Dara

Dara, when he had ceased to mourn Darab,
Exalted to the sun the Kaian crown.
He was a man of action, young, and lusty :
A sword was blunt contrasted with his tongue.
He took his seat upon the throne and said : —
"Ye princes, noble chiefs, and warriors !
I want not any that hath fallen low,
Nor will I summon such to crown and state,
And if one disobeyeth my commands.
Let not his body count its head its own,
While if he hath disloyalty at heart,
That will I frustrate with the scimitar.
If others too have wealth 'tis not for me
To vex their happy hearts on that account,
And shall I wish for any as a guide,
Who am myself the guide and gladdener ?
Sun, fortune, and the right to fealty
Are mine, mine greatness, kingship, and command."

He summoned unto him a ready writer,
And held talk with him of affairs at large.
That worthy wrote a letter from Dara,
Son of Darab, son of Bahman. Wherever
Reigned independent kings the Shah commanded
To send a letter trenchant as a sword : —
"Whoever turneth him from my behest,
And rede, shall mark how I will scatter heads.
Give all obedience whether I command
To take another's life or yield your own."
He opened up his father's treasure-hoard,
Called out the troops, and gave allowances.
The stipend varied from four drachms to eight ;
This had a cupful, that a basonful.
He gave moreover drachms, dinars, and bards,
As well as breastplates, swords, and massive maces,
Appointing veteran chiefs to provinces,
To one among the notables the marches,
And largessing the troops with things of price.
Ambassadors arrived from every quarter,
From every man of name and potentate,
From Hind, from the Faghfur, the Khan of Chin,
From Rum and likewise from the provinces.
Each of them carried tribute, dues, and gifts,
For none could stand or strive against Dara.
He built a city which he named Zarnush —
A cause of much rejoicing in Ahwaz.
He gave to every mendicant his due,
And freely unto those that came to sue. to the Throne
In those days was the death of Failakus —
A cause of trouble for a while in Rum ;
Then sat Sikandar on his grandsire's throne,
Sought virtue, and restrained the hands of evil,
For in those days there lived one known to fame
In Rum, a joy to all that land and hight
The erudite Arastalis — a man
Of wisdom, vigilance, and influence.
That sage adviser came before Sikandar,
And, as he took his place, held forth, and said : —
"O ruler happy in thy full desire !
By acting as thou dost thou wilt abate
Thy fame because the royal throne hath looked
On many such as thee but will not rest
With any. When thou sayest : ' I have gained
Mine end and need not any to direct me,'
Know that there is no greater fool than thou,
If thou wilt hearken not the rede of sages.
We are from dust, are destined from our birth
To go back thither, and must needs submit ;
But thou wilt live in fame if thou art good,
And be successful on the throne of kings,
While from ill-doing thou wilt reap but ill,
And never pass a night of peaceful sleep.
Well-doing is a monarch's adjutant,
And none hath won good days by doing wrong."

Whenas Sikandar heard he was well pleased,
And used to court the speaker's company,
Did every act according as he bade
In fight and festival, in war and strife,
Bestowed new favours on him every day,
And, when he came, would seat him on the throne.

It chanced one day that an ambassador,
A Persian shrewd of heart and eloquent,
Came from Dara to Rum to ask for tribute
Due from that prosperous land. He came and spake
About it to Sikandar who was irked
By reason of that tribute and old tax,
And said to him : " Go say before Dara : —
Our tribute now hath lost its hue and scent,
For since the bird that laid the golden eggs
Is dead the tribute is no more in force.' "

The ambassador, on hearing such an answer,
Was frighted and was seen no more in Rum.
Sikandar summoned all his troops and told
Of what had passed. He said : " The well-disposed
'Scape not the revolutions of the sky.
I have to tread the world's face and account
Much weal and woe, so now ye must make ready,
And banish home and country from your hearts."

