New NaqqaliPahlevan of Nimruz · House of Sahm
Zalزال
ZAHLalso Dastanalso Zal-e-Zar
Son of Sahm, born white-haired, raised by the Simorgh; also called Dastan and Zal-e-Zar. Father of Rostam; outlives him and is put in chains by Bahman.
- His story
- From A7.2, The Strange Birth of Zal, to D1.4, Bahman Releases Zal
- Named
- 505 times under his three names (Zal, Dastan, Zal-e-Zar), in 149 dastans
- Parents
- Sahm
- Spouses
- Rudabeh
- Children
- Rostam, Zavareh, Shaghad
- Plates
- Vol I: VII, Vol II: VIII
His story, in the poem’s own sections
10 sections, with the summary from the Notes. Open any one to read it in full here; tap a couplet number to cite it or suggest a better one.
A7.2
The Strange Birth of Zal
👶👨👦🤍😨⛰️🦅✨🛡️8 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Sahm’s wife bears a beautiful son whose hair is snow-white. Ashamed, and fearing the child is the offspring of a Div, Sahm has him left on Mount Alborz. The Simorgh swoops down to take him for her chicks, but pity moves her and she raises him.
65 couplets · in the full poem
Now from the tales of ancient days I bringA wondrous story from tradition’s spring.
Look well, my son, and hear what Time once planned,What game it played with Sahm by its own hand.
No child had yet been granted Sahm’s embrace;His heart still sought a child to fill that place.
Within his chambers dwelt a lovely bride;Rose-petal cheeks and musk-dark hair her pride.
From that moon-face he hoped a son might rise,Sun-faced and strong beneath the turning skies.
She bore the child of Sahm, of noble fame;The heavy burden racked her tender frame.
When her appointed days at last were done,From mother came a child bright as the sun.
His face shone brightly like the solar light;But every hair upon him gleamed snow-white.
Because the boy was born in such a guise,For one full week they hid him from Sahm’s eyes.
The women of that champion’s private hallBefore the tiny child stood helpless all.
No one would dare to tell the warrior so:“Your fair mate bore a child with hair like snow.”
At last a nurse, lion-hearted in her way,Came boldly before Sahm without delay.
She stood before the champion with the news,And first spoke blessings, careful words to choose:
“May Sahm the brave know fortune bright and strong;May foes who plot against him not live long.
God gave at last the thing your heart desired,The gift for which your spirit long aspired.
Behind your veil, renowned and noble one,Your moon-faced lady now has borne a son.
A lion-hearted warrior-child is he;His courage shows already, bold and free.
His body shines like silver, pure and bright;His face is paradise to mortal sight.
One fault alone: the whiteness of his hair;This is the portion fate has made your share.
Accept what God has given to your care;Be grateful; do not yield to your despair.”
Then Sahm the rider left his royal chairAnd went behind the curtain to his heir.
He saw an old-headed child, noble and bright;No eye had seen such wonder brought to light.
His every hair was white and cold as snow;His face burned red with youthful, splendid glow.
When Sahm beheld that head of snowy white,The world itself grew hopeless in his sight.
He feared the taunts that others soon would raise;Fear drove him from the path of wisdom’s ways.
He raised his head in anguish to the sky,And begged Yazdan for refuge with a cry:
“O One beyond all crookedness and flaw,All goodness grows according to Your law.
If I have borne some grave and sinful stain,Or followed Ahriman, his faith profane,
May the Creator hear my hidden plea,And in His mercy secretly pardon me.
My darkened soul twists inwardly with shame;Hot blood within my body boils like flame.
This child seems sprung from Ahriman’s own line,Dark eyes beneath hair white as jasmine shine.
When mighty chiefs arrive and question why,What can I say beneath each searching eye?
What shall I call this Div-child, born in dread?A two-hued leopard, from a pari bred?
The world’s great men will laugh at what they see,In public and in secret mocking me.
For this disgrace I shall leave Iran behind;No blessing for this land will cross my mind.”
He spoke, turned back, and would no longer stay;He railed against his fortune on the way.
He ordered them to lift the child away,Far from that settled country on that day.
There stood Mount Alborz, rising toward the sun,Far from the haunts where human feet had run.
The Simorgh there had built her lofty nest,Its home was far from every creature’s quest.
They laid him on the mountain, turned away;And for a time alone the infant lay.
The guiltless champion-child lay on that track,Not knowing even what was white or black.
His father cast love, kinship, all aside;When Sahm cast him away, God took his side.
A lioness who nursed her cub once said,And gave this mother’s wisdom as she fed:
“If I fed you my heart’s blood day by day,No debt upon your head would I then lay.
For you are both my seeing eye and heart;My own heart breaks if ever we should part.”
The little child lay helpless in that place,For days, and none to hold him in embrace.
At times he sucked the finger of his hand;At times his cries rang over barren land.
When hunger seized the Simorgh’s waiting brood,She rose on mighty wings in search of food.
She saw below a suckling child who cried,The earth around him like a boiling tide.
Rock was his cradle, dust his nurse alone;No cloth, no milk; he lay upon the stone.
Dark, wretched dust lay heaped on every side;Above his head the sun burned fierce and wide.
Had leopard been his mother or his sire,Its shade might guard him from the sun’s hot fire.
God filled the Simorgh’s heart with pity mild;She lost all thought of feeding on the child.
She dropped from cloud with talons opened wide,And seized him from the burning mountainside.
She bore him swiftly back to Alborz height,Where nest and brood were hidden from all sight.
She brought him to her chicks to tear as prey;His piteous cries rang through the nest that day.
But God, who gives all goodness, showed him grace;A future still awaited in that place.
Blood dripped like tears from both the infant’s eyes;The Simorgh and her brood now heard his cries.
A wonder seized them; love came after awe;They stood amazed at the fair face they saw.
She chose the tenderest prey her hunt could give,For milkless guest who sucked its blood to live.
So in that fashion many seasons sped;The child grew fit and flourishing, well fed.
As that small child grew mighty in his worth,Long years rolled over mountain, sky, and earth.
At last he stood, a cypress, straight of limb;His chest a silver mount, his waist reed-slim.
His story spread, for nothing stays concealed;Both good and evil are at last revealed.
