Yazdagird

When Farrukhzad departed Yazdagird
Became the Shah upon the day of Ard
In month Sapandarmad. What said the man
Brave, eloquent but weary of life's span ?
" Would that my mother had not brought me forth,
High heaven not turned o'er me !
The days of greatness and the days of want
For all soon cease to be.
Time, as thou lookest, passeth ; none can take
Arms to contend with it,
So furnish forth the board and drain the cup,
And sad talk intermit.
What though thou ride high heaven yet bricks will
prove
Thy pillow at the last ;
If thou be king what of the end? First throne,
But what when life hath past ?
Let not thy heart be troubled, trust not much
High heaven as thy support ;
It acteth as it willeth ; elephant
And lion are its sport.
'Twill outlast thee, its tale is long; be not
With pride of life o'erflown ;
Thou canst not better Faridun or be
Parwiz! with crown and throne.
From those exalt seven planets do thou well
Consider what to Yazdagird befell."
When he sat happy on the throne of kingship,
And placed upon his head the crown of might,
He said: " By process of the turning sky
I am the true-born son of Nushirwan.
Mine is the sway from sire to sire and mine
Are Virgo, Sol, and Pisces. I will seek
For greatness, wisdom, hardihood, contention,
And manliness, for life and fortune stay
With none, nor treasure, kingship, crown, and throne.
Fame will abide for aye but not desire ;
Put off desire then and exalt thy fame.
It is by fame that man shall live for ever
While his dead body lieth in the dust.
How good are Faith and justice in a Shah !
The times are full of blessings on his fame.

I purpose while I live to pluck up ill,
Both root and branch."

The chiefs applauded him,
And hailed him as the monarch of the earth,
And thus it was, till sixteen years had sped,
That sun and moon revolved above his head.

It was so that 'Umar, the famous Arab,
Commander of the Faithful, he whose sword
Turned day to night, the man approved by God,
Who hath no equal, sent the chosen Sa'ad,
son of Wakkas, with troops against the Shah.
When Arab fortune worsted Persian,
And the Sasanians' fortune had grown dark,
The world had had full measure of its Shahs ;
Gold was not seen, the mite was manifest,
Good turned to evil, evil turned to good,
The path lay Hellward, not to Paradise,
The wheel of circling heaven was changed and cut
All kindness for the Persians clean away.
The slave must do the almighty Maker's will,
And bear what He inflicteth. Save with Him
There is no life or joy.

When Yazdagird
Learned what had chanced he gathered troops on all
sides,
And bade Hurmuzd's son lead them forth. His name
Was Rustam. He was wary, wise, a warrior
And potentate, a reader of the stars,
Exceeding shrewd and all attent to hear
The archimages' words. He marched away
With all the noble, those that were alert
And brave, and after thirty months they sought
To fight at Kadisiya. Being learned
In heaven's lore as an astrologer,
And one both just and good, he said: " No time
Is this to fight, the river of the Shahs
Will flow not in this bed," and so he took
His astrolabe, observed the stars and smote
His head because it was a day of bale,
Then wrote in grief and told his brother all,
First offering praise to God who had ordained
His good and evil fortune, and proceeded :—

" Well may the revolutions of the sky
Fill the observer with disquietude !

I am the guiltiest person of the time,
And therefore have been caught by Ahriman,
Because the kingship passeth from this House ;
No season this of conquest and the Grace !
From the fourth heaven Sol is looking down
To hasten to the fight of mighty men.

Both Mars and Venus bode mishap to us,
And none can 'scape high heaven. Mercury
And Saturn are opposed, the former too
Hath entered Gemini. Such is the case,
A great event is toward, and my heart
Is weary of its life. I can discern
All that will be but fain would hold my peace.
When I agnized this secret of the sky—

That it assigneth us but grievous travail—

I wept right sorely for the Iranians,
And burned for the Sasanians. Woe is me
For head and crown, for state and throne, and woe
For majesty, for fortune, and for Grace
Because hereafter will defeat betide them
From the Arabians, the stars not turn
Save to our hurt, and for four hundred years
None of our royal race will rule the world !
An envoy from our foemen came to me,
And divers parleyings followed. ' We,' they said,
" Will give up to the Shah the tract between
The river-bank and Kadisiya ; ye
Shall grant us access to some trading centre
That we may sell and buy ; we will not ask
For more hereafter ; we will pay large dues,
And will not seek the chieftains' diadems,
But will obey withal the king of kings,
And render hostages at his demand.'
Such is the talk. No action hath ensued,
But still the stars are adverse. Long will be
The strife. Fierce Lions will be slain by hundreds.
The chieftains that are with me in the war—
Galbwi of Tabaristan and Armani,
Who do the deeds of Ahriman in fight,
Mahwi, he of Suran, and other chiefs,
Who wield the heavy mace and battle-ax—
Heed not our foes proposals but observe :—
"Who are these haughty folk and what do they
Both in Iran and in Mazandaran ?
For road and territory, weal and woe,
We must employ the mace and scimitar ;
We will exert ourselves, quit us like men,
And make the world both dark and strait to them.'
None of them knoweth circling heaven's design,
And how its aspect hath been changed to us.
On reading this take measures with the chiefs,
Make preparations and lead forth the host,
Collect the treasures, handmaids, and state-robes,
Then hasten Azar Abadagan—

The dwelling of the Mighty and the Free.
Whatever herds of horses thou mayst have
Send to the treasurer of Azargashasp.
If soldiers seek thee from Zabulistan,
Or from Iran, imploring thy protection,
Receive and treat with kindness their excuses
In view of what the turning sky is doing—
The cause of joy and terror to us all,
At whiles exalting and at whiles abasing.
Let mother know my words for of a truth
She will not look upon my face again.
Greet her from us and counsel her at large
Not to be troubled here below. If any
Shall bring bad news of me be not too downcast,
For know that in this Wayside Hostelry
He that amasseth treasure by his toil
Will find his toil more than such worldly treasure,
And that another will enjoy the fruit.
What need was there for so much toil and greed ?
Desire is lessened not by having more.
At all times worship God and purge thy heart
Of all affection for this Wayside Inn
Because our fortune is in straits, the king
Will see me not again. Do thou and all
Our House, both old and young, unceasingly
Praise God and pray the Maker, for with this
My host I am in stress, in travail, grief,
And bitter fortune, and shall not escape
At last. May this sweet country of Iran
Be in prosperity ! Whenas the world
Is straitened to the king hold treasure, life,
And person of small worth, for of that race
So famed and honoured there is no one left
Save that exalted one. Watch over him
By day and night till I have fought the Arabs.
Be not remiss in toil for he is now
All that we have to look to in this world,
And the Sasanians' memorial,
For no one will behold that House again.
Woe for the head and crown, for seal and right
Since royal throne will go adown the blast!
Fare well, be not concerned, and ever be
Before the world-lord, and if ill betide him
First give thine own head to the scimitar
Ungrudgingly. When pulpit fronteth throne,
And when Abu Bakr and 'Umar shall be
As household words, our long toils will be lost,
And long will be the fall before the rise.
Thou wilt not see throne, diadem, or state :
The stars award the Arabs everything."
There will not be throne, crown, or golden boot,
Or gem, or coronet or flaunting flag.
One man will toil, another will enjoy ;
None will give heed to justice or to bounty.
Then warriors will be men that fight afoot
While horsemen will be mocked and flouted at;
The warlike husbandman will be despised,
High birth and majesty will bear no fruit ;
Then men will rob each other, none will know
A blessing from a curse, and secret dealing
Prevail o'er open, while the hearts of men
Will turn to flint, sire will be foe to son,
And son will scheme 'gainst sire; a worthless slave
Will be the king, high birth and majesty
Will count for nothing; no one will be loyal.
There will be tyranny of soul and tongue.
A mongrel race—Iranian, Turkman, Arab—
Will come to be and talk in gibberish.
They will collect all treasures 'neath their skirts,
Toil and resign the product to their foes.

