[3] doublet. A close-fitting garment for men, covering the body from the neck to the waist.

[4] Cordovan leather. A goatskin leather, prepared in Cordova, Spain.

[5] Cutlass. A short curved sword used by sailors. corselet. Armour for the body; breastplate.

[6] Damascus. A city in Syria, famous for its steel blades.

[7] mystical. Obscure and mysterious in meaning.

[8] fowling-piece. A light gun used for shooting birds. matchlock. An old-fashioned gun, fired by means of a match. This "match" was generally made of twisted cord which would hold the flame.

[9] John Alden had been taken aboard the vessel at Southampton, as a cooper. He was free to return to England on the Mayflower, but decided to share the fortunes of the Puritans.

[10] A monk named Gregory, in the sixth century, seeing some fair-haired youths in the slave market at Rome, enquired as to their nationality. He was told that they were Angles. "Non Angli, sed Angeli," said Gregory. "They have the faces of Angels, not of Angles."

[11] Flanders, part of the Netherlands, in Europe.

[12] arcabucero. Literally, archer; here, musketeer,

[13] howitzer. A small cannon.

[14] The following is from an account of Plymouth Colony in 1627: "Upon the hill they have a large square house with a flat roof stayed with oak beams, upon the top of which they have six cannons, commanding the surrounding country. The lower part they use for their Church, where they preach on Sundays and the usual holidays. They assemble by beat of drum, each with his musket or firelock, in front of the Captain's door; they have their cloaks on and place themselves in order three abreast, and are led by a sergeant without beat of drum. Behind comes the Governor in a long robe; beside him on the right hand comes the preacher, and on the left hand the Captain, and so they march in good order, and each sets his arms down near him. Thus they are constantly on their guard night and day."

[15] sagamore. An Indian chief of the second rank; sachem, a chief of the first rank; pow-wow, a conjurer or medicine-man.

[16] Goldinge. A well-known translator of the Elizabethan age.

[17] The Mayflower set sail for England on April 5, 1621.

[18] Priscilla Mullins (or Molines) was the daughter of William Mullins, who died in the February following the landing of the Pilgrims.

[19]"In his journey, as he was crossing the Alps and passing by a small village of the barbarians with but few inhabitants, and those wretchedly poor, his companions asked the question among themselves by way of mockery if there were any canvassing for offices there; any contention which should be uppermost, or feuds of great men one against another. To which Caesar made answer seriously, 'For my part I had rather be the first man among these fellows, than the second man in Rome.'" Plutarch's Life of Caesar, A. H. Clough's translation.

[20] Genesis, ii, 18.

[21] illusion. An illusion is a misleading or deceptive appearance. The happiness that he had looked forward to was turning out to be false and unreal.

[22] Baal and Astaroth were the two chief divinities of the Phoenicians, male and female respectively. To worship Baal and Astaroth is to give oneself up to worldly desires and pleasures.

[23] The Mayflower, in England, is the hawthorn; in the New England States, the trailing arbutus.

[24] Ainsworth. A clergyman and scholar who was persecuted on account of his religious belief, and sought refuge in Holland.

[25] Luke, ix, 62.

[26] Terms used in heraldry.

[27] See Revelation, xxi and xxii. An apocalypse is a revelation, and the term is generally applied to the Book of Revelation.

[28] dulse. Coarse red seaweed, sometimes used as food.

[29] II Samuel, xii, 3.

[30] Districts of the Netherlands.

[31] hand-grenade. A ball or shell filled with explosives, and thrown by the hand.

[32] Wat Tyler. The leader of the peasant revolt in England in 1381.

[33] Elder William Brewster.

[34] See Acts ii, 1-4.

[35] Stephen Hopkins, Richard Warren, Gilbert Winslow.

[36] gunwale. The upper edge of a boat's side.

[37] thwarts. Seats, crossing from one side of the boat to the other.

[38] adamantine. That cannot be broken; hence fate is "the wall adamantine."

[39] yards. The spars supporting the sails.

[40] Gurnet. A headland near Plymouth.

[41] The place where the Pilgrims had their first encounter with the Indians, December 8, 1620.

[42] See Genesis, i, 2.

[43] See Genesis, ii, 10-14.

[44] The account of the march of Miles Standish is based on the New England chronicles.

[45] See I Samuel, xvii, and Numbers, xxi.

[46] wampum. Beads made of shells, and used by the Indians both for money and for ornament.

[47] to chaffer for peltries. To trade in skins or furs.

[48] merestead. A bounded lot.

[49] brackish. saltish.

[50] The chief character in a German legend.

[51] Helvetia. Switzerland

[52] stall. A booth, or shop.

[53] distaff. The staff for holding the flax or wool from which the thread is spun.

[54] See Exodus xxviii, for the references in this description.

[55] laver. A brazen vessel in the court or a Jewish tabernacle, where the priests washed their hands and feet.

[56] Book of Ruth, chapter iv.

[57] rack. vapor.

[58] An English proverb.

[59] Eshcol. When Moses sent spies into the land of Canaan, "they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff."

[60] See Genesis, xxiv.



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM.

The story of Sohrab and Rustum is based on an episode related in the Shahnamah, or Book of Kings, by Firdusi, the epic poet of Persia. The chief hero of the Shahnamah is Rustum, the Hercules of Persian mythology. Rustum was the son of Zal, a renowned Persian warrior. When a mere child, he performed many wonderful deeds requiring great strength and valor. He became the champion of his people, restored the Persian king to his throne, and defeated Afrasiab, the great Turanian, or Tartar, leader, who had invaded Persia. During a hunting expedition in Turan, his renowned horse Ruksh was stolen from him, and in order to recover it, he was forced to call on the King of Samangam, a neighbouring city. The king welcomed him, and gave him his daughter Tahminah, in marriage. Before the birth of his child, however, Rustum was called back to Persia, but he left with Tahminah a charm, or amulet, by which he might be able to recognize his offspring. When Sohrab, the son, was born, the mother, fearing that Rustum would return and take him away from her to bring him up as a soldier, sent word that a daughter had been born to him. Rustum, accordingly, did not return to Samangam, but remained in ignorance of Sohrab. In the meantime, as Sohrab grew, up he became a great warrior, and having learned that the renowned Rustum was his father, he longed to meet him, that he might fight for him and help to make him king. At length the opportunity came. The army of Afrasiab, under the command of Peran-Wisa, invaded Persia once more, and Sohrab accompanied the host. The Persians prepared to meet the invaders, and the two armies met at the river Oxus, which formed the boundary between the two kingdoms. It is at this point that the story of Sohrab and Rustum begins.

