How Suhráb chose his Charger
He said moreover: "Thou shalt see my prowess,But I must have a charger swift of footWith hoofs of steel flint-shattering, in strengthLike elephants, in flight like birds, in waterLike fish, and on the land like deer, to bearMy warrior-breast and neck, mine ax and mace:I must be mounted to encounter foes."
His mother's head rose o'er the shining sunAt hearing this. She bade the herdsman bringHis herds of horses for Suhráb to chooseA charger. So they gathered to the cityThe herds that wandered over hill and desert,And when some large-limbed, lusty steed appearedSuhráb flung round its neck the leathern noose,Then laid his hand upon the beast to prove itAnd made it grovel. Thus his might broke downFull many a noble steed; he could not findOne adequate, and grieved. At length a warriorApproached the elephantine youth and said:—"I have a colt—one of the breed of Rakhsh—In strength a lion and as fleet as wind.He is as 'twere a valley-treading mountainAnd skimmeth like a bird along the waste.In strength and swiftness he is like the sun;None ever saw so fleet a roan. BeneathThe stamping of his hoofs the Bull-fish quaketh;His leap is like the lightning; on the mountainsHe goeth like the raven; on the waterLike fish and water-fowl; upon the desertLike shaft from bow, pursuing and o'ertakingThe enemy."
Suhráb laughed out for joy,And when they brought to him that glossy chargerBoth proved it and approved it, coaxed, caressed,Then saddled it, and mounted. He appearedLike Mount Bistún; his spear was pillar-like.He said: "Since I have gotten such a steedI must ride forth at once and turn the dayOf Kai Káús to gloom."
He made him readyTo fight the Íránians, and a host assembled.He then approached his grandsire, asking leaveTo go, and help in going: "I am fainTo seek Írán and see my glorious sire."
Thereat the king provided him with armsOf every kind, thrones, diadems, and casques,Steeds, camels, belts, gold, gems, and Rúman jerkins.He marvelled at that youth of tender ageAnd freely gave a royal equipage.
Words in this poem 15
- shalt
- 2d per. sing. of Shall.
- prowess n.
- Distinguished bravery; valor; especially, military bravery and skill; gallantry; intrepidity; fearlessness. Chaucer. Sir P. Sidney. [OF. proece, proesce, F. prouesse. See Prow, a.]
- charger n.
- One who, or that which charges.
- bade
- A form of the pat tense of Bid.
- 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.]
- leathern a.
- Made of leather; consisting of. leather; as, a leathern purse.
- grovel v. i.
- To creep on the earth, or with the face to the ground; to lie prone, or move uneasily with the body prostrate on the earth; to lie fiat on one's belly, expressive of abjectness; to crawl. [From OE. grovelinge, grufelinge, adv., on the face, prone, which was misunderstood as a p. pr.; cf. OE. gruf, groff, in the same sense; of Scand. origin, cf. Ic]
- broke v. i.
- To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
- roan a.
- Having a bay, chestnut, brown, or black color, with gray or white thickly interspersed; -- said of a horse. [F. rouan; cf. Sp. roano, ruano, It. rovano, roano.]
- saddled a.
- Having a broad patch of color across the back, like a saddle; saddle-backed.
- grandsire n.
- Specifically, a grandfather; more generally, any ancestor. [OF. grantsire. See Grand, and Sire.]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- glorious a.
- Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
- sire n.
- A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
- thereat adv.
- At that place; there.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
How Suhráb chose his Charger 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 Suhráb chose his Charger, in Rustam and Sohrab (from the Shahnama) (1906), text of Internet Archive, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/ferdowsi-rustam-and-sohrab/6.html, id L29104.
Form and metre
How Suhráb chose his Charger is 49 lines in 5 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%).
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.
- 2 A---B--B-C---CA-ADD--B-- sunA · bring · choose · city · desertB · appeared · noose · itB · down · findC · warrior · said · rakhsh · windC · mountainA · waste · sunA · beneathD · quakethD · mountains · water · desertB · o'ertaking · enemy
- 5 ---AA arms · casques · jerkins · ageA · equipageA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| He said moreover: "Thou shalt see my prowess, | 11 | ··˘/˘····/˘ |
| But I must have a charger swift of foot | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| With hoofs of steel flint-shattering, in strength | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| Like elephants, in flight like birds, in water | 11 | ·/˘˘·····/˘ |
| Like fish, and on the land like deer, to bear | 10 | ·········· |
| My warrior-breast and neck, mine ax and mace: | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| I must be mounted to encounter foes." | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| His mother's head rose o'er the shining sun | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| At hearing this. She bade the herdsman bring | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| His herds of horses for Suhráb to choose | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| A charger. So they gathered to the city | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| The herds that wandered over hill and desert, | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| And when some large-limbed, lusty steed appeared | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| Suhráb flung round its neck the leathern noose, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Then laid his hand upon the beast to prove it | 11 | ··········· |
| And made it grovel. Thus his might broke down | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Full many a noble steed; he could not find | 10 | ·/·/˘····· |
| One adequate, and grieved. At length a warrior | 11 | ·/˘·····/˘˘ |
| Approached the elephantine youth and said:— | 10 | ˘/··˘/···· |
| "I have a colt—one of the breed of Rakhsh— | 10 | ·········· |
| In strength a lion and as fleet as wind. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| He is as 'twere a valley-treading mountain | 11 | ·····/˘/˘/˘ |
| And skimmeth like a bird along the waste. | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| In strength and swiftness he is like the sun; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| None ever saw so fleet a roan. Beneath | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| The stamping of his hoofs the Bull-fish quaketh; | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| His leap is like the lightning; on the mountains | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| He goeth like the raven; on the water | 10 | ····/˘··/˘ |
| Like fish and water-fowl; upon the desert | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| Like shaft from bow, pursuing and o'ertaking | 11 | ····˘/˘···· |
| The enemy." | 4 | ·/˘˘ |
| Suhráb laughed out for joy, | 6 | ······ |
| And when they brought to him that glossy charger | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| Both proved it and approved it, coaxed, caressed, | 10 | ····˘/··˘/ |
| Then saddled it, and mounted. He appeared | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| Like Mount Bistún; his spear was pillar-like. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| He said: "Since I have gotten such a steed | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| I must ride forth at once and turn the day | 10 | ·········· |
| Of Kai Káús to gloom." | 6 | ······ |
| He made him ready | 5 | ···/˘ |
| To fight the Íránians, and a host assembled. | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| He then approached his grandsire, asking leave | 10 | ··˘/·/˘/˘· |
| To go, and help in going: "I am fain | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| To seek Írán and see my glorious sire." | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| Thereat the king provided him with arms | 10 | ˘/··˘/˘··· |
| Of every kind, thrones, diadems, and casques, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Steeds, camels, belts, gold, gems, and Rúman jerkins. | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| He marvelled at that youth of tender age | 10 | ·˘/····/˘· |
| And freely gave a royal equipage. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘˘ |
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