The Letter of Gazhdaham to Káús
Now when Suhráb had gone old GazhdahamCalled for a scribe to write to Kai Káús,Then hurried off a speedy messengerAnd, having praised the Sháh, reported thus:—"A mighty host of valiant warriorsAttacketh us, led by a paladin,Whose years do not exceed twice seven at most,In stature taller than a lofty cypress,And in his aspect like the shining sun.His breast is lion-like, his mien is stately.I have not looked on such a hand and maceWithin Írán. Whenas he brandishethHis Indian scimitar it shameth himTo fight mere seas and mountains. Rattling thunderIs no match for his voice, or for his armOur trenchant sword. No peer within ÍránOr in Túrán hath he. This chief is namedSuhráb, and feareth not dív, elephant,Or lion; thou mayst say: 'Tis surely Rustam,At least some hero sprung from Narímán!'The brave Hajír rode out to challenge him,But, as I saw, no longer kept his seatThan while a warrior might wink an eye,Or scent go up a nostril to the brain.Suhráb unhorsed him to his great amazement.He is not hurt, and they have spared his life,But he is sorry and hath got his skinfulOf anguish. Many Turkman cavaliersHave I beheld, but never heard of oneWith such a seat. God grant he grapple notWith one of us between the battle-lines;I would have none, e'en though a Mount of flint,Meet him upon the plain. The earth would pityThat Mount if he should charge it in the fight,And if the Sháh shall stop to breathe, march forthNo host, and set no ambuscade, considerThe Glory of Írán as gone, the worldAs panic-stricken by this warrior's sword-point.Since he is Strength itself he will despoil us,And none can grapple with him hand to hand,Or ever saw so skilled a rider. 'He,Thou wouldest say, 'is Sám the cavalier.'We cannot fight this eager warriorWith such a mace, grip, and dexterity.Know that the fortune of our warriors noddeth,And that his greatness reacheth to the sky.To-night we pack the baggage and withdraw,For if we tarry we shall make no fight,To say no more; these walls will not withstandOne at whose rush a lion turneth laggard."
The letter sealed he called a messenger,And said: "Be out of sight of them by dawn,"And having sent the letter on its wayPrepared to follow it without delay.
Words in this poem
- scribe n.
- One who writes; a draughtsman; a writer for another; especially, an offical or public writer; an amanuensis or secretary; a notary; a copyist. [L. scriba, fr. scribere to write; cf. Gr. scarify. Cf. Ascribe, Describe, Script, Scrivener, Scrutoire.]
- valiant a.
- Vigorous in body; strong; powerful; as, a valiant fencer. [OE. valiant, F. vaillant, OF. vaillant, valant, originally p. pr. of OF. & F. valoir to be worth, L. valere to be strong. See Wield, and cf. Avail, Convalesce, ]
- paladin n.
- A knight-errant; a distinguished champion; as, the paladins of Charlemagne. [F., fr.It. paladino, fr. L. palatinus an officer of the palace. See Palatine.]
- scimitar n.
- A saber with a much curved blade having the edge on the convex side, -- in use among Mohammedans, esp., the Arabs and persians. [F. cimeterre, cf. It. scimitarra, Sp. cimitarra; fr. Biscayan cimetarry with a sharp edge; or corrupted from Per. shimshir.]
- trenchant a.
- Fitted to trench or cut; gutting; sharp. [OF. trenchant, F. tranchant, p. pr. See Trench, v. t.]
- rode n.
- Redness; complexion. [See Rud.]
- amazement n.
- The condition of being amazed; bewilderment ; overwhelming wonder, as from surprise, sudden fear, horror, or admiration.
- skinful n.
- As much as a skin can hold.
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- ambuscade n.
- A lying in a wood, concealed, for the purpose of attacking an enemy by surprise. Hence: A lying in wait, and concealed in any situation, for a like purpose; a snare laid for an enemy; an ambush. [F. embuscade, fr. It. imboscata, or Sp. emboscada, fr. emboscar to ambush, fr. LL. imboscare. See Ambush, v. t.]
- stricken p. p.
- Struck; smitten; wounded; as, the stricken deer.
- despoil v. t.
- To strip, as of clothing; to divest or unclothe. [OF. despoiller, F. dépouiller, L. despoliare, despoliatum; de- + spoliare to strip, rob, spolium spoil, booty. Cf. Spoil, Despoliation.]
- cavalier n.
- A military man serving on horseback; a knight. [F. cavalier, It. cavaliere, LL. caballarius, fr. L. caballus. See Cavalcade, and cf. Cavallier, Caballine.]
- laggard a.
