Vis and Ramin

176 VISRAMIANI
with wrath, he sprang up, instructed the soldiers, commanded
them again to set out, and began his preparations.
He sounded the alarums. 1 The nobles and soldiers learned
what road they were to travel by. The trumpet 2 began to
lament in Moabad's court: "0 monarch, none can endure
such travel." Also the drum 3
the separation of Vis and Ramin :
to be separated."
began to cry and sigh for
" Woe if the lovers are
In the castle, so to speak, Kamin's heart
felt that the state hitherto so pleasant was become bitter.
Shahinshah went hastily, eager for Ramin's death, and
all the army marched dissatisfied because of this : that half
of them had not come home yet ; those who had been on
forced service 4 for a year had not yet loosed their belts nor
doffed their helmets 5 when he again summoned them to the
why was
201 difficult road to the castle. Some thought thus :
|
the former service 4 not enough for us that now he summons
us elsewhere ? Some said : if we are to be travellers until
we protect Vis from Ramin, we need wondrous horseman-
ship. Some said: it would be much better if instead of
Ramin a thousand Greeks like the King (of the Greeks)
appeared. They said a thousand things.
Shahinshah went swift as the wind with his army. The
dust of his hosts reached the clouds. The sentinel 6 set to
guard the castle saw the dust, and came and told Zard: "A
dust is visible which reaches to heaven, doubtless Shahin-
shah comes; otherwise there could not be so great a dust."
In the castle there was noise and confusion, and a swaying
to and fro 7 like the wind among willow-trees. 8 Zard was
not yet gone forth to meet Moabad. When Moabad came
to the castle gate his heart was full of enmity and gall, he
shouted angrily to Zard, and said :
"0 greatest plague of all my plagues! May God the
Creator deliver me from you
two brothers! When it is
a time for manhood 9 a dog is better than you : a dog
remembers the bread it has had from a man, and you do
1
Asaqari, 143. 2 Bud, 97.
4
Begara, 184.
6
Muzaradi, 187,
7 BruaU. 8 Tirip'hi, 36.
3 Dumbuli7 pipe.
e
Gushagi, 191.
9
Catzoba, 115, 208.