Grief, travail, bitterness will thus prevail
As joy did in Bahram Gur's days ; feasts, song,
Race and renown will cease; men will set traps,
Will seek their profit in another's loss,
And make their pretext Faith; no difference
Will be 'twixt Spring and Winter ; there will be
No wine at feasts; they will not recognise
Degree and place but live on barley-bread,
And dress in wool. When much time hath passed
thus
None will regard the noble Persian stock.
They will be shedding blood for lucre's sake,
An evil age will be inaugurate.
My heart is full, my face is wan, my mouth
Is parched, my lips are filled with sighs to think
That after I—the paladin—have gone
Sasanian fortune shall become thus dark ;
So faithless hath revolving heaven grown,
Ta'en umbrage, and withdrawn from us its love !
If with my lance I strike a brazen mountain
I pierce it, being brazen-bodied too,
But now my shafts with steel-transfixing heads
Are impotent with men that wear no mail!
My sword, which felled the necks of elephants
And lions at a blow, can not cut through
An Arab skin! My knowledge bringeth loss
On loss upon me. Would that I possessed not
This wisdom since it causeth me to know
Of this ill day ! The chiefs that are with me
From Kadisiya are both hardy men
And hostile to the Arabs. They expect
That this brake will be filled, that earth will run
Like the Jihun with our foes' blood. None knoweth
The secret of the skies and that this strife
Can not be quickly ended; but when fortune
Departeth from a race what profit cometh
Of travail and of fight ? Be prosperous,
My brother! May the Shah's heart joy in thee
Because this Kadisiya is my charnel,
My breastplate is my shroud, my helmet blood :
such is the secret of the lofty sky.

Bind not thine own heart to my griefs but keep
Thine eyes upon the Shah, and sacrifice
Thyself for him in fight, because the day
Of Ahriman is coming on apace
When circling heaven will show us enmity."
When he had sealed the letter he said thus :—

My blessing be upon the messenger
That shall convey this letter to my brother,
And tell him not what I have said, but other!"

He sent a messenger in swiftness like
The flash and thunder-clap to Sa'ad. They wrote,
In apprehension yet not in despair,
A letter on white silk and thus endorsed :—
" This from the paladin of paladins—
The warlike Rustam, son of Hurmuzdshah!—
To Sa'ad, son of Wakkas, the prudent, wise,
And circumspect, who hath come forth to fight,"
It thus began: " We still must fear the World-lord,
The Holy, who sustaineth turning heaven,
Whose rule is justice and beneficence.
May blessings from Him rest upon the king,
The lustre of the signet, crown, and throne,
The lord of sword, of diadem and lasso,
Whose Grace restraineth Ahriman in bonds.
A hateful matter hath occurred to us
In these uncalled for labours and this strife.
Reply to me and say who is your king,
Who thou art, what thy rule and custom are,
And whose assistance is it that ye seek
With unmailed soldiery and unmailed chief ?
Fed up with bread thou art still ravenous ;
Thou hast no elephants, no throne, no baggage.
Enough for thee to live within Iran,
For crown and signet are another man's,
Who hath Grace, elephants, and crown and throne—
A famous Shah of lengthy lineage.
No throned king hath such stature or the moon
In heaven such aspect. When enthroned he sitteth
With smiles that make his silvern teeth appear ;
His gifts would purchase Arabs in the gross,
And not impoverish his treasury.
His dogs, his hawks, and cheetahs are twelve thousand,
And they are decked with golden bells and varvels.
The whole waste of the wielders of the spear
Could find not in a year from end to end
Enough to feed his cheetahs and his hounds
When he is hunting on the plain. The Arabs,
From drinking camels' milk and eating lizards,
Have reached a pitch whereat the Persian throne
Is coveted! Shame, shame on circling heaven !
Ye have no veneration in your eyes.
Or, in your wisdom, love or reverence.
With such a visage and such tastes and ways
Is thy heart set upon the crown and throne ?
If thou art seeking power within thy means,
And art not merely speaking words in jest,
Dispatch to us some man of goodly speech,
Send some brave veteran and man of lore,
That he may tell me thine intent and who
Doth lead thee to attempt the royal throne.
Then will I send a horseman to the Shah
To ask of him whatever thou wilt ask,
But seek not with so great a king to fight,
For shame at last will come upon thy face.
His grandsire was the world-lord Nushirwan,
Whose justice made the aged young again.
His fathers have been Shahs, and he is king ;
The age remembereth none like to him.
Fill not the world with curses on thyself,
Misprize not thine own precedents. Regard
This letter of advice and bar not thou
Thine eyes and ears to wisdom." When the letter
Was sealed he gave it to high-born Piruz,
son of Shapur. To Sa'ad, son of Wakkas,
This paladin and magnates from Iran,
Of ardent soul, went whelmed in iron, silver,
And gold, with golden shields and golden girdles.
On hearing, Sa'ad, that noble man, set forth,
Swift as the flying dust, to meet Piruz
With troops, forthwith dismounted and inquired
About the army and its paladin,
About the Shah, his minister and host,
The watchful leader and his provinces.
He spread his cloak beneath Piruz and said :—
" We hold the sword and spear to be our mates :
Brave warriors make no mention of brocade,
Of gold and silver or of food and slumber.
Ye have no part in manhood but are like
To women with your colours, scents, and forms.
Your prowess is in donning broidery,
Adorning roofs and decorating doors."

Piruz then gave the letter and told Sa'ad
The words of Rustam. Sa'ad heard, read, and
wondered.

He wrote an answer back in Arabic,
Announcing good and ill. He wrote there first
The name of God and of His messenger,
Muhammad, who directeth to the truth.
He spake of Jins and men, of what the Prophet,
The Hashimite, had said, the Unity
Of God, of the Kuran, of promise, warning,
Of menace and of novel usages,
Of liquid pitch, of fire, and icy cold,
Of Paradise, its streams of milk and wine,
Of camphor and of musk, of bubbling springs,
Of wine and honey and the trees of heaven.
Then : " If the Shah accepteth the true Faith
He will obtain both worlds with joy and kingship,
And have withal the earrings and the crown,
Perpetual beauty and prosperity.

His intercessor there will be Muhammad,
His form like pure rose-water. In as much
As Paradise will be thy recompense
We must not plant thorns in the garth of bale.
The personality of Yazdagird,
This spacious world, such gardens, riding-grounds,
And halls and palaces with all the thrones
And crowns, the festivals and revelries,
Are less worth than one hair of an Houri.
In this our Wayside Hostelry thine eyes
Are dazed by crown and treasure, and thou trustest
Too much in ivory throne, in wealth, and signet,
In fortune and in crown. Why be concerned
About a world when one draught of cold water
Out-prizeth it ? Whoever cometh forth
To fight with me will see a narrow grave,
And Hell, naught else; but Paradise is his
If he believeth. Mark how he should fare.
He still will choose the one and shun the other
As every wise man knoweth."

Then he set
The Arab seal thereon and praised Muhammad.
The messenger of Sa'ad, son of Wakkas,
Went with all speed to Rustam. Now what time
Shu'ba Mughira went forth from the chiefs
To journey to the paladin, a noble,
One of the Iranians, came in from the way
Before the captain of the host, and said :—
" A messenger hath come—a weak, old man—
Without a horse or weapons and ill-clad.
With thin sword slung about his neck and shirt
All plainly tattered."

Rustam thus apprised
Prepared a tent-enclosure of brocade.
They laid a carpet of gold thread of Chin ;
The soldiery turned out like ants and locusts.
They set a golden ante-throne whereon
The captain of the host assumed his seat
With eight score warriors attending him—
Horsemen and lions on the day of battle—
With crowns, with violet robes, and golden boots,
With torques and earrings, while the tent-enclosure
Was royally adorned. Shu'ba Mughira,
On coming to the tent-enclosure, walked not
Upon the cloth but humbly on the ground,
And used his scimitar as walking-stick.
He sat upon the dust without a look
At any—captain of the host or chief.
Then Rustam said to him: " May thy soul joy,
And by its knowledge make thy body strong."
Shu'ba Mughira said : " If thou, good sir !

Acceptest the true Faith, peace unto thee."

Now Rustam, hearing this, was vexed and frowned.
He took and gave the letter to a reader.

That learned man told him what was writ, and Rustam
Made answer : " Tell him : ' Thou art neither king
Nor an aspirant to the diadem,
But thou hast seen my fortune in eclipse,
And so thy heart ambitioneth my throne.

