The Persian Literature Volume I Part 25

And so dreadful was the carnage, that Afrasiyab, unable to resist his victorious career, was compelled to seek safety in flight.

The field was red with blood, the Tartar banners Cast on the ground, and when, with grief, he saw The face of Fortune turned, his cohorts slain, He hurried back, and sought Turan again.

Rustem having obtained another triumph, returned to Iran with the spoils of his conquest, and was again honored with the smiles and rewards of his sovereign. Manijeh was not forgotten; she, too, received a present worthy of the virtue and fidelity she had displayed, and of the magnanimity of her spirit; and the happy conclusion of the enterprise was celebrated with festivity and rejoicing.

BARZu, AND HIS CONFLICT WITH RUSTEM

Afrasiyab after his defeat pursued his way in despair towards Chin and Ma-chin, and on the road happened to fall in with a man of huge and terrific stature. Amazed at the sight of so extraordinary a being, he asked him who and what he was. "I am a villager," replied the stranger.

"And thy father?"--"I do not know my father. My mother has never mentioned his name, and my birth is wrapped in mystery." Afrasiyab then addressed him as follows:--"It is my misfortune to have a bitter and invincible enemy, who has plunged me into the greatest distress. If he could be subdued, there would be no impediment to my conquest of Iran; and I feel a.s.sured that thou, apparently endued with such prodigious strength, hast the power to master him. His name is Rustem." "What!"

rejoined Barzu, "is all this concern and affliction about one man--about one man only?" "Yes," answered Afrasiyab; "but that one man is equal to a hundred strong men. Upon him neither sword, nor mace, nor javelin has any effect. In battle he is like a mountain of steel." At this Barzu exclaimed in gamesome mood:--"A mountain of steel!--I can reduce to dust a hundred mountains of steel!--What is a mountain of steel to me!"

Afrasiyab rejoiced to find such confidence in the stranger, and instantly promised him his own daughter in marriage, and the monarchy of Chin and Ma-chin, if he succeeded in destroying Rustem. Barzu replied:--

"Thou art but a coward slave, Thus a stranger's aid to crave.

And thy soldiers, what are they?

Heartless on the battle-day.

Thou, the prince of such a host!

What, alas! hast thou to boast?

Art thou not ashamed to wear The regal crown that glitters there?

And dost thou not disgrace the throne Thus to be awed, and crushed by one; By one, whate'er his name or might, Thus to be put to shameful flight!"

Afrasiyab felt keenly the reproaches which he heard; but, nevertheless, solicited the a.s.sistance of Barzu, who declared that he would soon overpower Rustem, and place the empire of Iran under the dominion of the Tartar king. He would, he said, overflow the land of Persia with blood, and take possession of the throne! The despot was intoxicated with delight, and expecting his most sanguine wishes would be realized, made him the costliest presents, consisting of gold and jewels, and horses, and elephants, so that the besotted stranger thought himself the greatest personage in all the world. But his mother, when she heard these things, implored him to be cautious:--

"My son, these presents, though so rich and rare, Will be thy winding-sheet; beware, beware!

They'll drive to madness thy poor giddy brain, And thou wilt never be restored again.

Never; for wert thou bravest of the brave, They only lead to an untimely grave.

Then give them back, nor such a doom provoke, Beware of Rustem's host-destroying stroke.

Has he not conquered demons!--and, alone, Afrasiyab's best warriors overthrown!

And canst thou equal them?--Alas! the day That thy sweet life should thus be thrown away."