At last to Sahm, Nariman’s son, came word;His fortunate child bore farr, so men had heard.
A7.6
Sahm Gives the Kingdom to Zal
Ordered to campaign against Mazandaran and the Gorgasaran, Sahm entrusts Zal to his elders and gives him Zabul. Zal begs to go with him but is sent back. He takes the throne and studies with sages until his wisdom and beauty are famous.
51 couplets · Zal named 5 times · in the full poem
Then Sahm set forth before his noble sonThe kingly virtues that must all be won.
He summoned chiefs and elders, all his peers,And spoke at length to fill their waiting ears:
“O wise Mobadan, whose counsel steadies all,Whose hearts stand firm whatever may befall,
Our sovereign wills that I should take the field,To march on Mazandaran, spear and shield.
Against Gorgasaran I now must go,With gathered troops to meet the rising foe.
My son, my life, my blood, my heart’s own share,Remains behind entrusted to your care.
In youth’s wild pride I judged him harshly then,And cast him out, unworthy among men.
God gave this shining son; I turned away,Blind to his worth, led by my pride astray.
The Simorgh bore him to her mountain height,Yet Heaven never left him without light.
What I rejected, that great bird held dear,And reared him strong, a cypress tall and clear.
When time for mercy came, Yazdan aboveRestored him to me in enduring love.
So, know him as the memory I leave,And as my trust, this charge from me receive.
Teach him all virtue, guide his growing mind,And form his heart to be both wise and kind.
Honor him well, give counsel firm and wise,And raise his spirit toward the highest prize.
For I must go, as royal duty binds,With other chiefs to face what fate assigns.”
He turned to Zal and spoke in softer tone:“Rule here in peace, let Zabul be your own.
Let justice guide you, let your bounty flow,And make this land in beauty ever grow.
Let friends know joy, let strangers find their rest,Let all live safe, in quiet plenty blest.
My treasury I give to you to keep,Your gain is mine, your loss cuts just as deep.
In feast or war, let judgment lead your way;Do what your spirit bids without delay.”
Then Zal replied: “How shall I linger here?My birth has branded me a thing of fear.
If ever one was flawed from life’s first breath,I am the one cast out to shame and death.
Do not now keep me further from your side,Now peace has come, and fate has turned its tide.
When I was reared beneath the bird’s embrace,And fed on blood in that wild, lonely place,
With dust my bed, and sky my only dome,That wondrous bird became my kin and home.
Men counted me no man, but beast or bird;So fate pronounced its harsh and bitter word.
She that once raised me now is far away!Such is the path that destiny did lay.
No rose is mine, its thorns alone I claim;I bow beneath the burden and the shame.”
Then Sahm replied: “Let grief depart your breast;Speak what you wish; your heart shall be at rest.
The stars themselves have spoken in your name:A crown awaits you, and enduring fame.
This land is yours, with army, throne, and reign;Against the will of Heaven all strife is vain.
Your task is justice, spread it far and wide;Let wisdom ever be your constant guide.
Draw near the wise and learn from all you hear;Keep men of insight always standing near.
Be swift in bounty, open-handed, just;In knowledge and in judgment place your trust.”
He ceased. Tabiras sounded, deep and loud;The earth turned iron beneath an ebony cloud.
The gong and Indian bell together rangFrom the royal tent as marching columns sprang.
With ordered troops and banners raised on high,Sahm rode beneath the darkened, brazen sky.
For two long stages Zal rode at his side,To watch his father lead the men in pride.
At last, they parted, clasped in fierce embrace;Grief surged, and tears ran down young Zal’s pale face.
Sahm sent him back: “The realm is in your care;Take crown and throne and cast aside despair.”
Yet Zal went back with sorrow in his breast,A joyless crown, a heart denied its rest.
He mounted then the ivory throne of state,And set the shining crown of kingly weight.
He took the armlet, ox-head gorz in hand,Gold torque and girdle, fitted as was planned.
He called Mobadan from each distant land,To teach him all a king must understand.
Astrologers and priests of sacred lore,Brave warriors seasoned in the arts of war,
Stood by him daily, guiding every choice,On all affairs of state they lent their voice.
So well, he learned that all who saw him said:“A star has risen, shining overhead.”
In policy and judgment none could standTo match the insight of his ruling hand.
In worldly rule he rose to heights of fame,And great men spoke in wonder of his name.
Men, women thronged to gaze upon his frame,And marveled at his beauty and his claim.
For though his hair was white as camphor’s thread,It crowned him like a king’s most noble head.
A8.5
Zal and Rudabeh: A Secret Visit
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At dusk Rudabeh appears on the palace roof and lets down her hair for Zal to climb. He kisses it but will not hurt her, and climbs by his own kamand. They feast, embrace and swear to marry, and part in tears at dawn.
58 couplets · Zal named 5 times · in the full poem
At dusk they barred the chamber, lost the key,Then sent a maid to say: “She waits, come see.”
The hero, a restless lover newly stirred,Set forth at once, obedient to her word.
Meanwhile Rudabeh, rosy-cheeked and bright,A cypress bathed beneath the moon’s full light,
Ascended to the roof with watchful gaze,She marked the son of Sahm through evening haze.
She loosed her coral lips and called his name:“O noble youth, welcome, to love’s own flame!
May Heaven’s blessing rest upon your head,And happy fortune on your pathways spread.
May lofty heaven bow beneath your feet,And may your coming make this moment sweet.
May she who praised you live in joy and cheer;From head to foot, as told, you now appear.
To come on foot from out your lordly placeMust weary well a prince of such high grace.”
He heard her voice and lifted up his eyes,And saw a radiant form against the skies!
A sun-cheeked maiden, radiant, refined,Whose beauty dazzled eye and stunned the mind;
Her blush turned stone to ruby where she stood,Her glow made night seem day and darkness good.
He cried: “O moon-faced one, O heaven’s art,May grace eternal dwell within your heart.
How many nights beneath Simak on highHave I looked upward, longing with a sigh,
Praying to Him who rules the stars aboveTo grant one glance, one moment of your love.
Now you have made my longing soul rejoiceWith gentle words and music in your voice.
Yet why should distance still our meeting bar?Why stand you there while I remain afar?”
