r wooing:

"Listen, my child, and you shall hear
Of the wondrous love of a maiden dear
For a mighty warrior, the pride of his day
Who loved, and married, and rode away,
For this is the romance of Rustem."

The lad, who had always cherished a romantic admiration for Rustem,
was overjoyed to learn his origin, and departed only after being
reminded that he must never fight his father, although about to help
the Tartars in a war against Persia. Sorab was doing so because
everybody was tired of the foolish king, who was to be overthrown, so
that Rustem could be placed on the throne in his stead. To make sure
her son should not fail to recognize his father, Tamineh sent with him
two faithful servants who had known Rustem well when he came to woo
her.

Meantime Afrasiab, chief of the Tartars, delighted to have Sorab's aid
against Persia, cautioned all his warriors not to tell the youth,
should his father appear in the opposite army, for he slyly hoped "the
young lion would kill the old one," and felt sure that, were he only
rid of father and son, he would be able to rule over Persia himself.

In the course of this war young Sorab met with many adventures,
fighting once against an Amazon, who by trickery managed to escape
from him. However, Sorab kept hoping the time would come when he and
his father would meet face to face, and, whenever a fray was about to
take place, he always bade his companions scan the ranks of the foe to
make sure that Rustem was not there.[39]

Meantime the foolish king, having gotten the worst in the war, had
sent for Rustem, who, for reconnoitring purposes, entered the Tartar
camp as a spy. There he beheld Sorab, and could not help admiring the
young warrior, of whose many brave exploits he had already heard.
While thus sneaking about the enemy's tent, Rustem was discovered by
the two servants whom Tamineh had placed by her son's side, both of
whom he killed before they could give the alarm. Thus, when Sorab and
Rustem finally came face to face, there was no one at hand to point
out the son to the father or inform the son of his close relationship
to his antagonist. After the war had raged for some time, Sorab
challenged the Persians to a single fight, for he was anxious to
distinguish himself, knowing that should he win a great triumph his
father would hear of it, and inquire the origin of the youth of whom
such tales were told:

"Come then, hear now, and grant me what I ask.