Barzu, however, was too much dazzled by the presents he had received, and too vain of his own personal strength to attend to his mother's advice. "Certainly," said he, "the disposal of our lives is in the hands of the Almighty, and as certain it is that my strength is superior to that of Rustem. Would it not then be cowardly to decline the contest with him?" The mother still continued to dissuade him from the enterprise, and a.s.sured him that Rustem was above all mankind distinguished for the art, and skill, and dexterity, with which he attacked his enemy, and defended himself; and that there was no chance of his being overcome by a man entirely ignorant of the science of fighting; but Barzu remained unmoved: yet he told the king what his mother had said; and Afrasiyab, in consequence, deemed it proper to appoint two celebrated masters to instruct him in the use of the bow, the sword, and the javelin, and also in wrestling and throwing the noose. Every day, clothed in armor, he tried his skill and strength with the warriors, and after ten days he was sufficiently accomplished to overthrow eighteen of them at one time. Proud of the progress he had made, he told the king that he would seize and bind eighteen of his stoutest and most experienced teachers, and bring them before him, if he wished, when all the a.s.sembly exclaimed:--"No doubt he is fully equal to the task;

"He does not seem of human birth, but wears The aspect of the Evil One; and looks Like Alberz mountain, clad in folds of mail; Unwearied in the fight he conquers all."

Afrasiyab's satisfaction was increased by this testimony to the merit of Barzu, and he heaped upon him further tokens of his good-will and munificence. The vain, newly-made warrior was all exultation and delight, and said impatiently:--

"Delays are ever dangerous--let us meet The foe betimes, this Rustem and the king, Kai-khosrau. If we linger in a cause Demanding instant action, prompt appliance, And rapid execution, we are lost.

Advance, and I will soon lop off the heads Of this belauded champion and his king, And cast them, with the Persian crown and throne Trophies of glory, at thy royal feet; So that Turan alone shall rule the world."

Speedily ten thousand experienced hors.e.m.e.n were selected and placed under the command of Barzu; and Human and Barman were appointed to accompany him; Afrasiyab himself intending to follow with the reserve.

When the intelligence of this new expedition reached the court of Kai-khosrau, he was astonished, and could not conceive how, after so signal a defeat and overthrow, Afrasiyab had the means of collecting another army, and boldly invading his kingdom. To oppose this invasion, however, he ordered Tus and Friburz, with twelve thousand hors.e.m.e.n, and marched after them himself with a large army. As soon as Tus fell in with the enemy the battle commenced, and lasted, with great carnage, a whole day and night, and in the end Barzu was victorious. The warriors of the Persian force fled, and left Tus and Friburz alone on the field, where they were encountered by the conqueror, taken prisoners, and bound, and placed in the charge of Human. The tidings of the result of this conflict were received with as much rejoicing by Afrasiyab, as with sorrow and consternation by Kai-khosrau. And now the emergency, on the Persian side, demanded the a.s.sistance of Rustem, whose indignation was roused, and who determined on revenge for the insult that had been given. He took with him Gustahem, the brother of Tus, and at midnight thought he had come to the tent of Barzu, but it proved to be the pavilion of Afrasiyab, who was seen seated on his throne, with Barzu on his right hand, and Piran-wisah on his left, and Tus and Friburz standing in chains before them. The king said to the captive warriors: "To-morrow you shall both be put to death in the manner I slew Saiawush." He then retired. Meanwhile Rustem returned thanks to Heaven that his friends were still alive, and requesting Gustahem to follow cautiously, he waited awhile for a fit opportunity, till the watchman was off his guard, and then killing him, he and Gustahem took up and conveyed the two prisoners to a short distance, where they knocked off their chains, and then conducted them back to Kai-khosrau.

When Afrasiyab arose from sleep, he found his warriors in close and earnest conversation, and was told that a champion from Persia had come and killed the watchman, and carried off the prisoners. Piran exclaimed: "Then a.s.suredly that champion is Rustem, and no other." Afrasiyab writhed with anger and mortification at this intelligence, and sending for Barzu, despatched his army to attack the enemy, and challenge Rustem to single combat. Rustem was with the Persian troops, and, answering the summons, said: "Young man, if thou art calling for Rustem, behold I come in his place to lay thee prostrate on the earth." "Ah!" rejoined Barzu, "and why this threat? It is true I am but of tender years, whilst thou art aged and experienced. But if thou art fire, I am water, and able to quench thy flames." Saying this he wielded his bow, and fixed the arrow in its notch, and commenced the strife. Rustem also engaged with bow and arrows; and then they each had recourse to their maces, which from repeated strokes were soon bent as crooked as their bows, and they were themselves nearly exhausted. Their next encounter was by wrestling, and dreadful were the wrenches and grasps they received from each other.

