How Káús was wroth with Rustam

Tús and Gúdarz son of Kishwád met RustamOne day's march from the court. Both he and theyAlighted and saluted heartily.They reached the court all loyalty and mirth,But, when they did obeisance, Kai KáúsMade no response but frowned on them in anger,And bare him like a lion of the wood,First stormed at Gív, then wholly lost to shameProceeded: "Who is Rustam that he thusShould disobey me and break fealty?Had I a sword I would smite off his headAs 'twere an orange. Seize him! Gibbet himAlive, and name him not to me again."

Gív's heart was pained; he cried: "Wilt thou lay handOn Rustam thus?"

But upon this the SháhRaged at them both, so that all present marvelled.He bade Tús: "Go and hang them both alive,"Arose himself, and flamed like fire from reeds,While Tús drew near and seized the hand of Rustam,To all the warriors' wonder, purposingTo lead him forth and to beguile his wrath;But Rustam furious with Káús replied:—"Indulge not such a fire within thy breast.Thy deeds grow worse and worse! Thou art not fitFor sovereignty. Hang for thyself yon TurkmanAlive, then rage and scorn thine enemies.Mázandarán, Sagsár, Hámávarán,Rúm, Misr, and Chín are all my charger's thralls,My sword and arrows have transfixed their livers.Thou livest but through me. Why waste thy heartIn vengeance?"

In his wrath he struck the handOf Tús, thou wouldst have said: "An elephantHath struck him!" Tús fell headlong to the groundWhile Rustam passed him by with angry mien,Went out, and mounted Rakhsh in wrath, exclaiming:—"I conquer lions and distribute crowns,And who is Sháh Káús when I am angry,Or Tús that he should lay a hand on me?My might and my successes are from God,Not from the Sháh or host. Earth is my slaveAnd Rakhsh my throne, a mace my signet-ring,A helm my crown; my mates are sparth and spearhead,My two arms and my heart my Sháh. I lightenNight with my sword and scatter heads in battle.Why doth he vex me? I am not his slaveBut God's. The warriors called me to be Sháh,But I refused the throne of sovereigntyAnd looked to custom, law, and precedent.Do I deserve thy words? Art thou my patron?Mine was the throne. I set Kubád thereon.What care I for Káús, his wrath and bluster?If I had not fetched Kai Kubád myself,When he had fallen into low estate,And brought him to Írán from Mount Alburz,Thou hadst not belt or vengeful scimitar,Or might and majesty entitling theeTo speak a word to Zál the son of Sám."

He told the Íránians: "Valorous SuhrábWill come and leave not either great or small;So make shift, all of you! to save your lives,And let discretion be your remedy.Ye will not see me more within Írán:The land is yours and mine the vulture's wing."

He smote his steed and left them while his skinSplit, thou hadst said, with rage. The nobles' heartsWere troubled; they were sheep, he was their shepherd."Here," said they to Gúdarz, "is work for thee;Thine is the hand to make the broken whole;Thy words no doubt will influence the Sháh.Go then to this insensate, speak to him,Ply him with patient and persuasive speech:Perchance thou mayst restore our fallen fortune."

Then all those warrior-nobles sat in conclave—Gív and Gúdarz and lion-like Bahrám,Ruhhám and brave Gurgín. They said: "The SháhRegardeth not the feelings of the great.Since Rustam, who is chief of paladins,First saved Káús none else hath succoured himIn all his straits and dangers. When the dívsBound in Mázandarán the Sháh and usWhat toil and hardship Rustam underwentOn his account, and rent the fierce dívs' reins,Then set the Sháh upon the throne and summonedThe mighty men to do him reverence!Another time too when our sovereign's feetWore heavy fetters in HámávaránWhat monarchs Rustam slaughtered for his sakeAnd never turned away but brought KáúsHome to his throne, and did obeisance to him!If Rustam's recompense must be to hangThen we must flee just when at such a crisisWe should take action."

