New NaqqaliPahlevan of Iran · son of Nariman
Sahmسام
SAHM
Son of Nariman, the great Pahlevan of Manuchehr’s reign; father of Zal.
- His story
- From A6.15, The Birth of Manuchehr, to A9.2, Sahm Comes to Meet Rostam
- Named
- 283 times, in 83 dastans
- Parents
- Nariman
- Children
- Zal
- Plates
- Vol I: VII, Vol II: VIII
His story, in the poem’s own sections
9 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 · Sahm named 10 times · 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.
A7.3
Sahm Dreams of His Son
Dreams rebuke Sahm, and his priests urge him to find his son. At Alborz he prays for a way up. The Simorgh names the youth Dastan, gives him a feather to summon her, and carries him down. Sahm repents and names him Zal-e-Zar.
101 couplets · Sahm named 19 times · in the full poem
One night Sahm slept, his heart by sorrow worn,By Time’s harsh dealings troubled and forlorn.
He dreamed a rider hastened out of Hind,An Arabian steed beneath him swift as wind.
A noble warrior, perfect and complete,He rode until he reached the champion’s seat.
He brought glad news: “Your son still lives and grows,A tall and flourishing branch that fortune shows.”
When Sahm awoke, he called Mobadan near,And spoke at length about his dream and fear.
He told them all the vision of the night,And what the caravans had brought to light.
“What do you say of this?” the champion cried.“Does wisdom with this hope of mine abide?
Does that small child live on the mountain still,Or did the heat and cold combine to kill?”
Then to the Pahlevan the sages toldTheir answer, speaking plainly, frank and bold:
“Who gives no thanks to Yazdan cannot knowThe goodness that His gifts on mortals bestow.
On rock and plain both lion and leopard breed;In water both fish and nahangs give heed.
They rear their young and guard them year by year,And send their praise to God with hearts sincere.
You broke the covenant goodness had laid,And threw your guiltless child away, betrayed.
White hair alone distressed you at the sight;His body was both pure and shining bright.
Do not declare that child already dead;Prepare yourself and seek him out instead.
Whomever God preserves within His holdWill not be ruined either by heat or cold.
To God now turn in penitence and pray;Through good and evil He alone shows way.”
Next day the grieving champion chose to go,Toward lofty Mount Alborz he rode in woe.
When night grew dark, his troubled thoughts ran deep,And once again his mind inclined to sleep.
Again he dreamed: from lofty Mount Hind’s heightA towering banner rose into his sight.
A handsome youth appeared beneath its blaze,A mighty army ranked behind his gaze.
A Mobad stood in honor at his side;A famous sage stood opposite as guide.
One of the two stepped toward the champion near,And opened bitter speech for Sahm to hear:
“O reckless man, your judgment brings you blame;Before Yazdan you cast aside all shame.
If birds can nurse a child and see it grow,What worth has all the strength that you can show?
If whitening hair in men deserves reproof,Your beard and head bear willow leaves as proof.
God gave both father and the son you spurned;Through your injustice, gifts from Him are burned.
Then turn against the Maker if you blameThe daily changing colors of your frame.
The son you held in scorn and cast awayIs fostered by the Maker every day.
No nurse could show him kinder, deeper care;While you yourself have little love to share.”
Within his sleep Sahm roared in fierce despair,Like some wild lion struggling in a snare.
He feared the dream and what Time might reveal,What harsher lesson next its wheel might deal.
Awake, he called the learned and the wise,And seated all his army chiefs before his eyes.
Then to the mountain Sahm made haste, to findThe guiltless child that he had left behind.
A mountain thrust its head through Pleiades’ light,As though it meant to draw a star from height.
Upon it rose a nest so vast and high,That Saturn’s stroke could never reach its sky.
Its pillars, ebony and sandal, stood;All interlaced with fragrant aloeswood.
Sahm stared at hard rock and the fearful nest;The Simorgh’s savage grandeur gripped his breast.
Its summit reached Simak in heaven’s span;No stone or earth had raised it, nor a man.
A youth moved round the nest in noble guise,His father’s likeness clear before Sahm’s eyes.
He blessed the Maker, bowing to the ground,And rubbed his cheeks upon the stones around.
He praised the God who made that bird arise,And raised from rock her dwelling toward the skies.
Then Sahm knew God, the Judge of every claim,Supreme in might above the highest name.
He sought a road by which he might ascend;No beast could find a pathway to that end.
Still praising God, he circled all around,But nowhere found a path from lower ground.
He cried, “O One beyond all place and height,Beyond the rainbow, moon, and solar light,
In penitence before You I draw near;My head is bowed, my soul laid down in fear.
If this young man comes from my lawful line,Not evil Ahriman’s corrupted sign,
Then lend Your servant strength enough to climb,And take this sinner back in mercy’s time.”
The moment Sahm had ended that appeal,The Just One heard and set upon it His seal.
The Simorgh gazed from Alborz’ lofty height,And saw Sahm’s company come into sight.
She knew he came to seek the castaway;No love for her had brought him there that day.
She said, “O son of Sahm, who shared my lairAnd nest, and learned the hardships of this air,
I was your nurse and mother at your side;I was your good support, your strength and guide.
I named you Dastan for your father’s guile,For through his guile he cast you out awhile.
When you return, make that same naming known,And let your father know the name you own.
