California 
 
 egional 
 
 icility 
 
Sofrrab and Rustum 
 
MATI l!i:\\ ARNOl I). 
 
 G. K. \\' MIS. 
 
. K 
 
 SOHRAB AND 
 
 RUSTUM 53 
 
 BY 
 
 MATTHEW 
 ARNOLD 
 
 LONDON, EC 
 DEAN & SON LIMITED 
 
Sohrab and Rustum 
 
Sohrab and Rustum 
 
 AND the first gray of morning filled the 
 
 east, 
 
 And the fog rose out of the Oxus stream. 
 But all the Tartar camp along the stream 
 Was hushed, and still the men were 
 
 plunged in sleep. 
 Sohrab alone, he slept not ; all night 
 
 long 
 
 He had lain wakeful, tossing on his bed : 
 But when the gray dawn stole into his 
 
 tent, 
 He rose, and clad himself, and girt his 
 
 sword, 
 
 7 
 
Sobrab and TRustum 
 
 And took his horseman's cluak, and left 
 
 his tent, 
 
 And went abroad into the cold wet fog, 
 Through the dim camp to Peran-Wisa's 
 
 tent. 
 Through the black Tartar tents he 
 
 passed, which stood 
 Clustering like bee-hives on the low flat 
 
 strand 
 Of Oxus, where the summer-floods o'er- 
 
 flow 
 When the sun melts the snows in high 
 
 Pamere ; 
 Through the black tents he passed, o'er 
 
 that low strand, 
 
 And to a hillock came, a little back 
 From the stream's brink, the spot 
 
 where first a boat, 
 8 
 
Sobrab anD "Rustum 
 
 Crossing the stream in summer, scrapes 
 
 the land. 
 The men of former times had crowned 
 
 the top. 
 With a clay fort; but that was fallen, 
 
 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 piled carpets in the 
 
 tent, 
 And found the old man sleeping on his 
 
 bed 
 Of rugs and felts, and near him lay his 
 
 arms. 
 
 9 
 
Sobcab anD "Rustum 
 
 And Peran-Wisa heard him, though the 
 
 step 
 Was dulled; for he slept light, an old 
 
 man's sleep ; 
 And he rose quickly on one arm, and 
 
 said, 
 " 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 has not yet risen, and the foe. 
 Sleep : but I sleep not ; all night long I 
 
 lie 
 
 Tossing and wakeful, and I come to thee. 
 For so did King Afrasiab bid me seek 
 10 
 
Sobrab anfc "Rustum 
 
 Thy counsel, and to heed thee as thy 
 
 son, 
 
 In Samarcand, before the army marched ; 
 And I will tell thee what my heart 
 
 desires. 
 Thou know'st if, since from Ader-baijan 
 
 first 
 I came among the Tartars, and bore 
 
 arms, 
 I have still served Afrasiab well, and 
 
 shown, 
 
 At my boy's years, the courage of a man. 
 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, 
 
 ii 
 
Sol.ua b anD "Rustum 
 
 I seek one man, one man, and one 
 alone, 
 
 Rustum, my father ; who I hoped should 
 greet, 
 
 Should one day greet, upon some well- 
 fought field, 
 
 His not unworthy, not inglorious son. 
 
 So I long hoped, but him I never find. 
 
 Come then, hear now, and grant me what 
 I ask. 
 
 Let the two armies rest to-day ; but I 
 
 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, 
 
Sobrab an& "Rustum 
 
 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 sighed, and 
 
 said, 
 
 " O Sohrab, an unquiet heart is thine ! 
 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 ? 
 That were far best, my son, to stay with us 
 13 
 
Sobrab anO "Rustum 
 
 Unmurmuring ; in our tents, while it is 
 
 war, 
 And when 'tis truce, then in Afrasiab's 
 
 towns. 
 
 But if this one desire indeed 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. 
 
 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, with Zal, his father old ; 
 Whether that his own mighty strength 
 
 at last 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 Feels the abhorred approaches of old 
 
 age; 
 
 Or in some quarrel with the Persian king. 
 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 
 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." 
 
Sobrab anD "Kustum 
 
 So said he, and dropped Sohrab's hand, 
 
 and left 
 His bed, and the warm rugs whereon he 
 
 lay; 
 
 And o'er his chilly limbs his woollen coat 
 He passed, and tied his sandals on his 
 
 feet, 
 And threw a white cloak round him, 
 
 and he took 
 In his right hand a ruler's staff, no 
 
 sword ; 
 And on his head he set his sheep-skin, 
 
 cap, 
 Black, glossy, curled, the fleece of Kara- 
 
 Kul; 
 And raised the curtain of his tent, and 
 
 called 
 
 His herald to his side, and went abroad. 
 16 
 
Sobrab anD IRugtum 
 
 The sun by this had risen, and cleared 
 
 the fog 
 From the broad Oxus and the glittering 
 
 sands. 
 And from their tents the Tartar horsemen 
 
 filed 
 
 Into the open plain : so Haman bade, 
 Haman, who next to Peran-Wisa ruled 
 The host, and still was in his lusty prime,- 
 From their black tents, long files of 
 
 horse, they streamed ; 
 As when some gray November morn the 
 
 files, 
 In marching order spread, of long-necked 
 
 cranes 
 Stream over Casbin and the southern 
 
 slopes 
 Of Elburz, from the Aralian estuaries, 
 
 B 17 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 Of some frore Caspian reed-bed, south- 
 ward bound 
 
 For the warm Persian seaboard, so they 
 streamed. 
 
