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Korans[1] and Meccas[2]! Truly is it said: 'A rose befits not a crow, nor do horns suit an ass!'
1145. "The great king said to the witless, drunken Usen: 'I marvel much whence thou gettest these gems to give us, (where) thou findest huge pearls and peerless rubies. By my head! I cannot return thee one-tenth for thy gifts!'
1146. "Usen saluted, and said: 'O mighty sovereign, shedder of beams from above, O nourisher of creatures, O sun! Whatever else I have, whose is it, be it gold or treasure? What brought I forth from my mother's womb? By you it has been granted to me.[3]
1147. "'By your head! I make bold to say that gratitude for gifts beseems you not. I have somewhat else, a daughter-in-law for you, a bride to unite to your son; for this undoubtedly you will thank me when you see the sun's like; then will you oftener say: "Happiness is ours!"'
1148. "Why should I lengthen (speech)? He brake his oath, the power of religion; he told of the finding of the maid portrayed by gazers as a sun. This pleased the king greatly; it gave gaiety to his heart. He ordered her conveyance to court and the fulfilment of Usen's utterance.
1149. "Pleasantly I was sitting here at home; hitherto I had not sighed. At the door appeared the chief of the king's slaves, he brought with him sixty slaves, as is the custom of kings; they came in, I was much astonished, I said: 'This is some high affair (of state).'
1150. "They greeted me: 'P'hatman,' said they, 'it is the command of the equal[4] of the sun: that maid like two suns[5] whom Usen presented to-day, now bring her to me, I shall take her with me; we have not far to go.' When I
- ↑ Musap'hi, A., 339, 514.
- ↑ Maka, A.
- ↑ Cf. Holldack, op. cit.; but in this and some similar passages allowance should be made for a possible sense of humour, and a sentiment in Usen's mouth is not necessarily the author's. Rust'haveli's enthusiasm for monarchy was natural when T'hamara was the monarch, but cf. his treatment of the pettish Rostevan (chap. xix.), and the epithets applied to the King of the Kadjis (1198), also 1452.
- ↑ Stsort'ha, pl. maj.
- ↑ Mzet'ha ort'ha. Ch. Dict., s.v. ori, interprets "the sun in Orion," but giv'es no parallel passage.