[_Sohrab wakes in the early morning, and passes through the sleeping army to the tent of old Peran-Wisa, his chief.]

And the first grey of morning fill'd the east, And the fog rose out of the Oxus[1] stream. But all the Tartar[2] camp along the stream Was hush'd, and still the men were plunged in sleep: Sohrab alone, he slept not: all night long 5 He had lain wakeful, tossing on his bed; But when the grey dawn stole into his tent, He rose, and clad himself, and girt his sword, And took his horseman's cloak, and left his tent, And went abroad into the cold wet fog, 10 Through the dim camp to Peran-Wisa's[3] tent.

Through the black Tartar tents he pass'd, which stood Clustering like bee-hives on the low flat strand Of Oxus, where the summer floods o'erflow When the sun melts the snows in high Pamere:[4] 15 Through the black tents he pass'd, o'er that low strand, And to a hillock came a little back From the stream's brink, the spot where first a boat, Crossing the stream in summer, scrapes the land. The men of former times had crown'd the top 20 With a clay fort: but that was fall'n; and now The Tartars built there Peran-Wisa's tent, A dome of laths, and o'er it felts were spread. And Sohrab came there, and went in, and stood Upon the thick-pil'd carpets in the tent, 25 And found the old man sleeping on his bed Of rugs and felts, and near him lay his arms. And Peran-Wisa heard him, though the step Was dull'd; for he slept light, an old man's sleep; And he rose quickly on one arm, and said:— 30

[Peran-Wisa wakes and asks the reason of his coming. Sohrab proposes to settle the battle by a duel with a champion selected by the Persians. By this plan Rustum would hear of it, and father and son meet at last.]

"Who art thou? for it is not yet clear dawn. Speak! is there news, or any night alarm?"

But Sohrab came to the bedside and said:— "Thou know'st me, Peran-Wisa: it is I. The sun is not yet risen, and the foe 35 Sleep; but I sleep not, all night long I lie Tossing and wakeful, and I come to thee. For so did King Afrasiab[5] bid me seek Thy counsel, and to heed thee as thy son, In Samarcand,[6] before the army march'd, 40 And I will tell thee what my heart desires. Thou knowest if, since from Ader-baijan[7] first I came among the Tartars, and bore arms, I have still serv'd Afrasiab well, and shown, At my boy's years, the courage of a man. 45 This too thou know'st, that, while I still bear on The conquering Tartar ensigns through the world, And beat the Persians back on every field, I seek one man, one man, and one alone. Rustum, my father; who, I hop'd should greet, 50 Should one day greet, upon some well-fought field His not unworthy, not inglorious son. So I long hop'd, but him I never find. Come then, hear now, and grant me what I ask, Let the two armies rest to-day: but I 55 Will challenge forth the bravest Persian lords To meet me, man to man: if I prevail, Rustum will surely hear it; if I fall— Old man, the dead need no one, claim no kin. Dim is the rumour of a common fight, 60 Where host meets host, and many names are sunk: But of a single combat Fame speaks clear."

He spoke: and Peran-Wisa took the hand Of the young man in his, and sigh'd, and said:—

"O Sohrab, an unquiet heart is thine! 65 Canst thou not rest among the Tartar chiefs, And share the battle's common chance with us Who love thee, but must press forever first, In single fight incurring single risk, To find a father thou hast never seen? 70 Or, if indeed this one desire rules all, To seek out Rustum—seek him not through fight: Seek him in peace, and carry to his arms, O Sohrab, carry an unwounded son! But far hence seek him, for he is not here. 75 For now it is not as when I was young, When Rustum was in front of every fray: But now he keeps apart, and sits at home, In Seistan,[8] with Zal, his father old. Whether that his own mighty strength at last 80 Feels the abhorr'd approaches of old age; Or in some quarrel with the Persian King.[9] There go:—Thou wilt not? Yet my heart forebodes Danger or death awaits thee on this field. Fain would I know thee safe and well, though lost 85 To us: fain therefore send thee hence, in peace To seek thy father, not seek single fights In vain:—but who can keep the lion's cub From ravening? and who govern Rustum's son? Go: I will grant thee what thy heart desires." 90

[Peran-Wisa fails to dissuade Sohrab. The sun rises, the fog clears, and the Tartar host gathers.]

So said he, and dropp'd Sohrab's hand and left His bed, and the warm rugs whereon he lay, And o'er his chilly limbs his woollen coat He pass'd, and tied his sandals on his feet, And threw a white cloak round him, and he took 95 In his right hand a ruler's staff, no sword, And on his head he plac'd his sheep-skin cap, Black, glossy, curl'd the fleece of Kara-Kill;[10] And rais'd the curtain of his tent, and call'd His herald to his side, and went abroad. 100

The sun, by this, had risen, and clear'd the fog From the broad Oxus and the glittering sands: And from their tents the Tartar horsemen fil'd, Into the open plain; so Haman bade; Haman, who next to Peran-Wisa rul'd 105 The host, and still was in his lusty prime. From their black tents, long files of horse, they stream'd: As when, some grey November morn, the files, In marching order spread, of long-neck'd cranes, Stream over Casbin,[11] and the southern slopes 110 Of Elburz,[12] from the Aralian estuaries,[13] Or some frore[14] Caspian reed-bed, southward bound For the warm Persian sea-board: so they stream'd. The Tartars of the Oxus, the King's guard, First with black sheep-skin caps and with long spears; 115 Large men, large steeds, who from Bokhara[15] come And Khiva, and ferment the milk of mares.[16] Next the more temperate Toorkmuns of the south,[17] The Tukas, and the lances of Salore, And those from Attruck[18] and the Caspian sands; 120 Light men, and on light steeds, who only drink The acrid milk of camels, and their wells. And then a swarm of wandering horse, who came From far, and a more doubtful service[19] own'd; The Tartars of Ferghana, from the banks 125 Of the Jaxartes, men with scanty beards And close-set skull-caps; and those wilder hordes Who roam o'er Kipchak and the northern waste, Kalmuks and unkemp'd Kuzzaks,[20] tribes who stray Nearest the Pole, and wandering Kirghizzes, 130 Who come on shaggy ponies from Pamere. These all fil'd out from camp into the plain, And on the other side the Persians form'd: First a light cloud of horse, Tartars they seem'd, The Ilyats of Khorassan:[21] and behind, 135 The royal troops of Persia, horse and foot, Marshall'd battalions bright in burnish'd steel. But Peran-Wisa with his herald came Threading the Tartar squadrons to the front, And with his staff kept back the foremost ranks. 140 And when Ferood, who led the Persians, saw That Peran-Wisa kept the Tartars back, He took his spear, and to the front he came, And check'd his ranks, and fix'd them where they stood. And the old Tartar came upon the sand 145 Betwixt the silent hosts, and spake, and said:—

[Peran-Wisa calls on the Persians to find a champion, and Gudurz agrees to do so.]