 The Tartars of the Oxus, the king's guard, 
 
 First, with black sheep-skin caps and 
 with long spears ; 
 
 Large men, large steeds, who from Bok- 
 hara come 
 
 And Khiva, and ferment the milk of 
 mares. 
 
 Next, the more temperate Toorkmuns of 
 the south, 
 
 The Tukas, and the lances of Salore, 
 
 And those from Attruck and the Caspian 
 sands; 
 
 Light men and on light steeds, who only 
 
 drink 
 
 18 
 
Sobrab anfc IRustum 
 
 The acrid milk of camels, and their 
 
 wells. 
 And then a swarm of wandering horse, 
 
 who came 
 From far, and a more doubtful service 
 
 owned, 
 
 The Tartars of Ferghana, from the banks 
 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, 
 Kalmucks and unkempt Kuzzaks, tribes 
 
 who stray 
 Nearest the pole, and wandering Kir- 
 
 ghizzes, 
 Who come on shaggy ponies from 
 
 Pamere, 
 
 19 
 
Sobrab anfc IRustum 
 
 These all filed out from camp into the 
 
 plain. 
 And on the other side the Persians 
 
 formed, 
 First a light cloud of horse, Tartars they 
 
 seemed, 
 
 The Ilyats of Khorassan ; and behind, 
 The royal troops of Persia, horse and 
 
 foot, 
 Marshalled battalions bright in burnished 
 
 steel. 
 
 But Peran-Wisa with his herald came, 
 Threading the Tartar squadrons to the 
 
 front, 
 
 And with his staff kept back the fore- 
 most ranks. 
 And when Ferood, who led the Persians, 
 
 saw 
 
 20 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 That Peran-Wisa kept the Tartars back, 
 He took his spear, and to the front he 
 
 came, 
 And checked his ranks, and fixed them 
 
 where they stood. 
 
 And the old Tartar came upon the sand 
 Betwixt the silent hosts, and spake, and 
 
 said, 
 " 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." 
 As in the country, on a morn in 
 
 June, 
 
 21 
 
Sobrab an& "Ruetum 
 
 When the dew glistens on the pearled 
 
 ears, 
 A shiver runs through the deep corn for 
 
 jy 5 
 
 So, when they heard what Peran-Wisa 
 
 said, 
 A thrill through all the Tartar squadrons 
 
 ran 
 Of pride and hope for Sohrab, whom they 
 
 loved. 
 
 But as a troop of pedlars from Cabool 
 Cross underneath the Indian Caucasus, 
 That vast sky-neighbouring mountain of 
 
 milk snow ; 
 Crossing so high, that, as they mount, 
 
 they pass 
 Long flocks of travelling birds dead on 
 
 the snow, 
 
 22 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 Choked by the air, and scarce can they 
 
 themselves 
 Slake their parched throats with sugared 
 
 mulberries ; 
 In single file they move, and stop their 
 
 breath, 
 For fear they should dislodge the o'er- 
 
 hanging snows, 
 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 ruled the Persian 
 
 host 
 
 Second, and was the uncle of the king ; 
 These came and counselled, and then 
 
 Gudurz said, 
 23 
 
Sobrab anD TRustum 
 
 " 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 
 And sullen, and has pitched 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." 
 
 24 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 So spake he ; and Ferood stood forth 
 
 and cried, 
 "Old man, be it agreed as thou hast 
 
 said ! 
 Let Sohrab arm, and we will find a 
 
 man." 
 He spake; and Peran-Wisa turned, 
 
 and strode 
 Back through the opening squadrons to 
 
 his tent. 
 But through the anxious Persians Gudurz 
 
 ran, 
 And crossed the camp which lay behind, 
 
 and reached, 
 Out on the sands beyond it, Rustum's 
 
 tents. 
 Of scarlet cloth they were, and glittering 
 
Sobrab an& "Kustum 
 
 Just pitched ; the high pavilion in the 
 
 midst 
 Was Rustum's, and his men lay camped 
 
 around. 
 And Gudurz entered Rustum's tent, ;md 
 
 found 
 Rustum ; his morning meal was done, but 
 
 still 
 The table stood before him, charged with 
 
 food, 
 A side of roasted sheep, and cakes of 
 
 bread, 
 And dark-green melons ; and there 
 
 Rustum sate 
 Listless, and held a falcon on his 
 
 wrist, 
 And played with it ; but Gudurz came 
 
 and stood 
 
 26 
 
Sobvab anfc IRustum 
 
 Before him ; and he looked, and saw him 
 
 stand, 
 And with a cry sprang up, and dropped 
 
 the bird, 
 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, 
 But not to-day : to-day has other 
 
 needs. 
 The armies are drawn out, and stand at 
 
 gaze; 
 
 27 
 
Sobrab an& "Ruetum 
 
 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 : 
 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 chiefs are 
 
 old, 
 Or else too weak; and all eyes turn to 
 
 thee. 
 Come down and help us, Rustum, or we 
 
 lose ! " 
 
Sobrab anfc "Ruetum 
 
 He spoke ; but Rustum answered 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, 
 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 ? 
 