Barzu finding no advantage from this struggle, raised his mace, and struck Rustem such a prodigious blow on the head, that the champion thought a whole mountain had fallen upon him. One arm was disabled, but though the wound was desperate, Rustem had the address to conceal its effects, and Barzu wondered that he had made apparently so little impression on his antagonist. "Thou art," said he, "a surprising warrior, and seemingly invulnerable. Had I struck such a blow on a mountain, it would have been broken into a thousand fragments, and yet it makes no impression upon thee. Heaven forbid!" he continued to himself, "that I should ever receive so bewildering a stroke upon my own head!" Rustem having successfully concealed the anguish of his wound, artfully observed that it would be better to finish the combat on the following day, to which Barzu readily agreed, and then they both parted.

Barzu declared to Afrasiyab that his extraordinary vigor and strength had been of no account, for both his antagonist and his horse appeared to be composed of materials as hard as flint. Every blow was without effect; and "Heaven only knows," added he, "what may be the result of to-morrow's conflict." On the other hand Rustem showed his lacerated arm to Khosrau, and said: "I have escaped from him; but who else is there now to meet him, and finish the struggle? Feramurz, my son, cannot fulfil my promise with Barzu, as he, alas! is fighting in Hindustan. Let me, however, call him hither, and in the meanwhile, on some pretext or other, delay the engagement." The king, in great sorrow and affliction, sanctioned his departure, and then said to his warriors: "I will fight this Barzu myself to-morrow;" but Gudarz would not consent to it, saying: "As long as we live, the king must not be exposed to such hazard. Giw and Byzun, and the other chiefs, must first successively encounter the enemy."

When Rustem reached his tent, he told his brother Zuara to get ready a litter, that he might proceed to Sistan for the purpose of obtaining a remedy for his wound from the Simurgh. Pain and grief kept him awake all night, and he prayed incessantly to the Supreme Being. In the morning early, Zuara brought him intelligence of the welcome arrival of Feramurz, which gladdened his heart; and as the youth had undergone great fatigue on his long journey, Rustem requested him to repose awhile, and he himself, freed from anxiety, also sought relief in a sound sleep.

A few hours afterwards both armies were again drawn up, and Barzu, like a mad elephant, full of confidence and pride, rode forward to resume the combat; whilst Rustem gave instructions to Feramurz how he was to act.

He attired him in his own armor, supplied him with his own weapons, and mounted him on Rakush, and told him to represent himself to Barzu as the warrior who had engaged him the day before. Accordingly Feramurz entered the middle s.p.a.ce, clothed in his father's mail, raised his bow, ready bent, and shot an arrow at Barzu, crying: "Behold thy adversary! I am the man come to try thy strength again. Advance!" To this Barzu replied: "Why this hilarity, and great flow of spirits? Art thou reckless of thy life?" "In the eyes of warriors," said Feramurz, "the field of fight is the mansion of pleasure. After I yesterday parted from thee I drank wine with my companions, and the impression of delight still remains on my heart.

"Wine exhilarates the soul, Makes the eye with pleasure roll; Lightens up the darkest mien, Fills with joy the dullest scene; Hence it is I meet thee now With a smile upon my brow,"

Barzu, however, thought that the voice and action of his adversary were not the same as he had heard and seen the preceding day, although there was no difference in the armor or the horse, and therefore he said: "Perhaps the cavalier whom I encountered yesterday is wounded or dead, that thou hast mounted his charger, and attired thyself in his mail."