"Ferood, and ye, Persians and Tartars, hear! Let there be truce between the hosts to-day. But choose a champion from the Persian lords To fight our champion Sohrab, man to man." 150

As, in the country, on a morn in June, When the dew glistens on the pearled ears, A shiver runs through the deep corn for Joy—- So, when they heard what Peran-Wisa said, A thrill through all the Tartar squadrons ran 155 Of pride and hope for Sohrab, whom they lov'd.

But as a troop of pedlars, from Cabool,[22] Cross underneath the Indian Caucasus, That vast sky-neighbouring mountain of milk snow; Winding so high, that, as they mount, they pass 160 Long flocks of travelling birds dead on the snow, Chok'd by the air, and scarce can they themselves Slake their parch'd throats with sugar'd mulberries— In single file they move, and stop their breath, For fear they should dislodge the o'erhanging snows— 165 So the pale Persians held their breath with fear.

And to Ferood his brother chiefs came up To counsel: Gudurz and Zoarrah came, And Feraburz, who rul'd the Persian host Second, and was the uncle of the king: 170 These came and counsell'd; and then Gudarz said:—

"Ferood, shame bids us take their challenge up, Yet champion have we none to match this youth. He has the wild stag's foot, the lion's heart. But Rustum came last night; aloof he sits 175 And sullen, and has pitch'd his tents apart: Him will I seek, and carry to his ear The Tartar challenge, and this young man's name Haply he will forget his wrath, and fight. Stand forth the while, and take their challenge up." 180

So spake he; and Ferood stood forth and said:— "Old man, be it agreed as thou hast said. Let Sohrab arm, and we will find a man."

[Gudurz calls on Rustum in his tent. "Help us, Rustum, or we lose."]

He spoke; and Peran-Wisa turn'd, and strode Back through the opening squadrons to his tent. 185 But through the anxious Persians Gudurz ran, And cross'd the camp which lay behind, and reach'd, Out on the sands beyond it, Rustum's tents. Of scarlet cloth they were, and glittering gay, Just pitch'd: the high pavilion in the midst 190 Was Rustum's, and his men lay camp'd around. And Gudurz enter'd Rustum's tent, and found Rustum: his morning meal was done, but still The table stood beside him, charg'd with food; A side of roasted sheep, and cakes of bread, 195 And dark green melons; and there Rustum sate Listless, and held a falcon on his wrist, And play'd with it; but Gudurz came and stood Before him; and he look'd, and saw him stand, And with a cry sprang up, and dropp'd the bird, 200 And greeted Gudurz with both hands, and said:—

"Welcome! these eyes could see no better sight. What news! but sit down first, and eat and drink."

But Gudurz stood in the tent door, and said:— "Not now: a time will come to eat and drink, 205 But not to-day: to-day has other needs. The armies are drawn out, and stand at gaze: For from the Tartars is a challenge brought To pick a champion from the Persian lords To fight their champion—and thou know'st his name— 210 Sohrab men call him, but his birth is hid. O Rustum, like thy might is this young man's! He has the wild stag's foot, the lion's heart. And he is young, and Iran's[23] chiefs are old, Or else too weak; and all eyes turn to thee. 215 Come down and help us, Rustum, or we lose."

[Rustum at first declines, but stung by the taunt of Gudurz he agrees to fight—to be unknown by name.]

He spoke; but Rustum answer'd with a smile:— "Go to! if Iran's Chiefs are old, then I Am older: if the young are weak, the King Errs strangely: for the King, for Kai Khosroo, 220 Himself is young, and honours younger men, And lets the aged moulder to their graves. Rustum he loves no more, but loves the young— The young may rise at Sohrab's vaunts, not I. For what care I, though all speak Sohrab's fame? 225 For would that I myself had such a son, And not that one slight helpless girl I have, A son so fam'd, so brave, to send to war, And I to tarry with the snow-hair'd Zal, My father, whom the robber Afghans vex, 230 And clip his borders short, and drive his herds, And he has none to guard his weak old age. There would I go, and hang my armour up, And with my great name fence that weak old man, And spend the goodly treasures I have got, 235 And rest my age, and hear of Sohrab's fame, And leave to death the hosts of thankless kings, And with these slaughterous hands draw sword no more."

He spoke, and smil'd; and Gudurz made reply:— "What then, O Rustum, will men say to this, 240 When Sohrab dares our bravest forth, and seeks Thee most of all, and thou, whom most he seeks, Hidest thy face? Take heed, lest men should say Like some old miser, Rustum hoards his fame, And shuns to peril it with younger men." 245 And, greatly mov'd, then Rustum made reply:— "O Gudurz, wherefore dost thou say such words? Thou knowest better words than this to say. What is one more, one less, obscure or fam'd, Valiant or craven, young or old, to me? 250 Are not they mortal, am not I myself? But who for men of nought would do great deeds? Come, thou shalt see how Rustum hoards his fame. But I will fight unknown, and in plain arms;[24] Let not men say of Rustum, he was match'd 255 In single fight with any mortal man."

[Rustum arms; his appearance in the field brings joy to the Persians.]