 For would that I myself had such a son, 
 29 
 
Sobrab nnD IRustum 
 
 And not that one slight helpless girl I 
 
 have ! 
 
 A son so famed, so brave, to send to war, 
 And I to tarry with the snow-haired Zal, 
 My father, whom the robber Afghans 
 
 vex, 
 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, 
 And rest my age, and hear of Sohrab's 
 
 fame, 
 
 30 
 
Sobrab anD "Ruetum 
 
 And leave to death the hosts of thankless 
 
 kings, 
 And with these slaughterous hands draw 
 
 sword no more." 
 He spoke, and smiled ; and Gudurz 
 
 made reply, 
 " What then, O Rustum, will men say to 
 
 this, 
 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 Iwards hit fame, 
 And shuns to peril it with younger men." 
 And, greatly ' moved, then Rustum 
 
 made reply, 
 
Sobrab an& "Rustum 
 
 " O Gudurz, wherefore dost thou say 
 
 such word ? 
 Thou knowest better words than this to 
 
 say. 
 What is one more, one less, obscure or 
 
 famed, 
 Valiant or craven, young or old, to 
 
 me? 
 
 Are not they mortal ? am not I myself? 
 But who for men of naught would do 
 
 great deeds ? 
 Come, thou shalt see how Rustum hoards 
 
 his fame ! 
 But I will fight unknown, and in plain 
 
 arms : 
 Let not men say of Rustum, he was 
 
 matched 
 
 In single fight with any mortal man." 
 32 
 
Sobrab anD Rugtum 
 
 He spoke, and frowned ; 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 
 
 called 
 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 a-top, a 
 
 plume 
 c 33 
 
Sobrab anfc TRustum 
 
 Of horse-hair waved, a scarlet horse- 
 hair plume. 
 
 So armed, he issued forth ; and Ruksh, 
 his horse, 
 
 Followed him like a faithful hound at 
 heel, 
 
 Ruksh, whose renown was noised through- 
 out all the earth, 
 
 The horse whom Rustum on a foray once 
 
 Did in Bokhara by the river find 
 
 A colt beneath its dam, and drove him 
 home, 
 
 And reared him ; a bright bay, with lofty 
 crest, 
 
 Dight with a saddle-cloth of broidered 
 green 
 
 Crusted with gold, and on the ground 
 were worked 
 
 34 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 All beasts of chase, all beasts which 
 
 hunters know. 
 So followed, Rustum left his tents, and 
 
 crossed 
 The camp, and to the Persian host 
 
 appeared. 
 And all the Persians knew him, and 
 
 with shouts 
 Hailed ; but the Tartars knew not who 
 
 he was. 
 
 And dear as the wet diver to the eyes 
 Of his pale wife who waits and weeps on 
 
 shore, 
 
 By sandy Bahrein, in the Persian Gulf, 
 Plunging all day in the blue waves, at 
 
 night, 
 Having made up his tale of precious 
 
 pearls, 
 
 35 
 
Sobrab anO TRustum 
 
 Rejoins her in their hut upon the 
 
 sands, 
 So dear to the pale Persians Rustum 
 
 came. 
 And Rustum to the Persian front 
 
 advanced ; 
 And Sohrab armed in Hainan's tent, and 
 
 came. 
 
 And as a-field the reapers cut a swath 
 Down through the middle of a rich man's 
 
 corn, 
 And on each side as 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. 
 36 
 
Sobrab anD IRuatum 
 
 And Rustum came upon the sand, and 
 
 cast 
 His eyes toward the Tartar tents, and 
 
 saw 
 Sohrab come forth, and eyed him as he 
 
 came. 
 As some rich woman, on a winter's 
 
 morn, 
 Eyes through her silken curtains the 
 
 poor drudge 
 Who with numb blackened fingers makes 
 
 her fire, 
 At cock-crow, on a starlit winter's 
 
 morn, 
 When the frost flowers the whitened 
 
 window-panes, 
 And wonders how she lives, and what 
 
 the thoughts 
 
 37 
 
Sobrab anO IRustum 
 
 Of that poor drudge may be ; so Rustum 
 
 eyed 
 The unknown adventurous youth, who 
 
 from afar 
 Came seeking Rustum, and defying 
 
 forth 
 All the most valiant chiefs ; long he 
 
 perused 
 His spirited air, and wondered who he 
 
 was. 
 For very young he seemed, tenderly 
 
 reared ; 
 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, 
 
 38 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 By midnight, to a bubbling fountain's 
 
 sound, 
 So slender Sohrab seemed, so softly 
 
 reared. 
 And a deep pity entered Rustum's 
 
 soul 
 
 As he beheld him coming ; and he stood, 
 And beckoned 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 ! 
 Heaven's air is better than the cold dead 
 
 grave. 
 
