English
The Dragon of Mount Saqila
There was a man younger than Mirin in years, a Roman champion with a proud neck.
They called him Ahren, from the line of great men, and said his body was like bronze, invincible.
He sent a message to the Caesar: You know our lineage and our name.
In every quality I surpass Mirin; in sword and in treasure I stand higher.
So give me your younger daughter now, and refresh your army and crown through me.
The Caesar answered: You have surely heard the promise I made with my God.
That this daughter will not choose a husband unless I break with the ways of my ancestors.
Like Mirin, you must accomplish one task; then you may be a rival to him.
On Mount Saqila there is a dragon that keeps the whole land in danger and terror.
If you rid Rome of this dragon, I will hand you my daughter, my treasure, and my realm.
For it is the equal of that lion-slaying wolf: its breath is poison, and it is a snare of the devil.
Ahren answered: I will obey; for this desire I will pledge my very life.
He left the Caesar's presence, his heart torn by those words and his soul full of blood.
He told his friends: that wound to the wolf could only be dealt by a great man's sword.
How could such a feat come from Mirin? The Caesar cannot tell a true man from a mere man.
I will go and ask him; perhaps he will tell me the secret of his clever scheme.
He went swiftly to Mirin's hall, and a servant went and announced him.
Mirin had a seat of such splendor that the moon in the sky holds no place like it.
The warrior sat in his brave armor, a Caesar's crown upon his head.
The servant said: Ahren, mighty as an elephant, has come to the door with a company of men.
Mirin prepared a more fitting place and sent away those who were less needed.
No one remained in Mirin's hall; the two lords sat alone upon the throne.
When Mirin saw him, he took him in his arms and began to greet the great man.
Ahren said to him: Tell me the truth, and do not make excuses for anything I ask.
My desire is the Caesar's daughter, who is the crown of all Rome.
I asked, and this was his answer: Go make war on the dragon in the mountains.
If you would tell me the truth of that wolf's deed, you would be my great guide.
When Mirin heard Ahren's words, he wilted, and thought sank deep in his mind.
If I tell Ahren the truth of that famous champion's deed, it will no longer stay hidden.
The foundation of manhood is honesty; one must weep over darkness and crookedness.
Perhaps if I tell him, that brave rider will lay the dragon's head down beside him.
With Ahren as my friend and support, the enemy will hold nothing but wind in his fist.
We will raise dust from that rider's head, and for a while this affair will stay concealed.
He said to Ahren: I will tell you the truth of the wolf, if I have a solemn oath from you,
That you will never, day or night, speak of this matter, nor part your two lips about it.
Ahren swore that heavy oath and accepted every condition he set.
When Mirin dressed the paper in the pen's robe, he wrote a letter to Heyshui.
It read: Ahren, of the Caesar's line, a world-seeking man with treasure, throne, and justice,
seeks a daughter from the Caesar, the younger one who remains among his daughters.
The dragon is a trap set for Ahren; he strives to conquer that ill-marked beast.
He came to me seeking a plan, and I disclosed to him the past events.
About that wolf and that battle-tested rider, I told him everything that mattered.
Just as you served my cause so well, without doubt you will serve this good man's cause.
You will make two men lords in this land, placing the crown upon them like the sun.
Ahren the schemer set out running, turning his face toward Heyshui.
When Ahren reached the sea, the world-seeking Heyshui ran out to meet him.
He took the welcome letter from him, praised its bearer, and broke its seal.
Heyshui said to him: O noble man, now the dragon will come like a whirlwind.
A famous young stranger sacrificed his soul before Mirin.
Now, when he fights the fierce dragon, no scheme will save him from it.
The telling is mine, but the deed is in his hands; good speech is welcome everywhere.
Tonight be a good host to him: set out the candles and make the sea beautiful.
For tomorrow the famous one will come; tell him whatever you have to tell.
They lit the sea's water with candles, ate their food, and called for wine.
So they stayed until the dawn of yellow ruby struck sunlight upon the lapis glass of the sky.
A rider's dust appeared from the plain, and from afar famous Ahren saw it.
When he drew near, the bright-souled man came running on foot to greet him.
The battle-rider dismounted from his steed and asked the noble man for wine and food.
Heyshui opened his lips sharply: May you be joyful, famous one, day and night.
Look at this man of the Caesar's line, for whom the turning heavens have grown glad.
He too is of the Caesars' stock; he has glory and name, treasure and wealth.
He has set his mind on becoming the Caesar's son-in-law, and seeks a guide in the matter.
The Caesars have no equal to him: a youth with glory, stature, and strength.
He asked once and heard the answer; now another scheme has come to light.
The Caesar tells him: be a dragon-slayer if you wish to join the Caesar's kin.
Day and night, before the great men, he speaks no name but Mirin's.
Anyone with a fair fortune would wish that crown and throne pass to him.
There is a high mountain not far from here, all a place of feasting, pleasure, and delight.
A dragon sits atop the mountain's peak, and the people of Rome are worn out by it.
It draws vultures down from the sky and hauls fierce crocodiles up from the sea.
Its poisonous smoke burns the earth; no one blesses this land and soil anymore.
If that beast is slain by your hand, you will become a wonder throughout the world.
In this the pure God will be your helper, and the turning sun will bend to your wish.
With this strength, stature, and prowess, we know no champion who is your equal.
He said to him: Go, forge a long dagger, its hilt a hand's height, spread out like five talons of a hawk.
On every side of it, like serpent's teeth, fix spearpoints jutting out like thorns.
Tempered in poison and blood, keen as diamond and the color of water.
By the command of victorious God, I will hang the dragon upside down upon a tree.