by his conqueror.²⁹⁵

The name of the city built for the Roman captives was Gund-i-Shápúr, probably the Shápúr Gird of Firdausí as both cities are described as being in Susiana. It was between Susa and Shúshtar, and its situation is indicated by the ruins of Sháhábád.^295a

The great dam in connexion with the river Kárún is still in existence. It is very likely that Shápúr's Roman prisoners helped to make it. It is known as the “Band-i-Kaisar.”^295b

To tell the kingship of Shápúr be thine,
And hold discourse on festival and wine.
Whenas Shápúr sat on the throne of justice,
And donned the heart-illuming crown, the sages,
Wise magnates, and archmages, met before him.
He thus harangued the noble gathering—
The great and understanding counsellors:—
“I am the lawful son of Sháh Ardshír,
The utterer and layer up of knowledge.
Heed, all of you! my bidding and be loyal,
Scan what I say and blame it if 'tis crude.
In mine experience as to good and ill
Two dispensations are conspicuous.
One is the Sháh, the warden of the world,
And guardian of the wealth of high and low.
If he is just and fortunate 'tis clear
That wisdom watcheth over, helpeth, him,
And o'er the dark clouds will exalt his head.
His whole quest is for justice, and for knowledge
That maketh music in his soul. The other

Then tidings spread: “The throne of king of kings
Is occupied no more, wise Sháh Ardshír
Hath died and left Shápúr the throne and crown.”
The battle-cry went up in all the coasts,
And hubbub from Kaidáfa²⁹⁷

unto Rúm.
When news reached Sháh Shápúr he made him ready
Troops, flags, and drums, and led toward Pálawína
A flying column with no baggage-train.
An army that bedimmed the sun with dust

And there he built a city named Shápúr Gird:
He finished it upon the day of Ard.

And in the great high-way whereby all pass.
He built himself a city too in Pars,
Great, fair, and wealthy, and the ancient fortress^298b

Of Nishápúr, they say, without forced labour.
He carried Bazánúsh about with him,
And heeded him. Now there was at Shúshtar
A stream so broad that fish could cross it not.
He said to Bazánúsh: “If thou hast skill
Make over this a bridge as 'twere a rope,
For we return to dust but it will bide
Firm through the science of its architect.
'Twill be a thousand cubits long; request
Whate'er thou needest from my treasury.
Employ thou to some purpose in this land
The skill of Rúman engineers and, when
The bridge is finished, come and be my guest
For life in mirth and safety, and afar
From evil and the hand of Áhriman.”
Brave Bazánúsh began the work and built
The bridge in three years' space, then left Shúshtar
And set his face to hurry to his home.
Shápúr was just, in counsel well approved,
His star exalted and his throne unmoved.²⁹⁹

When thirty years and two months had gone by
The Grace and glory of the Sháh were spent.
He called Urmuzd. “The freshness of my face,”
He said, “is sere; be vigilant, be world-lord,
And ever rule with justice, but be ware
Of putting trust in sovereignty; peruse
Both day and night the volume of Jamshíd;
Do only what is just and good; be thou
The lowly's shelter and the mighty's Grace;
Toy little with dínárs, be bounteous, just,

Urmuzd, whose reign proved to be a very brief one, succeeds his father and harangues the nobles. Feeling the approach of death he summons his son Bahrám, appoints him successor, gives him good counsel, and dies.

The romantic story of Urmuzd's (Hormisdas I., A.D. 272-273), birth,³⁰¹

is all that survives in connexion with him, apart from Firdausí's common form in dealing with the short reigns,^301a

in the Sháhnáma. In the Kárnámak he is represented as a great prince, being confused probably with his father. It is likely that he made a reputation for courage and energy in the wars against Rome and as governor in Khurásán. At all events, according to tradition, he earned for himself the title of “the here.” It is told of him that, being falsely accused of disloyalty, he cut off one of his hands and sent it, wrapped in silk, to his father to prove his innocence as no mutilated person could succeed to the throne. His father, deeply distressed, arranged that mutilation should be no bar in that instance.^301b

Now will I make the diadem and throne
Of Sháh Urmuzd as brilliant as the moon
Upon the day whose name and his are one.^301c

His reign had but one fault—it ended soon.
Whenas great Sháh Urmuzd had ta'en his seat
The sheep and wolf alike came to his cistern.
He thus addressed the noble men of lore,
And chieftains veteran and experienced:—
“I shall pursue the just and right, for he
That keepeth in his mind his sire's advice
Is blest. Since God, the Giver of all good,
Hath given good to me, and therewithal
The crown that is upon the head of kings,
I would by kindness win you as my friends,
And share your secrets. Know that self-willed men
Are hated by the mighty; led away
By their impatience they have ne'er enough,
For envy is the scimitar of fools,
And fortune ever mocketh them. Again,
Short will the life and provand be of one
Ashamed to work. Avoid the common folk
If so thou canst, their hearts are doors of greed.
Pass not in life his portal whom thou findest
Devoid of knowledge; but the men of wisdom,
With prudence and good rede, confirm the throne.
May thy heart live by prudence and good sense;
Do thou thine utmost to avoid all ill.
Knowledge and wisdom are like earth and water,
And should combine. What marvel if the heart
Of any king that putteth from him love
Shall darken? May my subjects all rejoice
And worship God, may He approve of them,
And wisdom aid them inly and without.

The whole assembly blessed

That Sháh so shrewd of heart and pure of Faith,
And broke up glad in that o'ershadowing Cypress.
That wise Sháh kept the precepts of Shápúr,
The son of Sháh Ardshír, and all the world
Rejoiced in him. How good are kings when just
And generous! He ruled with modesty
And justice till a while had passed, and then
The place of musk with camphor was o'erspread,
And in the garth the Cercis-bloom lay dead.

Urmuzd, when ware that death could not be shunned,
Wept many a tear of blood. He had a son,
Imperious, whom the wise Sháh called Bahrám.
He had the carpet laid within his hall,
Bade, and Bahrám appeared, to whom he said:—
“Mine own true son exalt in manliness
And knowledge! feebleness hath come upon me,
And made my face self-coloured with my hair.
Bent is the straight-stemmed Cypress, and the rose,
Erst crimson, hath the colour of the quince.
Be world-lord when thy time shall come, be wise,
And do no hurt; turn not from those that cry
For justice; pardon not oppressors' faults;
Refrain thy tongue from falsehood if thou wouldst
Illume thy throne; let wisdom be thy soul
And modesty thy minister; in speech
Be eloquent, and let thy voice be soft;
Be thine ally the Lord of victory,
And may thy quarry be thy subjects' hearts.
Abate strife and make passion alien;
God grant it rule thee not. Refuse thyself
To scandal-mongers, foolish folk, and knaves.