He oped his grandsire's hoards and bade his troops
Prepare. At dawn the war-cry rose from Rum
Both from the city and the young king's court.
The standard that was carried after him
Was red inscribed upon a turquoise ground.
He started on his march by way of Misr,
With troops and trumpets, drums and warriors.
The king of Misr with hostile troops forthwith
Went to encounter him. The armies met
And fought for seven days, but on the eighth
Misr was o'erthrown, Sikandar cut them off,
And at a blow enough were taken captive
To paralyse the taker's hands. Of maces,
Steeds and horse-armour, jupons, Indian daggers,
Of golden girdles, silvern harness, swords
Of Misr with golden scabbards, of brocade
And of dinars, he compassed such a store
That e'en the beasts of burden could not bear it,
While multitudes of noble warriors,
Of chiefs and cavaliers, came in for quarter.
Sikandar thence made ready to invade
Iran, took lions' hearts and warriors' hands.
Now when Dara had heard : " A host hath marched
From Rum and reached our borders and confines,"
So great an army issued from Istakhr,
That e'en the wind was hampered by the spears.
He purposed to advance on Rum from Pars,
And fire the peopled parts. When he had led
His troops more many than the blades of grass
To the Farat he drew up on the shore,
And none could see the stream for armature.

Now when Sikandar heard : " The host hath come,"
He marched to meet it, and when two leagues' space
Was left between he called to him the magnates,
Who spake with him at large about Dara
Until, outworn by his advisers' words,
He said : " There is one way and only one —
That I should go as an ambassador
To him and weigh his state."

He bade to fetch
A girdle decked with jewels fit for kings,
And royal robe embroidered. They brought forth
A led horse all betrapped with gold. A sword
Hung from its saddle in a golden scabbard.
Sikandar chose ten Ruman cavaliers,
Men good at parleying, and left the host
At dawn with those ten famed interpreters.
As soon as he approached the exalted Shah
He lighted from his steed and did obeisance.
Dara, the world-lord, called him, greeted him,
And seated him below the throne. The courtiers,
Amazed, invoked the Maker of the world,
Such were Sikandar's aspect, Grace, and prudence,
His stature, limbs, and dignity ! He took
His seat but rose forthwith, delivered well
Sikandar's message, blessing first the king,
And said : " For ever may the crowned head live.
Thus said Sikandar : ' O illustrious,
Whose will prevaileth everywhere on earth !
I have no wish to fight against the Shah,
Or sojourn in Iran. Mine aim is this —
To roam about the earth a little space,
And see the world for once. My whole intent
Is good and honest, and especially
Since thou art now the ruler of Iran.
If thou forbiddest me to use the ground
I cannot travel in the air like clouds,
But thou, unwitting of my purposes,
Hast met me in this fashion with a host.
If thou wilt fight then I will tight with thee,
And not depart without a stricken field.
Choose for thyself the season for the fray,
And hold thereto : let not thy purpose change,
Because I shrink not from a war with chiefs,
However great their host.' "

Now when Dara
Observed his counsel, courage, eloquence,
His Grace and bearing, so that thou hadst said : —
"It is Dara upon the ivory throne
With armlets, torque, with Grace and crown," he asked : —
"What is thy name and stock because thy Grace
And limbs denote a king ? Thou art no subject.
Methinketh that thou art thyself Sikandar.
Thee with thy Grace and stature, speech and face,
Heaven peradventure nurtured for a throne."

Sikandar answered : " None hath acted thus
In peace or war, and men of eloquence —
The crown of all the sages of the world-
Are not so lacking at Sikandar's portal
That he should take a message from himself,
And he so great a king, the people's head ?
Sikandar's wit is not of such a sort
That he should pass from his forefathers' ways.
This was the message that my master gave me,
And I have told the Shah his words."

They lodged him
In fitting state. The monarch of Iran,
As soon as they had spread the board, commanded
The chamberlain : " Invite the ambassador."

Forthwith they summoned him and gave to him
The envoys' seat. They eat and then prepared
To revel, calling out for wine and harp
And minstrelsy, but as Sikandar drained
The pleasant wine he lightly laid each goblet
Within his lap till as the cups and wine
Passed round and round their sum passed reckoning.

The server came before Dara and said : —
"The guest to-day hath cottoned to the cups ! "

The Shah bade : " Ask him : ' Why dost thou thus tender
The wine-cups ? '"

Said the server : " Kingly man !
Why keep these golden cups upon thy lap ? "

Sikandar made him this reply : " These cups,
Are, my good sir, the envoy's perquisite.
If such be not the usage in Iran
Restore them to the royal treasury."

