Vis and Ramin

126 VISRAMIANI
and the hour of strife thou fleest like a wench. Thou
always playest the lion in the land of Mah, elsewhere even
a fox cowes thee. Surely thou hast forgotten thy fear of
me, for I shall take the soul from thee; and canst thou
have forgotten even the trace of the blows of my destroying
hosts, for even now in the land of Mah on all sides is heard
sighing and mourning. I have still the same strong arm
and sword as before to wipe my foes from the face of the
earth. When thou readest this letter, await me shortly.
One of these days before breakfast my sword will be thy
guest. I have heard, too, how thou didst boast formerly
and vaunt thyself before thy retinue. Thus thou didst
'
Moabad fell upon me unawares, and so carried off
speak :
Vis from Gorab.
l
I was careless ; if I had happened to be
there, Moabad would by no means have carried away Vis.'
Now thou art
1 no longer unwitting like a drunken man;
thou sittest in thy place, a
2
mighty
sovereign.
Thou
knowest what I am doing, I am set out to do battle with
thee. Set sentinels 3 3
at all the posts, strengthen all places,
assemble the armies, summon thine allies, 4 and prepare
thyself as it seems good. I myself will soon overtake thee,
I will scatter thy treasures, I will make thee and thine
armies my booty. 5
I shall not fight thee so that thou shalt
anywhere remain alive, to hide thyself, after thy wont. I
will shed so much blood in the land that the stream of
blood will carry away the corpses. I will carry off Vis in
dishonour, and unveiled I will make her run afoot through
the army. I will act in such a way, and bring such shame
143 on thee, that henceforth none |
will ever dare to oppose his
superior."
He gave this letter to a messenger, 6 and sent him to Viro.
Immediately he made the matter known to all his hosts,
and magnates and soldiers prepared their battle array. He
assembled them, more numerous than the sand of the sea.
1 Ghap'hali, 201. K., C35, 712, 1530.
2 Mordchmuli, 83, 195, 215. K., 32.
3 Gushagi, 121, 191. B., 1367.
4 Asabiani, 141.
6 Shicrici courier, running footman.
B
lavar, 75, 213. K., 1081, 1152.