A noble scribe

Wrote out this testament, and the wazír
Laid it before the Sháh, who heaved a sigh,
While his flushed face became like withered leaves.
Now, when those cheeks grew golden, pain and grief
Became the portion of Bahrám who mourned
For forty days and left the lofty throne
Unoccupied, for he was sorrowful.
Thus will it be while heaven shall turn above,
At whiles all anguish and at whiles all love.
'Tis the Urmuzd of Dai, and night; be thine
To rest from speech and put thy hand to wine.

To the reign of Bahrám (Varahran I., A.D. 273-276) properly belongs the end of the career of the great heresiarch, Mání, who, having been banished by Shápúr, son of Ardshír, and recalled by his son Urmuzd, was executed by order of Bahrám. Mání, however, is relegated in the Sháhnáma to the reign of Shápúr, son of Urmuzd (Sapor II.).³⁰⁷

Historically Bahrám appears to have been the son of Shápúr, son of Ardshír (Sapor I.), not of Urmuzd, son of Shápúr.^307a

The diadem of Sháh Bahrám essay—
A Sháh whose kingship swiftly passed away.^307b

He answered: “Chiefs,

Brave cavaliers, and nobles! let no thane,
Or other liege, put hand to ill. Behold
How this unresting Dome respecteth neither
The fostered nor the fosterer. Bind fast
The hands of passion and reject its bidding.
Whoever shall abstain from evil-doing,
And smircheth not himself by his ill deeds,
Will live glad days and pass in peace. The Sháh
Should guard the wealth of others, tender dearly
Men of good conduct, and protect the Faith,
Because it is the crown upon his head.
He that is wise in wrath, and acteth not
Injuriously, is blest. In times of stress
His heart is great and glad. Oh! may the world
Lack not the sage, and sage indeed is he
That trampleth not³⁰⁸

upon a vanquished foe.
Vindictiveness proceedeth ill from those
That seek renown. Abstain and use it not.
Know that thanes, troops, and kings unoccupied,^308a

Hold no set course; the idle slumbereth,
And waketh to remorse; well said, ill done,
Gain thee no praise or jocund Paradise.
Seek fame, do well, and break no good men's hearts.

The reign of this Bahrám (Varahran II., A.D. 276-293), is in the Sháhnáma as bare of events as that of his predecessor, and Tabarí has next to nothing to say of him. Mas'údí, however, tells us that he began badly till once, when returning from the chase, the Sháh in company with the high priest passed through a hamlet, recently abandoned, amid whose ruins naught was heard but the hooting of the owls. The Sháh asked the high priest if he knew any one that understood their language. The high priest answered that he himself had that gift, and that what the bird said was true. The Sháh inquired what it was, and the high priest replied:—“This owl is a male and wishes to wed. He asked the female owl to accept him as her mate so that their offspring might bless God and perpetuate their name. The female said that she should like it of all things, but that she would accept him only on certain conditions. To begin with he must present her with twenty villages chosen from the chief demesnes that had become vacant under the reigning sovereign.” “What was the male's reply?” asked the Sháh. “Your majesty!” answered the high priest, “the owl made this response:—‘If the reign of this monarch prove a long one I shall be able to give you a good thousand villages, but what do you propose?’ ‘From our union’ rejoined the female, ‘will spring a numerous succession of children, and we shall be able to give each of them a share of these ruins.’ ‘Nothing can be simpler and easier than what you wish’ replied the male, ‘and I agree in advance, for I am overstocked with this kind of wealth. Toll me what you want more.’” The Sháh was struck by the high priest's apologue, and ruled thereafter for his people's good.³¹⁰

While mourning Sháh Bahrám for forty days
Bahrám himself did not assume the crown.
The warriors, the men exceeding wise,
All grief, all wailing, and all lamentation,
Came and sat with him in his woe and mourning,
Wan-cheeked with lips of lapis-lazuli,
Until a prudent archmage came and said:—
“Will not the Sháh be seated on the throne?”
For one whole se'nnight urgently he strove,
And ceased not till the throne was occupied.^310a

According to Tabarí this Sháh (Varahran III., A.D. 293) reigned four years,³¹³

but Mas'údí, like Firdausí, says four months.^313a

Professor Nöldeke suggests that he reigned for four months only in the capital, but ruled longer in other parts of the kingdom, probably in conflict with Narsí,^313b

his uncle, historically, as Bahrám Bahrámiyán appears to have been the son of Urmuzd, son of Shápúr.^313c

The true owner of the title of “Kirmánsháh” is Bahrám, son of Shápúr (Varahran IV., A.D. 388-399).

Bahrám Bahrámiyán sat on the throne,
And girt himself for justice and for bounty.
They sprinkled emeralds upon his crown,
They called him Kirmánsháh, and thus he said:—
“May God, the just and only God, bestow
Upon us wisdom for our portion, justice,
And counsel. This our Wayside Hostelry
Abideth not with any. Goodness help us,
Lean we and cleave thereto, and make our heart
Our witness by our justice and our bounty,
For since the good and evil that we do
Are our memorials sow thou naught but good.”
When he had reigned four months the throne and
crown
Bewailed him bitterly. When certified
That death was near—that crocodile which hunteth
Rhinoceros and elephant—he gave
His son the world, and said: “Be thy reign glorious!
Array thyself, drink wine, walk delicately,
Be bountiful; make not thy day with throne
And crown unfortunate.”³¹⁴

Thus moments speed,

Their breaths uncounted by the man of greed!
O happy fortune! bring red wine to me,
For now the poet's years are sixty-three.

Narsí (Narses, A.D. 293-302) does not appear to have been the son of Bahrám Bahrámiyán but of Shápúr, son of Ardshír Pápakán.³¹⁵

Historically his reign was an important one as we learn from sources other than Persian and Arabic. Firdausí, Tabarí, and Mas'údí have little or nothing to record of him, but Mírkhánd states that he abdicated in favour of his son Urmuzd, and, further, that his prowess in the chase won him the title of ‘The mighty Hunter.’^315a

Bahrám, when fortune's day no longer shone,
Surrendered to Narsí the crown and throne.
This is the way; there is no end thereto,
The wanton sky hath ever something new!