Your father Sahm is champion world-renowned,Among the great no nobler chief is found.
He comes upon this mountain seeking you;Your honor in his keeping will prove true.
The time has come; now safely you must go,To where your father waits for you below.”
The young man heard; his eyes ran full of tears,His heart grew heavy with the grief of years.
Though never yet had human speech been heard,From Simorgh he had learned the spoken word.
He spoke in Simorgh’s manner, clear and bold,Rich in deep wisdom and in knowledge old.
His speech, good sense, and judgment all were sound;And God had wrapped his frame in strength profound.
Then Dastan asked the Simorgh, “Can it beYou tire of my companionship and me?
Your nest has been my royal place of light;Your wings, the farr that makes my crown shine bright.
Next after God, my gratitude is dueTo you, who made each hardship easy too.”
Simorgh said, “Behold the Kayanian state,And learn the royal customs of the great,
Perhaps this nest will not persuade you to stay;Go now and test the shifting world and day.
I send you not from hatred or from spite;I send you toward the throne that is your right.
Your staying here would please me, keeping near;But kingship is the better path and sphere.
Take one of my own feathers with you still;Its farr will aid you when you face an ill.
If hardship ever comes and brings you fear,Or men speak good or evil in your ear,
Then cast one feather straight into the flame;Its farr will call me when you speak my name.
At once I shall come like cloud across the sky,And bear you safely back to Alborz high.
Forget not all your nurse’s love for you;Your love has torn my heart completely through.
Beneath my wing I raised you with my brood,As one among my chicks, with shelter and food.”
She soothed his heart and lifted him aloft,And bore him through the clouds on pinions soft.
She bore him through the air before Sahm’s sight;His silver hair streamed past his chest in white.
His frame was elephant-like, his face shone bright;His father saw and cried aloud with delight.
He bowed before the Simorgh to the ground,And joined his prayer with blessings all around:
“O queen of birds, the Just One gave to youGreat strength and power and honar shining through,
Because you bring the helpless aid in need;Among all judges, goodness marks your deed.
May all who wish you evil suffer wrong;Remain forever powerful and strong.”
At once the Simorgh rose in upward flight;Sahm and his company watched her out of sight.
Then Sahm examined Zal with deepest care,And found him fit the Kayanian crown to bear.
His breast and arms were lion-strong and bright;Sun-faced, sword-seeking, born for battle’s might.
His lashes pale, his eyes as pitch were black;Coral lips and blood-red cheeks no grace did lack.
Except his hair, no fault could Sahm declare;Nothing else invited blame or care.
Then Sahm’s whole heart became a heaven of joy,And blessings fell upon his stainless boy.
“My son,” he said, “make gentle now your heart;Do not recall the griefs that played their part.
I am God’s least and humblest servant still,And He has brought you back to me by will.
Before great God I swore this oath to keep:No hardness toward you shall within me sleep.
In good or evil I will seek what you choose;Whatever you desire I shall not refuse.”
He clothed the youth in champion’s robe and gown,Then with him left the mountain and came down.
Below the mountain Sahm measured his frame,And called for royal robes that fit the same.
Sahm named him Zal-e-Zar before them all;Dastan was what the Simorgh used to call.
The whole assembled army gathered round;With open hearts, their cries of joy resound.
The drummers led the elephant in line;Indigo dust rose mountain-high behind.
The kousts and karnays thundered long and loud;Gold bells and Indian bells rang through the crowd.
The riders raised their cries along the way,And traveled onward joyfully that day.
They reached the city, joyful at the last,And with its champions through the gateway passed.
A7.4
Manuchehr Hears of Zal
Manuchehr sends his son Nohzar to welcome Sahm, who hurries to court with Zal. The king marvels at the youth and asks for his story, and Sahm tells of the dreams, the nest, and the Simorgh returning his son.
57 couplets · Sahm named 11 times · in the full poem
From Zabul word had reached the Shah afar:Sahm left the mountain, bearing sacred farr.
Manuchehr then rejoiced at what he heard,And praised the World-Creator with each word.
Two chosen sons had Manuchehr beside,Both wise and brave, with Faith and farr allied.
Nohzar was one; Zarasp the other name,Like Azargashasp upon the field of fame.
He ordered Nohzar, “Ride at once and goTo Sahm the champion; let no hindrance grow.
Behold young Dastan, Sahm’s returning line,The mountain brood has reared him strong and fine.
Give him the Kayanian blessing from my hand,And bless the joy that brings him to the land.
Then bid him come before my royal seat,And make the hidden story full and complete.
Afterward let them toward Zabul go,As servants of the crown their duty show.”
When Nohzar reached great Sahm upon the way,A new world-champion stood in bright array.
Sahm sprang down from his horse as Nohzar came;They clasped each other, glad in heart and frame.
Of Shah and chiefs the Pahlevan inquired;Then Nohzar gave the message he desired.
When Sahm had heard what mighty Shah required,He kissed the earth, and swiftly he retired.
Then swiftly toward the royal court he sped,Just as the crown-seeking Shah had said.
As Sahm approached the royal city’s gate,The army-chief came out in ordered state.
When Manuchehr’s great standard rose ahead,Sahm left his horse and walked the road instead.
He kissed the earth and blessed the king: “May youLive ever glad, your spirit bright and true.”
Manuchehr had the pure-hearted warrior rideBeside him, worshipful and dignified.