She heard, and smiling, loosed without delayHer night-dark hair and cast its bonds away.
Coil upon coil, snake upon snake, it wound,Her musk-dark tresses streaming toward the ground.
She lowered them from battlement to wall,A fragrant kamand hanging through their fall.
Then from the wall she called to him again:“O lion-born, exalted among men!
Now spread your lion-grip, your Kayan hand!Climb where my tresses fall to your command.
These locks are yours, my pledge, my offered sign,Take hold, ascend, and make your pathway mine.”
Zal gazed in wonder at that shining snare,A face like dawn and night-enchanted hair.
He kissed the musk-dark strands with longing bliss;Rudabeh heard the sound of that warm kiss.
Then love-sick Zal raised up his voice and said,And spoke the plea that through his heart had spread:
“This is not right, that I should rise aboveBy seizing thus the very life I love.”
He took his kamand from his servant’s hand,And cast it upward where the walls did stand.
The loop caught fast upon the rampart stone;From base to roof he climbed the wall alone.
He reached the roof; she came, her face aglow,And greeted him with honor, bowing low.
She took his hand; like those made glad by wine,They walked together toward the chamber’s shine.
Together then they passed, as in a dream,Into the chamber’s soft and jeweled gleam.
A chamber rich with gold and scented bloom,A paradise prepared, a lovers’ room.
Fair maidens stood like houris, soft and still,While Zal beheld her beauty and drank his fill.
Her hair, her face, her beauty and her grace,Her royal farr shone brightly through the place.
Her armlet, torque, and earrings, gem-inlaid,With gold, cast spring’s poor riches into shade.
Her cheeks were twin red tulips newly grown,Her curls in ringlets over her shoulders thrown.
He sat beside that moon in royal grace,Red-ruby crown and khanjar both in place.
She looked and looked again with bashful gaze,Engulfed in love’s consuming, rising blaze,
At form and stature, strength and noble air,At eyes whose glance could conquer hearts laid bare.
The more she gazed, the more her heart took fire;His radiant face increased her fierce desire.
They kissed, embraced, and drank the flowing wine,While love drew heart to heart in close design.
Then spoke the prince: “O silver-bosomed fair,O swaying cypress, musk within your hair,
Though Manuchehr should hear and answer no,He will not bless the path on which we go.
And Sahm will roar and rise against me still,But none of this can bend my heart or will.
I count as little now this life and breath;For you I take my shroud and welcome death.
Before the Just I bind myself and swear:I shall not break the covenant we share.
To God I pray that hearts opposed may bend,And all the wrath between our houses end.
And if He grants what faithful hearts implore,You shall be mine, my bride for evermore.”
Rudabeh answered: “By the Just, the True,No man shall ever claim me, none but you.
Let God bear witness to this vow I make:No other lord shall my allegiance take,
Except Zal-e-Zar, the Pahlevan of fame,With crown and treasure, farr and noble name.”
Their love grew deeper with each passing hour;Reason stood far; desire held all its power.
So passed the night until the dawn grew nearAnd morning’s tabiras rang in their ear.
Zal took his leave, yet held her close and long,As warp to woof are bound in fabric strong.
They wept and cried to heaven in dismay:“O lord of light, why will you not delay?
Grant us one hour before your beams arise,Hold back the dawn a while beneath the skies.”
Then from the height he let his kamand fall,And swiftly climbed down from the palace wall.
A8.19
Zal Answers the Mobadan
Zal solves each riddle: the months and their days, day and night, the nights of the lunar month, the two halves of the year with the sun between them, this passing world and the lasting one beyond, and Time the reaper, who spares no one.
34 couplets · Zal named 1 time · in the full poem
Zal paused a while, absorbed in inward thought,And weighed each hidden question they had brought.
He raised his mane and spread his shoulders wide,Then every hidden answer he supplied:
“The cypresses, those twelve tall trees you named,Are months by which the passing year is framed.
Each bears full thirty branches in its span,The days that mark the measure dealt to man.
When thirty days are passed, their course is done;Thus turns the wheel beneath the circling sun.
You spoke of chargers, one in white, one black,That chase each other, never tired nor slack.
These are the two that sweep across the sky:The night and day that ever onward fly.
They strain in chase, yet neither gains the lead,While heaven counts each human breath with heed.
They never meet, though endless is their flight;Like quarry before hound they race from sight.
Again, the thirty riders that appearAre nights that mark the turning lunar sphere.
At times one night is missing from the line;The count falls back from thirty to twenty-nine.
Now for the twin tall cypresses you named,Above a restless sea with winds inflamed:
These are the two great arms of heaven’s sphere,Whose changing courses govern darkness here.
From Aries onward till Libra draws near,The dark stays hidden and the light runs clear.
Beyond that turn, as heaven wheels its frame,The darkness lengthens and the light grows tame.
The bird that moves between them on its runIs none but our bright ever-burning sun;
From it come hope and fear to all below,As heaven turns and makes our fortunes flow.
The mountain-city high beyond our sightIs lasting home where deeds are brought to light.
The thorn-land town wherein men choose to stayIs this brief lodging where we pass our day.
Here we take pleasure, suffer loss and gain,Are raised in joy, or cast in grief and pain.
Time counts each breath that passes through our frame,Now raising us, now casting down the same.
At last come wind and earthquake through the earth,And sweep away the signs of mortal birth.
We leave our labor in this thorny place,And journey toward the former city’s grace.
Another reaps the fruit that we have sown,Yet he in turn shall lose what seemed his own.
Thus has it been, and thus the world shall run;What one man leaves another takes when done.
If to that other home we bear good name,Our souls shall there receive their honored claim.
But if we live for greed and evil gain,Its truth appears when lifeless we remain.
Though palace roofs to Saturn’s height may rise,One shroud alone will cover mortal eyes.
Then dust shall settle over face and head,While fear and grief keep company with the dead.
As for the meadow and the reaper grim,Whose scythe spares none who stand or bow to him,
That reaper, Time, cuts all within his sight;We are the grass beneath his sweeping might.
Grandchild and grandfather are both the same;He spares no branch for lineage or name.
All ages fall alike beneath his blade;No child is born but death’s path must be made.
