The Birth of Suhráb
Nine months passed and a moon-like babe was born;Thou wouldst have said: "'Tis elephantine Rustam,"Or else: "'Tis lion-Sám," or "Narímán,"And since the babe smiled and was bright of bleeTahmína gave to him the name Suhráb.He looked a year old in a month, his chestWas like his sire's, at three he exercisedIn arms, at five he had a lion-heart,At ten none dared encounter him in fight.He bluntly asked his mother once: "Now tell me,Since none of my milk-fellows can compareWith me, and my head reacheth to the sky,Of what stock am I and of what descent?What shall I say when asked about my father?Thou shalt not live unless thou answer me."
His mother said: "Then listen and rejoice,But be not rash. Thou art the son of Rustam,The hero of the elephantine form,The progeny of Zál the son of Sám,And Narímán. Thy head out-toppeth heavenBecause thou comest of the famous stock,For never since the Maker made the worldHath there appeared a cavalier like Rustam,Nor one like Sám the son of Narímán,Whose head the heaven itself dared not to touch."
She brought and showed a letter from his sire,Three bright gems, and three purses filled with gold,Sent to him by his father at his birthWith these words: "Guard these well, because thy sireHath sent them unto thee, O noble child!"
His mother said besides: "AfrásiyábMust not know aught hereof. He is the foeOf Rustam and the troubler of Túrán.May he ne'er seek revenge upon thyselfAnd slay the son in dudgeon at the sire.Moreover, if thy father shall perceiveOf what a stamp thou art, so high and proud,Then will he summon thee and rend my heart."
Suhráb replied: "A thing like this will out.Old chieftains, warriors in the past, recountHis deeds. What right hadst thou to hide that ICome of such fighting stock? Now will I gatherA boundless host of Turkman warriors,Drive from his throne Káús, will cut awayFrom Tús his foothold in Írán, and leave notGurgín, Gúdarz, and Gív, or GustahamSon of Naudar, or warrior Bahrám,But give the treasure, throne, and crown to RustamInstead of Sháh Káús; then from ÍránMarch forth to take Afrásiyáb's own seat,And raise my spearhead higher than the sun.I will do lion's deeds and make thee mistressOf all Írán. Since Rustam is the sireAnd I the son none other shall be king.When sun and moon are shining in the skyWhy should the stars set up their crowns on high?"
Words in this poem
- babe n.
- An infant; a young child of either sex; a baby. [Cf. Ir. bab, baban, W. baban, maban.]
- blee n.
- Complexion; color; hue; likeness; form. [AS. bleó, bleóh.]
- bluntly adv.
- In a blunt manner; coarsely; plainly; abruptly; without delicacy, or the usual forms of civility.
- 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,]
- shalt
- 2d per. sing. of Shall.
- 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.]
- sire n.
- A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
- aught n.
- Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
- hereof adv.
- Of this; concerning this; from this; hence.
- troubler n.
- One who troubles or disturbs; one who afflicts or molests; a disturber; as, a troubler of the peace.
- dudgeon a.
- Homely; rude; coarse.
- foothold n.
- A holding with the feet; firm L'Estrange.
- spearhead n.
- The pointed head, or end, of a spear.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Birth of Suhráb 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 Birth of Suhráb, in Rustam and Sohrab (from the Shahnama) (1906), text of Internet Archive, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/ferdowsi-rustam-and-sohrab/5.html, id L29103.
Form and metre
The Birth of Suhráb is 56 lines in 5 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-A--A born · rustam · narímán · blee · suhráb · chest · exercised · heart · fight · meA · compare · skyA · descent · father · meA
- 2 -A-----A-- rejoice · rustamA · form · — · heaven · stock · world · rustamA · narímán · touch
- 3 A--A- sireA · gold · birth · sireA · child
- 5 --A----B-B------AA out · recount · iA · gather · warriors · away · not · gustahamB · bahrám · rustamB · — · seat · sun · mistress · sire · king · skyA · highA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nine months passed and a moon-like babe was born; | 10 | ·········· |
| Thou wouldst have said: "'Tis elephantine Rustam," | 11 | ······˘/··· |
| Or else: "'Tis lion-Sám," or "Narímán," | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And since the babe smiled and was bright of blee | 10 | ·········· |
| Tahmína gave to him the name Suhráb. | 10 | ·········· |
| He looked a year old in a month, his chest | 10 | ·········· |
| Was like his sire's, at three he exercised | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| In arms, at five he had a lion-heart, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| At ten none dared encounter him in fight. | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| He bluntly asked his mother once: "Now tell me, | 11 | ·/˘··/˘···· |
| Since none of my milk-fellows can compare | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| With me, and my head reacheth to the sky, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Of what stock am I and of what descent? | 10 | ········˘/ |
| What shall I say when asked about my father? | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Thou shalt not live unless thou answer me." | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| His mother said: "Then listen and rejoice, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| But be not rash. Thou art the son of Rustam, | 11 | ··········· |
| The hero of the elephantine form, | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| The progeny of Zál the son of Sám, | 10 | ·/˘˘······ |
| And Narímán. Thy head out-toppeth heaven | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| Because thou comest of the famous stock, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| For never since the Maker made the world | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Hath there appeared a cavalier like Rustam, | 11 | ··˘/··˘/··· |
| Nor one like Sám the son of Narímán, | 10 | ·········· |
| Whose head the heaven itself dared not to touch." | 10 | ···/˘/···· |
| She brought and showed a letter from his sire, | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Three bright gems, and three purses filled with gold, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Sent to him by his father at his birth | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| With these words: "Guard these well, because thy sire | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Hath sent them unto thee, O noble child!" | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| His mother said besides: "Afrásiyáb | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| Must not know aught hereof. He is the foe | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Of Rustam and the troubler of Túrán. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| May he ne'er seek revenge upon thyself | 10 | ····˘/··˘/ |
| And slay the son in dudgeon at the sire. | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Moreover, if thy father shall perceive | 10 | ˘/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| Of what a stamp thou art, so high and proud, | 10 | ·········· |
| Then will he summon thee and rend my heart." | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Suhráb replied: "A thing like this will out. | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Old chieftains, warriors in the past, recount | 10 | ·/˘/˘···˘/ |
| His deeds. What right hadst thou to hide that I | 10 | ·········· |
| Come of such fighting stock? Now will I gather | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| A boundless host of Turkman warriors, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘˘ |
| Drive from his throne Káús, will cut away | 10 | ········˘/ |
| From Tús his foothold in Írán, and leave not | 12 | ·//·/······· |
| Gurgín, Gúdarz, and Gív, or Gustaham | 10 | ·········· |
| Son of Naudar, or warrior Bahrám, | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| But give the treasure, throne, and crown to Rustam | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| Instead of Sháh Káús; then from Írán | 9 | ˘/······· |
| March forth to take Afrásiyáb's own seat, | 9 | ········· |
| And raise my spearhead higher than the sun. | 10 | ···/·/˘··· |
| I will do lion's deeds and make thee mistress | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| Of all Írán. Since Rustam is the sire | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| And I the son none other shall be king. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| When sun and moon are shining in the sky | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Why should the stars set up their crowns on high?" | 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.