Esfandiar Speaks to Rostam

Esfandiar spoke to Rostam like this: You kind hearted, famous chief, I have heard from wise men, from great lords and clear minded priests, the stories of your ancestors who came before, your proud, devout, and blameless forefathers, that Zal, of tainted stock and born of demons, had no lineage worth counting in this world. They hid him for a long time from his father Sam; he became the family's dread and turmoil. His body was dark, his hair and face white; when Sam saw him, his heart lost all hope. He ordered them to carry the child to the sea, hoping birds and fish would tear him apart. The Simorgh came and spread her wings; she saw in him no grace or majesty at all. She carried him to her nest, thinking Zal would make a good meal for her. Yet however hungry the Simorgh was, the body of Zal seemed too poor a thing before her. So she cast him down in front of the nest; no one took any joy in looking at him. He fed on the carrion she dropped, naked, his stripped body wretched. When the Simorgh took pity on Zal, the heavens turned above him this way for a time. After he had tasted carrion for a while, he was dragged, naked, back toward Sistan. Sam took him back, though he had been abandoned for his childishness, his ignorance, his demon nature and coarseness. My blessed lords and kings, my forefathers and my well wishers, raised him up and gave him wealth; and so many years passed over this too. He was like a cypress with an untouched crown; when it bore branches, Rostam came from him. By his manhood, his stature, and his presence, his fortune rose all the way to the sky. In this manner he seized the kingdom, grew strong, and turned to godless ways.