Together crown-wearer and crown-seeker wentToward throne and hall, on royal purpose bent.
Manuchehr mounted gladly to his throne,The Kayanian cap upon his head now shone.
At one hand Gharan sat, at one sat Sahm;Both bright of heart before the Shah were calm.
Then Zal came dressed before the royal gaze;Gold cap and golden gorz drew courtly praise.
The chamberlain brought Zal into the hall;The Shah stood struck with wonder over all.
So tall his stature, beautiful his face,He seemed the soul’s repose and love’s own grace.
The Shah told Sahm, “Receive him in your trust;Guard him with care; toward him be always just.
Do not afflict him needlessly with grief;Let joy in him surpass all other relief.
He bears Kayanian farr and lion’s claw,A wise man’s heart, an elder’s sense of law.
Teach him the road and instruments of war,And banquet joy and all the feast-day lore.
He knows but bird and mountain, nest and sky;How should he know the ways that humans live by?”
Then Shah asked of the Simorgh and the height,And why the honored child had known such plight.
Sahm told it all, each hidden thing and known,Of sleep and food and where the boy had grown.
He told how Zal was cast away in scorn,And how the sky had turned since he was born.
In time the tale spread out through every town;The names of Zal and Simorgh won renown.
“By order of Yazdan of earth I wentTo Alborz, harsh and steep, on search intent.
I saw a mountain with its head in cloud,A rocky heaven above the waters proud.
Upon it rose a dwelling, palace-high,With every road of harm shut fast nearby.
Within were Simorgh’s chicks and Zal beside;They seemed as peers together there allied.
The breeze that touched him carried love through air;His memory brought joy against despair.
No path led upward from a single side;Around the mountain searching hard I tried.
Desire for my lost son rose fierce and fast;My heart burned so my life seemed near its last.
I spoke in secret to the Judge most pure:‘Healer of creatures, needing no one’s cure,
Your proof and power reach every hidden place;The sphere turns only by Your will and grace.
A sinful servant stands before Your light,O Lord of sun and moon in endless height.
My hope rests only in Your pardoning hand;I have no other refuge where I stand.
This bird-reared servant, humbled, sorrow-bred,Was raised in wretchedness, by hardship fed.
He wears rough hide where silk should wrap his breast;On flesh, not mother’s milk, his life must rest.
Restore him to me; make a pathway clear;Lead me to him and end this pain and fear.
For my cruel deed, do not burn my soul;Forgive me, light my heart and make it whole.’
By Yazdan’s will, the moment I had prayed,My prayer was heard, and answer swiftly made.
The Simorgh beat her wings and climbed the cloud,Then wheeled above my head in circles proud.
She left the mountain like a cloud in spring,With Zal held close beneath her mighty wing.
His scent filled all the world with musk that day;My eyes and lips grew dry in strange dismay.
From awe of her and longing for my child,My reason fled; my senses all ran wild.
She brought him to me like a nurse whose artWas fed from love and mercy in the heart.
My tongue broke into praise before the bird;I bowed to Simorgh, awed by what occurred.
She left my son with me and took her way;None may resist what Yazdan wills each day.
I brought him here before the world’s great king,And told the hidden truth of everything.”
A8.7
Zal Writes to His Father
Zal writes to Sahm, recalling his abandonment and his rearing by the Simorgh, confessing his love and reminding him of his vow to refuse him nothing. Sahm, campaigning among the Gorgasaran, reads it in dismay, fearing what a bird-reared son and a Div-descended bride might produce.
54 couplets · Sahm named 5 times · in the full poem
The young prince summoned then a ready scribe,Poured out his heart, and let his thoughts describe
A letter filled with counsel, care, and plea;He praised the Maker first in dignity:
“The Source of strength and joy, Yazdan of all,Of sun and star, of rise and of downfall.
We are but servants, bound beneath His hand;Of being and non-being He has command.
May blessings rest on Sahm, Nariman’s son;The lord of gorz, whose victories are won
On fields where warhorses in fury race,Whose steel leaves vultures feasting in its trace,
Who storms like thunder through the battle’s cry,And makes the dust and heavens testify;
Who sets the crowns on kings and claims the field,Before whose arm the mightiest armies yield.
No man has lived, nor shall another be,To match his strength, his fame, his mastery.
I am his servant, bound in love and care;My soul and life are his, my oath to bear.
He saw my birth; yet fortune turned away,And cast me far from human paths that day.
While he wore silks and furs in royal state,I lay abandoned to a stranger’s fate.
The Simorgh bore me to an Indian height,Where I was fed apart from human sight.
She brought me prey and numbered me amongHer mountain chicks, when I was weak and young.
My skin was scorched by wind, my eyes by sand;I grew beyond the reach of mortal hand.
They called me still the son of Sahm, though heSat crowned upon his throne; a nest held me.
Such was God’s will; no man escapes His plan,Not even he who deems himself a man.
Though one may bite a spear between his teeth,Or roar and rend a lion’s hide beneath,
Though teeth be anvils, iron every limb,Still he is bound: the Maker fashioned him.
Now something has befallen me that ICannot make known to every passing eye.
A son may speak what others must not hear;A father, fierce male dragon, lends his ear.
My grief is love for Mehrab’s daughter fair;Her memory pursues me everywhere.
I burn within as though consumed by fire;The stars keep vigil through my fierce desire.
