Balash

Whenas Balash had mourned one month, with dust
Upon his head and lacerated cheeks,

The people and the high priest came to him
With valiant warriors and famous sages.
They spake with him at large by way of counsel
In profitable words, then seated him

Upon the' throne of kingship, showering gold

And jewels over him abundantly.
When seated on the throne he said O chiefs- : "
Acquire the secrets of the sages' hearts,
And ye shall have advancement at my hands
When my dark counsels brighten. Frustrate not
The purpose of well-doers in the world.
As for the wicked and malicious man,
He shall not partner me, but first will I
Enrich him with advice and, if that faileth,
Crown him with blood. When any subject plaineth
To us 'gainst some one of this loyal host
The heart of the unjust one will I break,
And rase him utterly, both root and branch.
See that ye take no freedoms with your Shah,
And in especial one that is devout,
For he by turns is bane and antidote ;
So choose the antidote and leave the bane.
Of all things seek to please the Shah and never
Approach his throne unless with joyful looks.
When he is wroth excuse thyself and bless him,
Just or unjust. Whene'er thou sayest : " I
Am wise, and I am mighty in all knowledge,'
Know that thou never wast more ignorant,
So be not thine own enemy. If now
Ye shall obey the counsel that I give
By hearkening to my profitable words,
Ye shall receive the treasures of wise Shahs :
I never yet saw knowledge injure any."

The chieftains marvelled at his understanding,
And called down praises on him, while the troops
Spake thus to one another : " From this Shah
Will fall a lustre on the throne and crown.
God grant that he escape the evil eye,
And ill befall the persons of his foes."

They went forth from his palace well content,
Committing to God's care his soul and body.
Their hearts were full of love, their tongues of praise
" May such a Shah have endless length of days."

What time Piruz was going to the war
He sought a paladin — a man of counsel
And Weight — to watch o'er crown and throne, and Be
A friend to young Balash. Now Sufarai —
A man of great estate and good withal —
Was fitted for that task, experienced.
A native of Shiraz, a general,
A man exalted both in heart and head,
And likewise marchlord in Zabulistan,
Kabulistan. Ghaznin, and Bust. When tidings
About Piruz, uncounselled and unguided,
Came his eye-lashes drenched his cheeks with tears,
He rent his raiment of a paladin,

The warriors doffed their helmets and sat mourning
Through sorrow for the Shah, while Sufarai
Exclaimed : " How shall Balash, youth that he is,
Seek. vengeance for Piruz ? " for well he knew
That that would naught avail and that the throne
Of kingship was in evil case. He gathered
His Scattered soldiers, beat the kettledrums,
And dust rose from the plain. There came to him
A hundred thousand warlike, vengeful swordsmen.
He paid, equipped the host, and joyed the hearts
Of all that sought for vengeance. Then he called
A sweet-tongued envoy watchful, wise, and shrewd.
And, seared and sorry, wan and weeping, wrote
A Letter of wise counsels, instancing
Jamshid and Kai Khusrau and Kai Kubad,

Dispatched it to Balash, and said : " O Shah !
Be not aggrieved at death ; it is a grief
That all must taste ; choose patience and choose fame.
What came from wind returneth with the breath
Some call it justice and some tyranny.
Now with the approbation of the king
Will I make ready for revenge and strife
Because the sun and moon cry out in heaven
For vengeance for the blood of Shah Piruz."

With that the envoy went upon his way,
And Sufarai, all wreakful, for his part
Arrayed his army like a pheasant's plumes,
And from Zabulistan advanced toward Marv.
He chose him out a wary messenger,
Who by his words could mollify the heart,
And spake on this wise to a scribe : " Arise,
Because thy pen hath stirring work to do,
Indite to Khushnawaz and say : " O fool,
And knavish doer of the work of divs !
Thou art in God's sight guilty, and thy shirt
Shall wail for thee. Whoe'er did deed like thine,
Thou faithless one ? Thou shalt behold anon
The sword of tribulation. Thou hast slain
A man without offence — the king of kings,
The grandson of the world-lord Shah Bahram —
And hast set up a new feud in the world,
A feud to be forgotten nevermore.
Why, when the din of tymbals rose, didst thou
Not come and fawn upon him like a dog ?
Thy grandsire was a poor man of thy tribe,
Thy sire was like a slave before Bahram.
Lo ! I have come to Marv to seek revenge,
And I will waste the Haitalians utterly.
The captives and whatever booty came
Within thy grasp upon that battlefield,
I will exact all with the sword of vengeance,
And bear to Marv Turan's dust, suffer not
The world to be thy son's, burn all thy kith
And kin, cut off thy head by God's command,

And make thy kingdom like a sea of blood.
But this is not revenge ; why talk I long ?

