Isfendiyár, blind to the march of fate, treated the suggestion of his
brother with scorn, and mounting his horse, was soon in the presence of
Rustem, whom he thus hastily addressed: "Yesterday thou wert wounded
almost to death by my arrows, and to-day there is no trace of them. How
is this?
"But thy father Zál is a sorcerer,
And he by charm and spell
Has cured all the wounds of the warrior,
And now he is safe and well.
For the wounds I gave could never be
Closed up, excepting by sorcery.
Yes, the wounds I gave thee in every part,
Could never be cured but by magic art."
Rustem replied, "If a thousand arrows were shot at me, they would all
drop harmless to the ground, and in the end thou wilt fall by my hands.
Therefore, if thou seekest thy own welfare, come at once and be my
guest, and I swear by the Almighty, by Zerdusht, and the Zendavesta, by
the sun and moon, that I will go with thee, but unfetterd, to thy
father, who may do with me what he lists."--"That is not enough,"
replied Isfendiyár, "thou must be fettered."--"Then do not bind my arms,
and take whatever thou wilt from me."--"And what hast thou to give?"
"A thousand jewels of brilliant hue,
And of unknown price, shall be thine;
A thousand imperial diadems too,
And a thousand damsels divine,
Who with angel-voices will sing and play,
And delight thy senses both night and day;
And my family wealth shall be brought thee, all
That was gathered by Narímán, Sám, and Zál."
"This is all in vain," said Isfendiyár. "I may have wandered from the
way of Heaven, but I will not disobey the commands of the king. And of
what use would thy treasure and property be to me? I must please my
father, that he may surrender to me his crown and throne, and I have
solemnly sworn to him that I will place thee before him in fetters."
Rustem replied, "And in the hopes of a crown and throne thou wouldst
sacrifice thyself!"--"Thou shalt see!" said Isfendiyár, and seized his
bow to commence the combat. Rustem did the same, and when he had placed
the forked arrow in the bow-string, he imploringly turned up his face
towards Heaven, and fervently exclaimed, "O God, thou knowest how
anxiously I have wished for a reconciliation, how I have suffered, and
that I would now give all my treasures and wealth and go with him to
Irán, to avoid this conflict; but my offers are disdained, for he is
bent upon consigning me to bondage and disgrace. Thou art the redresser
of grievances--direct the flight of this arrow into his eyes, but do not
let me be punished for the involuntary deed." At this moment Isfendiyár
shot an arrow with great force at Rustem, who dexterously eluded its
point, and then, in return, instantly lodged the charmed weapon in the
eyes of his antagonist.
And darkness overspread his sight,
The world to him was hid in night;
The bow dropped from his slackened hand,
And down he sunk upon the sand.
"Yesterday," said Rustem, "thou discharged at me a hundred and sixty
arrows in vain, and now thou art overthrown by one arrow of mine."
Bahman, the son of Isfendiyár, seeing his father bleeding on the ground,
uttered loud lamentations, and Bashútan, followed by the Iránian troops,
also drew nigh with the deepest sorrow marked on their countenances. The
fatal arrow was immediately drawn from the wounded eyes of the prince,
and some medicine being first applied to them, they conveyed him
mournfully to his own tent.
The conflict having thus terminated, Rustem at the same time returned
with his army to where Zál remained in anxious suspense about the
result. The old man rejoiced at the issue, but said, "O, my son, thou
hast killed thy enemy, but I have learnt from the wise men and
astrologers that the slayer of Isfendiyár must soon come to a fatal end.
May God protect thee!" Rustem replied, "I am guiltless, his blood is
upon his own head." The next day they both proceeded to visit
Isfendiyár, and offer to him their sympathy and condolence, when the
wounded prince thus spoke to Rustem: "I do not ascribe my misfortune to
thee, but to an all-ruling power. Fate would have it so, and thus it is!
I now consign to thy care and guardianship my son Bahman: instruct him
in the science of government, the customs of kings, and the rules and
stratagems of the warrior, for thou art exceedingly wise and
experienced, and perfect in all things," Rustem readily complied, and
said:--
"That duty shall be mine alone,
To seat him firmly on the throne."
Then Isfendiyár murmured to Bashútan, that the anguish of his wound was
wearing him away, and that he had but a short time to live.
"The pace of death is fast and fleet,
And nothing my life can save,
I shall want no robe, but my winding sheet,
No mansion but the grave.
"And tell my father the wish of his heart
Has not been breathed in vain,
The doom he desired when he made me depart,
Has been sealed, and his son is slain!
"And, O! to my mother, in kindliest tone,
The mournful tidings bear,
And soothe her woes for her warrior gone,
For her lost Isfendiyár."