Vis and Ramin

333 |
296 VISRAMIANI
for me. They would say :
' He was a wayfarer, and died
for love.' The wanderer pities the wanderer, and they
will think of me, because they remember one another.
Wayfarers are spurned of all, and nobody remembers
them. Should mine enemy slay me, that death is shame-
ful to me. But since I die of longing for my beloved,
it is a great glory to me.
" Many wars and battles have I gone through, many
times have great hosts fled from me, many heroes 1 have I
hewn down with my sword, many elephants, 2 lions, and
wild beasts have I slain. Foes cannot stand before me.
The sun praises 3 the edge 4 of my spear, 5 the earth kisses
my rein, I have brought to nought even the planets as my
foes. And desire of my beloved has brought to nought me,
the conqueror of all these, so that the world is bitter to
me. I have been delivered in safety from so many enemies,
and I am bound like a prisoner by love for my beloved.
Surely death will not overcome me to all eternity !
Though I was not afraid of Vis's anger, still I have no
resource save submission.
"
I know not any other means to go hence save I go
alone secretly, that neither soldiers, nor 7
knights, nor
guide 8 may follow me, for it beseems me not to go away
openly. Whoever hears of it will begin to reproach me.
I shall not see Vis nor rejoice. And if, on the
Then
other hand, I go away alone, the road is fearful and long ;
the mountains are snow-bound, and the streams are ford 9 -
the harshness
less through rain ; game is exterminated by
of the winter ; Marav itself is snowy ; here the air rains
camphor. 10
I wish to set out on so long a road, and a more
difficult thought than all these afflicts me :
that she, the
ravisher of my soul, may show me an angry Kadj 11 -like face
1 Dchabuci. 2 pu ,
*
Tsueri,
407, 433.
221. 6
Shubi, 442. K., 3, 430-1.
6
Sadave, 277, 324. 7
Qmani.
8 Qolaozi, 275. E., 955, 1350.
3 Akebs.
9 P'honi or p'liona here means " ford." In E., 238, 573, 1006,
1214, "stream," "pool."
w Kap'huri, 337.
" Kadji.