 Behold me ! I am vast, and clad in iron, 
 And tried ; and I have stood on many a 
 
 field 
 
 39 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 Of blood, and I have fought with many a 
 
 foe : 
 Never was that field lost, or that foe 
 
 saved. 
 O Sohrab, wherefore wilt thou rush on 
 
 death ? 
 Be governed : 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." 
 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 
 
 40 
 
Sobrab anD "Rustum 
 
 Hath builded on the waste in former 
 
 years 
 Against the robbers : and he saw that 
 
 head, 
 Streaked with its first gray hairs ; hope 
 
 filled his soul, 
 And he ran forward, and embraced his 
 
 knees, 
 And clasped his hand within his own, and 
 
 said, 
 " Oh, by thy father's head ! by thine 
 
 own soul ! 
 Art thou not Rustum ? Speak ! art thou 
 
 not he ?" 
 But Rustum eyed askance the kneeling 
 
 youth, 
 And turned away, and spake to his own 
 
 soul, 
 
Sobrab and 
 
 " Ah me ! I muse what this young fox 
 
 may mean ! 
 False, wily, boastful, are these Tartar 
 
 boys. 
 
 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, 
 
 A belt or sword perhaps, and go his way. 
 And on a feast-tide, in Afrasiab's hall 
 In Samarcand, he will arise and cry, 
 'I challenged once, when the two 
 
 armies camped 
 
 Beside the Oxus, all the Persian lords 
 
 42 
 
Sobrab anD TRuatum 
 
 To cope with me in single fight ; but 
 
 they 
 Shrank, only Rustum dared ; then he and 
 
 I 
 Changed gifts, and went on equal terms 
 
 away.' 
 So will he speak, perhaps, while men 
 
 applaud ; 
 Then were the chiefs of Iran shamed 
 
 through me." 
 And then he turned, and sternly spake 
 
 aloud, 
 " Rise ! wherefore dost thou vainly 
 
 question thus 
 Of Rustum ? I am here, whom thou hast 
 
 called 
 By challenge forth ; make good thy 
 
 vaunt, or yield ! 
 43 
 
Sobrab an& liustum 
 
 Is it with Rustum only thou wouldst 
 
 fight? 
 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 
 
 revealed, 
 There would be then no talk of fighting 
 
 more. 
 
 But being what I am, I tell thee this, 
 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, 
 
 44 
 
Sobrab ano "Rustum 
 
 Oxus in summer wash them all away." 
 He spoke ; and Sohrab answered, on 
 
 his feet, 
 "Art thou so fierce? Thou wilt not 
 
 fight 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. 
 But Rustum is far hence, and we stand 
 
 here. 
 Begin ! thou art more vast, more dread 
 
 than I ; 
 And thou art proved, I know, and I am 
 
 young 
 But yet success sways with the breath of 
 
 Heaven. 
 
 45 
 
Sobrab ant> "Kustum 
 
 And though thou thinkest that thou 
 
 knowest sure 
 Thy victory, yet thou canst not surely 
 
 know. 
 
 For we are all, like swimmers in the sea, 
 Poised 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, 
 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." 
 He spoke ; and Rustum answered not, 
 
 but hurled 
 
 46 
 
Sobrab anfc "Ruetum 
 
 His spear: down from the shoulder, 
 
 down it came, 
 
 As on some partridge in the corn a hawk, 
 That long has towered in the airy clouds, 
 Drops like a plummet ; Sohrab saw it 
 
 come, 
 And sprang aside, quick as a flash ; the 
 
 spear 
 Hissed, 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 turned 
 
 the spear. 
 And Rustum seized his club, which none 
 
 but he 
 
 47 
 
Sobrab an& Vugtum 
 
 Could wield ; an unlopped 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, when, high up 
 By their dark springs, the wind in winter- 
 time 
 
 Hath made in Himalayan forests wrack, 
 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 
 
 48 
 
Sobrab anD "Rustum 
 
 Thundering to earth, and leapt from 
 
 Rustum's hand. 
 And Rustum followed his own blow, and 
 
 fell 
 To his knees, and with his fingers 
 
 clutched the sand. 
 And now might Sohrab have unsheathed 
 
 his sword, 
 And pierced the mighty Rustum while 
 
 he lay 
 Dizzy, and on his knees, and choked with 
 
 sand; 
 But he looked on, and smiled, nor bared 
 
 his sword, 
 But courteously drew back, and spoke, 
 
 and said, 
 " Thou strik'st too hard ! that club of 
 
 thine will float 
 D 49 
 
Sobrab anJ> IRustum 
 
 Upon the summer-floods, and not my 
 
 bones. 
 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 that, then, thou canst so touch 
 
 my soul ? 
 Boy as I am, I have seen battles 
 
 too, 
 Have waded foremost in their bloody 
 
 waves, 
 And heard their hollow roar of dying 
 
 men; 
 But never was my heart thus touched 
 
 before. 
 
 So 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 Are they from Heaven, these softenings 
 
 of the heart ? 
 O thou old warrior, let us yield to 
 
 Heaven ! 
 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, 
 Whom I may meet, and strike, and feel 
 
 no pang ; 
 Champions enough Afrasiab has, whom 
 
 thou 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 Mayst fight ; fight them, when they con- 
 front thy spear ! 
 