- Slow; sluggish; backward. [Lag + -ard.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Letter of Gazhdaham to Káús is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Shahnama of Firdausi, done into English by Arthur George Warner and Edmond Warner, vol. II (Trübner’s Oriental Series), London, 1906; Part III, Suhráb (sections 1 to 25), Internet Archive, the Arthur George Warner and Edmond Warner translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Ferdowsi, The Letter of Gazhdaham to Káús, in Rustam and Sohrab (from the Shahnama) (1906), text of Internet Archive, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/ferdowsi-rustam-and-sohrab/10.html, id L29108.
Form and metre
The Letter of Gazhdaham to Káús is 54 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%).
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ---A-B-AB-A--------------------------------------- gazhdaham · — · messenger · thusA · warriors · paladinB · most · cypressA · sunB · stately · maceA · brandisheth · him · thunder · arm · — · named · elephant · rustam · narímán · him · seat · eye · brain · amazement · life · skinful · cavaliers · one · not · lines · flint · pity · fight · forth · consider · world · point · us · hand · he · cavalier · warrior · dexterity · noddeth · sky · withdraw · fight · withstand · laggard
- 2 --AA messenger · dawn · wayA · delayA
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Now when Suhráb had gone old Gazhdaham | 10 | ·········· |
| Called for a scribe to write to Kai Káús, | 10 | ·········· |
| Then hurried off a speedy messenger | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘˘ |
| And, having praised the Sháh, reported thus:— | 10 | ·/˘·˘··/˘· |
| "A mighty host of valiant warriors | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘˘ |
| Attacketh us, led by a paladin, | 10 | ˘/˘····/˘˘ |
| Whose years do not exceed twice seven at most, | 10 | ····˘/·/·· |
| In stature taller than a lofty cypress, | 11 | ·/˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| And in his aspect like the shining sun. | 10 | ···/···/˘· |
| His breast is lion-like, his mien is stately. | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| I have not looked on such a hand and mace | 10 | ·········· |
| Within Írán. Whenas he brandisheth | 10 | ····/˘·/˘˘ |
| His Indian scimitar it shameth him | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| To fight mere seas and mountains. Rattling thunder | 11 | ·····/˘/˘/˘ |
| Is no match for his voice, or for his arm | 10 | ·········· |
| Our trenchant sword. No peer within Írán | 10 | //˘······· |
| Or in Túrán hath he. This chief is named | 10 | ·········· |
| Suhráb, and feareth not dív, elephant, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| Or lion; thou mayst say: 'Tis surely Rustam, | 10 | ·/····/˘·· |
| At least some hero sprung from Narímán!' | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| The brave Hajír rode out to challenge him, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| But, as I saw, no longer kept his seat | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Than while a warrior might wink an eye, | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| Or scent go up a nostril to the brain. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Suhráb unhorsed him to his great amazement. | 11 | ··˘/····˘/˘ |
| He is not hurt, and they have spared his life, | 10 | ·········· |
| But he is sorry and hath got his skinful | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| Of anguish. Many Turkman cavaliers | 10 | ·/˘/˘···˘/ |
| Have I beheld, but never heard of one | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| With such a seat. God grant he grapple not | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| With one of us between the battle-lines; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| I would have none, e'en though a Mount of flint, | 10 | ·········· |
| Meet him upon the plain. The earth would pity | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| That Mount if he should charge it in the fight, | 10 | ·········· |
| And if the Sháh shall stop to breathe, march forth | 9 | ········· |
| No host, and set no ambuscade, consider | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| The Glory of Írán as gone, the world | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| As panic-stricken by this warrior's sword-point. | 11 | ·/˘/˘··/˘·· |
| Since he is Strength itself he will despoil us, | 11 | ····˘/··˘/· |
| And none can grapple with him hand to hand, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Or ever saw so skilled a rider. 'He, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Thou wouldest say, 'is Sám the cavalier.' | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| We cannot fight this eager warrior | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘˘ |
| With such a mace, grip, and dexterity. | 10 | ······˘/˘˘ |
| Know that the fortune of our warriors noddeth, | 11 | ···/˘·//˘/˘ |
| And that his greatness reacheth to the sky. | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| To-night we pack the baggage and withdraw, | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| For if we tarry we shall make no fight, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| To say no more; these walls will not withstand | 10 | ········˘/ |
| One at whose rush a lion turneth laggard." | 11 | ·····/˘/˘/˘ |
| The letter sealed he called a messenger, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘˘ |
| And said: "Be out of sight of them by dawn," | 10 | ·········· |
| And having sent the letter on its way | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Prepared to follow it without delay. | 10 | ˘/·/˘···˘/ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.