The Knight in the Tiger Skin by M. S. Wardrope

	Avthandil Comes Upon the Unconscious Tariel
864	WEEPING and pale, the knight went his way and spoke; he mounted a certain hill, the plain appeared in sunshine and shadow. He saw a black horse standing with the bridle on his neck on the edge of the rushes. He said: "Undoubtedly it is he; of that there can be no doubt."
865	WHEN he saw, the heart of the knight leaped up and was lightened; here to him, distressed, joy became not tenfold, but a thousandfold; the rose of his cheeks brightened its colour, the crystal of his face became crystal indeed, the jet of his eyes grew jetty; like a whirlwind he galloped down, he rested not from gazing at him.
866	WHEN he saw him, Tariel was indeed grieved; Tariel sat with drawn face in state near unto death, his collar was rent, his head was all torn, he could no longer feel, he had stepped forth from the world.
867	ON one side lay a slain lion and a blood-smeared sword, on the other a tiger stricken down a lifeless corpse. From his eyes, as from a fountain, tears flowed fiercely forth; thus there a flaming fire burned his heart.
868	HE could not even open his eyes, he had wholly lost consciousness, he was come nigh to death, he was far removed from joy. The knjght calls him by name, he tries to rouse him by speech; he cannot make him hear; he leaped towards him; the brother shows his brotherliness.
869	HE wipes away TariePs tears with his hand, he cleansed his eyes with his sleeve; he sits down near by and only calls him by name; he says: "Know'st thou not me, Avt'handil, for thy sake wandering and mad ?" But he heard little, staring with fixed eyes.
870	THIS is all thus, even as related by me. He wiped away the tears from his eyes, he somewhat recalled him to consciousness; then only he knew Avt'handil, kissed him, embraced him, treated him as a brother. I declare by the living God none like him was ever born.
871	HE said: "Brother, I was not false to thee, I have done what I swore to thee; unparted from my soul I have seen thee, thus have I kept my vow; now leave me; till death I shall weep and beat my head, but I entreat thee for burial, that I be not yielded to the beasts for food."
872	THE knight replied: "What ails thee? Why doest thou an evil deed ? Who hath not been a lover, whom doth the furnace not consume ? Who hath done like thee among the race of other men! Why art thou seized by Satan, why kill thyself by thine own will ?
873	"IF thou art wise, all the sages agree with this principle: 'A man must be manly, it is better that he should weep as seldom as possible; in grief one should strengthen himself like a stone wall. Through his own reason a man falls into trouble.
874	"THOU art wise, and yet knowest not to choose according to the sayings of the wise. Thou weepest in the plain and livest with the beasts; what desire canst thou thus fulfil ? If thou renounce the world thou canst not attain her for whose sake thou diest. Why bindest thou a hale head, why openest thou the wound afresh ?
875	. "WHO hath not been a lover, whom hath the furnace not consumed ? Who hath not seen pains, who faints not for somebody ? Tell me, what has been unexampled! Why should thy spirits flee! Know'st thou not that none e'er plucked a thornless rose!
876	"THEY asked the rose: 'Who made thee so lovely in form and face ? I marvel why thou art thorny, why finding thee is pain!' It said: 'Thou findest the sweet with the bitter; whatever costs dear is better; when the lovely is cheapened it is no longer worth even dried fruit.'
877	"SINCE the soulless, inanimate rose speaks thus, who then can harvest joy who hath not first travailed with woe? Who hath ever heard of aught harmless that was the work of devilry ? Why dost thou murmur at Fate ? What hath it done unexampled ?
878	"HEARKEN to what I have said, mount, let us go at ease. Follow not after thine own counsel and judgement; do that thou desirest not, follow not the will of desires; were it not better thus I would not tell thee, mistrust not that I shall flatter thee in aught."
879	TARIEL said: "Brother, what shall I say to thee? Scarce have I control of my tongue; maddened, I have no strength to hearken to thy words. How easy to thee seems patience of the suffering of my torments! Now am I brought close to death; the time of my joy draws nigh.
880	"DYING, for her I pray; never shall I entreat her with my tongue. Lovers here parted, there indeed may we be united, there again see each other, again find some joy. Come, O friends, bury me, cast clods upon me!
881	"HOW shall the lover not see his love, how forsake her! Gladly I go to her; then will she wend to me. I shall meet her, she shall meet me; she shall weep for me and make me weep. Inquire of a hundred, do what pleaseth thine heart, in spite of what any may advise thee.
882	"BUT know thou this as my verdict, I speak to thee words of truth: Death draws nigh to me, leave me alone, I shall tarry but a little while; if I be not living, of what use am I to thee ? If I survive, what canst thou make of me, mad ? Mine elements are dissolved; they are joining the ranks of spirits.
883	"WHAT thou hast said and what thou speakest I Understand not, nor have I leisure to listen to these things. Death draws nigh me maddened; life is but for a moment. Now the world is grown distasteful to memore than at any time heretofore. I, too, go thither to that earth whereon the moisture of my tears flows.
