VIS'S PRAISE OF CHASTITY

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stancy of a thousand, give away my heart? Woman is always man's prey. He always captures her soon, and easily with a thousand entreaties and speeches deceives them, he swears to woman, and when he has accomplished his will with her, he glories;2 he no longer wonders, he 88 desires another. What he did at first he desires afterwards, and becomes loud-voiced. Through forwardness a woman at last, alas! falls into misery, and the man straightway becomes weary of her. Alas! then the woman is bound in a net, she is carried away by desire, she has fallen from honour, no man will respect her any longer nor share her shame. He no longer will look on her, he scorns her, he does not praise her, but counts her shameful. Woman, alas! in waiting for (the realization of) hope melts like snow in the sun; in love she is like a beast wounded in the chase she can neither stand nor flee. Sometimes she fears potions, sometimes her husband, sometimes she melts from fear and shame of him. In this world fear and disgrace, and in eternity the wrath of God! . . . And why should I do such a deed as would make me ashamed before men and afraid of God? If I am led away by the desire of the devil in this world, in eternity God will burn me; and if my secret be known to men, I shall be despised of all men. Then some will try to seek me, will sacrifice themselves to fulfil their desire; some will grieve at my shame, they will give me nothing but evil counsel; and when all men have had their will of me, no place will befit me but hell. May God always be with me, may He guard me on the right road, may my hope always be fulfilled in God, for save from Him it is idle to expect mercy."

| When the nurse heard this discourse from Vis, she saw 89 that there was but little hope for Ramin. She gave a reply in another strain, and spoke thus:

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Every man is happy or miserable by his constellation.

1 Ert'h-sakhe, 77.

3 ? admires.

5 Sheupovroba, 147-frowardness.

• Aighebs, 80, nebasa (?).

2 Moirdchmis, 1, 45, 142, 215.

4 Nebierobs (?) 67, 126.

7 Shertzkhuendebis.

Whatever comes upon man's head comes by the decree of God; therefore is man's name called mona (slave).1

(Shegoneba): "Thou seemest to think that one can by force or heroism cause the lion to abandon its lion-like nature, or by greatness and sovereignty give to a partridge a hawk's nature. By God is a decree written on the heads of all of us, and in life we cannot take off the decree of God, nor can the writing be changed by us, whether we weep or laugh. Now, that also will happen to thee which God has foreordained, it will neither be increased nor diminished to thee."

Thus spake Vis:

"Everything comes to man by Fate, but evil will befall him who does evil! There are many who do one evil deed and see a hundred worse (in consequence). First of all, Shahro did an evil deed, for she gave Moabad's wife to Viro. She did evil, we did not, and see what grief we too have seen. I am disgraced and my husband also, I am hopeless and my lover also. Why should I also do evil and then blame Fate? I may be despicable through unhappy Fate, why should I be partner in an evil deed ?" Again the nurse spoke thus:

"O my light, the peerless Ramin is not my son, that I should help him because of his sonship and free him from 90 his trouble. If God and Fate help him, nothing evil will befall him, from the planets or from the world.

(Shegoneba): "Can it be that thou hast not heard from the sayings of the wise that to God all His desires are possible, by His Word the world and fate were created, and He has conceived everything moving in them, and their needs, as is fitting? He has made fields and plains for vineyards and for tillage, and has made great smooth places for palaces, He has made many great things little, and little things great. If thou hast grief and bitterness from love, thou canst not be delivered by thine adroitness.2 If it be

1

Mona, 31, 215. ? a play upon words in the original; lost in the Georgian.

2 Chaukobiťha. R., 57, agility.

THE NURSE SPEAKS OF FATE

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God's decree, thou wilt have the victory; know this, that thou canst not doff what he has put upon thee. Neither gloom avails thee, nor greatness, nor thine arm, nor treasure, nor understanding,1 nor sovereignty, nor modesty, nor honourableness. When love affairs come, they perforce subject men, ill and good. Then, except the hearing of reproach, there is no other way. Now, what I have said will be evident very soon. If from this fire smoke arises, what appears? When thou lovest someone so much, then thou wilt praise my words. Clearly shalt thou see, and I also, if I am thy friend or thine enemy."

1 Gonebianoba.

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| CHAPTER XVIII

THE NURSE'S SECOND VISIT TO RAMIN

NEXT morning she went to the place agreed upon. She and Ramin sat down. When he saw the nurse merry and gay,1 Ramin spoke thus:

"O praiseworthy nurse, what news since yesterday? Thou art justly merry, for thou hast seen the face of Vis, and hast heard pleasant converse from her."

Ramin also asked how that sun was, who had hitherto drunk up his days.

"Didst thou verily tell her my embassy and message, and didst thou inform her of my unhappiness and pitiful state through love?"

The busy 2 nurse thus addressed Ramin :

"I went to that fair one, and I told her thy message. She treated me badly, insulted me, and gave this answer, which I now tell thee: Ramin, prefer not crooked to straight, that thine affair may not turn out crooked. Why dost thou entreat? Sit down calmly. Too much rule is not a happy thing for anybody; never expect to be united

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to me, do not cherish this hope. Go and busy thyself with thine affairs. If thou desirest love, thou canst find plenty of women in the world; let it be as if thou hadst never even heard my name; be not a follower of the devil, and do not 92 sin first against God, and then against thy brother. once thou wert to find thy desire in me, I know that I

1 Nishtianad. Cf. nishati, 197. R., 323, 666, 707.

2 Sakmian, 189.

3 Mouraoba-headship, governance, mastery.

4 Suiani, 81, 197.

If

THE NURSE'S SECOND VISIT TO RAMIN 83

should be so hateful to thee, that thou wouldst be shamed even at hearing my name. Leave me alone.' Thus she spake to me: 'Arise, nurse, all thy days presume not to speak thus falsely; and if I again hear such words from thee, thou shalt never see my face again as long as thou livest.' When I heard this from her, I ceased to speak, I dared no more, I was afraid that perhaps she would become weary of me, and I should be consumed."

When Ramin heard this from the nurse he trembled from love, like a willow in the wind. His heart beat hard, and from excess of grief he answered haltingly. Thus spake he to the nurse:

“Have pity on me once more, and yet again say from me: ‘O shining moon and light like the sun! All men are not alike.1 Be not unmerciful to me. If thou askest an oath from me, I will swear to thee with a thousand promises that as long as I live I shall be thine earth, more than thine earth even. I shall never forget to love thee, I shall love thee more than my life, and from my body love for thee and my life shall come forth together. Never shall I renounce slavery to thee, either in joy or sorrow.""

Thus he spake, and shed tears of blood in a stream. His eyes were like the clouds in May, in that their rain was inexhaustible.

The nurse pitied the disheartened Ramin, for from 93 melancholy he was very pitiable. Thus she spoke to Ramin :

"O light of mine eyes! in love thou must clad thy form in the corslet of patience. Weeping betrays the lover, and ill will it befall him; great misfortune pursues the manifest lover. Instead of Vis, if thou wishest, I will give thee my soul. I will go and again attack Vis; I will clothe my form in the armour of shamelessness. As long as I live I shall not forsake thee. I devote my soul and life to thee. I know no heart more true in this than ours. When a man has a true heart he will achieve his desire."

1 R., 932. 3 Falmagi.

2 Var., "lower."

4 Djadchvi, R., 426, 1346.