He spoke, and frown'd; and Gudurz turned, and ran Back quickly through the camp in fear and joy, Fear at his wrath, but joy that Rustum came, But Rustum strode to his tent door, and call'd 260 His followers in, and bade them bring his arms, And clad himself in steel: the arms he chose Were plain, and on his shield was no device, Only his helm was rich, inlaid with gold And from the fluted spine[25] atop a plume 265 Of horsehair wav'd, a scarlet horsehair plume. So arm'd, he issued forth; and Ruksh, his horse, Followed him, like a faithful hound, at heel, Ruksh, whose renown was nois'd through all the earth, The horse, whom Rustum on a foray once 270 Did in Bokhara by the river find, A colt beneath its dam, and drove him home, And rear'd him; a bright bay, with lofty crest; Dight[26] with a saddle-cloth of broider'd green Crusted with gold, and on the ground were work'd 275 All beasts of chase, all beasts which hunters know: So follow'd, Rustum left his tents, and cross'd The camp, and to the Persian host appear'd. And all the Persians knew him, and with shouts Hail'd; but the Tartars knew not who he was. 280 And dear as the wet diver to the eyes Of his pale wife who waits and weeps on shore, By sandy Bahrein,[27] in the Persian Gulf, Plunging all day in the blue waves, at night, Having made up his tale[28] of precious pearls, 285 Rejoins her in their hut upon the sands—- So dear to the pale Persians Rustum came.

[Rustum advances; warns Sohrab. Sohrab is young; why should he court defeat and death?]

And Rustum to the Persian front advanc'd, And Sohrab arm'd in Haman's tent, and came. And as afield the reapers cut a swathe 290 Down through the middle of a rich man's corn, And on each side are squares of standing corn, And in the midst a stubble, short and bare; So on each side were squares of men, with spears Bristling, and in the midst, the open sand. 295 And Rustum came upon the sand, and cast His eyes towards the Tartar tents, and saw Sohrab come forth, and ey'd him as he came.

As some rich woman, on a winter's morn, Eyes through her silken curtains the poor drudge 300 Who with numb blacken'd fingers makes her fire— At cock-crow, on a starlit winter's morn, When the frost flowers the whiten'd window panes— And wonders how she lives, and what the thoughts Of that poor drudge may be; so Rustum ey'd 305 The unknown adventurous youth, who from afar Came seeking Rustum, and defying forth All the most valiant chiefs: long he perus'd[29] His spirited air, and wonder'd who he was. For very young he seem'd, tenderly rear'd; 310 Like some young cypress, tall, and dark, and straight, Which in a queen's secluded garden throws Its slight dark shadow on the moonlit turf, By midnight, to a bubbling fountain's sound— So slender Sohrab seem'd, so softly rear'd. 315 And a deep pity enter'd Rustum's soul As he beheld him coming; and he stood, And beckon'd to him with his hand, and said:—

"O thou young man, the air of Heaven is soft, And warm, and pleasant; but the grave is cold. 320 Heaven's air is better than the cold dead grave. Behold me; I am vast, and clad in iron, And tried;[30] and I have stood on many a field Of blood, and I have fought with many a foe: Never was that field lost, or that foe sav'd. 325 O Sohrab, wherefore wilt thou rush on death? Be govern'd:[31] quit the Tartar host, and come To Iran, and be as my son to me, And fight beneath my banner till I die. There are no youths in Iran brave as thou." 330

[Sohrab has vague suspicions it is his father. Rustum, in ignorance, coldly waives aside all overtures. They fight.]

So he spake, mildly: Sohrab heard his voice, The mighty voice of Rustum; and he saw His giant figure planted on the sand, Sole, like some single tower, which a chief Has builded on the waste in former years 335 Against the robbers; and he saw that head, Streak'd with its first grey hairs: hope fill'd his soul; And he ran forwards and embrac'd his knees, And clasp'd his hand within his own and said:—

"Oh, by thy father's head! by thine own soul! 340 Art thou not Rustum? Speak! art thou not he!"

But Rustum ey'd askance the kneeling youth, And turn'd away, and spoke to his own soul:—

"Ah me, I muse what this young fox may mean, False, wily, boastful, are these Tartar boys. 345 For if I now confess this thing he asks, And hide it not, but say—Rustum is here— He will not yield indeed, nor quit our foes, But he will find some pretext not to fight, And praise my fame, and proffer courteous gifts. 350 A belt or sword perhaps, and go his way. And on a feast day, in Afrasiab's hall, In Samarcand, he will arise and cry— 'I challeng'd once, when the two armies camp'd Beside the Oxus, all the Persian lords 355 To cope with me in single fight; but they Shrank; only Rustum dar'd: then he and I Chang'd gifts,[32] and went on equal terms away.' So will he speak, perhaps, while men applaud. Then were the chiefs of Iran sham'd through me." 360

And then he turn'd, and sternly spake aloud:— "Rise! wherefore dost thou vainly question thus Of Rustum? I am here, whom thou hast call'd By challenge forth; make good thy vaunt, or yield. Is it with Rustum only thou would'st fight? 365 Rash boy, men look on Rustum's face and flee. For well I know, that did great Rustum stand Before thy face this day, and were reveal'd, There would be then no talk of fighting more. But being what I am, I tell thee this; 370 Do thou record it in thine inmost soul, Either thou shalt renounce thy vaunt, and yield; Or else thy bones shall strew this sand, till winds Bleach them, or Oxus with his summer floods, Oxus in summer wash them all away." 375 He spoke; and Sohrab answer'd, on his feet:— "Art thou so fierce? Thou wilt not fright me so. I am no girl, to be made pale by words. Yet this thou hast said well, did Rustum stand Here on this field, there were no fighting then, 380 But Rustum is far hence, and we stand here. Begin: thou art more vast, more dread than I, And thou art prov'd, I know, and I am young,— But yet success sways with the breath of heaven,[33] And though thou thinkest that thou knowest sure 385 Thy victory, yet thou canst not surely know. For we are all, like swimmers in the sea, Pois'd on the top of a huge wave of Fate, Which hangs uncertain to which side to fall. And whether it will heave us up to land, 390 Or whether it will roll us out to sea, Back out to sea, to the deep waves of death, We know not, and no search will make us know: Only the event will teach us in its hour."

[Sohrab avoids Rustum's blow. Rustum falls on the sand, and has his life spared by his son.]

