89 afterwards? O, Aktham ibn Ṣayfī, Pray, do tell what happened afterwards. Aktham ibn Ṣayfī steps forward and addresses Al-Nuʿmān ibn al-Munẓir: “What happened next was a moment of reflection for King Khosrow. He took a brief pause to gather his thoughts and regain his poise. Then he said …. “I have discerned the essence of what your eloquent orators have conveyed, and the nuanced articulations your speakers have presented. Had I not been aware that the polish of good manners has yet to soften your inherent coarseness, nor refine the fabric of your characters; had I not recognized the absence of a sovereign to unite you, under whose auspices you might speak as compliant vassals – a fact that led you to address me, driven by the fervor that gripped your tongues,
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