Page:Persian Literature (1900), vol. 1.djvu/45

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

THE SHÁH NÁMEH

11

JEMSHÍD

JEMSHÍD was eminently distinguished for learning and wisdom. It is said that coats of mail, cuirasses, and swords and various kinds of armor were invented and manufactured in his time, and also that garments of silk were made and worn by his people.

Helmets and swords, with curious art they made,Guided by Jemshíd’s skill; and silks and linenAnd robes of fur and ermine. Desert landsWere cultivated; and wherever streamOr rivulet wandered, and the soil was good,He fixed the habitations of his people;And there they ploughed and reaped: for in that ageAll labored; none in sloth and idlenessWere suffered to remain, since indolenceToo often vanquishes the best, and turnsTo nought the noblest, firmest resolution.

Jemshíd afterwards commanded his Demons to construct a splendid palace, and he directed his people how to make the foundations strong.

He taught the unholy Demon-train to mingleWater and clay, with which, formed into bricks,The walls were built, and then high turrets, towers,And balconies, and roofs to keep out rainAnd cold, and sunshine. Every art was knownTo Jemshíd, without equal in the world.

He also made vessels for the sea and the river, and erected a magnificent throne, embellished with pearls and precious stones; and having seated himself upon it, commanded his Demons to raise him up in the air, that he might be able to transport himself in a moment wherever he chose. He named the first day of the year Nú-rúz and on every Nú-rúz he made a royal feast, so that under his hospitable roof, mortals, and Genii, and Demons, and Peris, were delighted and happy, every one being equally regaled with wine and music. His government is said to have continued in existence seven hundred years, and during that period, it is added, none of his subjects suffered death, or was afflicted with disease.