He spoke, and Rustum answer'd not, but hurl'd 395 His spear: down from the shoulder, down it came, As on some partridge in the corn a hawk That long has tower'd in the airy clouds Drops like a plummet;[34] Sohrab saw it come, And sprang aside, quick as a flash: the spear 400 Hiss'd, and went quivering down into the sand, Which it sent flying wide: then Sohrab threw In turn, and full struck Rustum's shield: sharp rang, The iron plates rang sharp, but turn'd the spear. And Rustum seiz'd his club, which none but he 405 Could wield; an unlopp'd trunk it was, and huge, Still rough; like those which men in treeless plains To build them boats fish from the flooded rivers, Hyphasis or Hydaspes,[35] when, high up By their dark springs, the wind in winter-time 410 Has made in Himalayan forests wrack,[36] And strewn the channels with torn boughs; so huge The club which Rustum lifted now, and struck One stroke; but again Sohrab sprang aside Lithe as the glancing snake, and the club came 415 Thundering to earth and leapt from Rustum's hand. And Rustum follow'd his own blow and fell To his knees, and with his fingers clutch'd the sand: And now might Sohrab have unsheath'd his sword, And pierc'd the mighty Rustum while he lay 420 Dizzy, and on his knees, and chok'd with sand: But he look'd on, and smil'd, nor bar'd his sword, But courteously drew back, and spoke, and said:—

"Thou strik'st too hard: that club of thine will float Upon the summer floods, and not my bones, 425 But rise, and be not wroth: not wroth am I: No, when I see thee, wrath forsakes my soul. Thou say'st thou art not Rustum: be it so. Who art thou then, that canst so touch my soul? Boy as I am, I have seen battles too; 430 Have waded foremost in their bloody waves, And heard their hollow roar of dying men; But never was my heart thus touch'd before. Are they from Heaven, these softenings of the heart? O thou old warrior, let us yield to Heaven! 435 Come, plant we here in earth our angry spears, And make a truce, and sit upon this sand, And pledge each other in red wine, like friends, And thou shalt talk to me of Rustum's deeds. There are enough foes in the Persian host 440 Whom I may meet, and strike, and feel no pang, Champions enough Afrasiab has, whom thou Mayst fight, fight them, when they confront thy spear. But oh, let there be peace 'twixt thee and me!"

He ceas'd: but while he spake, Rustum had risen, 445 And stood erect, trembling with rage: his club He left to lie, but had regain'd his spear, Whose fiery point now in his mail'd right hand Blaz'd bright and baleful, like that autumn star,[37] The baleful sign of fevers: dust had soil'd 450 His stately crest, and dimm'd his glittering arms. His breast heav'd; his lips foam'd; and twice his voice Was chok'd with rage: at last these words broke away:—

[Rustum in wounded pride returns furiously to the combat. He shouts his cry of "Rustum!" Sohrab incautiously at the sound exposes his side to a wound and falls.]

"Girl! nimble with thy feet, not with thy hands! Curl'd minion,[38] dancer, coiner of sweet words! 455 Fight; let me hear thy hateful voice no more! Thou art not in Afrasiab's gardens now With Tartar girls, with whom thou art wont to dance; But on the Oxus sands, and in the dance Of battle, and with me, who make no play 460 Of war: I fight it out, and hand to hand. Speak not to me of truce, and pledge, and wine! Remember all thy valour: try thy feints And cunning: all the pity I had is gone: Because thou hast sham'd me before both the hosts 465 With thy light skipping tricks, and thy girl's wiles."

He spoke; and Sohrab kindled at his taunts, And he too drew his sword: at once they rush'd Together, as two eagles on one prey Come rushing down together from the clouds, 470 One from the east, one from the west: their shields Dash'd with a clang together, and a din Rose, such as that the sinewy woodcutters Make often, in the forest's heart at morn, Of hewing axes, crashing trees: such blows 475 Rustum and Sohrab on each other hail'd. And you would say that sun and stars took part In that unnatural conflict; for a cloud Grew suddenly in heaven, and dark'd the sun Over the fighters' heads; and a wind rose 480 Under their feet, and moaning swept the plain, And in a sandy whirlwind wrapp'd the pair. In gloom they twain were wrapp'd, and they alone; For both the on-looking hosts on either hand Stood in broad daylight, and the sky was pure, 485 And the sun sparkled on the Oxus stream. But in the gloom they fought, with bloodshot eyes And labouring breath; first Rustum struck the shield Which Sohrab held stiff out: the steel-spik'd spear Rent the tough plates, but failed to reach the skin, 490 And Rustum pluck'd it back with angry groan. Then Sohrab with his sword smote Rustum's helm, Nor clove its steel quite through; but all the crest He shore away, and that proud horsehair plume, Never till now defil'd, sunk to the dust; 495 And Rustum bow'd his bead; but then the gloom Grew blacker: thunder rumbled in the air, And lightnings rent the cloud; and Ruksh, the horse, Who stood at hand, utter'd a dreadful cry: No horse's cry was that, most like the roar 500 Of some pain'd desert lion, who all day Has trail'd the hunter's javelin in his side, And comes at night to die upon the sand:— The two hosts heard that cry, and quak'd for fear, And Oxus curdled as it cross'd his stream. 505 But Sohrab heard, and quail'd not, but rush'd on, And struck again; and again Rustum bow'd His head; but this time all the blade, like glass, Sprang in a thousand shivers on the helm, And in his hand the hilt remain'd alone. 510 Then, Rustum rais'd his head: his dreadful eyes Glar'd, and he shook on high his menacing spear, And shouted, Rustum! Sohrab heard that shout, And shrank amaz'd: back he recoil'd one step, And scann'd with blinking eyes the advancing form; 515 And then he stood bewilder'd; and he dropp'd His covering shield, and the spear pierc'd his side. He reel'd, and staggering back, sunk to the ground. And then the gloom dispers'd, and the wind fell, And the bright sun broke forth, and melted all 520 The cloud; and the two armies saw the pair; Saw Rustum standing, safe upon his feet, And Sohrab, wounded, on the bloody sand.

[Sohrab says his fall will be avenged by Rustum.]

Then, with a bitter smile, Rustum began;— "Sohrab, thou thoughtest in thy mind to kill 525 A Persian lord this day, and strip his corpse, And bear thy trophies to Afrasiab's tent. Or else that the great Rustum would come down Himself to fight, and that thy wiles would move His heart to take a gift, and let thee go. 530 And then that all the Tartar host would praise Thy courage or thy craft, and spread thy fame, To glad thy father in his weak old age. Fool! thou art slain, and by an unknown man! Dearer to the red jackals shall thou be, 535 Than to thy friends, and to thy father old."