The case is one of moment to the wise,
But thou hast not considered it. If Sa'ad
Had the Sasanian throne I well might share
His feasts and fights, but since the faithless stars
Bode ill, what shall I say? This is the day
Of bale. If for my guide I take Muhammad,
And this new Faith for old, all will go wrong
Beneath this crook-backed sky, and all go hard
With us.' But as for thee, depart in peace ;
The day of battle is no time for words.

Tell Sa'ad : ' To die with honour is a thing
Far better for me than crude parleying."

Shu'ba Mughira went his way, and Rustam
Bade to array the host and sound the trumpet.
From all sides troops assembled, clouds of dust
Arose, and din that deafed the sharpest ears.
"The steely lance-heads mid the murky reek
Are," thou hadst said, "stars mid night's azure
gloom,"
While spears ne'er ceased to smite on glittering helms.

The strife endured three days, till water failed
The Iranians, and their warriors' hands and steeds
Became unfit for combat, Rustam's lips
Grew as the dust with drought, his tongue was split,
And men and horses battened on moist clay,
So grievous was the stress !

Shouts rose like thunder
From Rustam and from Sa'ad as they advanced,
Each from his post. Each left his army's centre,
And drew off from the field. Departing thus
They came beneath a steep-up eminence,
And there those chieftains twain assailed each other
Revengefully upon that scene of strife
Till Rustam, roaring like a thunder-clap,
Smote with his sword Sa'ad's charger on the head,
Smote the swift charger which came headlong down,
And brave Sa'ad was unhorsed. Then Rustam reared
Aloft a trenchant blade to show to him
The Day of Doom, and was in mind to strike
His head off, but by reason of the dust
Raised by the troops they could not see each other.
Then Rustam lighted from his steed and saddle
Of leopard-skin and fastened to his belt
His charger's reins but, while dust blinded him,
Sa'ad hurried up and smote him with the sword
Upon his helm whence blood ran down his face,
And while his eyes were blinded by the gore
The aspiring Arab gained the upper hand,
Again smote Rustam on the head and neck,
And flung his warrior-body on the dust.
None in the two hosts were aware thereof,
Or whither those two paladins had gone,
But searched until they found the scene of strife.
The Iranians, when they spied their paladin
Slashed by the scimitar from head to foot,
Fled. Many a chieftain perished in the press,
And many failed for thirst upon the saddle.

The world had had full measure of the Shahs.

The host fared to the monarch of Iran,
And hastened on the way both day and night.
When Rustam had been slain in fight, and when
The chiefs' heads were all turned, the Muslim host
Sped like a savage lion in pursuit."

At that time Yazdagird was at Baghdad ;
To him the troops came flocking and announced
That Rustam was no more, and that the sea
Was dry with grief, that many men had fallen,
And that the rest had fled the battlefield.

The hosts, both Persian and Arabian,
Reached Karkh, and Farrukhzad, son of Hurmuzd,
Wroth and with tearful eyes came from the Arwand,
Arrived at Karkh, fell on the enemy,
And not an Arab warrior survived.

The Persians marched out from Baghdad intent
To meet the foe, and bloody was the event.

When Farrukhzad had gone back to the Shah,
All over dust and in his fighting-gear,
He lighted from his charger, did obeisance,
Blood in his eyes and anguish in his heart,
And said to Yazdagird : " Why weep so much ?
Is it to wash the throne of kings with tears ?
Thou only of the royal race art left
To wear the crown and sit upon the throne.

One, with a hundred thousand enemies,
How canst thou battle when exposed to all ?

Betake thee to the forest of Narwan ;
The folk will gather to thee there and thence,
Like valiant Faridun, do thou renew
The fight like fire."

The king of kings gave ear.
New thoughts occurred. Upon the morrow's morn
He sat upon his throne, assumed the crown,
Held an assembly with his men of lore,
The magnates and shrewd-hearted archimages,
And said: " What seemeth good to you herein ?
What precedents recall ye from the past ?
Saith Farrukhzad to me : ' Depart and take
Thy followers to the forest of Narwan :
The people of Amul, are servitors,
The people of Sari all slaves, to thee,
And, when thy troops are many, come again
With puissance to battle with the Brave.'
Do ye approve ? "
They all of them exclaimed :—
" That is the course,"
The king of kings rejoined :—
" It is not well. I purpose otherwise.
Shall I desert the chieftains of Iran,
And this great host, our country, throne, and crown
To save myself ? That were not majesty,
Or manliness or policy. To fight
The foe is better for me than disgrace.
The leopard spake a saw in this regard :—
'Whene'er the time of stress shall come on thee
Turn not in folly from thine enemy.'
For just as subjects should obey their king
In good and ill so he must not desert them
In their distress and go off to his treasures."

The great men blessed him, saying: ' Crown
and signet
Exist for ends like these. Think what thy will
And wishes are, and what assurances
Thou wouldst of us."

The Shah thus answered them :—
" Anxiety is ruin to the heart.
Our best course is to go to Khurasan
Where we shall feel secure from strife with foes,
For there we are possessed of many troops,
And valiant paladins. The Turkish chiefs
And Khan of Chin will come and do us homage
While I will make the union stronger still
By marriage with the daughter of Faghfur.
A great host will arrive to succour us,
The magnates of 'Turan and mighty men.
There is the warden of the marches too,
Mahwi, with horsemen, elephants, and wealth
Of all kinds. He is our chief governor,
The highest of the guardians of our coasts.
I raised him when he was a vagabond,
A minstrel and a braggart, giving him,
Though worthless, name and worth, men, government,
Lands, elephants. Base though he be and vile
Still his advancement hath been at my court.
Now I have heard an archmage quote this saw :—
" Of one whom thou hast wrongly harmed beware :
Of one made rich by thee thy hopes are fair.'
I never injured him in aught, and he
Will 'venge me on my foe."

But Farrukhzad
Smote his two hands together and exclaimed :—

" O Shah who fearest God ! put little trust
In those of evil bent. In this regard
There is a modern saw which runneth thus :—

" Howe'er on birth thou practise witchery,
And strivest such an one from rust to free,
Since the All-giver framed him thus to be
To loose God's bonds thou wilt not find a key. "
"O mighty, raging Lion!" said the Shah,
" To make this trial will work me no hurt."

He stayed that night and, when the morning broke,
Those noble men set forth and left Baghdad
For Khurasan, and took their travail lightly.

The chieftains of Iran all sorrowful
Accompanied their Shah, that noble man,
And called down blessings on him, saying: " May
time,
And earth, ne'er lack thee."

From the host rose wails
For grief and at the going of the king,
And all the Iranian thanes—the warriors' stay—
Drew near to him with outcries and in tears,
And said to him: "O Shah ! we are thy slaves
With souls and bodies filled with love for thee.
We all will go with thee to learn how fortune
Will sport with our king's life, for if we lose
Our Shah how can our hearts find joy in home,
And country ? We will quit our settlements,
Our children, and our wealth to share thy toils.
We care not for our lives without thy throne :
May fortune ne'er abandon thee."
With eyes
All tears the king of kings said to those nobles :—
" Be ever more intent in praising God.
It may be I shall look on you again,
And that our sorrows and distress will cease.

Ye all are my true helpers and the heirlooms
Left by my sires. I would not have you harmed :
Share not mine ills then. We will mark the intent
Of circling heaven, its progress, and to whom
It showeth love. Resign yourself thereto:
None can evade its secret purposes."

Then said he to the merchantmen of Chin :—

" Make no long tarrying here, else will the Arabs
Convert your quest of gain to loss."

They parted
With pain and trouble, sorrow, care, and wailing.
So Farrukhzad, son of Hurmuzd, led forth
The troops and called the veterans of Iran,
And then the Shah set out with wail and woe.
The leader led the van. Stage after stage
He marched to Rai and tarried there for wine,
And minstrelsy, thence went he to Gurgan,
Like wind, and stayed one se'nnight sad or glad.
Departing thence toward Bust he set his face
With wrinkled cheeks and body in ill case.

