
The Paladins Perish in the Snow
From C4.63, The Pahlevans Are Lost in the Snow. It illustrates C4.63.20–28:
- C4.63.20They ate the food still left them from the day;Then soon in sleep the weary warriors lay.
- C4.63.21Then wind arose and clouds obscured the sky,Which took the aspect of a lion’s eye.
- C4.63.22The snow unfurled its sail of blinding white;Across the plain, each lance was lost to sight.
- C4.63.23A heavy, raging snowfall swept around,And leveled all the wide expanse of ground.
- C4.63.24The helpless heroes perished in the snow: Tus, Gostaham, and Fariborz lay low;
- C4.63.25With valiant Giv and young Bijan, they passed, Enclosed within that frozen tomb at last.
- C4.63.26One after one, the snow closed round them deep;I cannot tell how long that grip would keep.
- C4.63.27They struggled for a while beneath the storm;Deep hollows in the ground began to form.
- C4.63.28No strength remained to struggle or to strive;Their souls departed; none was left alive.
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