My heart is storm-tossed, and my senses numb;My people grieve to see what I become.
Yet though distressed, I breathe not without leave;Command me, and I act; forbid, I grieve.
What does the chief of champions decree?Release my mind from doubt and misery.
The Mobad’s counsel brought the jewel to light:‘Hide it no more, but act in honor’s sight.’
Perhaps my father, in his wisdom, mayApprove the course I long to take this way,
To take as lawful bride, with honor’s claim,The daughter born and raised in Mehrab’s name.
He will recall, when God restored me thenFrom Mount Alborz before assembled men,
He pledged his word; no wish of mine denied;That vow still holds, both sealed and ratified.
And this alone is what my heart desires:To bind my life where now my soul aspires.”
A rider left from Kabul like a gale,With orders strict that none should make him fail:
“Take a second horse with you,” said Zal;“If one gives out, remount and do not stall.
Mount fresh and press ahead at utmost pace;Do not draw rein until you reach Sahm’s place.”
The messenger sped forth on iron steed,As though the wind itself had matched his speed.
When near the lands where Gorgasaran stayed,He saw Sahm hunting through the mountain shade.
The hero spied him from the ridge, and turnedTo those about him, for the news he yearned:
“A rider comes from Kabul, swift and sure,His steed a mark no doubt can now obscure.
This must be news from Zal, let him draw near;We soon shall learn what tidings he brings here.
Of Dastan, Iran, and Shah we shall know;What news from each has urged this rider so.”
The envoy came, dismounted, kissed the ground,And thanked his God before the chief renowned.
Sahm welcomed him and took the letter straight,Then had him speak and tell the message’s weight.
The chief unsealed it as he left the height,And read its words, his face grew pale with fright.
He stood astonished, disapproving still;He had imagined Zal of sterner will.
Yet in his heart another thought arose:“Raised by a fierce bird, strange his longing grows.”
He reached his camp and pondered long alone,The burden pressing heavy as a stone.
“If I forbid, and say: ‘This path is wrong,Turn back, and do not follow passion long,’
Then God and man alike will mark me blamed,For I once pledged my word, and stand ashamed.
But if I say: ‘Proceed; your wish is fair,’What child may spring from such unequal pair?
From bird-reared son and a Div-born young bride,What offspring comes when such two lines collide?”
He lay down then in grief but found no rest;The harder grows a servant’s weary test,
The more his heart is burdened with distress,The more, when God so wills, He grants redress.
What seems most closed and hardest to our sight,The Maker opens when He wills it right.
A8.11
Manuchehr Hears of Zal and Rudabeh
Manuchehr learns of the match and fears that a child of Zahhak’s line may one day threaten the throne. He sends his son Nohzar to summon Sahm, who feasts the prince and rides for court, where the Shah’s army turns out to greet him.
37 couplets · Sahm named 7 times · in the full poem
News reached the Shah: new ties had now begun,Binding proud Mehrab’s house to Sahm’s own son.
And more, that Zal had bound his heart by vowTo Mehrab’s daughter of the moonlit brow.
Before the throne the matter was laid bare,The Mobadan weighed all with solemn care.
The Shah then said, “Grim days may rise from this;I see no easy road to lasting bliss.
From lion’s claw and leopard’s savage hand,By counsel and by war I freed the land.
Did Fereydoon cleanse earth of Zahhak’s reignThat such a root should rise and spread its bane?
Shall from that seed, long withered and cast down,A branch arise to threaten throne and crown?
This love, if left to grow, may yet restoreThe very blood we strove to end before.
If from this union there should rise an heir,A sharpened sword from sheath would meet the air.
He stands between two worlds and bears two claims:Half bound to us, half to the Dragon’s names.
How shall two natures so opposed endure?Can poison ever mingle with its cure?
If toward his mother’s side he bends his will,Corrupting words may then his judgment fill;
He may fill Iran’s cities full of woe,And crown and treasure to his keeping go.
Now give me counsel; tell me what you know:What course will guard the realm from overthrow?”
The Mobadan bowed, offered him their praise,Extolling wisdom in his words and ways:
“Great Shah, whose insight pierces every veil,Whose judgment stands where weaker counsels fail.
Let wisdom guide you with its sovereign art;For wisdom breaks the fiercest dragon’s heart.”
The Shah, resolved to bring the matter clear,Commanded them to summon Nohzar near.
With lords and chiefs assembled at his side,He spoke to Nohzar, whom he charged to ride:
“Go forth to Sahm, whose fame the world has crowned,And ask how he emerged from battle sound;
Then say: ‘The Shah would see you at his seat;Come first to court, then homeward turn your feet.’”
Nohzar obeyed, and galloped as decreed;When Sahm was told, he mounted on his steed.
With elephants, tabiras, chiefs drew near,And all rode out to greet the prince with cheer.
They met and clasped, exchanged the words of peace;Sahm’s heart rejoiced, his welcome did not cease.
Nohzar delivered what the Shah had said;Sahm answered, “I shall go where I am led.
To see the Shah will fill my heart with light.”That day he kept them as his guests till night.
The banquet spread throughout Sahm’s domain,Where wine was poured and joy dispelled all strain.
They raised the cup and drank the Shah’s great name,Then Nohzar’s, and then Sahm’s, by custom’s claim,
And named each lord of every far-off clime,Each province toasted in its proper time.