The world-lord, resolute to go to Marv,
Wrote to Mahwi of Sur, the governor,
In rage and pain, in tears and hope deferred,
And calling an experienced scribe poured forth
His heart, and it was full. He first praised God,
The all-wise Lord, the Fosterer, the Master
Of circling Mars and Sol, of elephant
And ant, at will creating out of naught,
And needing no instructor, then proceeded :—

'What hath befallen us! And gone are all
This kingship's hue and perfume. Rustam's death
Upon the battlefield and by the hand
Of one whose name is Sa'ad, son of Wakkas,
A landless, low-born, witless, aimless man,
Hath straitened all the world to us through sorrow,
Now that Sa'ad's army is at Taisafun,
With woods and foot-hills fronting them, array
Thy host to fight with his and summon all
Thy troops to that same end. Lo! I will follow
Behind my letter swiftly as the wind,
And give thee what I purpose in my mind."

He wrote moreover to the folk of Tus,
With full heart and with face like sandarac,
First offering his praises to the Judge
" From whom are fortune, strength, and excellence,
Grace, triumph, throne, and diadem of kingship.
From foot of ant to soaring eagle's plume,
From elephant on land to crocodile
In water, all are faithful, do His will,
And draw no breath unless by His command.
This from the world's Shah, mighty Yazdagird,
Son of a famous king and valorous,
Victorious leader of the Iranian host,
Who guardeth his domain, desireth more,
And cometh of a great, God-fearing race
That thank their stars that they possess the crown,
Have peopled earth and made crown, throne, and
signet
Resplendent, to his marchlords with their thrones
And treasures, Grace, high-bearing, crowns and host
At Shamiran, Riina, and Mount Rada,
Kalat and elsewhere. May the Fosterer
Watch over us and keep you from the scath
Of evil hap. In sooth the chiefs have heard,
For it hath been an ensign in the world,
That in regard to warfare, valour, birth,
Our hearts are full of kindness, love, and justice.
High birth especially constraineth us—
The Shahs—to let our toils exceed our treasures
On your behalf. What time Bahram Chubina,
That malcontent, grew noted and rejected
Our rule and diadem ye all abandoned
Your marches, spacious cities, pleasances,
Your parks and palaces, and in that case,
In terror of disaster, made your homes
On dale and lofty height. If God almighty
Shall grant me strength and fortune favour us
I will repay your good deeds lavishly,
And pray to Him who watcheth o'er the world.
In sooth ye must have heard of what the stars
Have brought upon our head by these vile Snakes
With looks like Ahriman, who lack all knowledge,
Shame, fame, and treasure, fortune and descent,
And fain would let the world go to the winds.
It is the compass of the lofty sky
That tribulation shall befall this realm
By these vile miscreants, these Raven-heads,
Devoid of sense and knowledge, fame and shame.
These greedy men, who covet diadems,
Have fixed their eyes upon this royal state,
And Nushirwan once dreamed that this our throne
Would lose its brilliant lustre. He beheld
A hundred thousand Arabs—raging camels
With bits snapped — seeking how to cross the Arwand,
And bring destruction on our fields and fells,
Saw that both Fire and Fane of Fire would perish,
The light of New Year end and Sada feast,
That in Iran and Babylon dark smoke
Would rise from tilth and crop to Saturn's sphere,
While on the world-king's hall the battlements
Would tumble to the ground. The dream is now
Fulfilled and heaven's favour fain to quit us.
Those that we value most will be misprized,
The base will be set up on high by fortune,
Ill scattered through the world, mishap apert
And good concealed. In all the provinces
Some tyrant, some obscene calamity,
And signs of dark night's coming will appear,
Our glorious fortune be cut off from us.
Now as our counsellors and paladins—
Men of pure rede—advise we purpose going
To Khurasan and to its warlike marchlords.
Because now of the governor of Tus
Have I led here the elephants and drums,
And we shall see how fortune will make bonds
Of our frail knots. I am girt up for battle
That I may meet the Arabs face to face,
While Farrukhzad—my very veins and skin,
And my firm friend—is now at Altuniya,
Intent on fight, and host confronteth host,
While Kashmigan, that warrior's son, hath reached
Our court and spoken well and loyally.

I heard what he could tell about these marches,
Their heights and depths, their caves, retreats, the
hold
Upon Mount Gumbadan and Jarmana,
The fort of Lazhawardi for our stores,
Spots such as Al, Makhzim, and waste of Gil :
He kindly opened all his heart to me.
My host for battle is too numerous
To tarry long within these narrow holds.
We have held council; all the paladins
Attended; we debated and resolved
To take with us crown, throne, and seal and
signet,
All garments of Kashmir and Rum and Chin,
such goods as we can gather from Kibchak
And from Kirwan, all that we have in hand
Of clothes and carpets, articles of gold,
With gems uncut and all that most we prize,
And provand and equipment for the future.
Of oxen forty thousand will drag loads
Of unthrashed corn and after these will come
Twelve thousand asses drawing loads of dates
For us. A trusty archimage will bring
Pistachios, millet, and pomegranate-juice.
Attending on the outcome they will send
Thereafter many asses' loads of salt,
And add a thousand camels' loads of millet,
Fat from the tails of sheep and butter-skins.
A thousand Bactrian camels will bring dates,
Another thousand sugar, as their loads.
Twelve thousand also will bring drums of honey.
All these will come at one time to the holds.
Besides all these my servants will bring in
Some forty thousand salted carcases,
And of black naphtha in the next two months
Three hundred camel-loads. An archimage
With escort will arrive from Shamiran,
And from Mount Rada while, in sight of all
The elders and the wise, the mountain-chiefs,
Sent by the marchlords, will convey whate'er
Is needed to the gates and give the list
To our own treasurer, and if the Great
Among the folk will but restrain themselves
They will in sooth receive no injury
Among the valleys and the lofty hills
From Arab or from Turkman. Help from you
In these our strenuous times will aid us much.
Our minister, that wise and holy man,
Will now give orders to our treasurer
To send five robes of Persian make to all
That toil for us and, when those toils are over,
A splendid turban of gold broidery.
In these our present troubles each shall have
Two score drachms from our treasures, afterwards,
For service rendered, for each drachm three-score,
Each worth more than ten dangs, and he will read
This legend : ' In the name of holy God,
The Object of our reverence, hopes, and fears,'
Upon one side. The other side will bear
Our face and crown, the legend : ' Through our love
The earth becometh fruitful.' These have been
Prepared for New Year's Day, the nobles' eyes
Fulfilled with wealth. God's blessing on the man
Whose faults are few and who forgetteth not
Our diadem."

The Shah when he had sealed
The letter sent it to the army-chiefs.
With this king's missive in his hand there came
A horseman of high fortune and high aim.

Thence they conveyed the drums and came to Tus
From Nishapur. Mahwi of Sur had news :—

"The Shah is on the road to Dahistan,"
And went to meet him with a mighty power,
All spearmen and in coats of mail, and when
The Glory of the royal state appeared,
The flag of majesty and such a host,
Alighted from his steed forthwith and paid
His duty to the king of kings, walked softly
Upon the burning dust and from his eyes
Shed tears of reverence. He kissed the ground,
Prolonging his obeisance. All his troops
Acclaimed the Shah and touched earth with their
heads,
While Farrukhzad enranked his powers when he
Beheld the visage of Mahwi of Sur
By whom his heart was joyed and whom he counselled
At large: " This Shah of royal race do I
Commit to thee to serve him, suffering not
The blast to blow on him, and none save thee
To earn his thanks. I must depart to Rai,
Uncertain whether I shall see again
The royal crown for 'gainst these Arab spearmen
Full many such as I have died in battle.

There was not one within the world like Rustam,
The horseman, never hath the ear of sage
Heard tell of such, yet by a Raven-head
Was he cut off, so adverse was our day !
God grant to him a place among the Just,
And give the swarthy Ravens to our spears !

Mahwi replied: " O paladin! the Shah
Is eye and soul to me. I undertake
In thy place to defend thy king, thy Heaven."