When Khushnawaz, in that he slew Piruz,
Shall rot in darksome dust his soul shall plead
His cause from Hell.' '

The envoy with the letter
Of Sufarai went like a mighty lion,
Came in an angry mood to Khushnawaz..
Appeared before his throne, did reverence,
And gave the letter, while the captains present
Withdrew. The monarch gave it to a scribe,
And said : " Read out to me in confidence
Both good and ill."

The scribe thus answered him : —
" This letter is all arrow, mace, and sword,"
And sorely grieved was valiant Khushnawaz
At that long letter writ by Sufarai,
Then set himself without delay to answer
The good and ill there written and began :—
" I live in fear of God and fortune's changes.
A worshipper of His would not have broken
The compact of the Shahs. I sent Piruz
A letter of advice besides the treaty
Of that great king, but he despised my words,
And spurned the old king's pact. When he assailed me,
And put me to a shift. and when the

Met face to face, the stars raged at Piruz,
And by no will of ours thy Shah was slain.
Or e'er he broke the pact of righteous Shahs

His youth had not another day of joy ;
He Found no favour in the Maker's eyes;
Thou wouldst have said: 'Earth took him by the

heel.'
The man that breaketh his forefather's treaty,

And flingeth underfoot the head of right,
Is like Piruz upon the battlefield,
Pashed in a dusty ditch. So shalt thou be
If thou shalt come ; my wealth and warriors fail not."

Departing with the letter and apace
The envoy in a week reached Sufarai,
Who read and loosed his tongue in malisons.
Then from the plain the people heard the blare
Of trumpets and the clash of brazen cymbals,
And Sufarai led forth to Kashmihan
A host so great that Sol was lost in heaven.
'Twas thus they crossed the stream — an armament
That made itself at home where'er it went.

When tidings came to Khushnawaz he marched
Out to the desert and prepared for war.
He reached Baigand and chose a battlefield
That hid the wilderness from circling heaven
With troops.

On his side vengeful Sufarai
Came onward like a blast. When it was night
That leader of the army occupied
All the approaches with fresh elephants.
The outposts went their rounds in both the hosts,
The world resounded with the warriors' shouts,
The challenge of the sentries and the clang
Of bells rose from both armies, front and rear,
Till Sol rose o'er the peaks and made the dales
And deserts like white crystal. Both arrays
Prepared for strife ; each raised the flag of greatness.
Then dragons' livers sundered at the shouting

Of valiant warriors while feathered shafts
Made air all vultures' plumes, and earth became
A bath of chieftains' blood. Where'er one gazed
Lay. heaps of warriors slain. Then Sufarai
Charged from the centre with his troops amain.
While Khushnawaz on his side with his sword
Of vengeance spurred down from his vantage-ground ;
But when he saw that fortune proved unkind
He Turned his rein and showed his back, pursued
By Sufarai as 'twere a raging blast,
Who followed with a head-transfixing spear.
He captured many nobles ; many more
Were slain by arrow and by scimitar.
He sped till he reached Kuhandizh and saw
No lack of slain and wounded on the way.
Then from the ramparts Khushnawaz beheld
His troops spread o'er the desert's hills and dales ;
The way was strewn with dead and things of price
So that the plain was decked out like a garden.

The soldiers carried off to Sufarai
The harness, lances, coronets of state,
The battle-gear, the girdles, steeds, and slaves-.
And made a heap as high as Mount Alburz.
He paid no heed to all that Turkman spoil,
But gave the whole in largess to his troops,
And thus harangued the host : " To-day's affair
Hath prospered for us to our hearts' content
Through fortune's favour, but what time the sun
Shall lift its hand in heaven we must not bide
Inactive on the plain but march like lions

Upon yon hold to avenge the king of kings."

His troops agreed and each man spake his mind.
Thus fared it with them till in arching heaven
The sun's resplendent diadem appeared,
Whereat the tymbals sounded in the camp,
And Sufarai bestrode his steed. An envoy
Reached that proud chief from Khushnawaz to say : —
" From battle, strife, and bloodshed naught resulteth
But travail and contention. Shall we then,
Who are two men of wisdom, young, and brave,
Send both our souls to Hell ? If thou wilt seek
Again the way of wisdom thou shalt learn
That all that happened was the work of God.
It was not through the blast that Shah Piruz
Was slain but rather that the stars foreclosed
For him his years and months. He was to blame
For breach of pact, for choosing colocynth,
And spurning honey. Now what was to be
Hath come upon our heads. Blest is the man
That walketh not the round of violence.
The captives and whatever spoil there was,
The gold, the silver, and the uncut gems,
The steeds, the weapons, and the crowns and thrones,
Left by Piruz when fortune quitted him,
Both his own treasures and his troops' as well,
Will I send to the general of the Shah
That thou mayst go victorious to Iran,
Mayst go back to the monarch of the brave.
I will not trespass on Iran ; do you,
For your part, keep the treaty of Bahram.
The king of kings apportioned earth aright :
Turan and Chin are ours, Iran is thine."
When Sufarai had heard the embassage
He called the soldiers to his tent-enclosure,
And in their presence bade the messenger : —
" Repeat before the host the foeman's words."
He came and gave them, keeping nothing back.
Then Sufarai addressed his army thus : —
" What in your view should be our policy
Herein ? "
The troops replied : " 'Tis. thine to bid,
And thine to stipulate the terms of peace.