When any wise man hath become thy friend
Know that he is one skin with thee.^316a

Expect
Great deeds from great men, wisdom from the sage.
True courage hath reflection for its base,
And valiant men are worthy of all praise;
But he that fleeth from the work in hand
Will ne'er find fame and honour on the field.
The indolent are cowardly as well,
For indolence and cowardice agree.”
This man of rede and counsel lived nine years,
And by his sayings profited the world;
But when his day approached, when fortune loured,
And when his casque of steel became like wax,
Urmuzd, bright as a tulip midst the grass,
Ran to the pillow of the noble Sháh,
Whose son he was and splendent as the moon
At night. The Sháh said: “Gently nurtured youth!
Refrain thy hand with all thy strength from ill.
Soul of Narsí art thou, Bahrám's own fortune,
Crown-worthy and the glory of the throne.
Oh! may the crown ne'er weep, the people's heart
Consume, for thee who hast such stature, Grace,
Limbs, and unmatched achievement in all knowledge.
Rule thou the world by royal precedents
As thou hast learned them from thy pious sire.
At length thine own day too will pass away,
And restless heaven tread thee down; so act then
That when thy God shall question thee thine answer
May make thy bliss secure.”

This said, he drew

The mantle o'er his head and heaved a sigh.
That day thou wouldst have said that he was not,
And had no throne or seat or diadem.
Thy lot is naught but toil and misery;
'Tis so—a mystery to every eye!

The reign of this Sháh (Hormisdas II., A.D. 302-309) seems to be regarded as uneventful by all authorities. He left, apparently, three sons, Ázarnarsí, Urmuzd, and one unnamed, in addition to one or more posthumes. After the Sháh's death Ázarnarsí succeeded, but within a year was deposed for cruelty, Urmuzd was imprisoned but escaped long afterwards to the Romans,³¹⁸

the unnamed one was blinded, and a posthumous child became Sháh.^318a

He proved to be one of the most famous of the dynasty.

bewailing fortune,
Is not possessed of rede and understanding,
And is no ornament to any throne.
The simple deprivation of all wealth
Will ruin him in heart and soul and brain;
He will take pride in want and evil nature,
And hold his head up high in his unwisdom,
His lack of goods, of knowledge, rede, achievement,
Of Faith and of all thankfulness to God.
May both your nights and days be prosperous,
The marrow of your foemen's lives plucked out.”
The chiefs applauded and saluted him
As earth's great king. When heaven had turned nine
years
Above his head his face that had resembled
Pomegranate-bloom became like yellow roses,
The head that wore the crown was sick to death;
He died without a son beside his couch.

Shápúr is born Sháh. In his youth he builds a bridge at Taisafún and punishes the Arabs for their raids during his minority. Later on he goes to Rúm in disguise, is imprisoned, but escapes, defeats the Rúmans, takes Cæsar prisoner, and dictates terms of peace, which include the cession of Nasíbín (Nisibis). The poet then tells of the heresiarch Mání, his doctrine and death. Shápúr appoints his brother Ardshír regent, and dies soon after.

The duration of the reign of Shápúr (Sapor II., A.D. 309-379), as given by Firdausí, is correct. He was Sháh all his life, contemporary with ten Roman Emperors, and one of the greatest of Sásánian rulers.

As has been stated already, some of the events attributed in the Sháhnáma to the reign of this Sháh really belong to that of his predecessor, the first of his name.³²¹

§ 1. The story of the building of the bridge over the Tigris at Taisafún (Ctesiphon) is told also by Tabarí, who says that the additional bridge was constructed by sunset on the same day as that on which the command for its erection was given!^321a

Shápúr's chief places of residence were in Susiana and Mesopotamia, not in Párs as Firdausí states.

§§ 2, 3. Two Shápúrs (Sapor I. and Sapor II.) and much history are confused in this account, in which the taking of Hatra in the early days of the Sásánian dynasty and probably by Shápúr, son of Ardshír, is bound up artificially by a romantic incident with the expedition made by Shápúr, son of Urmuzd, into Arabia to avenge the Arab incursions into Persian territory that had taken place during his minority. Hatra or Al Hadr was the capital of a small principality which had become independent during the later days of Parthian rule. It grew up in the Mesopotamian desert, some forty miles west of the Tigris, in an oasis formed by the river Tharthar. Its magnificent ruins stand some forty miles south of Mosul and some two hundred north of Baghdád which is itself some twenty miles higher up the Tigris than the sites of the twin cities of Ctesiphon and Seleucia. The ruins form a complete circle surrounding a central square. The circle has a diameter of a little over a mile and is made up as follows. Outside of all is a broad rampart; within this is a deep moat, now dry, and within this again an immense stone wall with towers at intervals. Within the wall are the ruins of what was once the city. The dwellings of the inhabitants now are represented for the most part by mounds of earth, but in the centre of the area surrounded by the city wall is a square walled enclosure with bastions or towers similar to those of the city wall itself. The four sides of this enclosure front to the four cardinal points, and each side measures 340 yards in length. This enclosure may be regarded as the citadel, and within it were the palace and the temple of both of which the ground-story, consisting of vaulted halls and other buildings, is still upstanding. The whole of the remains, walls, bastions, and all, are of coarse limestone beautifully fitted, every stone also being marked with a letter or number and often carved to represent human faces, foliage, birds, griffins, and other monsters.³²²

The place, as will have been seen from the above description, was immensely strong, its inhabitants were warlike, it was only a little over two hundred miles from Ctesiphon and Seleucia—attractions that, as experience was to show, were not beyond the reach of raids from the more distant Palmyra^322a—

and Ardshír Pápakán not unnaturally desired its reduction. This he, or his son Shápúr, actually achieved. The stronghold had withstood successfully sieges by the Emperors Trajan and Severus. It fell at last through treachery. Àccording to the story the Arabs had made a successful foray in the neighbourhood of Ctesiphon and Seleucia during the absence of Shápúr. The leader of this raid was a certain Daizan or, as Firdausí calls him, Táír, and there may be here some reminiscence of the capture by Odenathus of some of Shápúr's harem after the war with Valerian.³²³