So Farrukhzad, son of Hurmuzd, departed
To Rai as bidden by the Shah. The sky
Revolved awhile with matters in this stay,
And all love passed from that malignant's brain,
And none dared go to battle with the Arabs
Because the azure sky was helping them ;
The visage of the monarch of Iran
Grew wrinkled ; the foe's deeds made strait his heart.
Mahwi saw that the Shah was at a stay,
And driven on by fortune helplessly,
Ambitioned speedily the throne and changed
In policy, in manners, and dispose,
Then for a season he began to affect
Ill health and barely showed the Shah respect.

There was a paladin, a Turk by race,
A man of influence and named Bizhan :
He dwelt within the coasts of Samarkand
Where he had many kin. Ill-starred Mahwi,
Becoming self-assertive, wrote to him :—
" Thou prosperous scion of the paladins !

A strife hath risen that will bring thee profit :

The Shah is of all places here at Marv
And with no troops! His head and crown and state,
Wealth, throne, and host, are thine if thou wilt come.

Recall the vengeance owing to thy sires,
And give this unjust race its just reward."

Bizhan, considering the letter, saw
That insolent Mahwi would win the world,
Then spake thus to his minister: " Thou chief
Of upright men! what sayest thou to this ?
If I lead forth a host to aid Mahwi
'Twill be my ruin here."

The minister
Replied: " O lion-hearted warrior !

'Twere shame to help Mahwi and then withdraw.

Command Barsam to set forth with a host
To aid upon this scene of strife. The sage
Will term thee daft to go and fight in person
At the insistence of this man of Sur."

Bizhan replied : " 'Tis well, I will not go
Myself."

He therefore bade Barsam to lead
Ten thousand valiant cavaliers and swordsmen
To Marv with all the implements of war
If haply he might take the Shah. That host
Went like a flying pheasant from Bukhara
To Marv within one week. One night at cock-crow
The sound of tymbals went up from the plain.
How could the king of kings suspect Mahwi
Of Sur to be his enemy ? Shouts rose.
A cavalier reached Yazdagird at dawn
To say : " Mahwi saith thus : ' A host of Turks
Hath come. What is the bidding of the Shah ?
The Khan and the Faghfur of Chin command :
Earth is not able to support their host ! ' '
The Shah wroth donned his mail. The armies
ranged.
He formed his troops to right and left, and all
Advanced to battle. Spear in hand he held
The centre, and the whole world was bedimmed
With flying dust. He saw how lustily
The Turks engaged, unsheathed his sword, and came,
As 'twere an elephant before his troops.
Earth Nile-wise flowed. Like thundering cloud he
charged,
But not a warrior supported him ;
All turned their backs upon that man of name,
And left him mid the horsemen of the foe.
The world's king, when Mahwi withdrew, perceived
The practice hid till then—the intent and plan
To capture him—yet played the man in fight,
Displaying valour, strength, and warriorship,
Slew many at the centre, but at length
Fled in despair, with falchion of Kabul
In hand, pursued by many Turks. He sped
Like lightning mid night's gloom and spied a mill
On the canal of Zark. Alighting there
The world's king lay in hiding from his foes
Within the mill. The horsemen searched for him,
All Zark was hue and cry. The Shah abandoned
His gold-trapped steed, his mace, and scimitar
With golden sheath. The Turks with loud shouts
sought him,
Excited by that steed and equipage.
The Shah within the mill-house lurked in hay.
With this false Hostel thus it ever is :
The ascent is lofty and profound the abyss.
With Yazdagird, while fortune slumbered not,
A throne enskied by heaven was his lot,
And now it was a mill! Excess of sweet
Bred bane for him and, if thou art discreet,
Affect not this world for its end is ill.

Whiles a tame serpent to the touch it still
At whiles will bite, and hot that bite will be.

Why then affect this cozening hostelry
While like a drum the signal to be gone
Thou hearest, bidding: " Bind the baggage on,
And for sole throne the grave's floor look upon ? "
With mouth untasting and with tearful eyes
The Shah abode until the sun arose,
And then the miller oped the mill-house door.
He bore a truss of grass upon his back.
A low-born-man was he, by name Khusrau,
Poor, foolish, unrespected, purposeless.
He lived upon the profits of his mill,
Which gave him full employment. He beheld
A warrior, like a lofty cypress, sitting
In dolour on the ground with kingly crown
Upon his head and with brocade of Rum
Bright on his breast; his eyes a stag's, his chest
And neck a lion's; of beholding him
The eye ne'er tired. He was unique in form ;
Wore golden boots; his sleeves were fringed with
pearls
And gold. Khusrau looked, stood astound, and
called
On God, then said : " O man of sunlike mien !
Say in what sort thou camest to this mill ?
Why didst thou take it for thy resting-place
Full as it is of wheat and dust and hay ?
Who art thou with such form, such Grace and looks ?
Sure, heaven never saw the like of thee ! "
The Shah replied : " I am Iranian-born,
In flight before the army of Turan."

The miller said, abashed : "I have no comrade
Save penury, but still, if barley-bread,
With some poor cresses from the river-bank,
Will serve thee I will bring them; naught have I
Besides: a man so straitened well may wail."

Through stress of fight the Shah had rested not,
Or eaten, for three days and so replied :—

" Bring what thou hast, that and the sacred twigs
Will serve my turn."

The poor and lowly miller
Brought him the cresses and the barley-bread,
Made haste to fetch the sacred twigs and, reaching
The toll-house on the way, crossed to the chief
Of Zark to make request for them. Mahwi
Had sent men on all sides to find the Shah,
And so the chieftain asked the miller: " Friend !
For whom need'st thou the sacred twigs ?"

Khusrau
Replied : " There is a warrior at the mill,
And seated on the hay, a cypress slim
In height, a sun in looks, a man of Grace,
With eyebrows arched and melancholy eyes :
His mouth is full of sighs, his soul is sad.
I set stale fare before him—barley-bread,
such as I eat myself—but he is fain
To take the sacred twigs while muttering grace.
Thou well mayst muse at him."

The chief rejoined :—
"Go and inform Mahwi of Sur hereof,
For that foul miscreant must not reveal
His proper bent when he shall hear of this."
Forthwith he charged a trusty man to take
The miller to Mahwi who asked of him,
Then anxious for himself: " For whom didst thou
Require the sacred twigs ? Tell me the truth."

The miller all a-tremble made reply :—

" I had been out to fetch a load and flung
The mill-door open roughly, when know this :

The sun was in mine eyes, but his are like
Those of a startled fawn; his locks are dark
As the third watch of night; his breath suggesteth
Musk, and his face embellisheth his crown.

One that hath never seen the Grace of God
Should take the mill-house key. His diadem
Is full of uncut jewels, and his breast
Bright with brocade of Rum. The mill hath grown
As 'twere a sun through him, and yet his food
Is barley-bread, his seat upon the hay !

' Spring,' thou wouldst say, ' in Paradise is he :

No thane e'er set so tall a cypress-tree.' "
Now when Mahwi had taken thought he knew :—
" 'Tis none but Yazdagird !" and bade the miller :—

" Haste and cut off his head forthwith or I
Will cut thine own off presently and leave
None of thy stock alive."

The chiefs, the nobles,
And mighty men heard this and all the assembly
Were filled with wrath at him; their tongues were
charged
With words, their eyes with tears, An archimage,
By name Radwi, whose mind wore wisdom's bridle,
Said to Mahwi: " O thou malignant one!

Why hath the Div confused thine eyes ? This know :

The royal and prophetic offices
Are two gems set within one finger-ring.

To break one is to trample life and wisdom
Beneath thy feet. Reflect upon thy words,
And then forbear. Be not the Maker's foe.

First will disaster come on thee herefrom,
Then thou wilt leave a seed-plot for thy child,
With fruit of colocynth and leafage blood.

Ere long thou wilt behold thy head abased ;
Thy villainy will be exposed; thy sons
Will reap what thou hast sown. This deed of thine
Will wreck the Faith of God, and crown and throne
Will curse thee."

