How Rustam returned to Zábulistán
The Sháh marched homeward with the host, while RustamStayed for Zawára's news about the foe,Then marched at dawn toward Zábulistán,Where Zál and all the folk went out to meet himIn anguish and distress. They reached the bier.The nobles scattered dust upon their heads,They docked the tails of their high-crested steeds,And rent the brazen tymbals and the drums.When Zál the son of Sám perceived the bierHe lighted from his steed with golden trappings,While matchless Rustam went in front afootWith heart and raiment rent. The warriorsPut off their belts, stooped to the dust before it,And served as bearers, bending low their heads,Alas! for him so noble and so brave!While Rustam in his father's presence liftedHis son's head from the golden broidery,And cried in anguish: "See how Sám the horsemanIs sleeping sadly on this narrow bier!"
Zál showered tears of blood and plained to God,While Rustam cried: "Chief! thou hast gone, and IAm left in shame and wretchedness."
Then Zál:—"A strange event! His was a massive mace.He was of note among the mightiest,And none will bear his like."
He spoke through tears;His theme was all Suhráb. When Rustam reachedHis hall he wailed and had the corse set downIn front of him. Rúdába, seeing itAnd Rustam's tears, exclaimed: "Alack! thou hero!Uplift thy head one moment from the bier."
She wailed and heaving deep-drawn sighs exclaimed:—"O paladin, son of the Lion's Whelp!None will be born so strong and brave as thou.Henceforth thou wilt not whisper to thy motherTales of thy happy moments, for in soothThou hast departed to the prison-house,Departed to the mansion of the wretched.Oh tell not what befell thee from thy father,And why it was that thus he pierced thy heart!"
Her cries reached Saturn; all that heard her wept.Dust-smirched and woebegone she sought her bowerWhile Rustam at the sight wept tears of blood.Thou wouldst have asked: "Hath Doomsday come, for joyHath fled all hearts?"
Again he brought the bier,Whereon Suhráb the Lion lay, beforeThe gallant chiefs, and in his father's presenceDrew back the shroud. He showed the chiefs the corse,And thou hadst said that heaven reeked with sorrow.All that were present looked on helplessly,All cheeks were livid, all robes rent, all heartsFulfilled with pain, all heads besmirched with dust.The royal palace was one mighty bier,And of that valiant Lion in his coffinThou wouldst have said: "Tis' Sám with his huge limbs,And tired with warfare he hath gone to sleep."
The sire replaced the gold brocade and closedThe narrow bier. He said: "Though I shall makeHis tomb of gold and fill it round with musk'Twill perish with me, but I can no more."
While all went blind with grief he made a charnelShaped like a horse's hoof. The bier was formedOf undried aloe-wood with golden clasps.
The tale of how the paladin had slainHis son went everywhere and all the worldWas full of grief, while Rustam sorrowed long,But in the end perforce resigned himself.
The world hath many an act like this in mind,On every soul it setteth many a brand,For who possesseth sense and wit combinedThe treachery of fortune to withstand?
The Íránians hearing burned with grief. Húmán,For his part, went back to Túrán and toldAfrásiyáb, who was all wondermentAnd speculation touching that event.
Words in this poem 28
- homeward a.
- Being in the direction of home; as, the homeward way.
- stayed a.
- Staid; fixed; settled; sober; -- now written staid. See Staid.
- folk n.
- In Anglo-Saxon times, the people of a group of townships or villages; a community; a tribe. [AS. folc; akin to D. volk, OS. & OHG. folk, G. volk, Icel. f, Sw. & Dan. folk, Lith. pulkas crowd, and perh. to E. follow.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- bier n.
- A handbarrow or portable frame on which a corpse is placed or borne to the grave. [OE. bæe, beere, AS. b, b; akin to D. baar, OHG. bara, G. bahre, Icel barar, Dbaare, L. feretrum, Gr. , from the same bear to produce. See 1st Bear, and cf. Barr]
- steed n.