 But oh, let there be peace 'twixt thee 
 
 and me ! " 
 
 He ceased ; but while he spake, 
 Rustum had risen, 
 
 And stood erect, trembling with rage ; 
 his club 
 
 He left to lie, but had regained his 
 spear, 
 
 Whose fiery point now in his mailed 
 right hand 
 
 Blazed bright and baleful, like that 
 autumn-star, 
 
 The baleful sign of fevers; dust had 
 soiled 
 
 His stately crest, and dimmed his glitter- 
 ing arms. 
 
 52 
 
Sobrab anD "Ruetum 
 
 His breast heaved, his lips foamed, and 
 
 twice his voice 
 Was choked with rage ; at last these 
 
 words broke way : 
 " Girl ! nimble with thy feet, not with 
 
 thy hands ! 
 Curled minion, dancer, coiner of sweet 
 
 words ! 
 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 
 Of war: I fight it out, and hand to 
 
 hand. 
 
 53 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 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 shamed me before 
 
 both the hosts 
 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 rushed 
 
 Together, as two eagles on one prey 
 Come rushing down together from the 
 
 clouds, 
 One from the east, one from the west '> 
 
 their shields 
 
 Dashed with a clang together, and a din 
 54 
 
Sobrab anO 'IRustum 
 
 Rose, such as that the sinewy wood- 
 cutters 
 
 Make often in the forest's heart at morn, 
 Of hewing axes, crashing trees, such 
 
 blows 
 Rustum and Sohrab on each other 
 
 hailed. 
 And you would say that sun and stars 
 
 took part 
 
 In that unnatural conflict : for a cloud 
 Grew suddenly in heaven, and darked 
 
 the sun 
 Over the fighters' heads ; and a wind 
 
 rose 
 Under their feet, and moaning swept the 
 
 plain, 
 And in a sandy whirlwind wrapped the 
 
 pair. 
 
 55 
 
Sobrab an& "Rustum 
 
 In gloom they twain were wrapped, and 
 
 they alone ; 
 For both the on-looking hosts on either 
 
 hand 
 Stood in broad daylight, and the sky was 
 
 pure, 
 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- 
 spiked spear 
 Rent the tough plates, but failed to 
 
 reach the skin, 
 And Rustum plucked it back with angry 
 
 groan. 
 
 56 
 
Sobrab anO Vustum 
 
 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 horse- 
 hair plume, 
 
 Never till now defiled, sank to the dust ; 
 And Rustum bowed his head. But then 
 
 the gloom 
 Grew blacker, thunder rumbled in the 
 
 air, 
 And lightnings rent the cloud ; and 
 
 Ruksh the horse, 
 Who stood at hand, uttered a dreadful 
 
 cry: 
 No horse's cry was that, most like the 
 
 roar 
 
 Of some pained desert-lion, who all day 
 57 
 
Sobrab and IRustuin 
 
 Has trailed the hunter's javelin in his 
 
 side, 
 And comes at night to die upon the 
 
 sand; 
 The two hosts heard that cry, and quaked 
 
 for fear, 
 And Oxus curdled as it crossed his 
 
 stream. 
 But Sohrab heard, and quailed not, but 
 
 rushed on, 
 And struck again ; and again Rustum 
 
 bowed 
 His head ; but this time all the blade, 
 
 like glass, 
 Sprang in a thousand shivers on the 
 
 helm, 
 And in the hand the hilt remained 
 
 alone 
 
 58 
 
Sobrab anD Vuatutn 
 
 Then Rustum raised his head ; his dread- 
 ful eyes 
 
 Glared, and he shook on high his menac- 
 ing spear, 
 
 And shouted Rustum ! Sohrab heard 
 that shout, 
 
 And shrank amazed : back he recoiled 
 one step, 
 
 And scanned with blinking eyes the 
 advancing form ; 
 
 And then he stood bewildered, and he 
 dropped 
 
 His covering shield, and the spear 
 pierced his side. 
 
 He reeled, and staggering back sank to 
 the ground. 
 
 And then the gloom dispersed, and the 
 wind fell, 
 
 59 
 
Sobrab anD IRugtum 
 
 And the bright sun broke forth, and 
 
 melted all 
 The cloud ; and the two armies saw the 
 
 pair, 
 
 Saw Rustum standing safe upon his feet, 
 And Sohrab wounded on the bloody 
 
 sand. 
 Then, with a bitter smile, Rustum 
 
 began, 
 " Sohrab, thou thoughtest in thy mind 
 
 to kill 
 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 
 
 60 
 
Sobrat> anfc TCuetum 
 His heart to take a gift, and let thee 
 
 go- 
 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 thou shalt be 
 
 Than to thy friends, and to thy father 
 
 old." 
 
 And, with fearless mien, Sohrab re- 
 plied, 
 
 " Unknown thou art, yet thy fierce vaunt 
 is vain. 
 
 Thou dost not slay me, proud and boast- 
 ful man ! 
 