Then a devotee devout,
Who never put his hand forth to injustice,
By name Hurmuzd, son of Kharrad, a man
Who rested in the Faith, said to Mahwi :—
" O thou oppressor! quit not thus the way
Of holy God. I see thy heart and sense
Bedimmed. We see thy breast a tomb. Though
strong
Thou hast no brain; thy mind is weak ; thou seekest
The smoke and not the fire. I see that thou
Wouldst have the malediction of the world,
And, when thou quit'st it, travail, smart, and anguish.
Now will thy lifetime prove a wretched one,
And fire thy dwelling-place when thou departest."
He sat. Shahran rose and addressed Mahwi :—
" Why this audacity ? Thou hast opposed
The king of kings and cottoned with the Khan
And the Faghfur. Full many of this race
Have proved of no account yet men ne'er hasted
To slay them. Shed not, as thou art a slave,
The blood of Shahs because thou wilt be cursed
Till Doomsday."

This he said, and sat down weeping
In anguish with heart full and eyes all gall.
Then Mihr-i-Nush stood forth in deep distress,
With lamentation, and addressed Mahwi :—
"O evil man of evil race, who art
Not well advised or just ! a crocodile
Respecteth royal blood, a leopard finding
A slain king doth not rend him. O thou worse
In love and instinct than the beasts of prey !
Thou covetest the Shah's crown! When Jamshid
Was slaughtered by Zahhak did that affect
Heaven's will ? Nay, when Zahhak had won the earth
Abtin appeared, the glorious Faridun
Was born, the fashion of the world was changed,
And thou hast heard what tyrannous Zahhak
Brought on himself as sequel of his crimes,
For though he lived above a thousand years
Still in the end the avenger came to him.
Then, secondly, when Tur, the exalted one,
Afflicted by his longing for Iran,
Slew in his folly virtuous Iraj,
On whom the very dust looked pityingly,
Dispatched him to the hero Faridun,
And gave the world to sorrow, Minuchihr,
One of the race, appeared and undid all
Those bonds. When, thirdly, princely Siyawush
Went forth to war, albeit reluctantly,
Afrasiyab, inspired by Garsiwaz,
Washed shame and honour from his mind and wits,
And slew the youthful and right royal prince,
So that the world became his enemy.
Sprung from that prince the world-lord Kai Khusrau
Came and filled all the world with hubbub, clave
Asunder with his scimitar his grandsire,
And frayed all those that else had sought revenge.
The fourth count is the feud against Arjasp,
The slayer of Luhrasp. Asfandiyar
Went forth to fight with him and took swift wreak.
Fifth, is the vengeance ta'en for Shah Hurmuzd.
Khusrau Parwiz, whenas he felt confirmed
In heart and power, dealt in the way we know
Both with Bandwi and Gustaham. The sky,
Which then revolved, revolveth still. Forgetting
What they had done for him, when his sire's blood
And love and family appealed to him,
He in his day of strength abated theirs.

One may not scorn the occasion of revenge,
For such a time will quickly come to thee,
And thou wilt suffer for thine evil thoughts,
Thy son will reap what thou hast sown, and fate
Will not rest long from vengeance ; so refrain
From all this treasure-hoard, this heritage
Of crown and precious things. Thou art revolting
Because the Div enjoineth, and abjuring
The way of God. The Div, as thou wilt learn,
Is tempting thee with things not for thine honour.
Burn not thy soul and body in Hell-fire ;
Dim not this world-illuming crown but gather
Thy scattered troops; recant what thou hast said ;
Go ask the Shah to pardon thee and when
Thou seest him renew thy fealty.

From there prepare to battle with the foe ;
Be instant both in counsel and excuse,
For not to hearken to the words of sages
Will mark thee out as evil in both worlds.

Men bring to naught things done a day too late.

Wilt thou treat Yazdagird, the king of kings,
Worse than malignant Turks, for in the fray
He is a lion, on the throne a Shah
As bright as sun and moon, a memory
Of the Sasanians ? None is girdle-girt
Like him. From sire to sire his ancestors
Were mighty men and compassers of wisdom
From Nushirwan, the Shah, back to Ardshir,
While, seventh backward from Ardshir, Sasan,
The world-lord, had the crown, for God entrusted
To him the Kaian crown, and all the kings
Were of that glorious race. Now many a man
Hath been thy better, but they ne'er conceived
Designs like these. As for Bahram Chubina,
Three hundred thousand skilful cavaliers
On barded steeds fled at one shaft of his,
And left the field of fight to him; but when
His heart grew weary of the race of Shahs
The head of his resplendent fortune fell.

So Fardyin, who sought the throne of kings
Unworthily and bathed his hands in blood,
Was in like manner miserably slain :

This age endureth not such mockeries,
Fear Him, the Lord, the Maker of the world,
For He created throne and crown and signet.
Defame not thine own person wantonly
Because ere long such things will rise against thee.
Know that whoever speaketh not the truth
To thee is thy soul's foe. Now thou art sick
While I am as the leech, a leech that waileth,
And sheddeth drops of blood. Thou art thyself
Less than the slave of slaves. Be not ambitious
In thy heart's thoughts. Leave strife to holy God,
And seek in honour's way the throne of greatness."

The shepherd-born had set his heart upon
The throne: the archimages' rede was hard.

'So hath it ever been; 'tis no new thing:

The flouts of fortune are past reckoning,
Exalting to the sky above this one,
And making that vile, wretched, and undone,
Not leagued with that, on war with this not bent,
But void of wit, shame, Faith, and precedent.

The archmages all, till the world gloomed and moon
Succeeded sun, warned that vindictive man,
Who was not one hair better for their talk,
And said when night came: " Ye must leave me now
O sages! I will ponder this to-night,
And take all kinds of wisdom to my breast.
We will call twenty wise men from the host
That we may need not to deplore this ill."

The prudent archimages went their ways,
The men of war arrived. Mahwi held session
With his confederates and said : " What think ye
Herein? If Yazdagird remain alive
Troops will collect to him from every side ;
My secret purposes have been exposed,
And all, both great and small, have heard thereof !
My life will end through his hostility,
And neither folk nor field and fell be left."

A wise man said : " Thou shouldest not have acted
At first so. If the monarch of Iran
Be ill-disposed toward thee then past doubt
Ill will befall thee from him, yet 'tis ill
To shed his blood for then God will avenge him.
To left and right are cares and pains of all kinds :

Consider how thou need'st must act herein."

Mahwi's son said to him: " Well counselled sire !

Since thou hast made the Shah thine enemy
Be rid of him; troops from Machin and Chin
Will come to him and earth grow strait for us.

Hold this no trifle. Since thou hast prevailed
Tempt not the maws of lions. Thou and all
Thy host will be uprooted from the world
If standard-wise the Shah's skirt be unfurl'd."

Thereat the shameless, infamous Mahwi
Turned fiercely to the miller, saying: " Up!
Take cavaliers and shed my foeman's blood."

The miller, hearing, knew not what to do,
But when at night the moon assumed her throne
Departed mill-ward to the Shah and when
He left the court-gate of Mahwi his eyes
Were charged with tear-drops and his heart was full.
Forthwith Mahwi dispatched some cavaliers
To follow swift as smoke, instructing them :—
" See that ye sully not the crown and earrings,
The signet and the royal robes with blood,
And strip the Shah when lifeless."

With his eyes
All tearful and cheeks yellow as the sun
The miller went, exclaiming : " Judge almighty.
Who art above the processes of time!

Wring presently his heart and soul for this
Abhorred behest !

With heart all shame and qualm,
With wetted cheeks and tongue all charged with dust,
He reached the Shah and drawing nigh with caution,
As one would speak a secret in the ear,
Stabbed with a dirk his middle. At the blow
The Shah cried : " Ah!" Then tumbled head and
crown,
And barley-bread before him, to the dust !
He that abideth when he might depart
From this world hath no wisdom in his heart,
And wisdom is not in the turning sky,
Whose love is as its stress and enmity.
'Tis well to look not on the world and so
From these its doings love and wrath not know.
The planets weary of their fosterlings,
And guiltless folk like Yazdagird are slain ;
None else hath perished thus of all the kings,
Nor of his host a plier of the rein.
The horsemen of accursed Mahwi, on seeing
That royal Tree thus laid to rest afar
From palace and his scenes of ease, drew near,
Gazed, one and all, upon his face, removed
His cincture, violet robe, and coronet,
His torque and golden boots, and left him there
In miserable case upon the ground—
The monarch of Iran flung on the dust,
Blood-boltered, with gashed side ! Those emissaries,
When they arose, all framed their tongues to curse :—
"Oh! may Mahwi himself fare, prostrate thus,
All gory on earth's face."