At all events the raider was some Arab chief, but in our story was the king of Hatra. Shápúr, informed of what had happened, beleaguered the city. Now Daizan had a daughter, the Málika of Firdausí, and it so happened that in the course of the siege, which lasted four years, she and Shápúr fell in love with one another, and he promised, if she would get him possession of Hatra, to make her his queen. This she accomplished, her father was put to death, and Shápúr married the traitress. Now she had a very delicate skin, and, when she was reposing on silk stuffed with raw silk, complained of discomfort. It was found that a myrtle-leaf was pressing against her! Shápúr asked her on what her father had fed her. She told him on cream, marrow, the honey of virgin bees, and the finest wine. “And yet,” he said, “though you have known me only a short time you love me better than your father who gave you such food!”^323a

He had her bound by the hair to the tail of a wild horse and dashed to death. By rights this story should come under the reign of Shápúr, son of Ardshír, or of Ardshír himself; it has been brought, however, into connexion with that of Shápúr, son of Urmuzd, by the romantic addition, found in Dínawarí and Firdausí, that the treacherous daughter—the Málika of the Sháhnáma—was the child of the king of Hatra by the daughter of Narsí— Dukhtnúsh in Dínawarí and Núsha in Firdausí—whom he had made captive in the raid above mentioned. Now Shápúr, son of Urmuzd, was noted far more than his predecessor, Shápúr, son of Ardshír, for his dealings with the Arabs, and is said to have acquired his title of “Zu'l Aktáf” on account of the severity with which he treated them. Zu'l Aktáf has been explained to mean that he dislocated their shoulders, or removed their shoulder-blades, or strung his captives together in couples by boring their shoulders and passing a ring through them. Originally, however, the title may have been one of honour only, “the broad-shouldered” like Dirázdast “the long-handed.”³²⁴

Be this as it may, the above story was adapted in Íránian legend to make it applicable to the better known of the two first Shápúrs and the one whose dealings with the hated Arabs redounded most to the credit of the empire. It is, as will be seen, softened somewhat in the adapted version. The half Persian descent of Málika is meant to account for and excuse her treachery,^324a

and Shápúr's conduct to her is not brutal. A trace of the earlier and harsher version may survive in the words of Táír,^324b

where he says in effect, anticipating those of Brabantio to Othello:—

But we are not told that Shápúr acted on the hint.

The scene of the story is laid by Firdausí in distant Yaman, the 'Ínánians, of whom Táír is made the king, being a tribe in that region.

In one place Firdausí refers to Núsha as the “daughter of Bahrám.”^324d

She was the granddaughter.

§§ 4-10. Here we have another historical confusion but on a larger scale. Sháhs, Emperors, times, and events are confounded and transformed so into terms of romance that it is not easy to “disentangle from the puzzled skein the threads of” history.

First, Shápúr, son of Ardshír, is confused with Shápúr, son of Urmuzd.

Secondly, the Emperor Valerian is mixed up with the Arab prince Odenathus and with the Emperors Julian and Jovian. The Bazánúsh of the Sháhnáma, who in the reign of Shápúr, son of Ardshír, represented Valerian, here represents Jovian, and Julian, the Yánus of Firdausí, leads, not as Cæsar but as Cæsar's brother, an expedition against Persia.

Thirdly, a few dates are instructive. Shápúr, son of Ardshír, reigned A.D. 241-272. Shápúr, son of Urmuzd, reigned A.D. 309-379. The Emperor Valerian was taken prisoner in A.D. 258. Julian died, and Jovian made his treaty with Persia, in A.D. 363. Odenathus, prince of Palmyra, was assassinated in A.D. 267.

Fourthly, the historical events here confused are:—

The second war of Shápúr, son of Ardshír, against Rome in which the Emperor Valerian was taken prisoner and died, some years later, in captivity.

The ensuing war of Odenathus, prince of Palmyra, against the conqueror of Valerian, in the course of which he captured part of the great king's harem, and marched up to the gates of Ctesiphon.

The expedition of the Emperor Julian against Shápúr, son of Urmuzd, which ended in a disastrous retreat, his own death, and the humiliating treaty made by his successor Jovian.

§ 4. Already we have had instances of kings and chiefs going in disguise to spy out the enemy. So Rustam made his way into the camp of Suhráb,³²⁵

and Sikandar to that of Dárá,^325a

to the court of queen Kaidáfa,^325b

and to the palace of the Faghfúr.^325c

We shall find too Bahrám Gúr, in the next volume, going as his own ambassador to Shangul, king of Hind. The exploits of Odenathus in connexion with Shápúr, son of Ardshír, and the capture of the great king's harem, seem to be adumbrated here in the capture and misfortunes of the second Shápúr at the court of Cæsar. Valerian, whose own capture is here post-dated, is credited with the successes of the Arab chieftain. Shápúr's misfortunes are ante-dated as a foil to his final triumph later on.^325d

The denouncer of Shápúr at the court of Cæsar may be identified perhaps, historically, with the Persian prince Urmuzd (Hormisdas) who was imprisoned by the nobles after the death of his father Urmuzd, son of Narsí, and after a long captivity escaped in A.D. 323 to the Romans, by whom he was held in high honour, and accompanied Julian in his campaign to the East.^325e

We have had an instance already in the case of Garsíwaz of the punishment of being sewn up in fresh raw hide, which contracts and stiffens as it dries, and is very painful if not always fatal. According to some accounts the Khalífa Walíd (A.D. 705-715), under a misapprehension, had his great general Muhammad Kásim put to death in this fashion,^325f

but this does not seem to be historically correct.

§ 5. Sympathetic damsels are much in evidence in this portion of the Sháhnáma as aids to embarrassed heroes. One helped Ardshír Pápakán,^325g

as did two more according to the Karnámak.^325h

Shápúr is aided thus here for the second time.³²⁵ⁱ

Such scenes of lowly life as that between Shápúr and the gardener become more frequent in the latter part of the poem.

§ 7. Here we have, for the second time, the account of the capture of Valerian, post-dated by more than a century. His treatment in captivity is represented as being much more severe in this version on account of his rough usage of the Sháh which, historically, represents the successes gained by Odenathus over Shápúr, son of Ardshír, after the defeat of Valerian. The proposed terms of peace similarly are more stringent. Their parallel is the building of the bridge at Shúshtar.³²⁶

§ 8. This appears to be an account of Julian's expedition to the East in A.D. 362-3. It will be seen that he is not regarded as an Emperor but as the Emperor's brother. This was necessary owing to the form that the story took in Firdausí's authorities. Cæsar (Valerian) was supposed to be still alive though a captive and was engaged in collecting all the ransom that was possible from Rúm.^326a

The throne was not technically vacant, so Yánus could not be Emperor. Later on the troops of Rúm make a new choice altogether and elect Bazánúsh (Jovian). The repetition of the story of Valerian has the effect of dwarfing the more historically placed expedition of Julian, and Julian's status suffers accordingly.