None knoweth better in Iran than thou :
Thou art our king, our leader, and our lord."
Thus to his noble chiefs spake Sufarai : —

" The only policy for us to-day
Is this — to seek no more to fight with them.
I will lead back the army to Iran
With speed, because Kubad, son of Piruz.

One of the royal race, is in their hands
With the high priest Ardshir and army-leaders,
Both young and old. If we fight Khushnawaz
The matter will be long and profitless,

And they will slaughter their Iranian captives,

Kubad, the world's heir, and Ardshir. Howbeit,
I'n Unless Kubad had been in jeopardy,
Ne'er had my heart and brain recalled to mind
The high priest ; but if evil from the Turkmans
Befall Kubad Iran will be all outcry,
And this shame current with our warriors
Until the Resurrection. We will give
A courteous answer to the messenger,
And take fair counsels in the cause of peace.
We Then perchance may see Kubad again,
(God grant that no one else be king of kings !)
Ardshir the high priest and the other captives,
Both young and old."

His soldiers blessed him, saying : —

'That is the treaty, precedent, and Faith
For us."

The paladin then called the envoy,
And thus addressed him with a dulcet tongue : —
" It was the act of God — enough ! This world
Designeth evil and appriseth none.
The great men of Iran that have been taken
Are these — Kubad and the high priest Ardshir. : "
These with the rest that have their feet in fetters

Dispatch to me in honourable fashion.
Moreover all the booty in your hands —
Dinars and crowns and wealth of every kind —
Dispatch in full to me, and let it come
In presence of the chieftains of this host.
We will not stretch our hands to spoil and slay
Because we have no need and worship God.
Within ten days we will recross Jihun,
And take no warlike step thenceforth. Give ear
To that which I have said and tell it all,
On thy return, to Khushnawaz."
The envoy

Returned forthwith to Khushnawaz in triumph,
And gave the message. Khushnawaz rejoiced,
And instantly released Kubad from bonds
With the high priest Ardshir and all the other
Iranian prisoners, collected all
The booty found upon the day of battle,
Besides the throne and crown of Shah Piruz,
And what was scattered 'mongst his troops, and sent
All by a trusty man to Sufarai.

Now when the soldiers looked upon Kubad
They joyed to see him, the high priest Ardshir,
And all the other captives young and old.
The mighty men came from their tents and all
Stretched out their hands to heaven in gratitude
That they beheld the king of kings' own son
Unhurt with all the rest that most they prized.
Forthwith the chief broke up the camp, took horse,
And glad and triumphing repassed Jihun

With that renowned high priest and with Kubad.

When tidings reached the country of Iran
About that fort'unate and glorious chief,
About his war and strife with Khushnawaz,
And all his wonder-working policy :—
" He hath returned glad and victorious
From war, Kubad hath been released from fetters,
And Sufarai hath brought withal Ardshir,
The high priest, and the Iranian prisoners ;
Just now he crossed o'er the Jihun, his host
Is on the plains and mountains of Iran,"
Such shouts ascended that thou wouldst have said : —
'They deafened those that heard." The prudent

magnates

Arose and gat themselves in readiness
To go forth with their welcome while Balash
Prepared a golden throne to seat Kubad,
And that chief paladin. When Sufarai
Arrived within the realm the great men all
Met. while the Shah prepared the welcoming,
Set forward with such forces as he had,
And when he saw Kubad released from bonds,
Glad and victorious, embraced him quickly
With joy and cursed the people of Haital
And Chin. They passed within the royal palace
With hearts still sore and eager for revenge.
Balash commanded and they spread the board,
And called for wine and harp and minstrelsy ;
But there was little gladness at that feast
Through sorrow for magnanimous Piruz.
The singers lauded Sufarai and sang
Upon the harp the war against Turan.
He was the Cynosure of all the chieftains,

Who entertained high hopes and joyed in him.
The country rallied to him, those at least
That longed to take revenge on Khushnawaz.
The hearts of all the paladins rejoiced
In Sufarai ; they freed their souls from care.
Thus was it till four years had passed away,
And he had not his equal in the world.
Naught happened but according to his will,
And what he would he did. Now when his word
Prevailed throughout the world he had Balash
Removed, albeit gently, from the throne,
And said to him : " Thou rulest not the realm ;
Thou knowest not the good men from the bad ;
Thou turnest all the empire to a jest
Through thy perversity and carelessness.
Kubad is wiser far than thou and hath
Much more authority within the realm."

Balash withdrew to his own house, for he
Dared not make answer : " Get thee gone," but said:
" This throne will vex not when I sit thereon ;
'Tis free from travail, pain, and malison."