130
FIRDUSI
The chiefs assembled claim thy patriot vows,
Give to thy glory all that life allows;
And while no whisper breathes the direful tale,
O, let thy Monarch’s anxious prayers prevail.”
Give to thy glory all that life allows;
And while no whisper breathes the direful tale,
O, let thy Monarch’s anxious prayers prevail.”
Closing the fragrant page[1] o’ercome with dread,
The afflicted King to Giw, the warrior, said:—
“Go, bind the saddle on thy fleetest horse,
Outstrip the tempest in thy rapid course,
To Rustem swift his country’s woes convey,
Too true art thou to linger on the way;
Speed, day and night-and not one instant wait,
Whatever hour may bring thee to his gate.”
The afflicted King to Giw, the warrior, said:—
“Go, bind the saddle on thy fleetest horse,
Outstrip the tempest in thy rapid course,
To Rustem swift his country’s woes convey,
Too true art thou to linger on the way;
Speed, day and night-and not one instant wait,
Whatever hour may bring thee to his gate.”
Followed no pause—to Giw enough was said,
Nor rest, nor taste of food, his speed delayed.
And when arrived, where Zábul’s bowers exhale
Ambrosial sweets and scent the balmy gale,
The sentinel’s loud voice in Rustem’s ear,
Announced a messenger from Persia, near;
The Chief himself amidst his warriors stood,
Dispensing honours to the brave and good,
And soon as Gíw had joined the martial ring,
(The sacred envoy of the Persian King),
He, with becoming loyalty inspired,
Asked what the monarch, what the state required;
But Gíw, apart, his secret mission told—
The written page was speedily unrolled.
Nor rest, nor taste of food, his speed delayed.
And when arrived, where Zábul’s bowers exhale
Ambrosial sweets and scent the balmy gale,
The sentinel’s loud voice in Rustem’s ear,
Announced a messenger from Persia, near;
The Chief himself amidst his warriors stood,
Dispensing honours to the brave and good,
And soon as Gíw had joined the martial ring,
(The sacred envoy of the Persian King),
He, with becoming loyalty inspired,
Asked what the monarch, what the state required;
But Gíw, apart, his secret mission told—
The written page was speedily unrolled.
Struck with amazement, Rustem—“Now on earth
A warrior-knight of Sám’s excelling worth?
Whence comes this hero of the prosperous star?
I know no Túrk renowned, like him, in war;
He bears the port of Rustem too, ’tis said,
Like Sám, like Narímán, a warrior bred!
He cannot be my son, unknown to me;
Reason forbids the thought—it cannot be!
At Samengán, where once affection smiled,
To me Tahmíneh bore her only child,
That was a daughter?” Pondering thus he spoke,
And then aloud—” Why fear the invader’s yoke?
Why trembling shrink, by coward thoughts dismayed,
Must we not all in dust, at length, be laid?
But come, to Nírum’s palace, haste with me,
And there partake the feast-from sorrow free;
Breathe, but awhile-ere we our toils renew,
And moisten the parched lip with needful dew.
Let plans of war another day decide,
We soon shall quell this youthful hero’s pride.
A warrior-knight of Sám’s excelling worth?
Whence comes this hero of the prosperous star?
I know no Túrk renowned, like him, in war;
He bears the port of Rustem too, ’tis said,
Like Sám, like Narímán, a warrior bred!
He cannot be my son, unknown to me;
Reason forbids the thought—it cannot be!
At Samengán, where once affection smiled,
To me Tahmíneh bore her only child,
That was a daughter?” Pondering thus he spoke,
And then aloud—” Why fear the invader’s yoke?
Why trembling shrink, by coward thoughts dismayed,
Must we not all in dust, at length, be laid?
But come, to Nírum’s palace, haste with me,
And there partake the feast-from sorrow free;
Breathe, but awhile-ere we our toils renew,
And moisten the parched lip with needful dew.
Let plans of war another day decide,
We soon shall quell this youthful hero’s pride.
- ↑ The paper upon which the letters of royal and distinguished personages in the East are written is usually perfumed, and covered with curious devices in gold. This was scented with amber. The degree of embellishment is generally regulated according to the rank of the party.