 61 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 No ! Rustum slays me, and this filial 
 
 heart. 
 For, were I matched with ten such men 
 
 as thee, 
 And I were that whicli till to-day I 
 
 was, 
 They should be lying here, I standing 
 
 there. 
 But that beloved name unnerved my 
 
 arm, 
 That name, and something, I confess, in 
 
 thee, 
 Which troubles all my heart, and made 
 
 my shield 
 
 Fall ; and thy spear transfixed an un- 
 armed foe. 
 And now thou boastest, and insult' st my 
 
 fate. 
 
 62 
 
Sobrab anD TRustum 
 
 But hear thou this, fierce man, tremble 
 
 to hear : 
 The mighty Rustum shall avenge my 
 
 death ! 
 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, 
 And pierced her with an arrow as she 
 
 rose, 
 And followed her to find her where she 
 
 fell 
 Far off; anon her mate comes winging 
 
 back 
 
 63 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 From hunting, and a great way off 
 
 descries 
 His huddling young left sole ; at that, he 
 
 checks 
 
 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, 
 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, 
 
 64 
 
Sobrab an& "Kustum 
 
 So Rustum knew not his own loss, but 
 stood 
 
 Over his dying son, and knew him not. 
 And with a cold, incredulous voice, he 
 said, 
 
 "What prate is this of fathers and re- 
 venge ? 
 
 The mighty Rustum never had a son." 
 And, with a falling voice, Sohrab re- 
 plied, 
 
 " 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 ; 
 
 E 65 
 
Sobrab an& TCustum 
 
 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! 
 
 Yet him I pity not so much, but her, 
 My mother, who in Ader-baijan dwells 
 With that old king, her father, who 
 
 grows gray 
 With age, and rules over the valiant 
 
 Koords. 
 Her most I pity, who no more will see 
 
 Sohrab returning from the Tartar camp, 
 66 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 With spoils and honour when the war is 
 
 done. 
 
 But a dark rumour will be bruited up, 
 From tribe to tribe, until it reach her 
 
 ear ; 
 And then will that defenceless woman 
 
 learn 
 That Sohrab will rejoice her sight no 
 
 more ; 
 
 But that in battle with a nameless foe, 
 By the far-distant Oxus, he is slain." 
 He spoke ; and as he ceased, he wept 
 
 aloud, 
 Thinking of her he left, and his own 
 
 death. 
 He spoke ; but Rustum listened, plunged 
 
 in thought. 
 
 Nor did he yet believe it was his son 
 67 
 
Sobrab an& iRuetum 
 
 Who spoke, although he called back 
 
 names he knew ; 
 For he had had sure tidings that the 
 
 babe 
 
 Which was in Ader-baijan born to him 
 Had been a puny girl, no boy at all 
 So that sad mother sent him word, for 
 
 fear 
 Rustum should seek the boy, to train in 
 
 arms. 
 And so he deemed that either Sohrab 
 
 took, 
 By a false boast, the style of Rustum's 
 
 son ; 
 Or that men gave it him, to swell his 
 
 fame. 
 So deemed he : yet he listened, plunged 
 
 in thought ; 
 
 68 
 
Sobrab anD ifluetum 
 
 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; 
 
 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 Rus- 
 
 tum saw 
 His youth ; saw Sohrab's mother in her 
 
 bloom ; 
 And that old king, her father, who loved 
 
 well 
 His wandering guest, and gave him his 
 
 fair child 
 
 69 
 
Sobrab an& IRustum 
 
 With joy ; and all the pleasant life they 
 led, 
 
 They three, in that long distant summer- 
 time, 
 
 The castle, and the dewy woods, and 
 hunt 
 
 And hound, and morn on those delight- 
 ful 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 ; 
 
 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, 
 
 70 
 
Sobrab anfc "Rustum 
 On the mown, dying grass, so Sohrab 
 
 lay* 
 
 Lovely in death, upon the common sand. 
 And Rustum gazed on him with grief, 
 
 and said, 
 "O Sohrab, thou indeed art such a 
 
 son 
 Whom Rustum, wert thou his, might 
 
 well have loved ! 
 
 Yet here thou errest, Sohrab, or else men 
 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, 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 Of us she dreams not, nor of wounds, nor 
 
 war." 
 But Sohrab answered him in wrath ; 
 
 for now 
 The anguish of the deep-fixed 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 ; 
 
 And, rising sternly on one arm, he said, 
 " Man, who art thou who dost deny my 
 
 words ? 
 
 Truth sits upon the lips of dying men ; 
 And falsehood, while I lived, was far 
 
 from mine. 
 
 I tell thee, pricked upon this arm I bear 
 72 
 
Sobrab anD "Kustum 
 
 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 tottered, and he smote 
 
 his hand 
 Against his breast, his heavy mailed 
 
 hand, 
 That the hard iron corselet clanked 
 
 aloud ; 
 And to his heart he pressed the other 
 
 hand, 
 And in a hollow voice he spake, and 
 
 said, 
 " Sohrab, that were a proof which 
 
 could not lie ! 
 
