I Come, and I Say to Thee

I come, and I say to thee. Prince, listen and learn how a noble horse may be known. Active and brisk, see if his nostrils are rapidly swelling and shrinking alternately; whether his slender limbs are like the limbs of the gazelle, ready to commence its course. His haunches must resemble those of a chamois: his tender mouth yields to the slightest motion of the bridle, like the mouth of a young camel. When he eats, his teeth grind the grain, and make them crack like a millstone in motion; and he swallows them like a famished wolf. His back ought to remind you exactly of that of a hare: his mane is soft and silky: his neck is lofty, formed in semblance of the peacock's. The best time to mount him is between his fourth and fifth year. His head, neat and small as the head of the great serpent, chah-maur: his eyes projecting like two apples: his teeth are like so many diamonds. The shape of his mouth ought to approach that of a male camel: his limbs are neatly turned and fashioned; their shape is rather rounded than elongated. When brought out of the stable he is playful and prances. His eyes are like the eyes of the eagle, and he walks along with the restlessness of a hungry wolf. His belly and his ribs ought to fill the girth exactly. A young man of good family lends an obedient ear to the words of his parents: he pays the greatest attention to his horse: he knows by heart its descent and its pure blood; often he tries the vigour of the joints of its knees. In one word, he ought to be what Mirza-Serraf was in his youth.