Through one gate we arrive, through one depart,While Time keeps count of every breath from start.”
A8.22
Zal Returns to Kabul, Sahm and Rudabeh
Zal returns to Sahm, who tells him of his pact with Sindokht. Father and son ride to Kabul, where Mehrab welcomes them. Zal and Rudabeh marry amid weeks of feasting. Afterwards Sahm gives Zal the rule of Sistan and marches against the Gorgasaran.
76 couplets · Zal named 15 times · in the full poem
Zal rode in haste, a bird across the sky,A ship upon the water speeding by.
All those who knew that Zal was drawing nearRode out to greet him with auspicious cheer.
A cry rose from the curtained royal hall:“Zal, blessed in counsel, has arrived!” the call.
Sahm came to meet him, joyful at the sight,And held him in his arms with full delight.
When freed from his embrace, Zal kissed the ground,And told what he had seen and heard all round.
Then Sahm sat on his rich and honored seat,With Zal beside him, happiness complete.
He spoke of Sindokht, smiling as he toldThe words that she had brought from Kabul’s hold:
“A message came from Kabul to my hall;A woman, Sindokht, bore and told it all.
She asked a pledge; I gave my word to herThat no ill thought toward her would ever stir.
Whatever good she asked, I pledged it true;We set each term in friendship, firm and due.
First, Kabul’s moon shall wed with Zabul’s sun;Their two great houses shall be joined as one.
And next, that we should journey as her guestsAnd heal all wounds that trouble hearts and breasts.
Again her messenger has reached our door:All stands prepared, with color, scent, and store.
What answer shall we send upon the way?What shall we tell Mehrab without delay?”
At this Zal’s body took a ruby hue;From head to foot his joyful color grew.
He answered, “Pahlevan, if this seems right,Then let us shape the journey in your sight.
Before the army let us ride apart,And speak of this together, heart to heart.”
Sahm looked at Zal and laughed to see his face;He knew at once what longing held its place.
Whatever speech was not of Mehrab’s maidWas night to Zal, where sleep itself would fade.
He bade the bell and Indian daray sound,And had the pavilion curtains opened round.
A valiant courier mounted with all speed,Upon a swift hiyun, bred for such need.
“Great Sahm is coming, Zal beside his way,With elephants and troops in full array.”
The courier reached Mehrab and gave his word,Recounting everything he saw and heard.
Mehrab rejoiced; arghavan-red bloomCame to his face and banished every gloom.
The bronze pipe sounded, and the kousts replied;His army gleamed like rooster’s eye, fire-dyed.
With mighty elephants and minstrels near,The earth became a Paradise of cheer.
Silken standards of many colors flew;Red, green, and yellow, violet in hue.
The pipe and harp rang out across the throng,With roaring horn and bells that joined the song.
You might have thought the final day was here:Was this resurrection, or a feast of cheer?
So Mehrab rode until he reached the train,Then left his horse and stepped upon the plain.
Then Sahm embraced him, glad to meet that day,And asked how turning Time had shaped his way.
Mehrab gave praise to father and to son,And blessed them both when greeting rites were done.
He mounted on his swift horse, rising soon,Like from a mountain crest the newborn moon.
A golden crown with jewels blazing brightHe placed on Zal before the people’s sight.
They reached Kabul, both laughing, spirits high,Recalling ancient tales as they passed by.
The Indian bell, the barbat, harp, and fluteMade every street resound in loud salute.
It seemed each door and rooftop joined the song,And Time itself was newly decked along.
The horses’ forelocks, manes from end to end,With musk and saffron richly seemed to blend.
Then Sindokht came in ceremonial array,Three hundred girded attendants led the way.
Each bore a golden cup, and every oneHeld musk and jewels flashing like the sun.
They blessed great Sahm as all the cups were raised,Then scattered gems before the chief they praised.
Each guest who came to share the festal cheerReceived such wealth that want could not draw near.
Sahm smiled and asked, half jesting, half in grace:“How long will you conceal this moon-bright face?”
Sindokht replied: “If you would see the sun,What price will you bestow when sight is won?”
Sahm answered: “Ask whatever pleases you;Of all I own, your chosen gift is due.
Whatever I possess; my crown and throne,My royal girdle; you may call your own.”
They passed into a chamber worked in gold,Where spring itself seemed living to behold.
There Sahm looked on the moon-faced maiden’s grace,And wonder held him as he viewed her face.
He knew not how to praise that radiant sight,Nor how to open eyes against such light.
By Sahm’s command, Mehrab appeared that night;They bound the marriage by the faith and rite.
They seated both together on one throne,With agate bright and emeralds all their own.
A famed diadem adorned the moon-bright bride;A jeweled royal crown shone at Zal’s side.
Mehrab then brought the written wealth account,A copy of the treasure’s full amount.
He read each treasure written in the scroll;The ear could scarcely bear to hear the whole.
Sahm saw such wealth and wonder filled his gaze;He spoke the name of Yazdan then in praise.
They went to feast and took the cup in hand;For one full week the wine flowed through the band.
The city rang with cries of joyful sound;Sahm’s palace boiled like Paradise around.
For one full week no sleep their eyelids knew;By day and night their waking pleasures grew.
For three more weeks they lived in festal cheer,With feast and pleasure ringing in each ear.
The nobles of the realm stood rank on rank,Before the lofty palace, flank by flank.
At month’s end Sahm set out from Kabul’s gate,And turned toward Sistan at a rapid rate.
After Sahm had gone, Zal feasted seven days,Then turned his thoughts toward Sistan’s distant ways.
They readied ammari and hodaj for the road,A bridal mahd to bear the moon in royal mode.
With Sindokht, Mehrab, and their kindred near,They took the Sistan road in festive cheer.
They journeyed happy-hearted on their way,Their lips full of blessings for each generous day.
Victorious, they reached Nimruz’s gate,All smiling, for the journey’s joy was great.
Sahm held a feast that lasted three full days,With wine and music and resounding praise.
Then Sindokht stayed behind at Sahm’s abode;Mehrab and all his army homeward rode.
Then Sahm entrusted Zal with kingdom’s care,And marched beneath good omens through the air.
Toward Gorgasaran and Bakhtar he sped,His blessed standard lifted overhead.