"Indeed," rejoined Feramurz, "perhaps thou hast lost thy wits; I am certainly the person who engaged thee yesterday, and almost extinguished thee; and with G.o.d's favor thou shalt be a dead man to-day." "What is thy name?" "My name is Rustem, descended from a race of warriors, and my pleasure consists in contending with the lions of battle, and shedding the blood of heroes." Thus saying, Feramurz rushed on his adversary, struck him several blows with his battle-axe, and drawing his noose from the saddle-strap with the quickness of lightning, secured his prize. He might have put an end to his existence in a moment, but preferred taking him alive, and showing him as a captive. Afrasiyab seeing the perilous condition of Barzu, came up with his whole army to his rescue; but Kai-khosrau was equally on the alert, accompanied by Rustem, who, advancing to the support of Feramurz, threw another noose round the neck of the already-captured Barzu, to prevent the possibility of his escape.

Both armies now engaged, and the Turanians made many desperate efforts to recover their gigantic leader, but all their manoeuvres were fruitless. The struggle continued fiercely, and with great slaughter, till it was dark, and then ceased; the two kings returned back to the respective positions they had taken up before the conflict took place.

The Turanians were in the deepest grief for the loss of Barzu; and Piran-wisah having recommended an immediate retreat across the Jihun, Afrasiyab followed his counsel, and precipitately quitted Persia with all his troops.

Kai-khosrau ordered a grand banquet on the occasion of the victory; and when Barzu was brought before him, he commanded his immediate execution; but Rustem, seeing that he was very young, and thinking that he had not yet been corrupted and debased by the savage example of the Turanians, requested that he might be spared, and given to him to send into Sistan; and his request was promptly complied with.

When the mother of Barzu, whose name was Shah-ru, heard that her son was a prisoner, she wept bitterly, and hastened to Iran, and from thence to Sistan. There happened to be in Rustem's employ a singing-girl,[50] an old acquaintance of hers, to whom she was much attached, and to whom she made large presents, calling her by the most endearing epithets, in order that she might be brought to serve her in the important matter she had in contemplation. Her object was soon explained, and the preliminaries at once adjusted, and by the hands of this singing-girl she secretly sent some food to Barzu, in which she concealed a ring, to apprise him of her being near him. On finding the ring, he asked who had supplied him with the food, and her answer was: "A woman recently arrived from Ma-chin." This was to him delightful intelligence, and he could not help exclaiming, "That woman is my mother, I am grateful for thy services, but another time bring me, if thou canst, a large file, that I may be able to free myself from these chains." The singing-girl promised her a.s.sistance; and having told Shah-ru what her son required, conveyed to him a file, and resolved to accompany him in his flight.

Barzu then requested that three fleet horses might be provided and kept ready under the walls, at a short distance; and this being also done, in the night, he and his mother, and the singing-girl, effected their escape, and pursued their course towards Turan.

It so happened that Rustem was at this time in progress between Iran and Sistan, hunting for his own pleasure the elk or wild a.s.s, and he accidentally fell in with the refugees, who made an attempt to avoid him, but, unable to effect their purpose, thought proper to oppose him with all their might, and a sharp contest ensued. Both parties becoming fatigued, they rested awhile, when Rustem asked Barzu how he had obtained his liberty. "The Almighty freed me from the bondage I endured." "And who are these two women?" "One of them," replied Barzu, "is my mother, and that is a singing-girl of thy own house." Rustem went aside, and called for breakfast, and thinking in his own mind that it would be expedient to poison Barzu, mixed up a deleterious substance in some food, and sent it to him to eat. He was just going to take it, when his mother cried, "My son, beware!" and he drew his hand from the dish.

But the singing-girl did eat part of it, and died on the spot. Upon witnessing this appalling scene, Barzu sprang forward with indignation, and reproached Rustem for his treachery in the severest terms.

"Old man! hast thou mid warrior-chiefs a place, And dost thou practice that which brings disgrace?

Hast thou no fear of a degraded name, No fear of lasting obloquy and shame?

O, thou canst have no hope in G.o.d, when thou Stand'st thus defiled--dishonoured, false, as now; Unfair, perfidious, art thou too, in strife, By any pretext thou wouldst take my life!"

