XIII 

It didn't take long before Melik got word, 
"David's the prince now or haven't you heard? 
He's rebuilt the convent dear to his dad, 
And for seven years now, no tribute you've had." 

The Melik exploded and summoned his lords, 
"Badin, Gozbadin, claim my just rewards, 
Syudin, Charkhadin, set forth straight away, 
Leave no stone unturned, Sassoon has to pay 
A price for its insolence, strike hard and swift, 
Remind my dear subjects that tribute's no gift, 
And bring forty maidens, radiant and bright, 
And bring forty short maids of milling height, 
And bring forty tall ones my camels to load, 
They'll work as my servants and tend my abode." 

Gozbadin saluted his master and king, 
"Your tribute in gold and the maids we will bring, 
Your wish, King of Egypt, is our glad command, 
We'll vanquish the rebels in Armenia's land." 

The Melik, his wife and his daughter made merry, 
They danced and they sang, "Armenia we'll bury, 
Gozbadin, the Bold, on Sassoon will make war, 
He'll bring us back servants and gold coins galore, 
And forty bright maidens and forty short maids, 
And forty tall ones, who'll work as our aides, 
They'll load up the camels and milk the red cows, 
And churn creamy butter and tend the fat sows, 
Gozbadin! Gozbadin! our knight, strong and brave, 
You'll whip David handily, he's just a knave." 

Gozbadin swelled up and nodded with pride, 
"Thank you, my ladies, all boasting aside, 
If you will with patience my victory await, 
We'll have more to dance for, we'll all celebrate." 


	XIV 

	With songs and with laughter 
	His armed men went after 

Sassoon and its people and when they arrived, 
Ohan lost his voice and a welcome contrived, 

	With salt and bread, 
	With tears and dread, 
	He bowed down his head 
	And humbly pled: 

"Whatever you want, oh, please, take your pick, 
Our maids or our hard dug gold in coin or brick, 
Rosy cheeked maidens, so bright and so fair, 
Just don't wreck our lands or rip us asunder, 
It's God's realm above and Melik's down under." 

Ohan called together the rosy cheeked girls, 
Gozbadin inspected them like they were pearls, 
And when he'd selected, he ordered them held 
In a locked stable, then with pride he yelled, 
"Forty young maidens, radiant and bright, 
Forty short maidens of milling height, 
Forty tall maidens the camels to load, 
They'll all work as servants in Melik's abode, 
With glistening gold our king they'll adorn, 
While their friends in Armenia wear black and mourn. 

	XV

O David! where are you, Armenia's protector? 
Dash open the rocks, our convent's erector, 
And come to the square, Sassoon's plight is bleak. 
And David came down from Maruta's peak 
To the old woman's plot where a rusty sword laid, 
Trampling the turnips, he reached for the blade. 

"David, you fool, get out of my garden," 
Scowled the old woman, "God beg my pardon, 
Is my plot the only place that's caught your eye? 
A curse on you, David, may you suffer and die. 
Just look what you've done, you've levelled my field, 
Nothing is left of my winter crop's yield. 
What will I live on, can you tell me that? 
You're such a foolish and clumsy, spoiled brat. 
Were you truly brave, you'd take up your bow, 
And rule your dad's realm as he did long ago, 
And claim your birthright and live as you ought, 
For too long you've given Sassoon not a thought, 
The Melik's sent forces to sack it today." 

"Why do you scold me?" he asked in dismay, 
"What does the Melik dare take from me?" 

"Everything, David, go home and you'll see, 
The Melik is ready to gouge out your eye, 
While you're sitting here all alone idly by, 
O David, wake up, he's taking it all, 
He's sent in his warriors to spread 'round his gall, 
Gozbadin and Badin led the attack, 
Charkhadin and Syudin brought up the back, 
They're plund'ring Sassoon and gathering their loot, 
Forty gold sacks is their price for tribute, 
And forty young maidens, radiant and bright, 
Forty short maidens of milling height, 
Forty tall maidens the camels to load, 
They'll all work as servants in Melik's abode."
 
"Why do you 'curse me, old woman, pray tell 
Where I can find these fiends, I'll give them hell." 

"Where are these fiends? Curse mv old ears! 
How could this be his son? Brings me to tears! 
You're munching on turnips out here in the cold, 
While Gozbadin is in your house counting your gold, 
And filling the stable with your town's fair maids." 
Tossing the turnip, he reached for his blade. 
He went to his house, Gozbadin was there, 
Weighing the gold with cold, greedy care, 
Charkhadin and Syudin were holding the bag, 
Ohan of Great Voice his tongue didn't wag, 
He stood there in silence, his head lowly bowed, 
Wringing his hands, he was downcast and cowed.
 