He said, “That kingdom is my charge to hold,Yet hearts and eyes there turn from me grown cold.
Manuchehr gave the charter of that land,And told me, ‘Hold and rule it in your hand.’
I fear revolt from those of evil birth;Mazandaran’s Divs most dangerous on earth.
To you, my Zal, I give this royal seat,This kingship and its fortunate crown complete.”
Then Sahm One Blow rode outward from the hall;Zal sat to rule, with wine and feast for all.
When Rudabeh sat shining at his side,He placed a gold crown on his loving bride.
B4.2
Zal Counsels Kay Kavus
👴🗣️👑🧠👹🪄⚠️😤👑⚔️🚫😔🏇13 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Zal warns Kay Kavus that no earlier king ever marched on Mazandaran, land of Divs and sorcery. Kavus, claiming to surpass Jamshid and Fereydoon, dismisses him and leaves Zal and Rostam to guard Iran. Zal submits, and Giv and the chiefs escort him on his way.
57 couplets · Zal named 9 times · in the full poem
With lords adorned in belts of gleaming gold,Zal came, composed in bearing, firm and bold.
He entered where Kay Kavus held his throne,Exulting in a power all his own.
With folded arms and eyes cast down, he stood,Then spoke with care, his counsel grave and good:
“O lord of worlds, peerless in crown and name,No throne has borne a king of equal fame.
No throne or crown has known so great a king,Nor heaven seen such fortune take its wing.
May victory and joy attend your reign,Your heart hold wisdom, justice rule your brain.”
The Shah received Zal as an honored guest,And on the throne beside him bade him rest.
He asked about the hardships of the road,The chiefs, and Rostam, famed in his abode.
Zal answered: “Live in triumph, crowned and bright!Your fortune fills all loyal hearts with light.
Through you our honor rises ever high,Our heads uplifted as your banners fly.”
Then Zal began, his purpose firm and clear,To turn the king from folly drawing near:
“O Shah, who bears the crown and royal throne,Among the great, your royal worth is known.
Long years have passed in turning over me;I watched the wheel of heaven turn and flee.
Yet grave reports have reached my ears of late,And pressed my aged heart with doubt’s great weight:
They say that toward Mazandaran you fare,Upon a road no prudent king would dare.
No king before you sought that shadowed way,Though many ruled with power in their day.
Manuchehr passed and left this world behind,With treasure, throne, and palaces consigned.
So Zav and Nohzar, kings of tested reign,And Kay Qobad refused that dark domain.
How many heroes, battle-proven, came,With countless troops and heavy gorz of fame.
Yet none among them sought that cursed road,Or led toward Mazandaran his martial load.
There sorcerous Divs with talismans abide,And magic bonds defend them on each side.
No sword can break what deeper charms defend,No wealth or wit can bring such powers to end.
No blessing lies upon that road of pain;Abandon now this dark and reckless aim.
Do not cast toil and strength and wealth awayOn spells no mortal sword can hold at bay.
No Shah before you chose that road to fame,Yet each won honor and a lasting name.
Though lesser men before your crown appear,They served the Just One with devotion clear.
Do not plant greatness like a blood-fed tree,From heads of heroes slain for vanity.
Its fruit will ripen cursed, with bitter flaw;No ancient king made such a practice law.”
The Shah replied, his pride now sharpened high:“Your counsel has its worth; I cannot deny.
In valor, strength, and wealth I far exceedBoth Jamshid and Fereydoon, all concede.
Manuchehr and Qobad I too excel;They never sought Mazandaran’s dark spell.
My army, heart, and treasure greater stand;The sharp sword holds the world beneath command.
The world lies open to the knowing eye;No hidden realm shall from my purpose fly.
I go to snare them one by one in fight,By kingly rule or by the sword’s own might.
I shall impose my tribute on their land,Or leave no living foe who dares withstand.
Their sorcerers and Divs I count as base;No terror in them do I see or trace.
The Divs shall vanish from the face of earth,Their cursed breed be stripped of name and worth.
You, Zal, with Rostam, guard Iran; beware;Let watchful strength be constant everywhere.
The World-Creator stands with me today;The heads of male Divs shall be my prey.
If you will not ride with me to the fight,Then do not counsel me to wait tonight.”
Zal saw no head nor root in what he heard;No path appeared through Kavus’s reckless word.
Zal heard and answered, though his heart was torn:“You are the Shah, and we to serve are sworn.
We speak from love; whether you rule by rightOr wrong, your servants follow where you might.
My mind is eased, for I have said my part;What wisdom taught, I offered from the heart.
No man can drive death from his mortal frame;When death arrives, all bodies end the same.
No needle sews the eye of Time away;No guarded man escapes what need may lay.
From death, from Time, from need none finds release;Not even world-seekers purchase lasting peace.
May this bright world bring fortune to your reign,And spare you cause to think on this with pain.
May no deed of your own bring late regret;May heart and faith remain in brightness set.”
Then Zal took leave of Kavus and withdrew,His heart oppressed by what the Shah would do.
As from the royal presence, grieved, he drew,Both Sun and Moon grew dark before his view.
Then Tus, Gudarz, Bahram, and Giv drew near,And went beside him, loyal and sincere.
Giv said, “May God direct us as we go;Were Kavus not our Shah, I would say no.
May greed and death and need stay far from you;May foemen’s hands fall short in all they do.
Wherever we may journey through the land,Your praise alone is heard on every hand.
Next after God, Iran on you depends,Who bore this arduous road for warrior friends.”
Then Zal embraced the men who gathered round,And turned toward Sistan from that royal ground.
C4.53
Zal Reproaches Khosrow
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Zal reproaches the Shah openly: he was bred in Turan, and one grandfather was a sorcerer and the other a fool who ignored the same advice and fell out of the sky. To leave the throne now is Div-counsel, and the farr will be stripped from him. The chiefs agree.
35 couplets · Zal named 2 times · in the full poem
Zal heard those words, then rose before Khosrow:“O righteous Shah, now hear what age may know.
Hear what an elder of the world would tell;If I give crooked counsel, then rebel.
Though honest speech is bitter, it can barThe door of ruin, visible from far.