And with a fearless mien Sohrab replied:— "Unknown thou art; yet thy fierce vaunt is vain. Thou dost not slay me, proud and boastful man! No! Rustum slays me, and this filial heart. 540 For were I match'd with ten such men as thou, And I were he who till to-day I was, They should be lying here, I standing there. But that beloved name unnerv'd my arm— That name, and something, I confess, in thee, 545 Which troubles all my heart, and made my shield Fall; and thy spear transfix'd an unarm'd foe. And now thou boastest, and insult'st my fate. But hear thou this, fierce man, tremble to hear! The mighty Rustum shall avenge my death! 550 My father, whom I seek through all the world, He shall avenge my death, and punish thee!"

As when some hunter in the spring hath found A breeding eagle sitting on her nest, Upon the craggy isle of a hill lake, 555 And pierc'd her with an arrow as she rose, And follow'd her to find her where she fell Far off;—anon her mate comes winging back From hunting, and a great way off descries His huddling young left sole; at that, he checks 560 His pinion, and with short uneasy sweeps Circles above his eyry, with loud screams Chiding his mate back to her nest; but she Lies dying, with the arrow in her side, In some far stony gorge out of his ken, 565 A heap of fluttering feathers: never more Shall the lake glass her, flying over it; Never the black and dripping precipices Echo her stormy scream as she sails by:— As that poor bird flies home, nor knows his loss, 570 So Rustum knew not his own loss, but stood Over his dying son, and knew him not.

[Rustum anxiously says he never had a son, but only a daughter.]

But with a cold, incredulous voice, he said:— "What prate is this of fathers and revenge? The mighty Rustum never had a son." 575

And, with a failing voice, Sohrab replied:— "Ah yes, he had! and that lost son am I. Surely the news will one day reach his ear, Reach Rustum, where he sits, and tarries long, Somewhere, I know not where, but far from here; 580 And pierce him like a stab, and make him leap To arms, and cry for vengeance upon thee. Fierce man, bethink thee, for an only son! What will that grief, what will that vengeance be! Oh, could I live, till I that grief had seen! 585 Yet him I pity not so much, but her, My mother, who in Ader-baijan dwells With that old king, her father, who grows grey With age, and rules over the valiant Koords.[39] Her most I pity, who no more will see 590 Sohrab returning from the Tartar camp, With spoils and honour, when the war is done. But a dark rumour will be bruited up,[40] From tribe to tribe, until it reach her ear; And then will that defenceless woman learn 595 That Sohrab will rejoice her sight no more, But that in battle with a nameless foe, By the far distant Oxus, he is slain."

[The truth breaks in upon Rustum. Again he charges Sohrab with a false tale.]

He spoke; and as he ceas'd he wept aloud, Thinking of her he left, and his own death. 600 He spoke; but Rustum listen'd, plung'd in thought. Nor did he yet believe it was his son Who spoke, although he call'd back names he knew For he had had sure tidings that the babe, Which was in Ader-baijan born to him, 605 Had been a puny girl, no boy at all: So that sad mother sent him word, for fear Rustum should take the boy, to train in arms; And so he deem'd that either Sohrab took, By a false boast, the style[41] of Rustum's son; 610 Or that men gave it him, to swell his fame. So deem'd he; yet he listen'd, plung'd in thought; And his soul set to grief, as the vast tide Of the bright rocking ocean sets to shore At the full moon: tears gathered in his eyes; 615 For he remembered his own early youth, And all its bounding rapture; as, at dawn, The shepherd from his mountain lodge descries A far bright city, smitten by the sun, Through many rolling clouds;—so Rustum saw 620 His youth; saw Sohrab's mother, in her bloom; And that old king, her father, who lov'd well His wandering guest, and gave him his fair child With joy; and all the pleasant life they led, They three, in that long-distant summer-time— 625 The castle, and the dewy woods, and hunt And hound, and morn on those delightful hills In Ader-baijan. And he saw that youth, Of age and looks to be his own dear son, Piteous and lovely, lying on the sand, 630 Like some rich hyacinth, which by the scythe Of an unskilful gardener has been cut, Mowing the garden grass-plots near its bed, And lies, a fragrant tower of purple bloom, On the mown, dying grass;—so Sohrab lay, 635 Lovely in death, upon the common sand. And Rustum gaz'd on him with grief, and said:—

"O Sohrab, thou indeed art such a son Whom Rustum, wert thou his, might well have lov'd! Yet here thou errest, Sohrab, or else men 640 Have told thee false;—thou art not Rustum's son. For Rustum had no son: one child he had— But one—a girl; who with her mother now Plies some light female task, nor dreams of us— Of us she dreams not, nor of wounds, nor war." 645

But Sohrab answer'd him in wrath; for now The anguish of the deep-fix'd spear grew fierce, And he desired to draw forth the steel, And let the blood flow free, and so to die, But first he would convince his stubborn foe— 650 And, rising sternly on one arm, he said:—

[Sohrab discloses the mark by which he was to be known. "O boy—thy father!"]

"Man, who art thou who dost deny my words? Truth sits upon the lips of dying men, And Falsehood, while I liv'd, was far from mine. I tell thee, prick'd upon this arm I bear 655 That seal which Rustum to my mother gave, That she might prick it on the babe she bore."

He spoke: and all the blood left Rustum's cheeks; And his knees totter'd, and he smote his hand, Against his breast, his heavy mailed hand, 660 That the hard iron corslet clank'd aloud; And to his heart he press'd the other hand, And in a hollow voice he spake, and said:—

"Sohrab, that were a proof which could not lie. If thou shew this, then art thou Rustum's son." 665