The monarch smiled to hear of such a custom,
And bade to set within the envoy's hand
A goblet filled with jewels fit for kings,
And lay a ruby on the top thereof.
Just at that moment those that went to make
Demand for tribute from the land of Rum
Came from outside within the banquet-hall,
Advancing toward the Shah with measured tread.
He that was envoy recognised Sikandar,
Went to the Shah, and did obeisance, saying : —
"This is Sikandar — Caesar's self — who hath
The throne, the mace, and diadem ! What time
The Shah commanded us to go and ask
For tribute he was wroth, entreated us
With scorn, and spake of war with thee, while we
Had to escape by night and urge our steeds.

We saw not any like to him in Rum.

Now boldly hath he come within thy borders
To weigh thy host, thy treasure, throne, and crown."

The Shah, on hearing what his envoy said,
Gazed at Sikandar yet more earnestly,
Who apprehended what it was they spake
In secret to the monarch of the world,
But waited till the day was growing darker,
And sunlight was declining in the west,
Then gained the entrance of the Shah's pavilion,
And mounted boldly, saying to his horsemen,
His fortunate and noble followers : —
"Our lives are now dependent on our steeds,
And if they fail us we shall grasp the wind."

Then he and all his meiny plied the spur,
And fled forth from the monarch of the world,
Who missed Sikandar's head and coronet,
Then lost amid night's gloom, and sent his guards
At once to seek his foeman in his tent.
They went to find that wary one departed,
So sleepy was the fortune of the Shah !
Dara dispatched a thousand cavaliers,
Bold fighters, in pursuit as swift as wind,
But in the dark they lost their way, beheld
The outposts of the foe, and turned unguerdoned
Save with the travail of their longsome journey.

Now when Sikandar reached his own encampment
The warriors of Rum approached and found
Their king well pleased that night. "There is," they cried,
"A cup of gems before him ! "

Said Sikandar :—
"Hail and exult in this our glorious omen,
For this cup is the triumph of my life ;
The stars themselves are subject to me now.

I have obtained the number of the foe ;
Their horsemen are much fewer than we heard.
Draw, all of you, your falchions for the fray,
Advance and quit the desert and the plain.
If in this fight ye give yourselves to toil,
The toil shall both enrich you and content you.
The Maker of the world is mine ally,
And fortune's head is lying on my breast."

The mighty men called blessings down on him.
And said : " May all the earth rejoice in Caesar,
And may our souls and bodies be thy ransom ;
To that we pledge ourselves for evermore,
For who among the kings can vie with thee
In stature, goodliness, and bravery ? "

Now when the sun rose o'er the Raven's back,
And earth grew as it were a lamp aflame,
Dara, the world-lord, led his army forth;
The world drew o'er its head a veil of pitch.
He marched his army on from the Farat,
And men were more than grass-blades on the plain.
Whenas Sikandar heard : " A host hath come,"
He beat the kettledrums and marched to fight.
What with the jupons and the Indian swords,
The steeds and armour both for man and horse,
The baggage and the warriors on both sides,
Earth seemed a sea, and dust rose mountain-high.
Both hosts drew up for battle, and the falchions
Flashed in the sun. They led the elephants
Before the army, and the world became
As 'twere the river Nile. The cavaliers
Were in the rear, the elephants in front,
And all men ceased to set their hearts on life.
Thou wouldst have said : " Air is blood-clamouring-
And earth is rocking underneath the cry !"

So loudly sounded horn and Indian bell
That all men's hearts were moved and therewithal,
What with the neighing of the steeds, the shouts
Of captains, and crash of massive maces,
Thou wouldst have said : " Earth is a mount of war,
And heaven with flying dust an Ethiop's face ! "

For one whole week those valiant warriors
Confronted. On the eighth day rose a murk
Of dust such that the sun turned azure-dim,
And veiled the Iranians' e/ete, who saw but dust
Upon the battlefield. Dara, the world-lord,
Turned with his noble host of warriors.

The army reached the banks of the Farat,
Retreating in confusion from the field.
Sikandar's troops pursued them : of those hosts
One was o'erwhelmed with sorrow, one o'erjoyed.
Sikandar pressed on to the river-bank ;
They slew Iranians innumerable,
But turned back at the river ; he forbade
To cross and occupied victoriously
The battlefield with his picked soldiery.

