English
Section 3
At dawn the hero Shapur mounted up,
and rode forth in fury, bow in hand.
A royal black coat of mail upon his chest,
a shining black banner raised above his head.
From the fortress wall Maleke looked out
and saw the banners and the heads of the famous men.
His cheeks like the color of a rose, his hair like musk,
red as tamarisk-blossom, fragrant as musk.
That handsome face stole her sleep and peace;
she went to her nurse with a heart full of love.
She said: this king who shines like the sun,
who has come here so bent on vengeance,
his greatness is like my own hidden self;
I call him the whole world, for he is my world.
Carry a message from me to Shapur:
he has come to war against me, but I would make it a wedding.
Tell him I am of the same noble stock as you,
born too from the brave line of Narsi.
I have no part in this feud, no share in the quarrel;
I am your own kin, the daughter of Nusheh.
If you want me, this fortress is yours;
when you enter the palace, its beauty is yours.
If you make this pact with the nurse,
pledge your word by your greatness as surety.
The nurse said to her: whatever you command
I will say, and bring you word back from him.
When night spread its rule over the earth
and took an army from sea to sea,
the earth turned dark, the mountains blue as indigo,
and the stars glowed like hanging lamps.
You would think three hundred thousand candles
were hung from the sky over the fortress.
The nurse set out trembling, full of fear and dread;
at every bird her heart split in two with worry.
When she reached the royal tent,
she stepped close to that pure-minded king.
She said to the guard: if you take me to the king,
you will get from me a crown and a ring.
The wise chief of the audience escorted her in
and brought her through the curtained hall to the king.
She came and swept the ground with her lashes in homage,
and told the king all that she had heard.
The king was gladdened by her words;
he laughed and gave her a thousand gold coins,
two bracelets, a torque, and a ring,
with silk of China and of Barbary.
He answered thus: to that moon-faced lady
speak many kind words and gently.
Tell her he swore by the sun and the moon,
by the sacred girdle, by Zoroaster and the blessed crown,
that whatever you ask of me,
even if it costs me part of my kingdom,
your ear will never hear a harsh word from me;
I will never seek to be parted from your embrace.
I take her as mine with throne and crown,
by God's command, with treasure and an army.
When the nurse heard his answer, at once
she left the tent and ran back to the fortress.
She told that silver cypress all she had heard:
that the sun had become the mate of Nahid.
Of the stature and the face of King Shapur
she told everything to that shining moon.