The night was spent in music, wine, and cheer;At dawn tabiras once more rang out clear.
Swift hiyuns rose; the march resumed; and straightThey turned their course toward Iran’s royal gate.
When word arrived, the Shah adorned his hall;He summoned chiefs and warriors, one and all.
From Sari and from Amol rose a sound,Like boiling seas that shook the country round.
The javelin-men came mailed, rank upon rank,Their heavy spears held ready on each flank.
From mountain on to mountain stretched the line,An army drawn in ranks of vast design.
Red shields and yellow pressed in ordered rows,While tabira, pipe, bronze-cast cymbal rose.
With Tazi steeds, great elephants, and gold,They marched to greet him, banners all unrolled.
A8.13
Sahm Marches on Kabul
👴🏇👥⚔️🏙️⚠️6 emoji · the whole poem in emoji →
Kabul despairs at the Shah’s sentence. Zal rides to meet his father and, before the army, reproaches him for abandoning him at birth and now threatening the house he loves. Sahm admits his wrongs and promises to write to the Shah and send Zal to plead in person.
57 couplets · Sahm named 4 times · in the full poem
Mehrab and Zal heard all that late had passed;The Shah’s command left all Kabul aghast.
A cry arose throughout Mehrab’s domain;Fear swept through house and court and open plain.
Sindokht, Mehrab, and Rudabeh allDespaired of life before the threatened fall.
Then Zal departed, stern though sorrow-worn,Yet firm in will, though inwardly forlorn:
“Should some grim dragon breathe its wrathful fire,And set the whole world blazing like a pyre,
And should it seek to ravage Kabul’s land,It first must take my head beneath its hand.”
With troubled heart and thoughts that surged and turned,He rode in haste, and in his heart he burned.
News reached brave Sahm: “Your lion-cub draws near.”At once the army rose with mounting cheer.
Fereydoon’s banner rose above the throng,And welcoming tabiras thundered long.
On elephants bright-colored banners flew,In red and yellow, violet in hue.
They rode to greet him. Zal, when he drew near,Dismounted, bowed, and came with reverent fear.
The chiefs of either side dismounted, each:The crowned, and those with crowns still out of reach.
Zal kissed the earth; his father spoke at length,Then Zal remounted in his youthful strength.
He rode a bay Tazi horse, swift and grand,Like some high golden mountain through the land.
They murmured, “Your father’s anger shows;Go offer an excuse; no prideful pose.”
Zal answered, “There is nothing here to dread;At last all mortal flesh to dust is led.
If wisdom enters in my father’s head,No harm will pass beyond the words he said.
And if my father speaks in angry blame,My tears will answer him with filial shame.”
Thus to Sahm’s court they came with spirits clear;The chief dismounted; Zal was summoned near.
He bowed and kissed the ground before his sire,His eyes with tears, his heart alive with fire.
He blessed his father, while from narcissus eyesHis tears washed roses under sorrowed skies:
“May joy attend our Pahlevan each day;May justice ever light his heart and way.
Your sword makes diamond burn beneath its sweep;The earth on battle-days is made to weep.
Where your dark charger moves upon the field,The slowest ranks make haste and never yield.
The heavens, once they feel your gorz-wind rise,Know stars themselves can scarcely keep the skies.
Through justice all the earth beneath you grows;Its greenness from your righteous judgment flows.
All people through your justice live in cheer;Yet I alone receive no justice here.
A bird-reared, dust-eating man am I;No equal have I underneath the sky.
I know no crime that I have done or planned,No man has rightful grievance at my hand,
Except that mighty Sahm himself is sire;If skill is mine, it springs from such a fire.
Right at my birth, you cast me from your side,And left me on the mountains bare and wide.
You cast my grieving mother into pain,And gave her growing child to fire’s reign.
No cradle knew I, nor my mother’s breast;No kinsman stood beside me, gave me rest.
You bore me to the mountain, cast me bare,And tore my heart from comfort, ease, and care.
You made war on the World-Creator’s right:‘Why has He made one black, another white?’
Yet God preserved me, turned to me His face,And gave me strength no hardship could erase.
I gained both skill and manhood, warrior’s blade,And found a friend whose worth will never fade:
Mehrab of Kabul, with his crown and gold,His throne and heavy gorz in warrior’s hold,
With counsel, wisdom, and crowned chiefs beside;Such is the lord with whom I now abide.
By your own word I made his realm my base,And kept your counsel ever in its place.
You said: ‘No grief from me shall come your way;The tree you plant shall bear its fruit one day.’
From Mazandaran comes this gift you send;From Gorgasaran you hastened to this end,
To ruin now the prosperous house I made;Is this the justice I am to be paid?
Behold, alive before you here I stand;My living body waits upon your hand.
Saw me in two across the waist instead;But speak no more of Kabul when I am dead.
Do anything you wish; command is yours;Whatever harms Kabul, my heart endures.”
Sahm heard these words, raised ears, and lowered mane;The truth of Zal’s reproach brought inward pain.
At last he said: “All this you speak is true.From first to last, I have done wrong to you.
My dealings with you all were born of wrong;They made our enemies rejoice too long.
This one desire alone you asked of me;In anguish you rose up to make your plea.
Yet do not act in haste; I shall decree,I will resolve it wisely, you shall see.
I shall myself write to the Shah and plead,And place in your own hands the scroll you need.
