When the father did the second time the son cried:  “Bread and wine, the Lord liveth!” and seized his club and hurled the caliph full seven yards distant to the ground.  And with his club he shattered all the images where they stood, put the silver in the skirts of his robe and carried it to his mother, saying:  “Take this, mother, and wear it for ornament!”

His mother fell full length and bowed herself and said:  “I thank thee, Creator of heaven and earth.  It is well that thou hast rescued me from the hands of this cruel man.”

They found Sanassar a wife and placed him on the throne in his father’s place, and he remained at Bagdad.[12]

[12] Here the story of Sanassar breaks off and he is not mentioned again in the tale.

Now Abamelik, who reigned in Moesr, left his son Moesramelik to rule in his stead and went to Sassun.  Many years passed and children were born to him.  To one he gave the name Tschentschchapokrik.  The eldest son he named Zoera-wegi, the second Zenow-Owan; while the third son was called Chor-Hussan,[13] and the youngest David.

[13] All these names are poetic and refer to certain characteristics of their bearers.  “Zenow-Owan” means “melodiously-speaking John”; “Chor-Hussan” means “good singer”; “Tschentschchapokrik” means “sparrow”; and “Zoeranwegi,” “cowardly Wegi.”

Of these, Tschentschchapokrik and Zoeranwegi proved to be ne’er-do-weels.  Zenow-Owan had such a voice that he dried seven buffalo hides in the sun and wound them round his body so that it should not rend him.  But the cleverest of all was David, and to his strength words cannot do justice.

Abamelik’s life was long, but old age came upon him.  Once he sat sunk in thought and said to himself:  “Enemies are all about me.  Who will care for my children after my death?  Moesramelik alone can do this, for none beside him can cope with my enemies.”

He set out to visit Moesramelik,[14] but he was very aged.  “Moesramelik, my son,” he said, “you are truly of my blood.  If I die before you, I intrust my children to you.  Take care of them.  If you die first, confide yours to me and I will watch over them.”

[14] To Mossul.

He returned and lived in his castle.  His time came and he died.  Then Moesramelik came and took the children to his house, for he had not forgotten his father’s command.  Sassun mourned the death of Abamelik for seven years.  Then the peasants feasted and drank again with Uncle Toross, for they said:  “Uncle Toross, our lads have grown old and our pretty girls are old women.  If thou thinkest that by our seven years of weeping Abamelik will live again we would weep seven years longer.”  Uncle Toross gave the peasants their way, and said:  “Marry your lads and maidens.  Weeping leads nowhere.”

And they sat down and feasted and drank wine.  Uncle Toross took a cup in his hand and paused:  he was thinking about something, and he neither drank nor set the cup down.  His son cries from the street:  “Father, dear, there are the mad men of Sassun.  Take care, they will be jeering at you.  Let us go away.”