§ 9. Here, after the overthrow of Yánus (Julian) Bazánúsh (Jovian) is elected Emperor in succession, romantically, to Cæsar (Valerian), historically, to Julian. Historically, too, the negotiations for peace were begun a few days after the death of Julian, and during the retreat of the Roman army, not by the newly elected Emperor Jovian but by Shápúr, who took that stop to delay the retirement of the Romans till some definite agreement had been arrived at. The result was a great triumph for Persian diplomacy.

§ 10. That we have here a version of the historical treaty of peace between Jovian and Shápúr is clear from the stipulation for the cession of Nasíbín (Nisibis)—one of the most important provisions of the actual treaty. Shápúr had besieged it three times already without success. There was a stipulation that the Roman inhabitants of that and other places ceded should have liberty to withdraw. Tabarí tells us that in the case of Nisibis they were replaced by twelve thousand natives of Istakhr and elsewhere.^326b

Both the accounts of Valerian in the Sháhnáma agree that he ended his days in captivity, and the general consensus of historians is to the same effect. Whether he died a natural death or not is uncertain, but the former seems the more probable.^326c

Shápúr continued the ancient practice of transporting conquered populations to new homes, settling them in cities that he himself had built, restored, or renamed. The two in Khúzistán mentioned in the text—Khurram Ábád and Kinám-i-Asírán—may be represented by the ruins of Karkh and Shús, now known as Iwán-i-Kerkh, not far from the ruins of Susa. Pírúz Shápúr is better known as Ambar, a city on the Euphrates.^326d

It served as the original capital of the 'Abbasid Khalífat but was superseded before long by Baghdád.

§ 11. There was so much in common between the first two Shápúrs—similarity of name, wars with the Arabs and the Romans, religious excitement and consequent persecution, and, in addition to all this, the fact that the six intervening Sháhs had failed to impress their personalities on the popular mind and consequently left hardly any trace of themselves in popular tradition—that it was only natural for events properly belonging elsewhere to gravitate towards the later, longer, and more important reign of the two. We have had several instances of this tendency already, and here we have another in the case of the famous heresiarch, Mání, whose career, historically speaking, ended before the second Shápúr was born. Mání's life seems wholly to have been included within the third century A.D.—a period when new religious ideas were being disseminated broadeast, and old religions were passing through a season of revival. In the Sásánian empire Zoroastrianism, Christianity with its many gnostic offshoots, and Judaism, were striving to assert themselves, and in the midst of the ferment Mání was born A.D. 215-16. He is said to have begun his public career as a religious teacher on Sunday, March 20th A.D. 242—the day apparently of the coronation of Shápúr, son of Ardshír.^326e

Shápúr, at first disposed to listen to the new teacher, afterwards banished him, and he romained in exile till he was allowed to return by Shápúr's successor, Urmuzd, who allowed him evangelical freedom and presented him with a place of residence. Urmuzd's reign, however, proved to be a very brief one, and under the next Sháh, his son or brother, Bahrám, Mání is said to have been flayed alive, and his body, stuffed with straw, exposed on one of the gates of Gund-i-Shápúr, which gate consequently became known as “the Mání gate.” According to some accounts Mání was recalled by Bahrám and afterwards put to death by him or by his son and successor, but at all events the great gnostic died before the time of Shápúr, son of Urmuzd. Mání's followers of course were persecuted.

Mání's teaching was an eclectic one, and the materials for it were drawn from the various Faiths amid which he grew up or with which he came into contact later on. No doubt in his enthusiasm he hoped to find a formula that would reconcile them all. In the result he was regarded by the orthodox of each as the false friend who is worse than the open enemy, and suffered accordingly. His chief opponents were the priests of the state-religion—Zoroastrianism—just then in the flowing tide of its revival, but the arguments put into the high priest's mouth by Firdausí are more Mohammedan than Zoroastrian. Mání's offence, so far as his doctrine was distinguished from Christianity, lay in his high and pure asceticism, which was antagonistic to the somewhat self-indulgent Faith of Zoroaster. The Zoroastrian was a family man, a flesh-eater, and a wine-drinker. The Manichæan was not permitted to injure any living thing, whether animal or plant, for the sake of obtaining food, and was a celibate, a vegetarian, and a rechabite.

The followers of Mání were famous for the neatness and ornamentation of their sacred books, and this gave rise to the notion that Mání himself had been a painter. There are allusions to him in that capacity in the Sháhnáma.³²⁸

§ 12. For Ardshír see the next reign.

Passed forty days, then like the shining sun
A babe was born of that fair dame. The archmage
Named him Shápúr and gave a feast for joy.
Thou wouldst have said: “The infant is all Grace,
And wisdom is his banner and his shade.”
For forty days they revelled, then prepared
The child a royal throne. The nobles came
With golden girdles and hung over it
The crown of gold. That babe of forty days
They set, when fed and swaddled up in silk,
Upon his glorious father's throne beneath
The crown of gold; the chiefs all homaged him,
And showered gems. An archimage by name
Shahrwí, wise, apt, and potent, came and sat
Upon a golden seat to serve the babe
As minister, and with good rede and justice
Ruled o'er the world. He led the folk to good,
Collected troops and treasure, and adorned
The palace and the throne, for young Shápúr,

“O famed and valiant prince!”

The archmage answered thus the little Sháh,
“The merchants and the workmen are returning
Home from their shops and, as they pass each other,
They fear to jostle, for the bridge is narrow,
So crow like cocks at drum-beat.”

Said Shápúr:—

“Ye famous sages and my counsellors!
Then let us have two bridges, one to go,
The other to return, so that our subjects,
Both soldiers and civilians, may cross
At ease; our treasury shall bear the costs.”
The archmages all joyed much that that young Tree
Was showing leaf, and, as the young Sháh bade,
Their chief gave orders for a second bridge.
His mother's heart rejoiced, she gave him tutors,
But by his rapid progress he outstripped them.
At seven years old he went upon the ground
To learn the art of war and play at polo;
At eight he learned the etiquette of courts;
Thou wouldst have said that he was Sháh Bahrám.³²⁹

He exercised himself in every grace.
And made Istakhr his royal residence
By his own glorious fathers' precedent,
Men pure, accepted, and preeminent.