They told Mahwi :—
" The exalted Shah hath passed away from throne,
From battle and delights," and he commanded
To take, when it was night, the monarch's corpse,
And fling it in the stream. The miller took
The body of the Shah forth from the mill,
And flung it (mark the horror !) in the water,
And there it floated with a bobbing head!

When it was day and people went abroad
Two men of worship visited the spot.
One of these men austere and sober reached
The river-bank and, when he saw the corpse
All naked in the water, hurried back
In consternation to the monastery,
And told the other monks what he had seen :—
"The Shah, the master of the world, is drowned,
And naked in the water-way of Zark !"

Then many of those holy men—the chief
And others of all ranks—set forth. A cry
Of anguish rose from them: " O noble man,
And royal crown-possessor ! none e'er saw
The wearer of it in such plight as this,
Or ever heard before the time of Christ
A case like this king's through his wicked slave,
This misbegotten dog, this reprobate,
Who fawned upon his master till ill came ;
Mahwi's just portion is to be accursed.
Woe for the head and crown, the height and mien !
Woe for the breast and arms, the hands and mace !
Woe for the last descendant of Ardshir !
Woe for that cavalier so young and goodly !
Strong wast thou; thou hadst wisdom in thy soul,
And thou hast gone to bear the news hereof
To Nushirwan that, though thy face was moonlike,
And though thou wast a king and soughtest crowns,
Yet in the mill they pierced thy liverstead,
And flung thy naked body in the stream !"

Four of the monks went stripped into the water,
Seized the bare body of the youthful king,
That grandson of the world-lord Nushirwan,
And drew it to the bank while young and old
Lamented greatly. They prepared for him
Within the garth a charnel-house and raised
Its summit to the clouds. They sealed his wound
With gum, with pitch, with camphor, and with musk,
And then arrayed him in brocade of gold,
With fine Egyptian linen underneath,
And dark-blue Russian cloth o'er all. They decked
His place of rest with wine and gum and camphor,
With musk and with rose-water.

When the form
Was hidden of that noble Cypress-tree
What said that honoured thane of Marv ? In secret
A guerdon waiteth him that after travail
Departeth with good conscience from the world."

Another said : " Though man may laugh, yet know
That he is of the sufferers, for he
Will find the falseness of the turning sky,
Which will reveal to him both rise and fall."

Another said: "Call not him one of wit
That serveth his own form with princes' blood,
And seeketh wealth, despite of infamy,
With soul unfearful of an evil end."

Another said: ' Since the Shah's lips are closed
I see not crown or royal seat or signet,
Or courtiers or a realm or diadem,
Or throne or helmet, and if these possess
No moment in themselves why this expense
Of toil and time ?
" Thy good report, I see,"
Another said, " will win thee worthy praise.
Thou in the garth of Paradise didst set
A cypress: now thy soul beholdeth it,"
Another said : "God took thy soul and gave
Thy body to the care of the devout.

Hereby thy soul is profited, hereby
Will harm betide the foe. The Shah hath now
His work in Paradise; his foeman's soul
Is on the road to Hell."

Another said :—

" Wise, knowledge-loving Shah sprung from Ardshir !
Thou reapest now the crop that thou didst sow:
The lamp of sovereignty is still alight."

Another said : " Though thou'rt asleep, young king!
Thy spirit is awake. Thy lips are mute,
And with full many a groan thy spirit passed
And left thy body free. Thy work is done :
Thy soul is busy now. Thy foeman's head
Is on the stake. Although thy tongue is tied
Thy spirit speaketh, and thy soul is purged
Although thy form is pierced, while if thy hand
Have dropped the reins thy spirit still will wield
The spear in battle."

Said another one :—
" O famous warrior! thou hast departed
With thine own works as guide. Thy royal seat
Is now in Paradise ; this earth of bale
Is now another's share."

"The man that slew
One such as thee," another said, " will look
Upon harsh days anon."

The prelate said :—
" Thy slaves are we and laud thy holy soul.
Be this, thy charnel, as a garth all tulips,
This bier thine upland and thy plain of joy."

They spake, took up the bier and carried it
From waste to mausoleum. Thither came
The hapless Shah, crown, throne, and casque at end.
O man of many years, whose words still run !

Turn from the path of greed, break off thy strain.
What shall we say hereof ? Was justice done,
Or vengeance by the seven planets ta'en,
On Yazdagird ? The sage, if unresolved
Upon the point, could make me no reply,
Or if he spake 'twould be in words involved
That keep the answer still a mystery.
If thou hast means, good man ! indulge thy heart ;
Trust not to what the morrow promiseth,
Because the world and thou perforce must part,
And time accounteth for thine every breath;
Thou shouldest sow not any save good seed
In what remaineth of thy mortal strife ;
Control the door of appetite and greed ;
He that provided will provide through life,
And life itself will but produce for thee
Fair fame and happiness, good friend! Then still
With all thy might eschew iniquity,
For from a wise man should proceed no ill.
Bring wine; our day is nearly o'er and hence
We must away, for what hath been will be.
Had I incomings balancing expense
Then time would be a brother unto me.
The hail this year like death on me hath come,
Though death itself were better than the hail,
And heaven's lofty, far-extending dome
Hath caused my fuel, wheat, and sheep to fail.

One came and told Mahwi of Sur : ' The world-lord
Is hidden in the dust. The prelates, priests,
And monks of Rim—all those of life austere,
Both young and old, throughout that march and
land—
Went wailing, took his body from the stream,
And made for him within the garth a charnel—
A great one, higher than the mountain-slopes.'

Mahwi, that luckless wretch, exclaimed: " Iran
Had ne'er before affinity with Rum."

He sent and slew the builders of that charnel,
With those that mourned, and gave that march to
spoil,
Such was his will and worth! Thereafter he
Made search throughout the world and found not one
Of that great stock. He had a crown and signet,
The Shah's erewhile, and to that shepherd-born
The throne appealed. He called his intimates,
Announced the purpose that he had at heart,
And told his minister : " Experienced man !
The day of strife and battle is upon us.
I have no treasure, fame or lineage,
And may but give my head up to the winds.
The name that is upon my signet-ring
Is Yazdagird : my scimitar hath failed
To make men yield to me. Throughout Iran
Men are his slaves although his kin is scattered.
The sages do not hail me as the Shah,
The soldiers do not recognise my seal.
My machinations tended otherwise.
Oh! wherefore did I shed the world-king's blood ?
All night am I sore-troubled in my thoughts :
The World-lord knoweth how it is with me."

The counsellor replied : " The thing is done,
And common talk. Act for thine own behoof,
For thou hast burst thy belt. The Shah is dust
Within the charnel; dust hath healed his soul.

Call round thee all the world-experienced men,
And set thy tongue to words of pleasantness.
Say thus: ' The Shah gave me the crown and signet.
As emblems of authority, perceiving
The coming of an army from the Turks,
Called me at dead of night, and said : " When bruit
Of war ariseth who can say which side
The dust will be, so take this crown and ring,
For they may help thee on the day of battle.
I have one daughter only left to me :
In truth she is in hiding from the Arabs.
Hereafter yield not to the foe my throne,
And by these tokens walk thou in my steps."
I have then from the Shah as legacy
This crown and in accord to his behest
Am sitting on the throne.' By this device
Give thou thine acts a gloss for who will know
The truth from falsehood ? "
" Good ! " exclaimed Mahwi,
" Thou art a minister—a peerless one ! "
He summoned all the captains of the host,
And spake at large to them to that effect.
They knew: " It is not true, and well it were
To cut his head off for his shamelessness."'
A paladin observed: " 'Tis thy concern
If what thou sayest be the truth or not."
He heard and sat him down upon the throne,
By his deceit gat hold of Khurasan,
Distributed the earth among his chiefs,
And said: " I am the world's king with the signet.'
He called his kin and said the same at large ;
He took the whole earth as it were a gift ;
The stars were in amaze at him. He chose
The vicious as accorded to his nature,
Debased the sages and made everywhere
Chiefs of the bad. The head of right was humbled,
And knavery on all sides manifest.