Whenas Dara had fled before Sikandar
He sent off cavaliers on every side
In haste and called the chieftains of Iran
And of Turan. He gave out pay, he summoned
The commissaries and, by next new moon,
Reorganised the troops and filled with bluster
The chieftains' heads. Again he crossed the river
And ranged his army on the spacious plain.
Sikandar, hearing this, marched forth ; he went
To meet Dara and left behind his baggage.
When those two hosts encountered, earth and time
Contended too. They battled for three days
Till all the field was straitened by the slain.
Vast numbers of the Iranians perished there,
The day was lost to the aspiring Shah,
Who turned in anguish from the battlefield
When sun and moon alike refused him aid.
Sikandar followed swift as flying dust,
Invoking much the Maker of the world.
A proclamation went forth to the troops : —
"Ye subjects who are wandering astray !
There is no fear that I shall injure you,
And ye are no concernment to my troops.
Abide in safety in your own abodes,
And trust your persons and your lives to God.
Ye have escaped the Rumans safe and sound,
Although ye have imbrued your hands in blood."

The soldiers, quarter being granted, turned
Their faces toward the Rumans, while Sikandar
Went on the battlefield, collected all
The spoil, and gave it to his troops. His army
Was all equipped anew. They stayed awhile
Upon the field till king and hosts were rested.

Dara, the world-lord, reached Chahram where lay
His treasures' key. The chiefs all came to him,
Fulfilled with sorrow, misery, and anguish.
There sire lamented, seeing not his son,
And son in like wise, seeing not his sire ;
The country of Iran was full of wailing,
And tears like hailstones were in every eye.
Then from Chahram he journeyed to Istakhr —
The Persians' glory. Envoys went on all sides
To all the chieftains and the paladins.

The soldiers mustered at the royal palace,
They set a golden throne for Shah Dara,
And when he sat upon that seat of gold
The nobles, faithful still to him, drew nigh,
And he harangued the Iranians : " O ye chiefs,
Ye men of wisdom, Lions, warriors !
Consider now our course."

He spake in anguish,
And wept awhile, then added : " Better die
To-day with fame than live while Rumans triumph.
Of old our ancestors and Shahs took tribute
Each year from them ; Rum was submiss hi all
To us ; but now the Persians' fortune loureth,
Sikandar hath possessed him of all kingship,
Become world-lord, hath compassed throne and crown,
And will not pause, but presently be here ;
All Pars will be as 'twere a sea of blood,
Men, women, children will be taken captive,
And neither young nor old left in the land.
If ye will give me aid I will avert
This anguish, travail, and calamity.
The Rumans used to be our nobles' quarry,
They used to be in terror of Iran,
But we are now the quarry, they the leopards,
And in each battle we forsake the field.
Yet still if ye will struggle back to back
Ye shall renew your clutch upon their land,
But if one showeth slackness in the fight,
And striveth not to hazard his own life,
Abandon hope of this world in that Rum
Is the Zahhak and we are the Jamshid."

He spake in tears with anguish in his heart ;
His lips were livid and his cheeks were wan.
The prudent nobles rose to make reply ;
A mournful wail ascended from the court : —
"We would not have the world without the Shah.
We all will face the conflict, make the world
Strait to our foes, and bind our skirts together
For conquest or the grave."

Of all that coast
He paid and armed the leaders and the host.

Sikandar, ware of what Dara was doing,
And how he had become upon the throne
The moon's own diadem, led from 'Irak
His powers while all invoked on him God's blessing.
His army had no middle and no end ;
Dara's good fortune was not young withal,
But still the Shah prepared to meet his foe,
And led so vast an army from Istakhr
That thou hadst said : " The earth can not sustain them,
And heaven itself will have not room to turn ! "
Both kings arrayed the forces of both realms,
They all had spear and mace and sword in hand.
And such a shout ascended from both hosts
As split the ears of heaven. The earth became
A sea of warriors' blood, and all the field
Of battle was o'erstrewn with headless trunks,
Paternal love itself grew pitiless,
And heaven revolved indifferent to all.
Night came, Dara was worsted, while Sikandar
Was girding up his loins for fresh assaults.
The Shah fell back upon Kirman and thus
Escaped alive the clutches of his foe ;
Meanwhile Sikandar reached Istakhr of Pars —
The crown of Shahs, the glory of that land.
A proclamation went up at the courtgate : —
"Ye noble men and showers of the way !
Whoe'er desireth quarter for his life,
And is a penitent before his God,
Shall be ,'neath my protection, one and all,
And know it if they are but true to me.
All that are wounded will we recompense,
And likewise cease to shed our foemen's blood.
We will forbear the goods of private folk,
And make our wisdom manifest. Since God,
The Conqueror, hath given us Grace divine,
With greatness and the imperial diadem,
A man had better trample on the neck
Of dragons than transgress our ordinance."