He then in a menacing att.i.tude exclaimed: "If thou art a man, rise and fight!" Rustem felt ashamed on being thus detected, and rose up frowning in scorn. They met, brandis.h.i.+ng their battle-axes, and looking as black as the clouds of night. They then dismounted to wrestle, and fastening the bridles, each to his own girdle, furiously grasped each other's loins and limbs, straining and struggling for the mastery. Whilst they were thus engaged, their horses betrayed equal animosity, and attacked each other with great violence. Rakush bit and kicked Barzu's steed so severely that he strove to gallop away, dragging his master, who was at the same time under the excruciating grip of Rustem. "O, release me for a moment till I am disentangled from my horse," exclaimed Barzu; but Rustem heeding him not, now pressed him down beneath him, and was preparing to give him the finis.h.i.+ng blow by cutting off his head, when the mother seeing the fatal moment approach, shrieked, and cried out, "Forbear, Rustem! this youth is the son of Sohrab, and thy own grandchild! Forbear, and bring not on thyself the devouring anguish which followed the death of his unhappy father.

"Think of Sohrab! take not the precious life Of sire and son--unnatural is the strife; Restrain, for mercy's sake, that furious mood, And pause before thou shedd'st a kinsman's blood."

"Ah!" rejoined Rustem, "can that be true?" upon which Shah-ru showed him Sohrab's brilliant finger-ring and he was satisfied. He then pressed Barzu warmly and affectionately to his breast, and kissed his head and eyes, and took him along with him to Sistan, where he placed him in a station of honor, and introduced him to his great-grandfather Zal, who received and caressed him with becoming tenderness and regard.

SuSEN AND AFRaSIYaB

Soon after Afrasiyab had returned defeated into Turan, grievously lamenting the misfortune which had deprived him of the a.s.sistance of Barzu, a woman named Susen, deeply versed in magic and sorcery, came to him, and promised by her potent art to put him in the way of destroying Rustem and his whole family.

"Fighting disappointment brings, Sword and mace are useless things; If thou wouldst a conqueror be, Monarch! put thy trust in me; Soon the mighty chief shall bleed-- Spells and charms will do the deed!"

Afrasiyab at first refused to avail himself of her power, but was presently induced, by a manifestation of her skill, to consent to what she proposed. She required that a distinguished warrior should be sent along with her, furnished with abundance of treasure, honorary tokens and presents, so that none might be aware that she was employed on the occasion. Afrasiyab appointed Pilsam, duly supplied with the requisites, and the warrior and the sorceress set off on their journey, people being stationed conveniently on the road to hasten the first tidings of their success to the king. Their course was towards Sistan, and arriving at a fort, they took possession of a commodious residence, in which they placed the wealth and property they had brought, and, establis.h.i.+ng a house of entertainment, all travellers who pa.s.sed that way were hospitably and sumptuously regaled by them.

For sparkling wine, and viands rare, And mellow fruit, abounded there.

It is recorded that Rustem had invited to a magnificent feast at his palace in Sistan a large company of the most celebrated heroes of the kingdom, and amongst them happened to be Tus, whom the king had deputed to the champion on some important state affairs. Gudarz was also present; and between him and Tus ever hostile to each other, a dispute as usual took place. The latter, always boasting of his ancestry, reviled the old warrior and said, "I am the son of Nauder, and the grandson of Feridun, whilst thou art but the son of Kavah, the blacksmith;--why then dost thou put thyself on a footing with me?"

Gudarz, in reply, poured upon him reproaches equally irritating, accused him of ignorance and folly, and roused the anger of the prince to such a degree that he drew his dagger to punish the offender, when Reham started up and prevented the intended bloodshed. This interposition increased his rage, and in serious dudgeon he retired from the banquet, and set off on his return to Iran.

Rustem was not present at the time, but when he heard of the altercation and the result of it, he was very angry, saying that Gudarz was a relation of the family, and Tus his guest, and therefore wrong had been done, since a guest ought always to be protected. "A guest," he said, "ought to be held as sacred as the king, and it is the custom of heroes to treat a guest with the most scrupulous respect and consideration--

"For a guest is the king of the feast."