 73 
 
Sobrab anD "Rustum 
 
 If thou show this, then art thou Rustum's 
 
 son." 
 Then, with weak hasty fingers, Sohrab 
 
 loosed 
 His belt, and near the shoulder bared 
 
 his arm, 
 And showed a sign in faint vermilion 
 
 points 
 Pricked ; as a cunning workman, in 
 
 Pekin, 
 
 Pricks with vermilion some clear porce- 
 lain vase, 
 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, 
 
 74 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 So delicately pricked the sign appeared 
 On Sohrab's arm, the sign of Rustum's 
 
 seal. 
 It was that griffin which of old reared 
 
 Zal, 
 Rustum's great father, whom they left to 
 
 die, 
 A helpless babe, among the mountain 
 
 rocks ; 
 Him that kind creature found, and reared, 
 
 and loved ; 
 Then Rustum took it for his glorious 
 
 sign. 
 
 And Sohrab bared that image on his arm, 
 And himself scanned it long with mourn- 
 ful eyes, 
 And then he touched it with his hand, 
 
 and said, 
 
 75 
 
Sobrab anD IRuetum 
 
 " How say'st thou ? Is that sign the 
 
 proper sign 
 Of Rustum's son, or of some other 
 
 man's ? " 
 He spoke ; out Rustum gazed, and 
 
 gazed, and stood 
 Speechless ; and then he uttered one 
 
 sharp cry, 
 boy thy father ! and his voice choked 
 
 there. 
 And then a dark cloud passed before his 
 
 eyes, 
 And his head swam, and he sank to 
 
 earth. 
 But Sohrab crawled to where he lay, and 
 
 cast 
 His arms about his neck, and kissed his 
 
 lips, 
 
 76 
 
Sobral) anD IRustum 
 
 And with fond faltering fingers stroked 
 
 his cheeks, 
 
 Trying to call him back to life ; and life 
 Came back to Rustum, and he oped 
 
 his eyes, 
 And they stood wide with horror; and 
 
 he seized 
 In both his hands the dust which lay 
 
 around, 
 And threw it on his head, and smirched 
 
 his hair, 
 His hair, and face, and beard, and 
 
 glittering arms ; 
 And strong convulsive groanings shook 
 
 his breast, 
 And his sobs choked him ; and he 
 
 clutched his sword, 
 To draw it, and forever let life out. 
 77 
 
Sobrab anD Rustum 
 
 But Sohrab saw his thought, and held 
 his hands, 
 
 And with a soothing voice he spake, and 
 
 said, 
 " Father, forbear ! for I but meet to-day 
 
 The doom which at my birth was written 
 down 
 
 In Heaven, and thou art Heaven's un- 
 conscious 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 prompt- 
 ings down 
 
 Under its iron heel ; fate, fate engaged 
 
 The strife, and hurled me on my father's 
 spear. 
 
 78 
 
Sobrab anfc IRuetum 
 
 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 
 My head betwixt thy hands, and kiss 
 
 my cheeks, 
 And wash them with thy tears, and say, 
 
 My son ! 
 Quick, quick ! for numbered are my 
 
 sands of life, 
 And swift; for like the lightning to 
 
 this field 
 
 I came, and like the wind I go away, 
 Sudden,and swift, and like a passing wind; 
 But it was writ in Heaven that this 
 
 should be." 
 
 79 
 
Sobrab ant> IRustum 
 
 So said he ; and his voice released the 
 
 heart 
 Of Rustum, and his tears broke forth ; 
 
 he cast 
 His arras round his son's neck, and wept 
 
 aloud, 
 And kissed 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, 
 
 moved 
 His head, as if inquiring what their 
 
 grief 
 
 80 
 
Sobrab anfc "Rustum 
 
 Might mean ; and from his dark, com- 
 passionate eyes, 
 The big warm tears rolled down, and 
 
 caked the sand. 
 But Rustum chid him with stern voice, 
 
 and said, 
 " Ruksh, now thou grievest ; but, O 
 
 Ruksh, thy feet 
 Should then have rotted on their nimble 
 
 joints, 
 When first they bore thy master to this 
 
 field ! " 
 But Sohrab looked upon the horse, 
 
 and said, 
 " Is this, then, Ruksh ? How often, in 
 
 past days, 
 My mother told me of thee, thou brave 
 
 steed, 
 
 F 8l 
 
Sobrab an& "Rustum 
 
 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 
 
 S> 
 And snuffed the breezes of my father's 
 
 home. 
 
 And thou hast trod the sands of Seistan, 
 And seen the River of Helmund, and 
 
 the Lake 
 
 Of Zirrah ; and the aged Zal himself 
 Has often stroked thy neck, and given 
 
 thee food, 
 
 82 
 
Sobrab an& Vustum 
 
 Corn in a golden platter, soaked with 
 
 wine, 
 And said, Ruksh ! bear Rustum well ! 
 
 But I 
 Have never known my grandsire's 
 
 furrowed face, 
 
 Nor seen his lofty house in Seistan, 
 Nor slaked my thirst at the clear 
 
 Helmund stream ; 
 But lodged 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, 
 Kohik, and where the Kalmuks feed 
 
 their sheep, 
 
 83 
 
Sobrab anO IRustum 
 
 The northern Sir ; and this great Oxus 
 
 stream, 
 
 The yellow Oxus, by whose brink I die." 
 Then, with a heavy groan, Rustum 
 
 bewailed, 
 " Oh that its waves were flowing over 
 
 me ! 
 