The king will seek no harm when you appear,And see your gifts and noble bearing clear.
We shall recall whatever must be said,And turn his heart toward justice in its stead.
If he consents, your wish is safely won;The work that you desire will all be done.
The lion does its labor with its arm;Wherever it hunts, the quarry comes to harm.”
Then Zal bent low and kissed the earth, and blessedHis father for the pledge his words expressed.
A8.16
Sindokht and Sahm Come to an Agreement
Disguised as a warrior-envoy, Sindokht brings Mehrab’s gifts to Sahm, who has them credited to Rudabeh. She pleads for Kabul’s innocent people, wins his oath of safety, and only then reveals who she is. Sahm accepts the match and sends her home with gifts and an escort.
99 couplets · Sahm named 13 times · in the full poem
The treasures sent, she donned a warrior’s guise,And passed the guarded gates before their eyes.
A Roman helmet gleamed upon her head,In warrior’s guise along the road she sped.
Her charger flew as swiftly as the gale,And left the guarded road behind her trail.
Like Azargashasp in her bearing bright,She rode toward Sahm resolved to face his might.
She gave no name, nor let her rank be known,But reached brave Sahm’s encampment all alone.
She bade the knowing warders bear her word,And only as Mehrab’s envoy be heard:
“An envoy comes from Kabul to this place,To speak with Sahm, the chief of warlike race,
A message sent from Mehrab’s royal handTo him who holds dominion over the land.”
The chamberlain conveyed the message clear;Sahm granted audience, curious to hear.
She dismounted, bowed low upon the ground,And praised both Shah and Sahm with measured sound.
Before him stretched her tribute far and wide:Rich gifts and slaves and beasts in ordered stride.
From Sahm’s own gate the train stretched far away,For two full measures in its bright array.
Attendants, horses, elephants in lineMade all the road with ordered tribute shine.
Sahm drew his arms in, lowered down his head,Like one half-drunk before the wealth outspread.
“What land can hold such wealth, such boundless store,What custom sends one woman to my door?
If I accept, the Shah may take offense;If I refuse, Zal’s grief will grow intense.
He may take wing like Simorgh through the sky,Then ask what answer I can give; and why.”
At last he spoke: “These gifts shall not be mine;To Zal’s own treasury send them all in line.
Record them there in Rudabeh’s fair name,The Moon of Kabul, bright with royal fame.”
Sindokht rejoiced; she saw good fortune rise,And knew that evil faded from her eyes.
Three maidens came, each idol-faced and fair,With jasmine bodies, cypress-tall and rare.
Each in her hand a jeweled goblet bore,And stepped with measured grace across the floor.
Red rubies and bright pearls each vessel filled;Before the chief their jeweled wealth was spilled.
They poured them out before the hero’s gaze,A shining tribute offered to his praise.
When all withdrew and strangers left the place,She turned to Sahm and spoke with steady grace:
“Your wisdom grants the old their youth again,And teaches wisdom to the greatest men.
Through you the road of darkness turns to light;The wise grow wiser standing in your sight.
Your seal has bound the hand that evil led;Your gorz has opened God’s true road ahead.
If fault there was, it lay with Mehrab’s hand;His eyes hold heart-blood shed for Kabul’s land.
Why should the innocent heads of Kabul fall?What guilt have they committed, one and all?
They live to serve you, dust beneath your feet,And deem your favor all their joy complete.
Fear Him who fashioned mind and strength on high,Bright Venus and the sun within the sky.
Such slaughter cannot please the Maker’s will;He did not shape the world for needless ill.
Gird not your strength for slaughter and for flame;Let mercy, not bloodshed, attend your name.”
Then Sahm replied: “Speak plainly and be clear:Are you his lesser, or his honored peer?
You speak of her whom Zal has sought to wed;Describe her fully, all that can be said:
Her mind, her form, her stature and her face,Her hair, her nature, and her inward grace.”
She answered: “First, before I speak at all,Swear me an oath that stands beyond recall.
Swear that no harm shall touch me or my own,And all the truth to you shall then be known.
I hold a palace, treasure, household, kin;First grant me safety, then I shall begin.
To Zabul I will send our hidden store,The wealth long guarded behind Kabul’s door.
And what else you may fittingly require,I shall provide according to desire.”
Sahm took her hand and swore as she required;He pledged her safety, just as she desired.
She bowed, then rose once he had pledged his word,And told the hidden truth that none had heard:
“My lineage springs from Zahhak’s ancient line;My lord is Mehrab, warrior fierce and fine.
I am his consort, mother of that maidFor whom Zal’s heart in longing has been laid.
From deepest night until the dawn grew clear,We called upon the Maker without fear.
All night we blessed the Shah, and Zal, and you,And prayed that fortune favor all we do.
I come to learn what purpose fills your mind,And what intent toward Kabul I shall find.
Who there is counted enemy or friend?On knowing this our hopes and fears depend.
If we are guilty, evil in our seed,Then crown and rule should pass from such a breed.
Here helpless I stand wholly in your hand;Do what your judgment and your power command.
Strike whom you must, and bind whom you must bind;Let guilt alone the weight of vengeance find.
But spare the innocent in Kabul’s keep;Do not make guiltless hearts in sorrow weep.”
Sahm listened well and saw before his sightA woman wise, with soul both strong and bright.