Take therefore in good part the words I say,Before this noble group of men today.
In Turan you were born, and there you dwelt;You drank its water, there its comforts felt.
One forebear, Afrasiab, knew no dreamBut sorcery and every magic scheme.
Kavus, your other forebear, harsh and old,Had furrowed cheeks, a heart that schemes controlled.
From west to east, all greatness and all power,The crown and royal belt were his that hour.
He wished to pass beyond the heavens’ height,And trace the stars through every circling flight.
Though I advised him often, frank and clear,And spoke these bitter warnings for his ear,
He profited by none of my advice;I turned away in sorrow from his vice.
He soared, then fell down headlong to the dust,But holy God preserved his life in trust.
He came back thankless, dust upon his head,His heart possessed by fear and filled with dread.
A hundred thousand swordsmen formed your train,In jowshans, ox-head gorzes, on campaign.
A lion roused and terrible in might,You ranked your men on Khwarazm’s plain for fight.
You rushed before your troops into the strife,On foot, to face Pashang, and staked your life.
The world had other champions who could go;Why risk your head for vengeance on the foe?
Had he prevailed, then Afrasiab’s trainWould march on Iran, ravaging the plain.
Our wives and little children he would take;No man would rise for vengeance for their sake.
God saved you from his grasp and from his wrath;He showed you mercy and confirmed your path;
You slew the feared and thankless one who erred,Who spurned the Almighty Judge and holy word.
But when I said, ‘Now peace should crown the land;Now robes and gifts and goblets suit the hand,’
This grievous matter cast Iran in grief,And no man’s heart could find the least relief.
For you have cast God’s righteous path aside,And turned toward evil counsel as your guide.
You gain no benefit from doing wrong,Nor please the Maker who has helped you long.
If you persist, no man will serve your throne,Your laws ignored, no subject left your own.
Then you will come to rue what you have done;Consider well, and from Div-counsel run.
If still you choose the road the Divs would pave,Yazdan will strip from you the farr He gave.
With sinful heart, you will know grief and shame;No man will hail you by your royal name.
Seek God as refuge; turn to Him, and knowHe guides through good and evil here below.
If you reject this counsel that I give,And trust in wicked Ahriman to live,
Pain stays; your fortune leaves you on your own,Without a royal seat or crown or throne.
May wisdom be the leader of your soul,And keep your mind both pure and sound and whole.”
When Zal had brought his counsel to its close,The voices of the gathered warriors rose:
“We too agree with all this elder said;Let truth be spoken openly instead.”
C8.25
The Simorgh Comes to Rostam’s Aid
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Zal burns the Simorgh’s feather. The bird draws out the arrowheads and heals Rostam and Rakhsh, warns that Esfandiyar’s killer is doomed in both worlds, then leads Rostam to a tamarisk beside the sea and teaches him to make the fatal arrow.
74 couplets · Zal named 7 times · in the full poem
When all three fixed upon that bold design,Zal climbed a height beneath the starlight’s shine.
Three censers full of fire he bore that night;Three watchful, valiant men climbed to the height.
Upon the summit, spell-wise Zal now stayed,And drew the feather from its rich brocade.
He lit a censer’s fire amid the gloom,And burned a portion of the Simorgh’s plume.
A watch of that dark night had passed; on highA cloud as black as iron filled the sky.
The bird looked down from heaven toward the height,And saw the fire below her burning bright.
Zal sat before it, sunk in grief and woe;The troubled bird came down to earth below.
Zal came before her, aloeswood to bear,And offered praise and bowed his head in prayer.
He filled three censers with their fragrant store;Down both his cheeks his liver’s blood would pour.
The Simorgh said, “O king, what grief or fearHas made you burn my plume to call me here?”
Zal said, “May this affliction fall insteadUpon the ill-born foeman’s guilty head.
The body of lion-hearted Rostam liesWith wounds that fill my heart with anguished cries.
His wounds have brought him close to loss of life;No man has seen such ruin born of strife.
And Rakhsh, it seems, is near to dying too,So sharply have the arrows pierced him through.
Esfandiyar has come to fight us here;He seeks but war and makes his purpose clear.
He seeks no land or treasure, nor a crown;He wants the tree, its root and fruit, cut down.”
The Simorgh said, “O Pahlevan, take heart;Let grief and fear from your worn soul depart.
Now let me see both Rakhsh and Rostam here,That proud world-giving chief, whom men revere.”
Then Zal sent word to Rostam where he lay:“Bestir yourself and come without delay.
Give orders too that Rakhsh be brought along,And bring him straight to me; do not be long.”
When Rostam reached that steep and lofty place,The knowing bird looked on the hero’s face:
“O mighty elephant, whose hand could dealSuch grievous wounds as those you now reveal?
Why did you seek Esfandiyar in fight?Why set your lap with battle’s fire alight?”
Then Zal replied, “O queen of love and grace,Since you have shown to us your holy face,
Where shall I take my refuge if my sonShould find no cure? Of hope there will be none.
They will destroy Sistan and strip it bareFor lions’ dens and for the leopard’s lair.
Our race will be uprooted from the land;What remedy remains at our command?”
The bird surveyed his wounds with knowing eye,And saw where all the means to heal might lie.
Four arrowheads she drew; her beak appliedTo wounded flesh drew out the blood inside.
She rubbed her feather on each wound he bore;Great Rostam’s strength and farr she did restore.
She said, “Bind up your wounds and rest one week;Avoid all danger; safety you must seek.
With milk, wet one of my own feathers through;Then stroke the wounds the arrows dealt to you.”
She called for Rakhsh, then pressed her beak to aidHis right foreleg, where arrow-wounds were made.
Six arrowheads she drew; his neck was freed,And no wound marred the body of the steed.
Then Rakhsh neighed out, and Rostam laughed for joy;No grief remained their gladness to destroy.
The Simorgh said, “O elephant in might,Most famed of all the warriors who fight,
Why seek to fight Esfandiyar, whose frameIs brass, a prince whose wars have won him fame?”
He answered, “Had he not proposed my chains,My heart would not be troubled by these pains.
For death is easier than shame to bear,Should I hold back from fighting and not dare.”
She said, “To bow your head before his might,Down to the dust, brings no disgrace or slight.