Whatever spoil was taken on the field
Sikandar shared in full among his troops.

When from Iran Dara had reached Kirman
He missed the more part of the Iranian chiefs.
A wail rose from amid the troops. They saw
Not any one with helmet on his head.
Dara assembled all the great and wise,
All those who had been with him in the fight.
They came together grievously lamenting,
And burning at the evil of their lot.

Thus spake Dara : " We verily have brought
Heaven's wrath upon ourselves. None in the world
E'er hath experienced such discomfiture,
Or heard of such from statists of old time.
The wives and children of Iran are captives,
Our souls are hurt by fate, our flesh by arrows.
What are your views and what device have ye
To make our enemy repent hereof?
We have no realm, no city, throne or crown,
No kingship, children, treasury or host,
And we are ruined if God pity not ! "

The chiefs that still survived wept bitterly
Before Dara, and cried : " We all, O king !
Are stricken by the evil of the time.
The matter is beyond the host's endeavours,
The waves have risen higher than our heads.
The sire is sonless and the son is sireless,
For so revolving heaven hath decreed.
Our mothers and our sisters and our daughters
Are all within the clutches of Sikandar,
While all the ladies of thy family,
Who trembled for thy safety, all the wealth
Transmitted by thy noble ancestors,
Whereto thou wast the undisputed heir,
The royal offspring and the Kaians' treasure.
Are in possession of thine enemies.
No longer can we stand against our foe
To battle with him in the way of fight.
Complete submission is our one resource,
For none can keep the crown of majesty,
And this same turning sky is passing too
O'er him as every man of wisdom knoweth.
Present thyself in person as his liege,
And make thy court with many flatteries.
Then shall we see how matters will result,
For heaven's process is beyond our ken.
So write a letter unto him and fill
His gloomy soul with thought because the man
Whose tongue is bright with knowledge will make shift
To pluck up evil from its base."

Dara,
On hearing this, announced his own intent —
One in accord to royal precedent.

The Shah then called a veteran scribe who brought
His paper and musk-scented ink. The Shah,
In pain and grief, with livid cheeks and eyes
Fulfilled with tears of blood, wrote from Dara,
Son of Darab, son of Bahman, a letter
To lion-capturing Sikandar Caesar.

He first gave praises to the Omnipotent,
The Author of his good and evil fortune,
Then said : " Assuredly the sage himself
Will not escape the process of the sky
Whereby we are made joyful and appalled,
At whiles exalted and at whiles abased.

The battles of our hosts turned not on valour,
But on the processes of sun and moon.

What was to be hath been. Our heart is sore :
What hath yon azure vault in store for us ?

If, heart-repentant now for having sought
The fray, thou wilt consent to terms, the treasures
Both of Gushtasp and of Asfandiyar,
The earrings and the armlets and the torques,
With all that we ourselves have gained, will I
Dispatch now from our treasury to thine.

Moreover I will aid thee in thy wars,
And when thou shalt be instant will not lag.

As for my wives and children, now thy captives,
I should not deem their restoration strange.

They who would rule the world must not be vengeful,
And from revenge on women mighty kings
Get nothing but reproach. The lord of wisdom,
Who hearkeneth to knowledge, having read
What I have written will improve thereon."

A cameleer departed from Kirman
In all haste to Sikandar, the arch foe,
Who, when he had perused the letter, said : —
"May wisdom be the consort of his soul !
Whoever injure th his family,
His ladies or the children of his house,
Shall see no throne except a coffin-board,
Or dangle from the branches of a tree.
I will not trouble any in Iran,
And God forbid that we should take their treasures.
If thou returnest to Iran 'tis well ;
The sovereignty is altogether thine.
What thou commandest ne'er will I transgress,
And draw no breath unless advised by thee."

