Vis and Ramin

224 VISRAMIANI
"
thou who art gone away from me, when thou goest
away my patience also departs until thy coming. By the
decree of God thou art gone travelling, and I am cast into a
pit of desire. As long as thou art a wayfarer thy friend
will have no rest from weeping. What is this fate of
mine? It has forsaken me, for sometimes I sit on the
throne, sometimes in the cinders. This narrow heart of
mine is so filled up with grief that it could not find room in
1
a great plain sixty days' journey (in length). Mine eyes are
seas in the amount of their moisture, and my heart is hell
by the inexhaustibility of griefs. I am not to be blamed
for impatience and powerlessness. Who can stay continually
in the sea, or who can bear being in hell ? What
can befall me worse than this, for I could not think of a
worse curse than this for my foe !"
Ramin proceeded. The sound of his trumpets reached
to heaven, the dust of his hosts was like a cloud; but
Ramin's tears were the rain from it. Although he pondered
that discourse in his heart, and the parting from Vis
grieved him, he also was afflicted. His heart was knotted,
and on his face gloom settled. None can see that anyone
is a lover unless at a great distance he sees the grief of
love. If he have patience in separation, that man knows
not love, and it does not become him.
Though Ramin was the lord of the land and chief of his
brother's hosts, his heart in his realm without Vis was like
255 a fish without water. He travelled over |
his
land, every-
where he was famed and magnified. W T
herever his command
went, everywhere evil-doing was chased away.
Gurgan became so secure that sheep and wolves were
together, and the wolves shepherded 2 the sheep. Folk
drank and rejoiced so much that, so to say, the rivers
of that land were all of wine. By his justice every man
(was enabled to) sit with minstrels. In fear of him every
from wild beasts
enemy was subdued. There was peace
as well as from evil-doers. And he held Ispaan
1 Edji, 263 stage, league, also road, path. K., 462, 930.
2 Uchobnobdian. Persian, choban a shepherd.
as his