Anon, and when the world-illuming crown
Grew bright, Táír, the 'Ínánian lion-hearted,
Whose scimitar would bolden heaven, led forth
From Rúm and Párs, from Kurdistán, Bahrain,
And Kádisíya, up to Taisafún

When Shápúr

Was six and twenty, and had grown to be
A valiant, sun-like monarch, he reviewed
His troops upon the plain and chose him out
Twelve thousand warriors and for each a camel
Wind-footed, and a hundred guides withal.
The warriors mounted, leading each his steed.
Then too the Sháh himself and his own meiny
Took seat upon their beasts. He girded up
His royal belt for raiding and pursued
The monarch of the 'Ínánians—Táír,
That over-weening one, that raging Lion—
And slaughtered many of his warriors,
Which when Táír perceived he showed his back.
Then followed hue and cry, and many captives
Were taken while that host fled to a stronghold
Within Yaman; men, women, children wailed.
Shápúr led forth such forces that the ways
Were barred to ant and gnat. He found³³¹

Táír
With troops within the hold, and turned from him
The means of fight and flight. The siege continued
A month both day and night, the garrison
Ran short of food. One morning full of ardour
Shápúr, the hero, mounted on his steed
With bow in hand, a kingly, black cuirass
Upon his breast and black flag fluttering o'er him.
Now Málika looked from the castle-walls,
And saw that flag and head of chiefs, whose cheeks
Were then like rose-leaves and his hair like musk,
His lips like jujubes and his breath musk-scented.
Both sleep and peace went from her; with her heart
Possessed by love, she sought her nurse, and said:—
“This sun-like Sháh, come hither for revenge,
Is great, my very blood, and him I call
‘The world’ because he is the world to me.
Now bear a message for me to Shápúr;
He came to fight us, bid him to a feast

She replied: “As thou commandest

So will I speak and bring thee news of him.”
When night and murk took kingship of the earth
From sea to sea, when it became pitch-hued,
The hills like indigo, the stars like lamps,
And thou hadst said: “Three hundred thousand lights
Have been suspended from the eighth heaven,” the nurse
Went quaking, full of fear and fright. Her heart
Was sundered through her terror of Táír.
She reached the camp, approached a trusty man,
And said: “If thou wilt bring me to the Sháh,
Thou shalt receive from me a crown and ring.”
That wise and prudent man conducted her
Toward the valiant monarch from the gate.
She came, with her eyelashes swept the ground,
And told him all. Her words rejoiced the Sháh,
Who smiled. He gave her fifty score dínárs,
A necklace, pair of bracelets, crown, and cloak
Embroidered with brocade of Chín, and answered:—
“Speak much and kindly to the moon-faced maid,
And say to her: ‘He sware by sun and moon,
The girdle of Zarduhsht,³³²

the throne and crown:—
“Whate'er thou askest of me, though it be
To cantle mine own realm, thine ear shall hear
No angry word from me, nor will I seek
To part from thine embrace.”’ For I will buy her,
God willing, at the cost of throne and crown,
Of treasure and of host.”

On hearing this

She hurried from the camp back to the hold,
Informed the silver Cypress what had passed,
And added: “Venus is conjunct with Sol.”
She told of Sháh Shápúr, his looks and height,
All she had noted of that Moon so bright.

Now Málika, when Sol's crown westward shone,
And on the earth its yellow flower became
Like teak in hue, won from the treasurer
And minister of king Táír the keys
That oped the stores of provand and of wine,

Then he bade

To lodge that fair maid daintily in camp,
Collected all his forces, chose out men,
Both mounted and afoot, approved in valour
And fitted for the fray, and entering
The hold 'gan slay, and seized the ancient treasures.
The more part of the garrison were drunk,
The rest, but half awake, prepared to fight;
None showed his back through fear. The noble Sháh
Slew many while Táír, who was made captive,
Came naked and, albeit unwillingly,
Apace before him. Hold and goods were both
Shápúr's. One man was rich and only one!
He waited till the dawn and, when Sol showed
Its golden cap, they set a throne of turquoise,
As was the custom, in the hold and held
An audience. When the Sháh had made an end
The Rose of early Spring drew near to him;
She wore a ruby coronet and shone
In cloth of gold of Chín. He seated her
Beside him on the throne and presently
Called for Táír in bonds who, when he came,
Bare-headed, and beheld his daughter crowned,

He bade

The deathsman to behead Táír and fling
His body to the flames. The head he trailed
In blood contemptuously and flung away.
He would not let his Arab captives speak,
But had their shoulder-blades removed—an act
Which horrified the world. The Arabs used
To call him Zú'l Aktáf because he wrenched
Their shoulders from the spine. Thence he returned
To Párs where all men came and homaged him.
All that got quarter with their shoulders whole
Refused to him no longer tax and toll.

Thus heaven revolved awhile, then changed its favour.
The day came when Shápúr, although possessed
Of crown and treasure, dreaded what might be,
And, when two watches of the night had passed,
Called his astrologers and asked concerning
The imperial throne and weal and woe to come.
The astrologers brought forth their astrolabes,
And cast his prospects of repose and rest,³³⁵

To see if ill would reach, or Grace divine
Grow greater with, the Sháh. This seen, they said:—
“Great king, world-lord, of ardent heart and pure!
A grievous, painful task confronteth thee,
But what none dareth tell.”

Shápúr replied:—

“O learnéd men and seekers of the way!
By what device can this be made to pass
From me, and mine ill star not tread me down?”
The astrologers made answer: “None, O Sháh!
By courage and by knowledge can escape

The noble Sháh

Rejoined: “God is our refuge from all ill,
For He created circling heaven above,
Created strength and weakness.”

He spread out

His justice through the realm and for a while
Was glad and free from trouble. Having rendered
The whole land prosperous he greatly yearned
To visit Rúm and see the state of Cæsar,
His army, treasury, and puissance.
He told his minister, a paladin
Both just and prudent, of his secret purpose,
But hid it from all other folk, and added:—
“Administer the realm with equity,
For that will make you glad.”

He had prepared

Ten caravans of camels—noble beasts;
There was a chief to every caravan.
He loaded thirty camels with dínárs,
The rest with jewels and brocade. He left
The peopled parts and journeyed full of care
Till he arrived in Rúm and saw a suburb
Where dwelt both thanes and citizens. He entered
The dwelling of a man of means and asked:—
“Can I have lodging here?”