The camel voyaged homeward vessel-wise,
Dara was filled with anguish, heart and eyes.

Dara, when he had read that answer, mused
In wonder at the process of the world.
At last he said : " Tis worse than to be slain
For me to gird myself before the Ruman.
A grave is better for me than disgrace,
For, as a wise man said in this regard : —
When any river riseth in its pride
A drop of rain is viewless hi the tide.'
I used to succour every one in war,
But, since disaster hath befallen me,
I see not any helper in the world,
And I have none to cry to, saving God."

As there was no one far or near to help
He wrote to Fur a humble, flattering letter
In deep distress and, having first of all
Praised God, said : " Ruler of the men of Hind,
Thou man of wisdom, rede, and ardent soul !
Thou surely must have heard of my misfortune :
Sikandar hath led forth a host from Rum ;
No crops or settlements or kin or children,
Or crown or throne or royal diadem,
Or treasury or host are left to us.
Now if thou wilt help me to keep away
Destruction from myself I will dispatch
So many gems to thee out of my treasures
That never shalt thou need to toil for more.
Moreover thou shalt be renowned on earth,
And held in honour by the great."

He sent
Like wind a cameleer who came to Fur,
The scion of the race of Furs.

Sikandar,
On hearing what Dara, son of Darab,
Had done, bade blow the trumpet. There arose
The din of kettledrum and Indian bell.
Sikandar from Istakhr led forth such powers
That Sol was lost in heaven. Dara too marched
For his part, and his Grace renewed the world.

The war-cry rose from both sides and the troops
Had little rest. Sikandar ranged his host,
The air grew dark, earth viewless. When Dara
Led forth his troops — no army bent on strife,
But broken-hearted and grown sick of war —
The fortune of the Iranians drooped its head.
They closed not with the Rumans hand to hand ;
They were the fox, the Rumans were the lion,
And all the chiefs asked quarter, having come
Down from their pride to deep humility.
Dara saw, turned away, and fled lamenting.
With him there went three hundred cavaliers —
The noblest of Iran. He had withal
Two ministers of high degree, who used
To comrade him in fight. The name of one—
An archimage — was Mahiyar, the other
Was called Janusiyar. These twain, on seeing
Their efforts fruitless and the star erewhile
So lofty, and the glory, of Dara
Thus set, held talk and said : " This luckless man
Henceforth will see not crown and throne again ;
We needs must poniard him upon the breast,
Or smite his head with Indian sword. Sikandar
Will give to us a province. We shall be
A crown upon the kingdom."

Both of them,
One minister, the other treasurer,
Went with the Shah ; Janusiyar, the chief,
Upon the left hand, Mahiyar to right.
Night gloomed, a storm arose, Janusiyar
Laid hand upon a dagger, stabbed the king
Upon the breast, that famed head reached its fall,
And then the troops deserted, one and all.

The ministers came to Sikandar, saying : —
"O Shah victorious and endowed with knowledge !
We have surprised and slain thine enemy ;
The crown and throne of chiefs are his no more."

Sikandar, having heard Janusiyar,
Said thus to Mahiyar : " Where is the foe
Whom thou hast overthrown ? Show me the way."

The two led on. The Ruman's heart and soul
Were filled with rage and grief. On drawing nigh
He gazed upon Dara and saw his breast
All blood, his countenance like fenugreek,
Gave orders to alight and set a guard
O'er those two ministers, and then, dismounting
As swift as wind himself, took on his lap
The wounded monarch's head and, tarrying
Until the stricken should begin to speak,
Chafed with his hands the visage of Dara,
Removing from the head the royal crown,
Unclasping from the breast the warrior's mail,
While showering tears on him because no leech
Was then at hand to tend upon the wounded,
And saying : " All yet shall be well with thee :
It is thy foemen's hearts that shall be wrung.
Arise and seat thee on this golden litter,
Or, if thou hast the strength, mount on thy steed.
I will have leeches brought to thee from Hind
And Rum, and mourn thy pain with tears of blood.
I will resign to thee the realm and throne.
When thou art better we will pack and go,
But these that thus have wronged thee will I hang
Head-downward from two gibbets presently.
When yesterday these two old men informed me
My heart flowed over, and I cried aloud,
Because we twain are of one root and piece :
Why for ambition should we wreck our race ? "