He gave his elder son Balkh and Harat,
And sent troops to each quarter. As his host
And treasures grew the heart of that ingrate
Was gratified. He gave his troops rewards
And put them in good case; he filled the heads
Of his own kith and kin with vapourings.

Then with his troops and valiant warriors,
Preceded by the scouts and Garsiyun—

A veteran chief — they marched upon Bukhara,
Intent on war, for " Chach and Samarkand
Are ours," Mahwi said, " and they must be made
The captives of this crown and seal, for so
Did Yazdagird, king of the world, command—
Chief of the planets seven. With the sword
Will I take vengeance on Bizhan by whom
The fortune of earth's king was turned to gloom,"
In time news reached Bizhan : " Mahwi hath seized
The throne of might and everywhere imposeth
His seal and signet; earth accepteth him,
And now with warlike troops his face is turned
Toward the Jihun for battle."

"Who bestowed
The signet on him ?" asked Bizhan, and one
Acquainted him with all: " When thou didst reach
The desert of Farab, and fortune's lips
Were closed to good and ill, there parted hence
To him a force of haughty cavaliers
In quest of fame, for he had said : ' If thou
Wilt send me troops I will dispatch to thee
By privy pact the crown of king of kings
With golden throne and signet. In the world
The sovereignty is fitly thine.' Thy troops
Went hence in haste and found the Shah at Marv.
They compassed him about. The Iranians fled.
When that wise king was left alone he feared
That ill might come upon him from the host.
There was a certain mill upon the ford,
And thither went the Shah, a sun in Grace.
Mahwi of Sur heard of him, sent and slew him,
And through the royal signet gained the world
When he had slain his master. Now the more part
Of praise and blame in this affair is thine,
Thine were the valiant horsemen and the strife."

Barsam said thus: "O king! what time I took
A mounted force from Chach. Mahwi had said
To thee : ' The golden throne of Yazdagird,
His armlets set with gems, his crown withal
And treasure, will I send to Balkh. The throne
And crown within the world must needs be thine.'
I fought three days at Marv. When on the fourth
The world's light shone I battled furiously,
For I was pressed. Tyrannical Mahwi
Displayed his back. The Iranian king of kings,
Abandoned, like a furious lion charged
My troops and slaughtered many of my chiefs,
But, when he had no comrades left, he too
Displayed his back; but how that master-slayer,
That faithless slave, put him to death I know not.
Thus with no toil Mahwi obtained and used
His master's treasures. Then the miscreant,
Becoming dazed by so much wealth, appeared,
Thou mightest say, as if he ne'er had seen me !

Although my troops remained two months at Marv
He gave us no kind look but put to death,
And privily, his lord, so great a king,
The lustre of the world, a cavalier
That 'raiseth o'er the orbit of the moon
His head amidst the host, thou wouldst have said.

No Turk encountered and escaped his mace :

He broke our nobles' hearts, I have not seen
Such breastplate, hand, and mace. Mahwi thus
furnished
Seized on the realm in this unholy wise.
Now that the foe in arms invadeth thee
Thou and thine army must be up and doing.
Let not weeds blossom in the royal garden
Or it will be forgotten."

Hearing this,
Bizhan raged much at having helped to dim
The fortune of the Shah, then bade assemble
His host of Turks, his horsemen of the day
Of battle, sped forth from Kachar Bashi,
And lost no time upon the road. Whenas
He drew anear Bukhara all the waste
Was covered with his troops to whom he said :—
" Haste not and let Mahwi be first to lead
His host across the water to contend
With me. Perchance on him I may avenge
The Shah."

He asked thereafter: " Did the king
Leave no availful child ? Had he no brother ?
In the default of sons had he no daughter,
Whom we might carry with us and assist,
And take full satisfaction of Mahwi ?

Barsam replied: " My lord! this race's day
Is passed; the Arabs hold those provinces ;
No Shah is left or worshipper of Fire."

Bizhan, on hearing this, resumed his march,
Astound at this world's doings. Scouts announced :—
"A host hath come and campeth at Baigand.

They crossed in boats, their dust obscured the sun."

Bizhan, the chief, led on his troops to war,
And when Mahwi of Sur beheld them thou
Hadst said: " His soul took flight." He was in
dudgeon
At all those breastplates, helmets, shields of Chin,
At all those maces, spears, and battle-axes
Of Chach. The air grew dark and earth was lost
To sight therein as he arrayed his host.

Bizhan, when he had drawn up his array,
Prepared an ambush for the Iranians ;
Mahwi knew of it and with loud exclaims
Departed from among his troops. Bizhan
Looked forth, beheld the flag, and knew : " Mahwi
Is minded to take flight," and bade Barsam :—
" Lead from the central host what troops thou hast,
And draw toward one side; we must not let
Mahwi decline the battle and haste thus
Jihun-wards. Speed and keep him well in sight,
For we must deal with him in other wise,"
Barsam of Chin observed the flag and drew
His troops apart until with frowning face,
And malisons upon his lips, he reached
The desert of Farab, there found Mahwi,
And, with his weight upon the stirrups, charged ;
Then, closing face to face, he plied his sword,
Displaying valour, seized his foeman's belt,
Unseated him and dashed him to the ground,
Alighted, bound his hands, and then remounting
Drove him along in front. With that came up
Barsam's own comrades, and the bruit of him
Filled all the plain. They said: " O chief ! Mahwi
Should be beheaded on the way."

He answered :—
" Not so; Bizhan as yet is not informed
About the capture."

Presently Bizhan
Gat news: " That ill-conditioned slave is taken,"
Heard and grew glad of heart. He hugged himself,
And thus released from care roared lion-like.
Then many valiant Turks came and discussed
The fashion of the slaying of Mahwi.
All that they recognised as of his court
They put to death—a countless multitude.
They looted all the baggage and dragged off
Mahwi stripped bare of all. The guilty wretch
Lost all his wits when he beheld Bizhan,
Was as a soulless body with affright,
And strewed upon his head the unstable sand.
Bizhan said: " O thou miscreant ! may none have
A slave like thee! Why didst thou put to death
That righteous Shah, the lord of victory
And throne, and by ancestral right both Shah
And king, the memory of Nushirwan ? "'
Mahwi made answer thus: " The evil-doer
Can look for naught but slaying and reproach.
Now smite my neck for wrong done and fling down
My head in presence of this company."

The other gave reply : " I will so act
That I shall banish vengeance from my heart,"
Struck off Mahwi's hand with the scimitar,
And said: " This hand hath not a peer in crime,"
The hand thus lopped, he said: " Cut off his feet
That he may not escape," and further bade :—
" Cut off his nose and ears, let him be placed
Upon a horse out on the burning sand
Until he sleepeth in his shame."

They bound him
From head to foot with cords, the clarions sounded,
A herald went the circuit of the host,
And, as he passed the entry of the tents,
Made proclamation : " Slaves that slay your masters !
Indulge no foolish thoughts, and may all those
Without compunction for a monarch's life
Be as Mahwi and never see the throne."

There was a prince, by name Guraz, at once
The glory and the pleasure of Mahwi.
He was the governor of Marv what time
Mahwi died wretchedly. As eldest son
He was his father's lustre, who had made
A crown of gold for him. When fortune loured
Upon Mahwi the horsemen rode to Marv
From all sides. Tumult spread. The war-cry rose,
And strife and turmoil filled the land. Guraz
Was slain mid those dark doings, and the day
Of all his race was done. He had three sons
Among his troops, three favourite sons possessed
Of crown and throne. A lofty pyre was kindled,
And he and his three sons were burned thereon.
None of the seed remained or if some did
Men harried them. The chieftains cursed that race,
All vengeful for the slaughter of the Shah :—
" May it be cursed and may there never fail
A man to curse it as it hath deserved."

Bizhan, the Turk, too was an evil-doer.
His own time came, his wisdom was estranged,
And I have heard that he grew mad at last,
And was so till he slew himself. Well done,
Thou still revolving, crook-backed sky! Since then
Hath been the epoch of 'Umar, made known
The Faith, and to a pulpit changed the throne.