884	"WISE! Who is wise, what is wise, how can a madman act wisely ? Had I my wits such discourse would be fitting. The rose cannot be without the sun; if it be so, it begins to fade. Thou weariest me, leave me, I have no time, I can endure no more."
885	AVT'HANDIL spoke again with words of many kinds. He said: "By my head! If thou diest what good will it do to her! Do it not! It is not the better deed. Be not thine own foe!" But he cannot lead him away; he can do nothing at all by speech
886	THEN he said: "Well, since thou wilt by no means hearken to me, I will not weary thee; my tongue has hitherto spoken in vain. If death be better for thee, die! Let the rose wither - they all wither! One thing only I pray thee, grant me this"for this his tears were flowing
887	"WHERE the Indians¹ engird the crystal and rose with a hedge of jetfrom this am I parted; hastily I went, not quietly. The king cannot keep me by his paternal converse. Thou wilt not unite with me, thou wilt renounce me; now how can I speak my joy!
888	" SEND me not heart-sore away, grant me one desire: Mount once thy steed, let me see thee, ravisher of my soul. on horseback: perchance: perchance then this present grief will flee away, I shall go and leave thee, let thy will be done!"
889	HE entreated him: "Mount!" He begged and prayed him, he entreated him eight times. He knew that riding would chase away his sadness, that he would bend the reedy stem, and make a tent of the jet eyelashes. He made Tariel obedient; it pleased Avt'handil; Tariel sighed not nor moaned.
890	HE said plainly: "I will mount; bring forward my horse." Avt'handil brought the horse and gently helped him to mount; he did not make him pant with haste; he took him towards the plain, he made his graceful form to sway. Some time they rode; going made him seem better.
891	AVT'HANDIL entertains him, and speaks fair words to him; for Tariel's sake he moved his coral-coloured lips in speech. To hear him would make young the aged ears of a listener. He put away melancholy; he took unto himself patience.
892	WHEN the elixir of grief perceived the improvement, joy not to be depicted lightened his rose-like facehe, Avt'handil, the physician of the reasonable, but despair of the foolish, spoke words of reason to him who spoke foolishly
893	THEY began to converse; he spoke a frank word: "One thing will I say to thee: Open to me what is secret. This armlet of her by whom thou art woundedhow much dost thou love it ? How dost thou prize it ? Tell me, then let me die!"
894	HE said: "How can I tell thee the likeness of that incomparable picture! It is my life, the giver of my groans, better to me than all the world-water, earth and tree. To hearken to that to which one should not listen is more bitter than vinegar!"
895	AVT'HANDIL said: "I truly expected thee to say this. Now, since thou hast said it, I will answer thee, and think not I shall flatter thee; to lose Asmat'h were worse than the loss of that armlet. I commend not thy behaviour in choosing the worser
896	"THIS armlet thou wearest is golden, molten by the goldsmith, inanimate, lifeless, speechless, unreasoning; thou no longer wantest Asmat'h! Behold a true judgement! First, she, luckless, was with Nestan; then she is thine own adopted sister.
897	"BETWEEN you and Nestan she formed a bond, by thee she has been called sister; she was the servant who contrived your meeting, while she herself was worthy of being summoned by thee; she, upbringer of her and brought up by her, she is mad for Nestan, and thou forsakest her, wretched woman, and wilt not see her? Bravo! a just judgement indeed!"
898	HE said: "What thou sayest is only too true. Pitiable is Asmat'h, who thinks of Nestan and sees me. I thought not to live; thou art come in time to quench the fires. Since I still survive, come, let us see, albeit I am still dazed."
899	HE obeyed. Avt'handil and the Amirbar set out. I cannot achieve the praise of their worth: teeth like pearls, lips cleft roses. The sweetly discoursing tongue lures forth the serpent from its lair.
900	THEREUPON Avt'handil says: "For thy sake will I sacrifice mind, soul, heart; but be not thus, open not thy wounds afresh. Learning avails thee not if thou do not what the wise have said; of what advantage to thee is a hidden treasure if thou wilt not use it ?
901	"GRIEVING is of no use to thee; if thou art sorrowful what good will it do thee ? Know'st thou not that no man dies save by the will of Providence ? Awaiting the sunbeams the rose fades not in three days. Luck, endeavour and, if God will, victory shall be thy lot."
902	TARIEL replied: "This teaching is worth all the world to me. The intelligent loves the instructor; he pierces the heart of the senseless. But what shall I do, how can I endure when I am in excessive trouble ? My griefs have hold of thee too. If, then, thou justify me not shall I not wonder?
903	"WAX hath an affinity with the heat of fire, and therefore is lighted; but water hath no such affinity if wax fall into water it is quenched. Whatever thing afflicts someone himself, in that will he hold for the sake of others too. Why know'st thou not once for all in what way my heart melts ?"