With many greetings

The goodman said: “Receive we not such guests?”
Shápúr abode that night, ate, and gave presents,
Receiving back the blessings of the thane.
At morn he packed and went to Cæsar's palace,
Like wind, and coming to the chamberlain
Saluted him and gave him gifts, who asked:—
“Who art thou? Say, because thou art a king
In limbs and looks.”

Shápúr replied: “Not I.

I am a Persian, a religious man,
And with my merchandise have come from Jaz.
I have a caravan of silks and linens,
And came to court in hope to be received
By Cæsar. If among my merchandise
Aught liketh him, or of my gems and arms,
Let him accept such from his slave and place them
Among his treasures. This will please, not grieve, me.
The rest I shall sell boldly in reliance
On his protection, purchase what I need
In Rúm, and bear it to Írán.”

The elder

They carried him

Off to the women's house and bound his hands;
None 'scapeth from the net of bale by valour.
What booteth to consult astrologers
Since all their calculations naught availed?
They lit a candle by the drunken man,
And vilely sewed him up in ass's hide.
All said: “The wretch hath gained an ass's skin,
And lost a throne!”

There was a dark, strait cell

Whereto they bare, and whereinto they flung,
That luckless one forthwith and locked the door.
Now Cæsar gave the custody of key,
And of that captive wrapped in alien hide,
To his own wife, and told her: “Give him bread
And water lest his soul may pass too soon.
If he survive awhile he will perceive
The worth of throne and crown, and none that is not
Of Cæsar's race will covet Cæsar's throne.”
She locked the cell. Her own home was elsewhere.
She had for treasuress and confidant
A moon-faced girl, Íránian by descent,
Who knew her lineage from sire to sire,
And Cæsar's wife put in her charge the key,
And brave Shápúr fast ín the ass's skin,
Whom Cæsar left thus straitened, and that day
Led forth his host. Now when he reached Írán
His army drew the falchion of revenge,

Time passed, the army of Írán was scattered,
And all the while in Rúm the keepers watched
Shápúr both day and night, howbeit the damsel,
That was Íránian-born, rejoiced not o'er him,
But wept for him, thus clad in ass's hide,
Incessantly; her heart burned for Shápúr.
One day she said: “O goodly man! who art thou?
Speak and fear not, for in this ass's skin
Thy graceful form hath neither sleep nor rest.
Thou wast a Cypress with the moon full-orbed
Above it, and that moon had musk-black curls,
But now thy cypress-form is like a hoop,
Thine elephantine body like a reed.
My heart is burning, mine eyes weep, for thee
Both day and night. What wouldst thou in thine
anguish?
Why tell not me thy secret?”

Said Shápúr:—

“If thou art well disposed to me, my Fair!
I ask thy promise—one confirmed by oath
That thou wilt keep it—not to tell my foes
My secret, but be mindful of mine anguish;
Then will I tell thee what thou wouldst—the truth.”
The damsel sware to him by the All-just,
The cincture of the priest³³⁹

—that stalwart guide—
The life of Christ, the Passion of the Cross,
The master of Írán, and love and fear:—
“I will not tell or benefit thereby.”
He told all, hiding neither good nor bad,
And said to her: “Now if thou wilt perform
My hest, and pledge thy heart to keep my secret,

The damsel

Used her endeavours to obtain hot milk,
But furtively and speaking 'neath her breath.
On coming back with milk she used to set
Upon the fire a bowl thereof, then bear it
In secret to Shápúr, informing none.
In two weeks' time the ass's hide was moistened,
And when with aching body and full heart
Shápúr came forth therefrom he said to her
In confidence: “O pure one, vigilant,
And kindly in thy deeds! we must advise,
And frame a stratagem to 'scape from Rúm:
May blessing never light on such a land!”
The damsel said to him: “Tomorrow morn
Our chiefs will set forth to the banquet-place.
There is a feast in Rúm that men and women,
And children will attend. Whenas the queen
Shall leave the city for the merrymake
Upon the plain, the coast will be all clear,
And I will manage, reckless of mishap;
My wits shall get for thee two steeds, two maces,
And bow and arrows.

Hearing this, he praised

That worshipful, foreseeing maid, grew bold,
And in this case took wisdom for his guide.
Whenas the Fount of Light sank in the west,
And night drew o'er its head the Veil of Pitch,
Shápúr mused much: “What will she do tomorrow?”
When Sol arose in Leo, when day waxed
And slumber waned, the great men of the city
Went to the feast. That damsel, like a man
Full of resource, began to ply her schemes.
She had the empty palace to herself,
Had lion's heart withal and leopard's claws.
She brought two noble horses from the stalls,
Chose weapons fit for valiant cavaliers
With all that she had need of in dínárs,
In pearls, in rubies, and in every thing.
When all was ready, and the night had come,
The pair resolved to act and started forth

Said Shápúr:—

“Good friend! thou askest much of one astray!
A traveller I, a native of Írán,
And bent on flight. I am in Cæsar's danger
And in his troops', and never may I see
His head and crown! If thou wilt be my host
To-night, and play the marchlord's part discreetly,³⁴¹

Sure am I that one day 'twill profit thee;
The tree that thou shalt plant will bear thee fruit.”
The gardener said: “The house is thine, the gardener
Himself thy guest. Whate'er I can I will,
Informing none.”

Then Sháh Shápúr alighted,

He and the damsel, and the gardener's wife
Gat ready food for them as best she could.
When they had eaten bread they turned to wine,
And had a lowly chamber dight. The gardener
Gave to Shápúr the wine forthwith, and said:—
Drink thou to whom thou wilt.”

“My host,” he answered,

“And gardener eloquent and excellent!
The man that bringeth wine should drink it first,
When first in years and wisdom. Thou art older
Than I and, since thou furnishest the wine,
Thou shouldst begin.”

“Great sir!” the gardener said,

“The man of Grace should drink first. Lead the way
As old in wisdom though more young in years.
I seem to scent a crown upon thy locks;
Thy visage too is like the sun.”

Shápúr

Smiled, took the wine, and sighed. “O pious man!”
He said, “what tidings from Írán hast thou?”