Her face was spring, her form a cypress slim;Her waist was narrow, every feature trim.
Her gait was like a pheasant, proud and fair;Deep judgment marked her speech and every air.
He said: “My word shall stand, though life be lost;My oath is firm, whatever be the cost.
Return in peace and dwell without alarm;No shadow shall approach or bring you harm.
Throughout the world Zal could not find a brideLike Rudabeh to stand as equal at his side.
Though sprung from other roots, your house I ownAs worthy too of diadem and throne.
No shame is found in what the heavens send;Against the Maker’s will no man can contend.
One rises high, another falls below;Such is the world, as all its changes show.
One grows in wealth, another fades in need;Prosperity and want in turn succeed.
Yet both at last return to earth and clay;For all must meet the same appointed day.
I will support your cause and be your guide;Your grief and pleading I cannot set aside.
To Manuchehr I wrote, my purpose shown,And Zal has gone to make the matter known.
He flew as if no saddle held him fast,His horse outstripped the winds that hurried past.
The bird-raised youth stood weeping in a flood;His tears had pooled around his feet like mud.
The Shah will answer kindly to his plea;For love has bent his spirit, you shall see.
If she returns his love with equal flame,Both lovers might burst from their skins the same.
Now let me see this maid who caused such strife,And won my dear son’s heart, and changed his life.
Now show me that young dragon’s child to see,And take the fitting price you earn from me.
Her face may please me when she comes to view,And what she says may prove her judgment true.”
She answered: “If you ride within our hall,Your servant’s head will rise above them all.
Come with your steed into our palace bright;Your coming will lift Kabul’s heart to light.
If Sahm should enter Kabul as its guide,Our people gladly would lay life aside.
Our lives are yours; before you we shall stand,If only you will honor Kabul’s land.”
He saw her lips now smiling, fear withdrawn,The root of enmity from her heart gone.
He laughed and said: “Let fear no longer stay;This matter soon shall move the wished-for way.”
She took her leave, her mission fully done,Her face grew ruby-bright beneath the sun.
A courier swift she sent ahead in flight:“Rejoice,” she said, “cast every fear from sight.
Prepare yourself to greet a noble guest;I follow soon; let all be at its best.”
Next day the sun sprang like a fountain clear,And heads rose wakeful as the dawn drew near.
At Sahm’s great gate a stir of welcome ran:“The moon of women comes,” cried every man.
Sindokht returned and bowed before the chief,Then spoke at length, her heart released from grief.
She asked permission to return, and bringHer joy to Kabul, to its waiting king.
“I must prepare to greet the coming guest,And send the bridegroom home with bond expressed.”
He said, “Go forth, tell him all you have heard;Let every plan proceed by rightful word.”
He gave rich robes and gifts for Mehrab’s share,And gifts for Sindokht, splendid, rich, and rare.
For Rudabeh he sent choice gifts, well weighed,Rich, fair, and fitting for the moon-faced maid.
He granted all he owned in Kabul’s land,Its halls and gardens into Sindokht’s hand.
Its tilled estates, its herds, its household store,Its robes and furnishings, and even more.
He gave them all to seal the peace they made,A lordly gift in full before her laid.
He clasped her hand and swore again his vow:“Be safe, and dread no enemy from now.
I take your daughter now for Zal to wed;Let joy between the two of them be spread.”
Two hundred warriors joined her homeward train,A guard of honor riding rein to rein.
With fortune favoring every step she made,She turned toward home beneath that guarded aid.
Her moonlike face, once withered under care,Now bloomed again, restored and shining fair.
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 · Sahm named 18 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.
A9.2
Sahm Comes to Meet Rostam
Sahm comes to Zabul to see his grandson and finds him enthroned on an elephant. Rostam asks for arms, a month of feasting follows, and the drunken Mehrab boasts. Before leaving, Sahm counsels Zal to be just and loyal and says that he feels his own end approaching.
66 couplets · Sahm named 22 times · in the full poem
The news reached valiant Sahm: “The son of ZalHas grown in strength and stands a lion tall.
No child within the world has ever grownNor such a lion’s valor yet been known.”
At once Sahm’s heart leapt up to hear the tale;He longed to see the child, and would not fail.
He left his army with its chief to lead,And took world-seasoned men of proven deed.
His love drew him toward the son of Zal;He led his company toward Zabul’s hall.
When Zal had heard the tidings, the koust beat;The earth turned ebony beneath their feet.
Then Zal and Mehrab, Kabul’s ruling lord,Rode out to welcome Sahm in one accord.
The signal sounded and a clamor grew;From town and village people gathered too.
The army stretched from mountain ridge to hill;Red shields and yellow ranked the valley still.
The Tazi steeds and elephants gave sound;For five full mil their thunder rolled around.
A mighty elephant with trappings goldBore on its back a throne in royal mold.
Upon the golden throne sat Rostam, wideOf shoulder, cypress-tall, with warrior’s pride.
A bow was set within his powerful hand,A shield before him, firm at his command.
A crown above, a girdle round his waist,With shield, bow, arrows all before him placed.
When Sahm from far beheld the youthful sign,He drew his army up in double line.
Then Mehrab and Zal dismounted on the road,With aged chiefs whose years in silver showed.
Each laid his head upon the earth below,And blessings on brave Sahm began to flow.
Like springtime blossom Sahm’s face opened wide;He laughed to see the lion-cub in pride.