Thereupon GúdarzMade haste to go before the Sháh and saidThus: "What hath Rustam done that thou shouldst sendThe dust up from Írán to-day? Art thouForgetful of Hámávarán, forgetfulOf what the dívs did in Mázandarán,That thou sayst: 'Put him living on the gibbet?'Vain words become not Sháhs. When he hath gone,And that great host and wolf-like paladinHave come, whom hast thou left to take the fieldAnd strew the dark dust o'er him? GazhdahamBy sight or hearsay knoweth all thy warriors,Yet saith: 'Ne'er let a cavalier proposeTo fight Suhráb. Small wisdom 'twere for any,Though brave as Rustam, to encounter him.'Kings should be wise, for haste and wrath avail not."

The Sháh, perceiving that Gúdarz spake justly,Repented of his folly and replied:—"Thy rede is right; the old give best advice.Now go to Rustam, treat him courteously,Induce him to forget my hastiness,Assure him that my favour is restored,And bring him hither to illume my soul."

Gúdarz went after Rustam with all speed,Attended by the leaders of the host.They gathered round him and saluted saying:—"Live happy evermore, be all the worldBeneath thy feet, and mayst thou sit for everUpon the throne. Thou knowest that KáúsIs brainless and no picker of his wordsWhen angered, but regretteth them anon,And groweth reconciled through sheer good nature.If Rustam be aggrieved against the SháhThe Íránians have done naught to drive him henceAnd hide his glorious face. The Sháh moreoverIs sorry for those words of his and gnawethHis hand's back in chagrin."

The hero said:—"I need not anything of Kai Káús.A saddle is my throne, a casque my crown,My mail my raiment and my purpose death.What is Káús to me? A pinch of dust.Why should I fear or tremble at his wrath?Do I deserve such unbecoming wordsFrom one that I released from bonds and ledTo crown and throne? Once in MázandaránI fought against the dívs, and once I foughtThe monarch of Hámávarán and freedKáús in his foe's grip from bonds and woe.Now I have had enough; my heart is full;I fear but holy God."

As soon as RustamHad had his fill of speech Gúdarz rejoined:—"The Sháh and famous warriors suspectThat thou art frightened at this Turkman chief.They say in private: 'Gazhdaham was right,Our fields and fells will know us now no more,For sithens Rustam is afraid of fighting'Tis not for thee and me to tarry here.'I noticed that the Sháh's ill will and wrathMade hue and cry at court, and all men spakeAbout the brave Suhráb. Eclipse not thouThy high fame in the world by this withdrawal,And further, since a hostile host is near,Dim not this crown and throne so wantonly,For we have been insulted by Túrán,And none whose Faith is pure approveth that."

The matchless hero all amazed replied:—"I would not live a coward, I would tearMy soul out first. I flee, as well thou knowest,Because the monarch scorned me, not from fight."

He shrank from that reproach, retraced his steps,And came to Sháh Káús, who seeing himArose and thus excused what had occurred:—"My temper is by nature choleric,And trees must grow as God hath planted them.Through this new, unexpected foe my heartWas faint as a new moon. I sought a cureAnd sent for thee. Thy tarrying made me wroth,But having wronged thee, elephantine chief!I sorrowed and my mouth was filled with dust."

Then Rustam answered him: "The world is thine.We are thy subjects, thine is to command.I am a liege, if worthy of the name,Before thy gate to do thy will. Thou artThe Sháh, the lord of earth; I am thy slave."

Káús replied: "O paladin! be brightOf mind for evermore. To-day we holdA banquet and to-morrow think of battle."

He had a royal pleasure-house made ready;Its hall was like a garden in the spring.They called the chiefs and scattered gems for joy.Half through the night they revelled and their talkWas of the doings of the mighty men.They drank till hearts and eyes were dazed with wine,And all became bemused, returning homeWhile tedious night was traversing the dome.