When David saw this, his eyes flushed with rage, 
"Gozbadin, get up, get back in your cage, 
This gold is my dad's, it's mine to mete out." 

Gozbadin called Ohan, "Rein in this lout, 
Are we getting our tribute this minute or what? 
If we don't, mark me well, no 'if, and or but', 
I'll tell the Melik to launch an invasion, 
He'll raze Sassoon town, there'll be no dissuasion, 
To the ground he will burn it and then plant a park."
 
But David unfazed did not fear his bark, 
"Get out, dogs of Egypt. Flee while you can, 
The braves of Sassoon fear no living man, 
Did you think we were dead? Or we gave up the ghost? 
That you can take tribute and rule us and boast?" 

Then David grew angry, and picked up the scales, 
He smashed in Gozbadin's head to shrieks and wails, 
The shards of the scales pierced holes in the walls, 
And fly to this day like sharp, spiked cannon balls, 
The warriors of Musr fled, leaving the gold, 
Armenia was safe, praise David the bold, 
Gozbadin and Badin quickly turned tail, 
Charkhadin and Svudin followed their trail. 


	XVI 

"Dear Uncle, how could you, what can I say? 
We've great heaps of gold, yet you treat me this way? 
You've made me a servant, no keeper on earth, 
Abandoned to others, is that all I'm worth?" 

Ohan lost patience and cried out, "You fool! 
The gold was our shield against Melik's fierce rule, 
We kept it so that he would turn a kind eye, 
You'll see what will happen when we defy, 
He'll ruin Sassoon and plunder our land, 
Who can oppose him, his onslaught withstand?" 

"Hold it, dear Uncle, he'll answer to me, 
I'm not afraid of him, just wait and see." 
Then he knocked down the door to the dark, dreary stable, 
And rescued the maids, before Ohan was able 
To say one more word. David told them with glee, 
"Wish long life for David, go home, you are free!" 

     XVII 

	Battered and bloodied, 
	tattered and muddied, 

The warriors of Egypt fled toward their home soil, 
Glimpsing their coming caused noise and turmoil, 
The women of Egypt first shouted in joy, 
They clapped from their rooftops, "Ahoy, there, ahoy," 
They're coming, they're coming, our gold they have brought,
Gozbadin to Sassoon a lesson has taught, 
They've brought forty maidens our red cows to tend, 
This spring they'll churn butter, our clothing they'll mend, 
But as they approached, it soon became clear, 
The clapping went silent, something's wrong here. 

The women rushed forward and sassily taunted, 
"Gozbadin, you braggard, you're not quite as vaunted, 
As boasted and toasted before your excursion, 
You ran cross the mountain tops for your diversion? 
So tell us, what's up, that your head's split in two? 
And where are the maidens and where is your crew?

The forty tall maids and sacks full of gold? 
And the rout of Armenia that you foretold? 
You went off to Sassoon like a wolf in the wild, 
And came back a poor dog, frightened and mild." 
Gozbadin exploded with loud rage and fury, 
"Shut up, all you ingrates, I'll be the jury. 
You've never seen men like the men of Sassoon, 
Each fiercer and stronger than our whole platoon, 
Like mountains they tower; they use logs for arrows, 
Their country's rock solid, a fort on the narrows, 
Even the grass blades are sharper than swords, 
They slaughtered three hundred of our fiercest lords." 

After he'd spoken, he went to the king, 
Running impatiently his news to bring. 
The king chuckled feverishly from his high throne, 
"Well done, Brave Gozbadin, you're back with your own, 
I should reward you for what you have done, 
With Egypt's great medal that's bright as the sun, 
So where is the booty and where are the maids?" 
The King asked Gozbadin, "How were the raids?" 

Embarrassed he shrank, his eyes to the ground, 
"Long live the King, by my pledge I am bound, 
I barely escaped with my life, a great lord, 
Armenia has spawned a man like a horde, 
He's crazy, fears nothing, not orders nor might, 
He smashed in my head with one blow in our fight. 
He said, 'I won't give you the gold of my dad, 
And the maids of Armenia they just can't be had, 
There's no place for you in the land of Sassoon, 
Let Melik himself come for tribute and boon. 
Let him come, and we'll fight it out, just me and him, 
Let him come and I'll tear him apart limb from limb.'" 

The Melik of Musr flew into a rage, 
"Call my whole army, a war we will wage"