 Oh that I saw its grains of yellow silt 
 Roll tumbling in the current o'er my 
 
 head ! " 
 But, 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 
 As some are born to be obscured, and 
 
 die. 
 
 84 
 
Sobrab an& IRustum 
 
 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 
 Which follow me ; I pray thee, slay not 
 
 these ! 
 Let me entreat for them : what have 
 
 they done ? 
 They followed 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, 
 
 But carry me with thee to Seistan, 
 85 
 
Sobrab anD "Kustum 
 
 And place me on a bed, and mourn for 
 
 me, 
 Thou, and the snow-haired Zal, and all 
 
 thy friends 
 And thou must lay me in that lovely 
 
 earth, 
 And heap a stately mound above my 
 
 bones, 
 
 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 
 
 cry, 
 
 Sohrab, the mighty Rustum's son, lies there, 
 Whom his great father did in ignorance kill ! 
 And I be not forgotten in my grave." 
 And, with a mournful voice, Rustum 
 
 replied, 
 
 86 
 
Sobrab an& "Kustum 
 
 " 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, 
 
 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, 
 
 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! 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 Let them all cross the Oxus back in 
 
 peace ! 
 
 What should I do with slaying any more ? 
 For would that all whom I have ever 
 
 slain 
 Might be once more alive, my bitterest 
 
 foes, 
 And they who were called champions in 
 
 their time, 
 And through whose death I won that 
 
 fame I have, 
 
 And I were nothing but a common man, 
 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, 
 
 88 
 
Sobrab anD "Rustum 
 
 Near death, and by an ignorant stroke of 
 
 thine, 
 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, son, I weep thee not too sore, 
 For willingly, I know, thou met'st thine 
 
 end! 
 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 ! 
 
 89 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 But thou shalt yet have peace ; only not 
 
 now, 
 Not yet ! but thou shalt have it on that 
 
 day, 
 When thou shalt sail in a high-masted 
 
 ship, 
 
 Thou and the other peers of Kai Khosroo, 
 Returning home over the salt blue 
 
 sea, 
 From laying thy dear master in his 
 
 grave." 
 And Rustum gazed in 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 smiled on him, 
 
 and took 
 
 90 
 
Sobrab anD IRuatum 
 
 The spear, and drew it from his side, and 
 
 eased 
 His wound's imperious anguish ; but the 
 
 blood 
 
 Came welling from the open gash, and life 
 Flowed with the stream ; all down his 
 
 cold white side 
 The crimson torrent ran, dim now and 
 
 soiled, 
 
 Like the soiled tissue of white violets 
 Left, freshly gathered, on their native 
 
 bank, 
 By children whom their nurses call with 
 
 haste 
 In-doors from the sun's eye ; his head 
 
 drooped low, 
 His limbs grew slack ; motionless, white, 
 
 he lay, 
 
Sobrab anfc IRustum 
 
 White, with eyes closed ; only when 
 heavy gasps, 
 
 Deep heavy gasps quivering through all 
 his frame, 
 
 Convulsed him back to life, he opened 
 them, 
 
 And fixed them feebly on his father's 
 face; 
 
 Till now all strength was ebbed, and 
 from his limbs 
 
 Unwillingly the spirit fled away, 
 
 Regretting the warm mansion which it 
 left, 
 
 And youth, and bloom, and this delight- 
 ful world. 
 So, on the bloody sand, Sohrab lay dead; 
 
 And the great Rustum drew his horse- 
 man's cloak 
 
 92 
 
Sobrab anD I?u0tum 
 
 Down o'er his face, and sate by his dead 
 
 son. 
 
 As those black granite pillars, once high- 
 reared 
 
 By Jemshid in Persepolis, to bear 
 His house, now 'mid their broken nights 
 
 of steps 
 Lie prone, enormous, down the mountain 
 
 side, 
 
 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 darkened all ; and a cold fog, with 
 
 night, 
 Crept from the Oxus. Soon a hum 
 
 arose, 
 
 93 
 
Sobrab anD IRustum 
 
 As of a great assembly loosed, and 
 fires 
 
 Began to twinkle through the fog ; for 
 now 
 
 Both armies moved to camp, and took 
 their meal ; 
 
 The Persians took it on the open sands 
 
 Southward, the Tartars by the river- 
 marge ; 
 
 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 
 
 moved, 
 
 Rejoicing, through the hushed Choras- 
 mian waste, 
 
 94 
 
Sobrab anfc "Rustum 
 
 Under the solitary moon ; he flowed 
 Right for the polar star, past Orgunje, 
 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 
 The shorn and parcelled 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 foiled circuitous wanderer, till at last 
 The longed-for dash of waves is heard, 
 
 and wide 
 
 95 
 
Sobrab an5 TRustum 
 
 His luminous home of waters opens, 
 bright 
 
 And tranquil, from whose floor the new- 
 bathed stars 
 
 Emerge, and shine upon the Aral Sea. 
 
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