4

gold, and brocade; he set out with his friends and soldiers.
He put Vis in a litter1 adorned with gems and pearls. She
travelled openly like the moon among the stars. They
went swiftly day and night. They made a two weeks' journey
in a day. They crossed mountains and plains.
When they reported the news about Ramin to Shah
Moabad, Ramin had gone to Qazmin,2 and from Qazmin to
the country of the Delams. Great and powerful and with
many troops are the Delams and the Gelans-such brave
youths, that they do not miss (the target) on a dark night.
They split a hair with a javelin,5 and shoot (?) an arrow as
big as a mast; they make the anvil to run; they cast a
spears further than a stadium; they have huge and good
shields.10 Among themselves they have contests with one
another; they use well the sword, spear, and arrow. They
are such brave warriors that however great and brave
the monarchs of Persia 11 have been, from none of them
could they take tribute,12 nor carry away any of them.
Until this day, that land is a virgin, since no monarch
whatever has taken her nor found his heart's desire in
her.

443 When Ramin arrived there with his treasures intact, he poured out gold in heaps 13 and divided it with a pan 14 and began to distribute it. Foe and friend came to him. When gold rained from his hands and Fate bloomed,15 the army became more numerous than the sand of the sea and the leaves of the trees; his standard 16 reached to the sky. The army of the whole country came; but it did not come to him, but to the gold and stuff.17 All the grandees came to serve him, such as Amiam and Kishar, Viro and Baram, Raham and Gelo. And there were other kings who on

MOABAD'S WRATH AT RAMIN'S TREACHERY 385

account of distance and lack of time could not come then; all these sent their armies forward, then they themselves came. Ramin's hosts multiplied so that there was not room for them on the earth. Viro was his commander-inchief and vizier, and the chief of his household and chamberlain were Khami1 and Gulo.2

3

When news of this went to Moabad's army, they dared not tell Moabad for fear, because in ill-humour and wrath he went out of himself. In kings there is no worse quality than ill-temper. Everyone preferred to hide that matter. For three days nobody reported it, and all those who belonged to him went away to their own homes. When Moabad learned the news, he became enraged, he lost his wits, he was bound by Fate, and he no longer perceived his road and resource; so to speak, his road was blocked before and behind. Sometimes he thought: "I will go to Khuarasan, and there shall be neither Vis, nor Ramin, nor Gurgan on the earth when I come back." Sometimes he said: "If I go hence, I shall become a reproach in the earth; they will mock me, saying: 'He was afraid of Ramin; | otherwise he 444 would not have gone to Khuarasan."" Sometimes he said: "Should I go to combat with Ramin, perchance my luck will forsake me. My soldiers are hostile to me. All desire Ramin as king; he is young, and his fate also is young. fear the victory will be to him; he has all my treasure. am poor, and he rich. I could not eat and use it; everything I had for him. My mother caused me to forgive Ramin, and it has turned out as might have been expected; otherwise, why should I have followed Vis's advice ?"

I

For a whole week he held no court reception,5 he was thinking what he should do. His mind wandered over sea and land, then at the end he resolved that he would set out and attack Ramin in battle. He was ashamed to flee, and he set out from Gurgan to Amul, and placed his army on the field of Amul, and he filled the land with his hosts and adorned it with a multitude of tents.

445

CHAPTER LXXXVIII

SHAH MOABAD IS SLAIN BY A BOAR

HOWEVER much one has experience of the world, not thus can anyone learn its hidden secret. There is nothing more secret than its heart, nor sharper than its wit. The world is old, and we are like dreams in it. Why should I expect to tarry in it? There is no stability in it. It is not obedient to man, nor distinguishes love from enmity, nor does it fulfil friendship to any who expects love from it. It is even like the thought of the watch-keeping of a blind man. It shows itself to man in various ways: a thing is one thing inside and another outside; it is like a conjurer.1 Many kinds of figures pass through a gazing crystal,2 but inside no one tarries long. It is like an archer who is shooting in a dark night: the arrow flies from the hands 446 and he does not know where it strikes, and we seek advantage from it and there is none. Even though we have escaped it, yet we are not saved. Thus we are in a dream. When one day is past and a second day comes, the first is forgotten and causes a man to wonder at the other that comes after it. The fickleness of fate magnifies one and humbles another. It has annihilated and ruined on the earth better kings than Moabad (who was) manifested like the sun. At the end he remained sad and with his wishes unfulfilled.

When he made the soldiers camp at Amul, he sat drinking that night until dawn. He completely clad the grandees, he gave the other soldiers arms, a horse, gold

1 T'hvalt'h maktzieri, 389.

2 Mecvebani (?). The passage is obscure.

SHAH MOABAD IS SLAIN BY A BOAR 387

3

and stuff, he filled them with gifts. It was necessary in order to gain their favour. He took pains2 about his prestige, and did not know what was decreed for him by God's providence after that night. He lay down that night merry and drunken; then the morn of his misfortune dawned.

Moabad held a durbar, and all the grandees came before him and a council was held. Moabad's tent and the tents of his host were pitched on the edge of a forest.

8

Suddenly from the forest there came forth a great boar.5 The soldiers saw it and began to pursue it. The pig began to turn and run about. It went among the tents. Moabad heard the noise of the troops pursuing the pig; he mounted his dappled steed, took in his hand javelins and joined in the pursuit. He aimed javelins at the boar and missed it. Then the pig threw itself upon him, struck the horse, and it stumbled; Shahinshah fell headlong. He tried to remount | his horse; again the pig rushed on, 447 struck its tusk in his breast and ripped him to the navel.10 The horse and Shahinshah fell, both together.

So great a monarch as Shah Moabad died in this pitiful manner. Shahinshah's days were spent, the candle of Moabad's house was extinguished. Those faithful to him and brought up by him gave themselves up to grief, and the traitors and enemies rejoiced.

O Fate, thou hast no constancy! For the sake of others I will inquire and prove thy trustworthiness. I will wipe love from my heart. I have no confidence in thy tenderness! Thou sittest always hidden to war with us; thou dost not sin against us to our faces. Whatever thou givest thou demandest it all again from us.11 For two days thou art my host, and then demandest my life in return. Why dost thou shed so unmercifully our innocent blood?

Though openly thou art a light, in concealment thou art very dark. Thou turnest like a mill; thou art full of water, wind, and dust. When thou dost cast my fate into a pit, the height of thee avails me not. However much anyone tries thee, thou art the same and the same, fickle, perjured, treacherous, and faithless. He who knows thy habits continually curses thee.