A lion’s cub enthroned for all to seeUpon the elephant; Sahm laughed with glee.
He bade them bring the elephant, and gazedAgain upon the child and crown, amazed.
Then valiant Sahm, in blessing, raised this prayer:“O mighty lion, live long, glad, and fair.”
Then Rostam stepped and kissed the royal seat,And praised great Sahm in words both bold and sweet:
“O Pahlevan of all the world, take pride;I am your branch, sprung from your root and side.
I am the servant of renowned Sahm’s name;Food, sleep, and idle rest are not my aim.
Give horse and saddle, jowshan, helmet strong;My navak shafts shall fly against the throng.
By the exalted Maker’s high command,My foes’ heads shall lie fallen where I stand.
My face resembles yours before my sight;May courage make me like you too in fight.”
Then Rostam left the elephant; Sahm took his hand,And kissed his head and eyes before the band.
The elephants stood still; tabiras mute;No beast cried out, no horn gave loud salute.
They turned together toward the palace way;With talk and happiness they filled the day.
Through every palace golden thrones were laid;They sat to feast, with wine and joy displayed.
A month went by in pleasure and repose;No man for work his warrior’s girdle chose.
They drank their wine to music of the rud;Each sang in turn a song of joyful mood.
At one throne-corner Dastan sat, sedate;At the other Rostam bore his gorz’s weight.
Before them Sahm, the world-subduer, stayed,The Homa feather from his crown displayed.
Sahm gazed at Rostam, wonder in his eyes,And spoke the name of Yazdan in surprise.
He marked his arms, his shoulders, height and frame,His reed-thin waist, broad chest, and warrior’s mane.
His thighs were thick, like those a hiyun shows;A lion’s heart and tiger’s strength arose.
Such beauty, farr, and warrior bearing shone;No Pahlevan his equal could be known.
Then Sahm said, “Search a hundred generations;None will recall his like among the nations:
A child brought living through his mother’s side,With such a wondrous remedy supplied.
A thousand blessings on the Simorgh’s name;For Yazdan showed her how the healing came.
Now in this happiness let wine be poured,And let the heart of sorrow break at board.
This world is but a lodging, coming, going;One grows old while another new is growing.”
They reached for wine and soon were drunk with cheer;From Rostam turned to Dastan’s memory dear.
Mehrab drank wine till, everywhere he peered,No man but his own mighty self appeared.
He cried, “I fear no Zal or Sahm today,Nor crowned Shah’s farr that rules the world’s array!
Give me but Rostam, Shabdiz, and my blade;What enemy would dare to make us afraid?
No cloud shall cast its shadow on our might;No cloud above our heads shall cross our sight.
Zahhak’s old custom I shall bring to birth;My charger’s hoof shall turn to musk the earth.
Now I shall have the weapons made for him!”He spoke in jest, his wine-filled eyes grown dim.
At Mehrab’s words both Zal and Sahm laughed long;Their hearts took pleasure in his drunken song.
When Mehr began, on Ormozd’s opening day,Sahm chose his road and made to ride away.
Sahm made his preparations, took the road;For one full stage Zal close beside him rode.
Young Rostam on an elephant rode near,To bid Sahm farewell with loving cheer.
Then Sahm said, “Zal, my son, take heed from me:Above all things be just in your decree.
Keep loyalty to Shahs within your breast;Choose wisdom over wealth as what is best.
Throughout the year keep both your hands from ill;Each day seek Yazdan’s path with steadfast will.
Know that this world remains with no one here;Be one in public and when none are near.
Hold fast to this advice and do not stray;Set foot on nothing but the rightful way.
For in my heart I feel my time run low;The span before me shortens as I go.”
He bade both Zal and Rostam his farewell:“Do not conceal the counsel that I tell.”
From Zabul’s court the ringing bell was heard;From elephants the answering karnay stirred.
Sweet-speaking, modest-hearted, Sahm took way;Toward Bakhtar turned the seasoned chief that day.
Zal and young Rostam rode three stages more,Then turned in tears while Sahm pressed on before.
Zal led the troops to Sistan, homeward bound;With lion Rostam, wine and joy went round.
Family
- Parents
- Nariman
- Children
- Zal
On the maps
Where he appears
Named mentions by book, from the Universe Registry. Titles such as “the Shah” and epithets are not counted.
A6The First Kings: Fereydoon10A7The First Kings: Manuchehr51A8The Story of Zal and Rudabeh95A9The Birth and Early Feats of Rostam; Manuchehr’s Closing Counsel38B1The Crisis after Manuchehr19B2Garshasp and the Transition to Kayanian Kingship4B3Kay Qobad4B4The War with Mazandaran1B5The Seven Labors of Rostam1B8The Tragedy of Rostam & Sohrab14B11Kay Khosrow’s Kingship2B13Mount Hamavan and the Kamus Campaign1B14The Great Battle with the Khan of Chin2C1Rostam and the Div Akvan2C2The Tale of Bijan and Manijeh3C3The Battle of the Twelve Rukhs1C4The Final Afrasiab Wars and the Disappearance of Kay Khosrow3C5Lohrasp1C6Goshtasb, Zardosht, and the War with Arjasp3C8The Tragedy of Rostam and Esfandiyar15C9Rostam and Shaghad7D1The Reign of Bahman, Son of Esfandiyar4E6Khosrow Parviz2