I think it must have been to rhyme with ring.
Ahafid
Darius' son's a spineless debauchee.
[Sings.]
The Jew the purple robe enfolds
And eke the royal gown;
For Mordecai the sceptre holds
And Esther wears the crown.
[Exit Ahafid.]
Smerdis
Ahafid said he couldn't sing Ahasuerus' praise,
And that his harp had lost the tone it had in other days.
But though the Jews are on the throne and Xerxes maudlin full,
Ahafid once more tunes his lyre and bellows like a bull.
Look out, here comes the Jew, a cloud upon
His brow, the weight of empires on his brain.
What matters does he now revolve? I fear
The day of Adar troubles Mordecai.
We'll stand aside and hear the premier.
[Exit Smerdis.]