they saw Bastur, all mourned for Zarir, and said, “Oh, young helper! why have you come to fight when you have not yet sufficiently rubbed your fingers with arrows, and when you still do not know the ways of caution to be observed in war?

108. "Perhaps the Khyaonas may come and kill you as they have also killed Zarir. Then they will take the credit of two names that 'We have killed Zarir, the commander-inchief, and we have killed Bastur his son.""

109. Then Bastur said: "O Geramik-kard, son of Jamasp, you carry victoriously this victorious banner. If I will go alive before King Vishtasp I will tell him how bravely you have fought."

110. Then Bastur rode forward and killed the enemy until he came to that place where the brave hero Spendadad was.

111. When Spendadad saw Bastur he left the large Iranian army with Bastur and himself went over the top of the hill and made an attack upon Arjasp with his twelve myriad soldiers and drove them down from the top of the hill to the plain below, and Spendadad thrust the work of further attack upon Geramik-kard. Geramik-kard carried an assault upon them and thrust the work upon Bastur.5

112. Thereupon it was not long before there was not left any person alive among them, except that one, Arjasp, the King of the Khyaonas.

113. The hero Spendadad caught him also. He cut one of his hands, one leg, one ear, and burned one of his eyes with fire and sent him off back to his country on an ass whose tail was cut.

114. He said: "Go and tell what you have seen from my the hero Spendadad's - hand; otherwise how can the Khyaonas know what has happened on the day Farvardin, in the constellation of the dragon, in the war of Vishtasp?"

The enemy were driven from place to place and killed.

THE KARNAMIK-I-ARTAKHSHIR

OR

RECORDS OF ARTAKHSHIR

CHAPTER I

IN THE NAME OF THE CREATOR AUHARMAZDA, WHO IS MAJESTIC AND

GLORIOUS

3

In the records of Artakhshir,' son of Papak,2 it is written as follows: That after the death of Alexander, inhabitant of Arum, there were in the territory of Iran two hundred and forty princes.

Spahan, Pars, and the borderlands that were nearest to them, were in the hands of Ardavan,5 the chief king.

Papak was the frontier governor of Pars, and was one of the commissioners appointed by Ardavan.

The seat of Ardavan was in Stakhra."

And Papak had no son to preserve his name.

And Sasan was a shepherd employed by Papak, who always remained with the horses and cattle belonging to the latter, and he was descended from the line of King Darab, son of Darae.

During the evil reign of Alexander, the descendants of Darab privately lived in distant lands, wandering with Kurdish shepherds.

1 One of the most religious Zoroastrian emperors of Persia, well-known as the great founder of the Sassanian Dynasty (A.D. 226).

2 Papak was a tributary ruler of Pars under the Ashkanian king Ardavan, before the commencement of the Sassanian monarchy.

8 Alexander the Great.

4 1.e., modern Ispahan.

5 Last of the Ashkanian monarchs.

I.e., Persepolis.

7 Darius, the last of the kings of ancient Persia, who was defeated by

Papak did not know that Sasan was descended from the family of Darab, son of Darae.

One night Papak saw in a dream as though the sun was shining from the head of Sasan and giving light to the whole world.

Another night he dreamt that Sasan was seated on a richly adorned white elephant, and that all those that stood around him in the kingdom made obeisance to him, praised, and blessed him.

The next third night he, accordingly, saw as if the sacred fires Frobag, Gushasp, and Burzin-Mitro,8 were burning in the house of Sasan and giving light to the whole world.

He wondered at it, and directly invited to his presence the sages and interpreters of dreams, and narrated to them the visions he had seen in his dreams during those three nights.

The interpreters of dreams spoke thus: "The person that was seen in that dream, he or somebody from among the sons of that man will succeed to the sovereignty of this world, because the sun and the richly adorned white elephant that you observed represented vigor and the triumph of opulence; the sacred fire of Frobag, the religious intelligence of the great men among the Mobads; and the sacred fire Gushasp, warriors and military chieftains; and the sacred fire Burzin-Mitro, the farmers and agriculturists of the world: and thus this sovereignty will fall to that man or the descendants of that man."

On hearing these words, Papak dispatched somebody to call Sasan to his presence, and questioned him as follows: "From what race and family art thou? Out of thy forefathers and ancestors was there anybody who had exercised sovereignty or chieftainship before?"

Sasan solicited from Papak his support and protection in these words: "Do me no hurt or harm."

8 The three sacred fires supernaturally produced by Auharmazda on the ship Srisaok to help men in their first emigration from Iran by sea to distant habitable countries in the reign of the Peshdadian king Tahmuras.

Papak accepted the request, and Sasan declared before Papak his own secret as it stood.

On hearing his reply Papak was delighted, and so he ordered Sasan thus: "Elevate thy body by taking a bath."

Meanwhile Papak directed his servants that a suit of clothes fit to be worn by a king should be brought and given to Sasan, and Sasan wore the royal garments accordingly.

Papak further directed in the case of Sasan that he should be nourished with invigorating, fresh and proper food for several days.

Later on he gave him his daughter in marriage, and according to the law of nature she, in a short time, was pregnant by Sasan, and from her Artakhshir was born.

When Papak observed the youthful body and cleverness of Artakhshir, he interpreted it thus: "The dream which I beheld was true."

He regarded Artakhshir as his own son, and brought him up as a dear child.

When Artakhshir reached the age which was the time for higher instruction he became so proficient in literary knowledge, riding, and other arts that he was renowned throughout Pars.

When Artakhshir attained the age of fifteen years information reached Ardavan that Papak had a son proficient and accomplished in learning and riding.9

He wrote a letter to Papak to this effect: "We have heard that you have a son, who is accomplished and very proficient in learning and riding; our desire has been that you should send him to our court, and he shall be near us, so that he will associate with our sons and princes, and we might order for him position and reward according to the learning which he possesses."

As Ardavan was powerful and very absolute, it was improper on the part of Papak to do anything contrary to or to evade his command.

Immediately therefore he sent Artakhshir well-equipped with ten servants and a superb present of many marvelous, ♦ I.e., in heroic horsemanship.

magnificent, and suitable things for the acceptance of Ardavan.

When Ardavan saw Artakhshir he was glad, expressed to him his affectionate regard, and ordered that he should every day accompany his sons and princes to the chase and the polo-ground.

Artakhshir acted accordingly.

By the help of Providence he became more victorious and warlike than all, on the polo and the riding-ground, at Chatrang and Vine-Artakhshir,10 and in several other arts. One day Ardavan went a-hunting with his chevaliers and Artakhshir.

An elk which happened to be running in the desert was then pursued by Artakhshir and the eldest son of Ardavan.

And Artakhshir, on reaching close to the elk, struck him with an arrow in such a manner that the arrow pierced through the belly as far as its feathers, passed through the other side, and the animal died instantly.

When Ardavan and the chevaliers approached them, they expressed wonder at such a dart and asked: "Who struck that arrow?"

Artakhshir replied: "I did it."

The son of Ardavan said: "No, because I did it."

Artakhshir became angry and spoke thus to the son of Ardavan: "It is not possible to appropriate the art and heroism of another through tyranny, unpleasantness, falsehood, and injustice. This is an excellent forest, and the wild asses here are many. Let us 11 try here a second time, and bring into display our goodness or evil nature and dexterity."

Ardavan thereby felt offended and thereafter did not allow Artakhshir to ride on horseback.

He sent the latter to his stables of horses and cattle, and ordered him as follows: "Take care of those animals so that you do not go in the day or night from before those horses

10 Games of chess.

11 Literally, "I and thou."