- A horse, especially a spirited horse for state of war; -- used chiefly in poetry or stately prose. [OE. stede, AS. steda a stud-horse, war horse, fr. stod a stud of breeding steeds; akin to G. stute a mare, Icel. stedda, sto, a stud. *163. See Stud of horses.]
- sadly adv.
- Wearily; heavily; firmly.
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- corse n.
- A living body or its bulk. [OF. cors, F. corps. See Corpse.]
- alack interj.
- An exclamation expressive of sorrow. [Prob. from ah! lack! OE. lak loss, failure, misfortune. See Lack.]
- uplift v. t.
- To lift or raise aloft; to raise; to elevate; as, to uplift the arm; to uplift a rock.
- 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.]
- whelp n.
- One of the young of a dog or a beast of prey; a puppy; a cub; as, a lion's whelps. [AS. hwelp; akin to D. welp, G. & OHG. welf, Icel. hvelpr, Dan. hvalp, Sw. valp.]
- henceforth adv.
- From this time forward; henceforward.
- sooth a.
- True; faithful; trustworthy. [OE. soth, AS. s, for san; akin to OS. s, OHG. sand, Icel. sannr, Sw. sann, Dan. sand, Skr. sat, sant, real, genuine, present, being; properly p. pr. from a root]
- mansion n.
- A dwelling place, -- whether a part or whole of a house or other shelter. [OF. mansion, F. maison, fr. L. mansio a staying, remaining, a dwelling, habitation, fr. manere, mansum, to stay, dwell; akin to Gr. Manse, Manor, Menagerie, Men]
- doomsday n.
- A day of sentence or condemnation; day of death. [AS. d. See Doom, and Day.]
- whereon adv.
- On which; -- used relatively; as, the earth whereon we live.
- 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, ]
- sire n.
- A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
- brocade n.
- Silk stuff, woven with gold and silver threads, or ornamented with raised flowers, foliage, etc.; -- also applied to other stuffs thus wrought and enriched. [Sp. brocado (cf. It. broccato, F. brocart), fr. LL. brocare *prick, to figure (textile fabrics), to emboss (linen), to stitch. See Broach.]
- 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,]
- sorrowed a.
- Accompanied with sorrow; sorrowful.
- perforce v. t.
- To force; to compel.
- resigned a.
- Submissive; yielding; not disposed to resist or murmur.
- wonderment n.
- Surprise; astonishment; a wonderful appearance; a wonder.
- speculation n.
- The act of speculating. Specifically: -- (a) Examination by the eye; view. [L. speculatio a spying out, observation: cf. F. spéculation.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
How Rustam returned to Zábulistán 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, How Rustam returned to Zábulistán, in Rustam and Sohrab (from the Shahnama) (1906), text of Internet Archive, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/ferdowsi-rustam-and-sohrab/24.html, id L29122.
Form and metre
How Rustam returned to Zábulistán is 77 lines in 12 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
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 ----AB--A----B----A rustam · foe · zábulistán · him · bierA · headsB · steeds · drums · bierA · trappings · afoot · warriors · it · headsB · brave · lifted · broidery · horseman · bierA
- 7 A-------A--- bierA · before · presence · corse · sorrow · helplessly · hearts · dust · bierA · coffin · limbs · sleep
- 11 ABAB mindA · brandB · combinedA · withstandB
- 12 --AA — · told · wondermentA · eventA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| The Sháh marched homeward with the host, while Rustam | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| Stayed for Zawára's news about the foe, | 10 | ·········· |
| Then marched at dawn toward Zábulistán, | 10 | ·········· |
| Where Zál and all the folk went out to meet him | 11 | ··········· |
| In anguish and distress. They reached the bier. | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| The nobles scattered dust upon their heads, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| They docked the tails of their high-crested steeds, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And rent the brazen tymbals and the drums. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| When Zál the son of Sám perceived the bier | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| He lighted from his steed with golden trappings, | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
| While matchless Rustam went in front afoot | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| With heart and raiment rent. The warriors | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| Put off their belts, stooped to the dust before it, | 11 | ··········· |
| And served as bearers, bending low their heads, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Alas! for him so noble and so brave! | 10 | ˘/···/˘··· |
| While Rustam in his father's presence lifted | 11 | ·····/˘/˘/˘ |
| His son's head from the golden broidery, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘˘ |
| And cried in anguish: "See how Sám the horseman | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| Is sleeping sadly on this narrow bier!" | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Zál showered tears of blood and plained to God, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| While Rustam cried: "Chief! thou hast gone, and I | 10 | ·········· |
| Am left in shame and wretchedness." | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| Then Zál:— | 2 | ·· |
| "A strange event! His was a massive mace. | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| He was of note among the mightiest, | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| And none will bear his like." | 6 | ······ |
| He spoke through tears; | 4 | ···· |
| His theme was all Suhráb. When Rustam reached | 10 | ·········· |
| His hall he wailed and had the corse set down | 10 | ·········· |
| In front of him. Rúdába, seeing it | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And Rustam's tears, exclaimed: "Alack! thou hero! | 11 | ····˘/˘/·/˘ |
| Uplift thy head one moment from the bier." | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| She wailed and heaving deep-drawn sighs exclaimed:— | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| "O paladin, son of the Lion's Whelp! | 10 | ·/˘˘···/˘· |
| None will be born so strong and brave as thou. | 10 | ·········· |
| Henceforth thou wilt not whisper to thy mother | 11 | //···/˘··/˘ |
| Tales of thy happy moments, for in sooth | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Thou hast departed to the prison-house, | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| Departed to the mansion of the wretched. | 11 | ˘/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| Oh tell not what befell thee from thy father, | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| And why it was that thus he pierced thy heart!" | 10 | ·········· |
| Her cries reached Saturn; all that heard her wept. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Dust-smirched and woebegone she sought her bower | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| While Rustam at the sight wept tears of blood. | 10 | ·········· |
| Thou wouldst have asked: "Hath Doomsday come, for joy | 10 | ·····/···· |
| Hath fled all hearts?" | 4 | ···· |
| Again he brought the bier, | 6 | ˘/···· |
| Whereon Suhráb the Lion lay, before | 10 | ˘/···/˘··· |
| The gallant chiefs, and in his father's presence | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
| Drew back the shroud. He showed the chiefs the corse, | 10 | ·········· |
| And thou hadst said that heaven reeked with sorrow. | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| All that were present looked on helplessly, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| All cheeks were livid, all robes rent, all hearts | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Fulfilled with pain, all heads besmirched with dust. | 10 | ˘/········ |
| The royal palace was one mighty bier, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| And of that valiant Lion in his coffin | 11 | ···/˘/˘··/˘ |
| Thou wouldst have said: "Tis' Sám with his huge limbs, | 10 | ·········· |
| And tired with warfare he hath gone to sleep." | 10 | ·/·/······ |
| The sire replaced the gold brocade and closed | 10 | ·/·/··˘/·· |
| The narrow bier. He said: "Though I shall make | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| His tomb of gold and fill it round with musk | 10 | ·········· |
| 'Twill perish with me, but I can no more." | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| While all went blind with grief he made a charnel | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Shaped like a horse's hoof. The bier was formed | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Of undried aloe-wood with golden clasps. | 9 | ··/···/˘· |
| The tale of how the paladin had slain | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| His son went everywhere and all the world | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Was full of grief, while Rustam sorrowed long, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| But in the end perforce resigned himself. | 10 | ····˘/˘/˘/ |
| The world hath many an act like this in mind, | 10 | ···/······ |
| On every soul it setteth many a brand, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/·· |
| For who possesseth sense and wit combined | 10 | ··˘/˘···˘/ |
| The treachery of fortune to withstand? | 10 | ·/˘˘·/˘·˘/ |
| The Íránians hearing burned with grief. Húmán, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| For his part, went back to Túrán and told | 10 | ·········· |
| Afrásiyáb, who was all wonderment | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| And speculation touching that event. | 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.