He is a warrior-prince, both pure and bright;He bears God’s farr, the grace of sacred light.
If you will make a covenant with me,Repent this fight and let your anger flee,
Seek not to prove your strength exceeds his mightWhen you contend with him in open fight.
Tomorrow, plead with him, and let him takeYour flesh and soul, offered for his own sake.
Then if his time is moving toward its end,He will reject the pleas that you extend.
Then I shall find the means, and, this once done,Shall raise your head as high as heaven’s sun.”
When Rostam heard, his heart was filled with cheer;The thought of being bound brought no more fear.
He said, “I shall obey what you have said,Though swords rain from the sky upon my head.”
The Simorgh said, “In love I now revealThe hidden doom that heaven’s signs conceal.
Whoever sheds that hero’s sacred bloodWill meet dark fortune rising like a flood.
Throughout his life, he shall not find reliefFrom pain; his treasure, too, shall come to grief.
Ill fortune in this world will bring him pain;Beyond this life, more hardships shall remain.
If you agree with all that I have told,Against your enemy you shall be bold.
This very night a wonder I shall show,And stop the evil words your lips let flow.
Go mount on Rakhsh; a khanjar you must choose,Whose steel is bright with gleaming water’s hues.”
He fastened tight the belt around his waist,Then mounted Rakhsh, and toward the sea he raced.
He reached the sea; above him, all grew dimBeneath the Simorgh flying over him.
When Rostam came beside the water’s face,The noble bird descended to that place.
A tamarisk stood rooted, rising high;The royal bird perched there against the sky.
She showed a dry path; musky fragrance stirredUpon the wind that blew about the bird.
She called him close and gently stroked his head;And then the knowing Simorgh spoke and said:
“Choose out the straightest slender branch on high,Its tip raised up toward the open sky.
This tamarisk is Esfandiyar’s doom;Do not mistake it for mere wood or bloom.
Before the fire, make straight this shaft you hold;Choose one fine arrowhead, well made and old.
Set the feather and arrowhead in place;I have revealed the harm that he must face.”
When Rostam cut the branch, he left the shore,And rode toward his halls; the branch he bore.
The Simorgh still above his head remained,And guided him until his house was gained.
She said, “When prince Esfandiyar seeks fight,Plead kindly, speak the truth, do what is right.
Sweet words may turn him back, and call to mindThe days of old that he has left behind:
How long, in service to the great, you boreHard toil and pain throughout the years before.
If he rejects your pleas with scornful face,And counts you with the low-born and the base,
Then string your bow, and nock that arrow rare,The tamarisk that wine has helped prepare.
Aim both your hands, as gaz-parast men do,Straight at his eye, and keep that eye in view.
Then Destiny will guide the shaft in flightStraight to his eye, and there its point will bite.”
C9.5
Zal Hears of Rostam’s Death
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One rider carries the news to Zabul, where Zal mourns Rostam, Zavareh and Rakhsh. Faramarz finds Kabul deserted, has the bodies washed, perfumed and coffined, and brings them home, where Rostam is laid on golden thrones in a garden tomb.
54 couplets · Zal named 1 time · in the full poem
In yet another pit Zavareh lay;All but one rider perished on that day.
One noble rider fled that field of dead,Now riding, now on foot, in haste he sped.
When he reached Zabul, pallid with despair,He cried, “The Elephant lies in the snare.
Zavareh too, and all the escort, lie;No other horseman lived to bring reply.”
Through Zabul rose a bitter cry of griefAgainst Kabul’s false king, the hostile chief.
Zal cast the dust upon his silver hair,And tore his breast and face in wild despair.
He cried, “Alas, great elephant in might!Let only shrouds now clothe me, cold and white.
Zavareh too, that noble warrior bold,That dragon-hearted lion, fierce of old!
Accursed Shaghad, luckless in his birth,Has torn that royal tree up from the earth.
Who knew a wicked fox could scheme to slayAn elephant upon that land one day?
Who can recall an age that knew such woe,Or tell what teacher spoke of such a blow?
That I should see great Rostam in the dust,Slain by a fox whose words had won his trust!
Why did I not die first and leave this breath?Why am I left to mourn them after death?
What need have I of life or lasting name,Of food or rest, of pleasure or acclaim?
O chief who took the lion in the fray!O world-subduing man, now torn away!”
He sent an army forth to fight the king;And charged Faramarz with this grievous thing:
To bring the slain man’s body from the pit,And make the whole world weep and mourn for it.
When Faramarz before Kabul drew near,No man of name was left who might appear.
They all had fled; the town in ruin and bare,Its hearts burned through by sorrow and despair.
Then Faramarz went to the hunting place,And saw the treacherous pits across its face.
He ordered biers set out; upon a bierThey laid that splendid tree, their warrior dear.
They loosed the hero’s belt and stripped awayThe royal robes in which his body lay.
They washed his breast and neck, his body bare,And beard in water warm, with gentle care.
They burned rich ambergris and saffron bright,And sewed his gaping wounds to close them tight.
They poured rosewater on his face and head,And laid pure camphor on the mighty dead.
When they had dressed him in brocade so fine,They called for roses and for musk and wine.
The shroud-maker, with bloody tears that flowed,Combed out the beard whose camphor whiteness showed.
Two biers could not contain him as he lay;Was this a man, or tree that shades the day?
They made a splendid coffin out of teak,With golden nails and ivory figures sleek.
They sealed each seam with pitch to make it fast,Then musk and fragrant blends upon it cast.
They drew Zavareh’s body from the pit,And stitched his wounds to close each gaping slit.
They washed him, wrapped him in brocade, and foundAn elm that grew upon the nearby ground.
The carpenters cut heavy boards to bearThe dead and shaped them with their practiced care.
With musk and camphor strewn above the bed,They poured rosewater underneath the dead.
Then from the pit they drew brave Rakhsh that day,And washed and clothed the body where it lay.
Two days were spent; an elephant then boreThe body of the steed who breathed no more.
From Kabul up to Zabul, every roadBent down beneath the public sorrow’s load.
The men and women gathered there in streams;No room remained amid their cries and screams.
They passed the two great coffins hand to hand,As if the wind bore them across the land.