Then, with weak hasty fingers, Sohrab loos'd His belt, and near the shoulder bar'd his arm, And shew'd a sign in faint vermilion points Prick'd: as a cunning workman, in Pekin, Pricks with vermilion some clear porcelain vase, 670 An emperor's gift—at early morn he paints, And all day long, and, when night comes, the lamp Lights up his studious forehead and thin hands:— So delicately prick'd the sign appear'd[42] On Sohrab's arm, the sign of Rustum's seal. 675 It was that griffin, which of old rear'd Zal,[43] Rustum's great father, whom they left to die, A helpless babe, among the mountain rocks. Him that kind creature found, and rear'd and lov'd— Then Rustum took it for his glorious sign. 680 And Sohrab bar'd that figure on his arm, And himself scann'd it long with mournful eyes, And then he touch'd it with his hand and said:— "How say'st thou? Is that sign the proper sign Of Rustum's son, or of some other man's?" 685 He spoke: but Rustum gaz'd, and gaz'd, and stood Speechless; and then he utter'd one sharp cry— O boy—thy father!—and his voice chok'd there. And then a dark cloud pass'd before his eyes, And his head swam, and he sunk down to earth. 690 But Sohrab crawl'd to where he lay, and cast His arms about his neck, and kiss'd his lips, And with fond faltering fingers strok'd his cheeks, Trying to call him back to life: and life Came back to Rustum, and he op'd his eyes, 695 And they stood wide with horror; and he seiz'd In both his hands the dust which lay around, And threw it on his head, and smirch'd his hair, His hair, and face, and beard, and glittering arms: And strong convulsive groanings shook his breast, 700 And his sobs chok'd him; and he clutch'd his sword, To draw it, and for ever let life out. But Sohrab saw his thought, and held his hands, And with a soothing voice he spoke, and said:—

[Father and son embrace. "Would that the Oxus were flowing over me!" says the unhappy father.]

"Father, forbear: for I but meet to-day 705 The doom that at my birth was written down In Heaven, and thou art Heaven's unconscious hand. Surely my heart cried out that it was thou, When first I saw thee; and thy heart spoke too, I know it: but fate trod those promptings down 710 Under its iron heel; fate, fate engag'd The strife, and hurl'd me on my father's spear. But let us speak no more of this: I find My father; let me feel that I have found. Come, sit beside me on this sand, and take 715 My head betwixt thy hands, and kiss my cheeks, And wash them with thy tears, and say, 'My Son!' Quick! quick! for number'd are my sands of life, And swift; for like the lightning to this field I came, and like the wind I go away— 720 Sudden, and swift, and like a passing wind, But it was writ in Heaven that this should be."

So said he: and his voice releas'd the heart Of Rustum, and his tears broke forth; he cast His arms round his son's neck, and wept aloud, 725 And kiss'd him. And awe fell on both the hosts When they saw Rustum's grief; and Ruksh, the horse, With his head bowing to the ground, and mane Sweeping the dust, came near, and in mute woe First to the one then to the other mov'd 730 His head, as if enquiring what their grief Might mean; and from his dark, compassionate eyes, The big warm tears roll'd down, and cak'd the sand. But Rustum chid him with stern voice, and said:—

"Ruksh, now thou grievest; but, O Ruksh, thy feet 735 Should then have rotted on thy nimble joints, When first they bore thy master to this field."

But Sohrab look'd upon the horse and said:— "Is this then Ruksh? How often, in past days, My mother told me of thee, thou brave steed! 740 My terrible father's terrible horse; and said, That I should one day find thy lord and thee, Come, let me lay my hand upon thy mane. O Ruksh, thou art more fortunate than I; For thou hast gone where I shall never go, 745 And snuff'd the breezes of my father's home. And thou hast trod the sands of Seistan, And seen the river of Helmund,[44] and the lake Of Zirrah; and the aged Zal himself Has often strok'd thy neck, and given thee food, 750 Corn in a golden platter soak'd with wine, And said—'O Ruksh! bear Rustum well!'—but I Have never known my grandsire's furrow'd face, Nor seen his lofty house in Seistan, Nor slak'd my thirst at the clear Helmund stream; 755 But lodg'd among my father's foes, and seen Afrasiab's cities only, Samarcand, Bokhara, and lone Khiva in the waste, And the black Toorkmun tents; and only drunk The desert rivers, Moorghab and Tejend, 760 Kohik, and where the Kalmuks feed their sheep, The northern Sir;[45] and this great Oxus stream— The yellow Oxus, by whose brink I die."

And, with a heavy groan, Rustum replied:— "Oh that its waves were flowing over me! 765 Oh that I saw its grains of yellow silt[46] Roll tumbling in the current o'er my head!"

[Sohrab's dying wish. "Draw off your forces; build for me a memorial pillar in Seistan." He foretells the death of Rustum.]

And, with a grave mild voice, Sohrab replied:— "Desire not that, my father; thou must live. For some are born to do great deeds, and live, 770 As some are born to be obscur'd, and die. Do thou the deeds I die too young to do, And reap a second glory in thine age. Thou art my father, and thy gain is mine, But come: thou seest this great host of men 775 Which follow me; I pray thee, slay not these: Let me entreat for them: what have they done? They follow'd me, my hope, my fame, my star. Let them all cross the Oxus back in peace. But me thou must bear hence, not send with them, 780 But carry me with thee to Seistan, And place me on a bed and mourn for me, Thou, and the snow-hair'd Zal, and all thy friends. And thou must lay me in that lovely earth, And heap a stately mound above my bones, 785 And plant a far-seen pillar over all: That so the passing horseman on the waste May see my tomb a great way off, and say— Sohrab, the mighty Rustum's son, lies there, Whom his great father did in ignorance kill— 790 And I be not forgotten in my grave."

And with a mournful voice, Rustum replied:— "Fear not; as thou hast said, Sohrab, my son, So shall it be: for I will burn my tents, And quit the host, and bear thee hence with me, 795 And carry thee away to Seistan, And place thee on a bed, and mourn for thee, With the snow-headed Zal, and all my friends. And I will lay thee in that lovely earth, And heap a stately mound above thy bones, 800 And plant a far-seen pillar over all; And men shall not forget thee in thy grave, And I will spare thy host: yea, let them go: Let them all cross the Oxus back in peace. What should I do with slaying any more? 805 For would that all whom I have ever slain Might be once more alive; my bitterest foes, And they who were call'd champions in their time, And through whose death I won that fame I have; And I were nothing but a common man, 810 A poor, mean soldier, and without renown; So thou mightest live too, my son, my son! Or rather would that I, even I myself, Might now be lying on this bloody sand, Near death, and by an ignorant stroke of thine, 815 Not thou of mine; and I might die, not thou; And I, not thou, be borne to Seistan; And Zal might weep above my grave, not thine, And say—O son, I weep thee not too sore, For willingly, I know, thou met'st thine end.— 820 But now in blood and battles was my youth, And full of blood and battles is my age; And I shall never end this life of blood."