He abode, ate, and conversed,

That night, and when morn rose above the mountains,
When rose the Golden Banner from the dales,
The master of the garden visited
His guest, and said: “Good day to thee, and may
Thy head be o'er the rain-clouds. This abode
Was not a fitting resting-place for thee,
Nor was the season suited for repose.”
Shápúr replied: “My friend! I should prefer
This house to crown and throne. And now bring forth
A Zandavasta and thy sacred twigs
That while I mutter I may ask thee questions.”³⁴³

He did according to the Sháh's command,
Made the twigs ready and the place of prayer.
Then as he prayed the Sháh said: “Tell me truly
Where the high priest is now.”

His host replied:—

“Sweet-tongued and holy man! I can discern
His house from here.”

The Sháh said privily:—

“Request some seal-clay of the village-chief.”

That morn the gardener

Went with the impress of the royal signet,
But on arrival found the portal barred,
And armed men stationed round. He clamoured loudly
To be admitted and proceeded straightway
Before the high priest, showed the signature,
And did obeisance. When the high priest looked,
And saw the impress, that wise statist's heart
Began to throb with joy and, weeping greatly
Upon that name, he asked: “What man is this?”
The gardener said: “My lord! the cavalier
Is staying at my house and hath with him
A Moon, slim cypress-like, wise, fair, and graceful.”
The high priest said: “Now as to this aspirant,³⁴⁴

What is he like in stature and in face?”
The gardener answered: “One that ne'er hath seen
Spring, and a cypress by the water's side,
Would yet at sight of this man's looks and stature
Find music in his heart. His arms are like
A camel's thighs, his chest is like a lion's,
His check like blood. Shame reddeneth at his grace,
The crown's decore proceedeth from his face.”

The wise high priest, while listening to the gardener,
Perceived with his shrewd mind: “This Lion-heart
Can be none other than the Sháh; his mien
Befitteth but the throne!” and seeking out
A wary messenger he sent to tell
The captain of the host: “The Grace of Sháh
Shápúr is manifest. Assemble troops
From every side.”

The high priest's messenger

Came speeding to the captain of the host,
Who gladdened at the words and then and there
Set both his cheeks upon the ground, and said
To God: “O righteous Judge! I serve Thee only.
Who ever thought that Sháh Shápúr and army
Would see each other more? O one just God,
The Master of the world and Guide to good!
I thank Thee.”

And stars began to twinkle round the moon,
Troops gathered from all quarters, and wherever
Chiefs were they made their way, by ones and twos,
Toward that city and reached joyfully
The hospitable gardener's door. Now when
The troops had gathered, that good man approached
The Sháh who bade that they should be admitted
Although his court was lowly. As they came
They bent their faces to the ground before him.
The Sháh embraced the chieftains and began
To wail his woes, told of his sufferings
Within the ass's skin, of Cæsar's words,
And what that fair Íránian slave had done
For love of him: “I have through her and God
Preserved my life. May Fortune smile on her.
Grant but a virtuous slave and thou wilt be
The slave of such though king and glorious.
I am the slave of this fond slave whose heart
Is open and who keepeth secrets well.
Wherever I have forces, and my rule
Is recognised, send thither men and give
The tidings. Scatter scouts upon the roads,
Secure them, and the one to Taisafún
In chief. The news must not transpire. If Cæsar
Hear of me that the Grace of king of kings
Appeareth he will come, destroy my host,
And break the Íránians' hearts and backs. We cannot
Withstand him yet or cope with his lush fortune,
But when the high priest cometh and shall bring
Troops we will bar the road to ants and gnats.
We will be instant then and take new order
To clear our garden quietly of weeds,
To every corner spies shall be dispatched,
And outposts be on guard by day and night.
Thenceforth I give no Rúman liberty
To sleep in peace or lay his armour by.”

Shápúr, whose troops were soon six thousand strong,
Sent veteran chiefs to spy out Taisafún,

“O thou compact

Of ill,” the Sháh said, “Christian and God's foe,
Ascribing unto Him who hath no mate,
No period, and no origin, a son!
Thou art a very knave, a lunatic,
A miscreant, fool, and utterest naught but lies,
Which are an evil, unilluming fire.
Where are thy counsel, modesty, and heart
Inciting thee to good, if thou art Cæsar?
Why bind me in an ass's hide and so
Fling greatness to the dust? I came to feast
In merchant's guise, I came not forth to fight
With drums and troops, but thou didst clothe thy guest
In ass's skin and march against Írán.
Now shalt thou feel the clutch of valiant men,
And seek no more to fight Írán.”

“O Sháh!”

Said Cæsar, “who can 'scape God's ordinance?
The royal throne put wisdom far from me,
And made my soul a hireling of the Dív.
Thou wilt be famous, doing good for ill,
Because thy name ne'er will grow old, and thou
Wilt compass all thy longing by thy prowess.
If I have safeguard for my life from thee
Wealth and dínárs are worthless in mine eyes,
Then will I be a slave about thy court,
And seek for nothing but to grace thy throne.”
The Sháh replied: “Vile wretch! why didst thou
turn
This country upside down? If all the spoil
That thou didst bear to Rúm (ne'er mayst thou look
On that cursed land again!) thou wilt restore
Back from thy house to this exalted folk;
Next, if whate'er was harried in Írán,
And made the lair of lions and of pards,
Thou wilt recover at thine own expense,
And in requital for thine evil deeds;
Next, if for those Íránians whom thou slewest
Thou choosest Rúmans of the royal race,
And givest me ten for every one of ours,
Surrendering their lives as hostages,
And I will take but men of Cæsar's stock
To be with me here in this happy land;
And, next, if for each tree felled in Írán,
(None well-disposed would fell the trees of others)
Thou plant another, reinstate all walls,
And thus abate the anger in our hearts,
Shall I not bind thee as thou bindest me?
Can I forgive thee for the ass's skin?

Though Cæsar's sire was dead, his mother lived;
He had a younger brother too—Yánus—
A generous and potent atheling.
Troops mustered at his gate, his warlike mother
Gave them a donative, and said to him:—
“Avenge thy brother: seest not that a host
Hath come forth from Írán?”

He beat the drums,

And carried out the Cross. The Cross was great,
The army fierce. The hosts met face to face;
The warriors had no rest. The ranks were ranged;
A shout went up; Yánus led on the van.
Black dust-clouds rose, and none could see his way
Amid the murk. Upon one flank were mountains,
And on the other, where the troops were massed,
A river ran. The din of battle rose,
Sword, mace, and arrow flashed, while azure-dim
Was air with dust of horsemen, spearheads gleamed,