Tariel Hears About the Death of the King of India
1577	ON the summit of the mountain, a great caravan appeared, men and mules were all in black; the tresses of their hair were woven round their heads. The king commandcth: "Bring them here, we must tarry yet a while."
1578	THEY brought those merchants and their chief. The king asked: "Who are you, why are your bodies robed in black?" The men answered: "Such is the custom in the countries from which we come. We came to India from Egypt and have travelled a long way."
1579	TARIEL, P'hridon and Avt'handil rejoiced to hear that those merchants had come from India; they feigned indifference and abandoned themselves not to their feelings. Tariel began to speak to them in a foreign language, they did not understand Indian and they also answered in Arabian.
1580	THEY said: "Give us, O merchants, some tidings from India." Those answered: "The wrath of God has fallen on India from on high. and great and small shed tears which fall from their eyes drop by drop; the sages living among them have lost their minds."
1581	THE chief of the merchants spake to them in words of great eloquence: "P'harsadan, King of India, was a happy king. He had a daughter, a star, more sun than the sun. Her teeth were pearls, her form the aloe-tree, her cheeks were rubies from Badakhshan, her hair was raven black.
1582	"DEARLY did that maid and the Amirbar love one another. The Amirbar killed the bridegroom, news of it spread rapidly. A tempest raged devastating all of India. From her childhood this maiden had been reared by her aunt.
1583	"HER aunt was a Kadj, most cunning in matters of sorcery. Thus she undertook a most fearful task, depriving the earth of sun. And she, unfortunate one, died being unworthy of life. The maiden disappeared, she planted elsewhere the shoot of the aloe-tree.
1584	"HAVING learned this, the Amirbar, the lion, set forth in quest of the sun. He disappeared, the sun was dimmed in India, the moon was tarnished; both are lost, there is no hope of finding them. The king said: ''O God, why dost them burn me on a slow fire!'
1585	"THE king was wrathful, to find them was beyond his power; the sound of the cymbals and harps gave place to woe. A brief time more he endured the burning of the furnace. Now he too is dead, the processions and the sound of footsteps have come to an end."
1586	HAVING conveyed these tidings the merchant continued to speak. The woman cried out violently, and tore the veil from her head. Tariel too cried out, disclosing what had been hidden. A torrent flowed from the narcissi, the snow melted.
1587	KILL me, if the sun could disobey the bare-headed woman! Her fragrance is like unto the perfume of the rose, she, the bare-headed one, is like a poppy. If even the sage praiseth her, they will tell him: "Stop!" as to a donkey. Her teeth are like twin-pearls set in a crystal shell.
1588	BITTERLY the woman laments her father's death, she is like a nightingale. She tears her hair which streams about her, her eyes are filled with tears; the rose become saffron, the ruby is like moss. A cloud covers the sun, dimming its rays.
1589	SHE scratches her face, she tears her hair, she weeps and wails in a clamorous voice. Blood and tears flow in torrents from her eyes. "O father, let me die for thy sake! I, thy unworthy child, I have done nought for thee, in nothing have I pleased you.
1590	"MY father, who is no more, was the light of my eyes. Who will bring thee mv tidings, consoling thy heart therewith! O sun, of what use is thy light, why dost thou shine of the world! O world, why dost not perish! O mountain, why yearn to rise aloft!"
1591	TARIEL lament? weeping: "O master, what is this I hear! I marvel that the gun still shines, that it manifests no grief! You are dead, sun of everything living, the world is no longer yours. For God's sake be merciful, forgive me the grief I have brought upon you!"
1592	ONCE again they spake: "Tell us the rest of this tale!" The merchants answered: "O protector, a great battle is being fought in India. The troops of the Khatavians came, they surrounded the town, a certain King Ramaz is their lord.
1593	"ALTHOUGH the queen is still alive, she is more dead than the dead. The Indian troops are fighting, yet have they already abandoned all hope. All the fortresses on the boundaries are taken and destroyed. O sun, shed your rays, see how unclement is the weather.
1594	"ALL those living there and we amongst them made ourselves black robes. We presented ourselves to Ramaz and made ourselves known as Egyptians; our king is great, and therefore Ramaz wished to maintain peace with him. He released us, we set forth, he caused us no harm."
1595	HAVING heard this Tariel set forth in haste; in one day he traversed a three days' journey; he raised his banner, nor did he shield himself. Now look how staunch is his giant's heart!