ursed by the Simurgh. Hastening to the
mountain, the father besought the Bird of God to give back his son,
whereupon the golden-feathered eagle, after taking affectionate leave
of little Zal (upon whom she bestowed a feather which was to be cast
into the fire in time of need), bore him back to his father.

"Having watched thee with fondness by day and by night,
And supplied all thy wants with a mother's delight,
Oh, forget not thy nurse--still be faithful to me,
And my heart will be ever devoted to thee."

The father now brought up young Zal, who soon became so remarkable for
strength and bravery that he promised to become the greatest warrior
the world had ever known. In early manhood this youth journeyed to
Kabul, where he beheld the lovely Rudaveh, who belonged to the race of
the Serpent King. The arrival of a young but white-haired warrior
caused such a sensation at court that the princess, who had already
fallen in love with him on hearsay, became anxious to meet him.

One day, when the maidens were gathering roses near his pavilion, Zal
shot a bird, which falling in their midst gave them an occasion to
address him. He, too, had heard so much about the loveliness of
Rudaveh, that he questioned her attendants and gave them jewels to
take to her. Such gifts quickly paved the way for an interview, for
Rudaveh immediately sent for Zal. On appearing beneath her window,
this lover began so sweet a serenade that the princess stepped out in
her balcony, where, loosening her long black braids,--which hung down
to the ground,--she bade Zal use them to climb up to her. He, however,
gallantly refused, for fear he should hurt her, and deftly flinging
his noose upward caught it fast in a projection, and thus safely
reached the balcony, where this Persian Romeo acceptably wooed his
Juliet.

The royal parents, on discovering these clandestine meetings,
questioned the young man, who proved his intelligence by solving six
riddles, and, after giving satisfactory tokens of his other
qualifications, was allowed to marry the princess, for the oracles
predicted that from this union would arise a hero who would honor his
native land.

Time now passed happily until the moment came when Rudaveh's life was
in imminent danger. In his quandary, Zal flung the golden feather into
the fire with so trembling a hand that it fell to one side so that
only one edge was singed. This proved sufficient, however, to summon
the faithful Simu