One year I was traveling from Balkh to Bamyan, and the road was full of danger from bandits. A young man accompanied me as an escort, a skilled shield-bearer, a powerful warrior whose bow was drawn by ten strong men, and the strongmen of the earth could not bring him to the ground, but as you know, he was pampered and sheltered, not experienced and traveled. He had not heard the thunder of warriors' drums or seen the lightning of swordsmen's swords.

He had not fallen captive into the hands of the enemy

No rain of arrows had fallen around him

By chance, this young man and I were both running together. Any old wall that came before him, he would knock down with the strength of his arm, and any huge tree he saw, he would uproot with the force of his fingers, and he would boastfully say:

Where is the elephant to see the shoulders and arms of heroes?

Where is the lion to see the palms and fingertips of men?

While we were in this state, two Hindus emerged from behind a rock and intended to fight us. One had a stick in his hand, and the other had a clod of dirt in his arm. I said to the young man: 'What are you waiting for?'

Bring forth what you have of courage and strength

For the enemy has come to his own grave

I saw the bow and arrow fall from the young man's hand and a tremor in his bones.

Not everyone who splits a hair with an armor-piercing arrow

Will stand firm on the day of warriors' attack

We saw no other choice than to abandon our belongings, weapons, and clothes and save our lives.

Send an experienced man for difficult tasks

Who can bring a fierce lion under the bend of a lasso

Even if a young man has a strong neck and an elephant's body

He will break his connection in battle with his enemy from fear

The battle is known to the battle-tested

Just as a matter of religious law is known to a scholar