Such an offspring seeming nothing short of a curse, the father had little Zal exposed on Mt.  Alborz, where he expected he would perish in a brief space of time.

On the top of this mountain the Simurgh, or Bird of God,—­a marvellous golden-feathered eagle,—­had built a nest of ebony and sandal-wood, lined with spices, around which she had piled all manner of precious stones, whose glitter pleased her.  Hearing the cry of a babe, this great bird swooped downward, and, fastening her talons in the child’s dress, bore him safely away to her aerie, where she dropped him in the nest beside two eaglets.  These little birds proved kind to the young prince, although they were able to leave their nest long before he could walk about and play with the precious stones.

It was only when Zal was about eight years old that his father suddenly realized he had committed a deadly sin, and was correspondingly relieved to learn in a dream that his child had not perished, but had been nursed 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.