Zav

One night as Zal sat speaking to his chiefs
And retinue about Afrasiyab,
He said : " Although our paladins possess
Unsleeping fortune and enlightened minds
We need a Shah, one of the royal race,
Skilled in the lore of eld. The host resembleth
A ship whereto the throne is wind and sail.
Oh ! had but Tus and Gustaham the Grace. . . .
We lack not troops, but men, however noble,
That have not prudence, merit not the crown
And throne. We need a Shah of puissant fortune,
A man of Grace through whose words wisdom shineth.

They found none of the seed of Faridun
But Zav, son of Tahmasp, with monarch's might
And hero's worth to grace the lofty throne.
Karan took with a gallant company
The joyful news to Zav : " In thee reviveth
The crown of Faridun. Zal and the troops
Acclaim thee as the Shah, O worthy one ! "

On an auspicious day fair-fortuned Zav
Came and acceded to the lofty throne.
The mighty praised him, showering offerings ;
Zal too did homage. Five years passed away
While Zav, a wise old man, sat on the throne
And judged and lavished till the world grew young.
He kept his soldiers back from evil ways,
Wrapped up himself in communings with God.
None dared to rob or slay, but after him
Men saw no lack of slaughter. There was a famine,
There was not dew or rain, the ground and herbs
Were parched, and bread was worth its weight in drachms.

The hosts had faced each other for five months,
Engaged in fierce encounters day by day
As fitteth chiefs and heroes, but that famine
Left them resourceless, wasted woof and warp,
And all confessed : " We are ourselves to blame,"
While wails and cries for help rose from both hosts.
At length an envoy came to Zav and said : —
"It is our own fault that this Wayside Inn
Affordeth naught but travail, care, and anguish.
Come let us share the earth and bless each other."

They gave up thoughts of war for famine pressed,
Agreed to drop the ancient feud, to share
The world according to just precedent
And put all bygones out of memory.
The portion of f ran both near and far
Twixt the Jihun and marches of Turan,
And so along toward Khutan and Chin,
Was given to the Turkmans as their kingdom,
While Zal abandoned all the nomad tribes.
Such was the sharing, such the Turkmans' bounds.
Then Zav led forth his host to go to Pars,
Old as he was he made earth young again ;
While Zal departed for Zabulistan
And men received them both with open arms.

The roar of thunder filled the mountain-tops
And earth recovered colour, scent, and beauty ;
It was as 'twere a youthful bride, arrayed
In fountains, pleasances, and rivulets,
For fortune would be neither dark nor hard
If man had not the temper of a pard.

Zal called the chiefs and offered thanks to God,
Who had converted scarcity to plenty,
Men set up feasting-places everywhere
And banished feud and cursing from their hearts.
Thus for five years men knew not wrong or travail,
Yet verily the world grew sick of justice
And longed to be within the Lion's claws.

Now when he reached his sixth and eightieth year
That sun-like ruler's leaf began to sear,
The Iranians' fortune halted and the day
Of Zav, the righteous worldlord, passed away.