Dara, on hearing this, began to speak,
And said : " May wisdom alway be thy mate.
Sure am I that thou wilt be recompensed
By God, the all-holy Judge, for these thy words ;
But as for what thou said'st : ' Iran is thine,
Thine are the crown and throne's seat of the brave,'
Death is much nearer to me than the throne ;
'Tis quit of ruined men. High heaven so willeth,
Whose joy is travail and whose profit loss.
Beware of saying : ' I by mine own might
Prevailed o'er this famed people.' Know that good
And ill are both of God, and while thou livest
Give Him the praise. I illustrate my words,
And am a sign to all. What majesty,
Kingship, and wealth were mine ! I injured none.

What arms, what troops withal, what noble steeds,
What thrones and crowns, what children, what allies !

Allies ! My brand was burnt upon their hearts !

Then earth and time were bondslaves in my presence,
And thus it was while fortune proved my friend.

Then by this token I grew quit of good,
And captive in the hands of murderers ;
I had no hope in children or in kin,
The world was darkened and mine eyes were glazed.

Of all my kindred there is none to help me ;
My sole hope is in Him who giveth all.

Thus stricken am I lying in the dust ;
The world hath got me in the net of ruin.

Such is the custom of this turning sky
Alike with monarch and with paladin :
All kingship too departeth in the end ;
It is the quarry and the hunter death."

Sikandar wept blood-drops upon the Shah,
Thus stricken in the dust, who at the sight
Of all that heart-felt grief and tears o'erflowing
His pallid cheeks, said : " Weep not, tears are vain.
The smother is my portion of the fire.
He that bestowed so much on me, and fortune
That so illumed me, have apportioned this.
Now give thine ear to this my last request,
Receive and keep it wisely in thy heart."

Sikandar said to him : " 'Tis thine to bid :
Say what thou wilt ; I pledge to thee my word."
Dara spake quickly and recounted all
His last requests, beginning thus : " O chief !
Fear thou the almighty Ruler of the world,
For He created the heaven, the earth, and time,
The mighty and the weak. Protect my children,
My kindred, and the consorts that I love ;
Ask me for my chaste daughter as thy wife,
And let her share thy throne in happiness.
Her mother used to call her Rushanak,
And made the world both glad and fair to her.
Thou wilt have no reproaches from my child,
Nor any jibings from the ill-disposed,
For kings have nurtured her, and she is fit
In rede to be the crown upon the noble.
Thou mayst see born to her a youthful prince
Who will revive the name Asfandiyar,
Relume the altar of Zarduhsht, take up
The Zandavasta, heed the presages,
The feast of Sada and the Fanes of Fire,
With glorious Nauruz, Urmuzd, and Mihr,
And lave his soul and face in wisdom's stream,
Restore the customs of Luhrasp and follow
The doctrine of Gushtasp, maintain both high
And low in their degree, illume the Faith,
And see good days."

Sikandar made reply :—
"O monarch of kind heart and honest speech !
I do accept thy rede and last requests,
And I will tarry in thy borders only
To compass these good matters, and herein
Take wisdom for my guide."

The world-lord grasped
Sikandar's hand, began to wail, then pressed
The palm upon his mouth, and said : " Be God
Thy refuge. I resign my place to thee,
Depart to dust, and give my soul to Him."

He spake, his soul passed, and folk wept him sorely.
Sikandar rent his garments and strewed dust
Upon the Kaian throne. Then for Dara,
According to the custom of his race,
And honouring his Glory and his Faith,
Sikandar built a charnel-house. They washed
The monarch's blood away with clear rose-water,
Now that the time of endless sleep was come,
And draped him in brocade of Rum ; the pattern
Was all in jewelry, the ground was gold.
The corpse was hid by camphor ; none beheld
Dara's face more. They set within the charnel
A golden throne, o'erhead a crown of musk,
And laid him out upon a golden bier,
While every eye rained blood, then lifting it
They passed it on from hand to hand. Sikandar
Preceded it afoot, went too the nobles,
Their eyes all charged with blood, and thus he fared
Until the rites were o'er, and thou hadst said : —
"His very skin hath burst ! "

When he had placed
The Shah's bier oh the throne, had gone the way
Of royal precedent, left that grand charnel,
And made the lofty portals fast without,
He set a gibbet for Janusiyar,
With one for Mahiyar of equal size,
And hung those miscreants alive thereon —
Those regicides — head downward. From the host
Came warriors with stone in hand and slew them
Upon the gibbet all despiteously :
So perish every slayer of a king !