Then, at the point of death, Sohrab replied:— "A life of blood indeed, thou dreadful man! 825 But thou shall yet have peace; only not now; Not yet: but thou shalt have it on that day,[47] When thou shalt sail in a high-masted ship, Thou and the other peers of Kai-Khosroo,[48] Returning home over the salt blue sea, 830 From laying thy dear master in his grave."

[Rustum is left by the body of his son. The river Oxus flows on under the starlight into the Sea of Aral.]

And Rustum gaz'd on Sohrab's face, and said:— "Soon be that day, my son, and deep that sea! Till then, if fate so wills, let me endure."

He spoke; and Sohrab smil'd on him, and took 835 The spear, and drew it from his side, and eas'd His wound's imperious[49] anguish: but the blood Came welling from the open gash, and life Flow'd with the stream: all down his cold white side The crimson torrent pour'd, dim now, and soil'd, 840 Like the soil'd tissue of white violets Left, freshly gather'd, on their native bank, By romping children, whom their nurses call From the hot fields at noon: his head droop'd low, His limbs grew slack; motionless, white, he lay— 845 White, with eyes clos'd; only when heavy gasps, Deep, heavy gasps, quivering through all his frame, Convuls'd him back to life, he open'd them, And fix'd them feebly on his father's face: Till now all strength was ebb'd, and from his limbs 850 Unwillingly the spirit fled away, Regretting the warm mansion which it left, And youth and bloom, and this delightful world.

So, on the bloody sand, Sohrab lay dead. And the great Rustum drew his horseman's cloak 855 Down o'er his face, and sate by his dead son. As those black granite pillars, once high-rear'd By Jemshid in Persepolis,[50] to bear His house, now, mid their broken flights of steps, Lie prone, enormous, down the mountain side— 860 So in the sand lay Rustum by his son.

And night came down over the solemn waste, And the two gazing hosts, and that sole pair, And darken'd all; and a cold fog, with night, Crept from the Oxus. Soon a hum arose, 865 As of a great assembly loos'd, and fires Began to twinkle through the fog: for now Both armies mov'd to camp, and took their meal: The Persians took it on the open sands Southward; the Tartars by the river marge: 870 And Rustum and his son were left alone.

But the majestic river floated on Out of the mist and hum of that low land; Into the frosty starlight, and there mov'd, Rejoicing, through the hush'd Chorasmian[51] waste 875 Under the solitary moon: he flow'd Right for the polar star, past Orgunje,[52] Brimming, and bright, and large: then sands begin To hem his watery march, and dam his streams, And split his currents; that for many a league 880 The shorn and parcell'd Oxus strains along Through beds of sand and matted rushy isles— Oxus, forgetting the bright speed he had In his high mountain cradle in Pamere, A foil'd circuitous wanderer:—till at last 885 The long'd-for dash of waves is heard, and wide His luminous home of waters[53] opens, bright And tranquil, from whose floor the new-bath'd stars Emerge, and shine upon the Aral Sea.

—Arnold.

[1] Oxus. One of the great rivers of central Asia, forming the boundary between Persia and Turan, or Tartary.

[2] Tartar. A general name given to the tribes in central Asia east of the Oxus.

[3] Peran-Wisa (Pe'ran-We'sa). The commander of the Tartar tribes which formed the army of King Afrasiab.

[4] Pamere. A plateau in central Asia.

[5] King Afrasiab (Afra'-siab). King of the Tartars.

[6] Samarcand. A city in Turkestan.

[7] Ader-baijan (Ader-bi'-yan). A province of Persia.

[8] Seistan (Sa-es-tan'). A district of eastern Persia.

[9] Perhaps because he is beginning to feel old, or on account of some quarrel with the Persian king.

[10] Kara-Kul. A district in Persia.

[11] Casbin. A city in Persia.

[12] Elburz. A mountain range in northern Persia.

[13] Aralian estuaries. The mouth of the rivers flowing into the sea of Aral.

[14] frore. frozen.

[15] Bokhara and Khiva. Districts of central Asia.

[16] The Tartars use an intoxicating liquor called koumiss, made from mare's or camel's milk.

[17] Lines 118-134 mention various nomadic tribes; the names are of no great importance.

[18] Attruck and Jaxartes (l. 126). Names of rivers.

[19] more doubtful service. Their allegiance was doubtful; they were not bound to follow the army of King Afrasiab.

[20] Kuzzaks. Cossacks.

[21] Khorassan. A province of north-eastern Persia.

[22] Cabool. Cabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The trade route between Cabul and Hindustan crosses the mountains at a great height.

[23] Iran. The original came of Persia.

[24] in plain arms. Without any device on his shield.

[25] fluted spine. The hollow spike at the top of the helmet, in which the helmet-feather or crest is fitted.

[26] Dight. decked.

[27] Bahrein. An island.

[28] tale. number.

[29] perus'd. scanned.

[30] tried. experienced.

[31] Be govern'd. Take my advice.

[32] Chang'd gifts. Exchanged gifts, as a sign of friendship.

[33] Success is changeable as the wind.

[34] plummet. The lead used for sounding the depth of the sea.

[35] Hyphasis or Hydaspes. Two great rivers in northern India.

[36] wrack. ruin, destruction.

[37] that autumn star. Sirius, the dog star.

[38] minion. darling, or favorite. The word is generally used to express contempt.

[39] Koords. The people of Kurdistan.

[40] It will be rumoured, or bruited, abroad.

[41] style. title or name.

[42] According to the original legend, Rustum left an amulet, or charm, with the mother of Sohrab. Arnold has altered this detail of the story, and substituted a seal for the amulet.

[43] griffin. A mythical creature, half-lion, half-eagle, which was supposed to keep guard over hidden treasure. Just as in Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus were reared by a she-wolf, so in Persian mythology, Zal was reared by a griffin.

[44] Helmund. A river in Afghanistan.

[45] Sir. Another name for the river Jaxartes.

[46] silt. A deposit of mud or fine earth.

[47] This prophecy waa not fulfilled. Rustum, according to the legend, met his death by treachery at the hand of his half-brother Shughad.

[48] Kai Khosroo. The King of Persia, see line 220.

[49] imperious. demanding relief.

[50] Persepolis. An ancient city supposed to have been built by Jemshid, or Jamshid, a mythical king of Persia.

[51] Chorasmian waste. A desert land, on the lower Oxus.

[52] Orgunje. A village on the Oxus.

[53] home of waters. The Aral Sea, or "Sea of Islands."

THE END