Bahram Gur Performs a Feat of Archery

The fourth poem in Nizami’s quintet, Haft Paykar (“The Seven Beauties”), recounts the legends surrounding Bahram Gur, a king of Iran’s Sasanian dynasty, including his romantic affairs. One famous episode relates to Bahram Gur and his enslaved concubine Fitna. While out hunting one day, the king asks Fitna to assess his prowess. Fitna cleverly challenges him to demonstrate his skills by pinning an onager’s foot to its head. With a well-aimed arrow, the king grazes the animal’s ear; when it scratches the wound, the king lets fly a second arrow, fixing hoof to head, as depicted here. Filled with self-pride, Bahram Gur once again asks Fitna for her opinion, but she responds dismissively that practice, not prowess, helped him perform the feat.