Now when the Iranians saw how much Sikandar
Was troubled for the Shah — that noble man —
They all of them began to laud his worth,
And hailed him as the ruler of the earth.

One left Kirman to go to Ispahan,
Wherein the Iranian chieftains were assembled.

One too — a man of high authority —
Approached the women-folk of Shah Dara,
Gave greetings on Sikandar's part, recounted
All that had happened to Dara, and then
Spake thus: " The hearts of foe and friend alike
Rejoice not at the death of lawful Shahs.

Know ye to-day then that I am Dara.

If he is hidden I am manifest,
And greater favours are in store for you.

There is no cause to rend your hearts with grief ;
We all are born to death, both Shah and host ;
It is the sole way though thou tarry long.

Convey your havings to Istakhr and gain
New glory by affinity to us.

Iran is now as ever it hath been ;
May health of body and glad hearts be yours."

They wrote to every province, prince, and peer
As from Sikandar, son of Failakus,
The great, the lord of earth and dread of foes,
A letter to the kinglike potentates,
Brave cavaliers and ready for the fray.
He sent withal a letter to the archmages,
All brilliancy, excuse, and compliment.
This was the heading : " From the king of Kaians
To all the administrators of Iran,"
And, when the pen of Chin had dipped in ink
Gris-ambered, first there came the praise of God,
"The righteous Judge, the Maker of the world,
And things invisible and visible.

Both worlds were made by His creative word :
Thou canst not call in question His decree.
The sky, which thou beholdest thus revolving.
Will, while it lasteth, never scape His ken.
Whate'er He willeth is at His command ;
We all are slaves and He is sovereign.
From Him be greetings to the men of name
Above their own deserts. Remember naught
Of all that passeth in this world of ours
Save honest fame, accomplishment, and justice.
Amid my conquests grief hath come to me,
And mourning at a feast. I swear by Him,
The Lord of sun on high, that ne'er I purposed
Harm to Dara's life. They that wished him ill
Were of his household, and the act was not
A stranger's but a servant's who hath felt
God's chastisement and suffered for his crimes.
Now seek ye justice, do as I command,
And stake your lives upon your fealty
As ye would have success from heaven, would have
At my hands purses, captives, thrones, and crowns.
Mine ardent heart is woeful for Dara,
And I shall strive to do his last behests.
Whoe'er he be that cometh to my court
Shall have drachms, honours, thrones, and diadems
But, if he will abide at his own house,
Let him not swerve from his fidelity.
Send ye my treasury its dues, and then
No one shall suffer either pain or travail.
Coin money with Sikandar's superscription,
Be diligent, and break not faith with him ;
Maintain henceforth your kings' seat as of old ;
Let not your marches be without a guard,
And in this matter let each show his worth ;
Take care that there shall be in each bazar
A watch to call our name continually
That thieves may do no harm and ye abide
In all success and joy. Send to our bower,
To those devoted to us, from each city
A goodly handmaiden, a slave of sense
And modesty, fit for our golden chambers,
One knowing all the doctrines of our Faith,
And having no reluctance to be sent,
For wrong must not be done to any captive.

Those strangers who pass through our provinces
Afoot, in abstinence, heart-free from vice,
Content to live the life of mendicants,
And called Sufis, distinguish from mere beggars,
And let them stand the foremost on the roll.

If any of you are unfortunates,
Afflicted by an officer of mine,
Break ye the unjust doer's heart and back,
And rase him utterly, both root and branch.

I will suspend alive that miscreant,
Who hath led fair beginnings all astray.

Enrich your hearts by alms and equity,
And make nobility your diadem,
Because your lives will pass and time account
Our every step. Whoever doth trangress
Our will shall suffer for it in the end."

The letter having been dispatched, he went
And took serene possession of the world.
He left Kirman and coming to Istakhr
Encrowned him with the Kaians' glorious crown.

Seek not the secrets of the world to pry.
It turneth from the seeker's scrutiny ;
Make knowledge in this life thy chief pursuit,
For in the next thou wilt enjoy the fruit.