They reached Zabul in two days and one night,And neither bier touched earth along the flight.
The death of Rostam filled the age with cries;The plain seemed boiling as those cries would rise.
No voice could reach another through the sound;In every land the wail of grief went round.
They built his tomb within a garden fair,And raised its roof to meet the clouds in air.
They set two golden thrones within the room,And laid on them the hero in his tomb.
Then all who once had served his royal name,Both free and faithful servants, grieving, came.
They mingled musk and roses, rich and sweet,And poured them at the mighty hero’s feet.
And each exclaimed, “O famous man of worth,Why wish for musk and ambergris on earth?
No feast now draws you to its honored seat;No babr clothes you for the battle’s heat.
You give no more your treasures, coin or gold;Such things have lost the worth they had of old.
May Paradise bring joy where you abide;God formed you just, with manliness your guide.”
They closed the tomb’s great door and turned to go;That lofty warrior lay forever low.
What do you seek in this world? None may stay.Grief marks its first and final passing day.
Though faithful, or of Ahriman’s dark kin,Though made of iron, dust will take you in.
While life endures, to deeds of goodness turn,That joy beyond this world you yet may earn.
D1.2
Bahman Humiliates Zal
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Bahman halts on the Hirmund and sends Zal a threat. Zal pleads Rostam’s long service and offers all his treasure. Bahman comes, hears him out, then has his feet bound, loads the wealth of Sistan onto camels, and gives Zabul over to plunder.
40 couplets · Zal named 10 times · in the full poem
When Bahman reached the Hirmund’s riverside,His heart was fixed on vengeance as his guide.
He chose a noble envoy from his court,And gave him words of stern and grave import:
“Go tell old Zal my days are steeped in painFor great Esfandiyar, my father slain,
And for Nush Azar, Mehr-e-Nush, noble pair,Two princes born of lineage blessed and fair.
I shall sate ancient vengeance for the dead;All Zabul’s streams with blood shall be stained red.”
The envoy came before the aged chief,And spoke; his words plunged Zal in bitter grief.
He answered, “If the Shah will contemplateEsfandiyar’s deeds and his appointed fate,
Then he will know that destiny so meant;My heart was broken by that dark event.
Through good and ill, you stood among us here;From me you gained and found no harm to fear.
Great Rostam served your father at command,And kept his pledge with heart and loyal hand.
Your father, that great prince of noble name,Grew fierce and stubborn when his last hour came.
The forest’s lion, dragon, all must fall;The claws of Time will close upon them all.
Recall great Sahm, renowned in every age;You know his deeds, the battles he would wage.
Then came the time when Rostam drew his blade,The sharpened sword that at his waist was laid.
Before your fathers, think how he would fight,When honor was at stake, with all his might.
He was your servant, guardian of your days,Among your troops a man of worth and praise.
Now Rostam lies beneath the mournful ground,And grief has spread through Zabul all around.
If you will end this quarrel and relent,And weigh our deeds with generous intent,
Then come in friendship, free of wrath and rage,And soothe with love the sorrows of this age.
The wealth of Sahm and Dastan in these stores,The golden belts and trappings, shall be yours.
When you arrive, I shall bring all I keep;You are the Shah; your chiefs, a flock of sheep.”
He gave the envoy robes and minted gold,A noble horse, and treasures from his hold.
The envoy then returned and told the kingEach word of Zal and every offered thing.
But Bahman spurned the plea that Zal had sent;His heart remained on blood and vengeance bent.
He entered, full of pain and vengeful thought,And breathed cold sighs for all that grief had brought.
Zal went to meet him; with the elder cameThe chiefs of Sistan, men of noble name.
He reached the Shah, dismounted from his steed,And bowed before him as the court decreed.
He said, “This is the time to grant releaseFrom grief and rancor; let the heart find peace.
Here Dastan, son of Sahm, before you stands,Humbled, with walking staff in aged hands.
Remember how we guarded you in youth,And dealt with you in loyalty and truth.
Forgive; let bygone deeds be left unsaid;Seek virtue; seek no vengeance for the dead.”
But Bahman’s fury mounted at the plea;Zal’s former standing ebbed for all to see.
He bound Zal’s feet, and would not lend an earTo minister or treasurer standing near.
They loaded camel after camel, packedFrom Dastan’s palace, all its treasures sacked:
With gold coins, uncut gems, and thrones arrayed,And all the rugs that in the halls were laid;
With gold and silver ware, with crowns of gold,With earrings, belts, and riches from the hold;
With Arab steeds in trappings bright with gilt,And Indian blades sheathed golden to the hilt;
With garments, bags of silver, camphor white,And musk; all things of value, great or slight.
All this had Rostam gained with toil and care,From kings and mighty chiefs, their treasures rare.
He gave all Zabul up to plunder then,And crowns and bags of coin to noble men.
Family
- Parents
- Sahm
- Spouses
- Rudabeh
- Children
- Rostam, Zavareh, Shaghad
Where he appears
Named mentions by book, from the Universe Registry. Titles such as “the Shah” and epithets are not counted.
A7The First Kings: Manuchehr19A8The Story of Zal and Rudabeh131A9The Birth and Early Feats of Rostam; Manuchehr’s Closing Counsel36B1The Crisis after Manuchehr41B2Garshasp and the Transition to Kayanian Kingship20B3Kay Qobad17B4The War with Mazandaran27B5The Seven Labors of Rostam7B6The Folly of Kay Kavus1B8The Tragedy of Rostam & Sohrab17B9The Story of Siavash9B10Vengeance for Siavash and the Retrieval of Kay Khosrow4B11Kay Khosrow’s Kingship7B13Mount Hamavan and the Kamus Campaign7B14The Great Battle with the Khan of Chin6C1Rostam and the Div Akvan4C2The Tale of Bijan and Manijeh15C3The Battle of the Twelve Rukhs1C4The Final Afrasiab Wars and the Disappearance of Kay Khosrow43C5Lohrasp1C6Goshtasb, Zardosht, and the War with Arjasp3C8The Tragedy of Rostam and Esfandiyar57C9Rostam and Shaghad16D1The Reign of Bahman, Son of Esfandiyar16E8Shiruyeh’s Coup and the End of the Great Reign1