Part 3

He struck the signal drum on the elephant's back, and its sound carried for many miles. War drums roared with the trumpets, along with the mighty elephants and their Indian bells. An uproar rose from Zabolestan; its clamor cried out to the sleeping earth: Wake up! At the front rode Rostam the champion, and behind him the aged warrior Zal. The plains, valleys, and passes were so packed with soldiers that not even a crow could fly overhead. Drums were beaten from sixty places at once; the world showed neither beginning nor end. At the season when gardens burst into bloom, he brought the army out of Zabolestan. Afrasiab learned that Zal was on the move, and lost all his peace, his food, and his sleep. He led his army toward Khvar near Ray, to a meadow rich with water and reeds. From Iran the troops came marching on, crossing the desert road toward the battlefield. When only two leagues remained between the two armies, the commander summoned the seasoned, worldly men. He said to them: O wise ones, you experienced nobles who have seen the world and done great deeds, Here I have raised this army; I have long sought a leader and a ruler. Without a king on the throne, all counsel scatters; an army without a leader is all in disarray. When the blessed Zav sat upon the throne, a fresh chorus of praise rose from the world. Now we need a king of royal blood, one fit to bind the royal belt upon the throne of kings. A king who upholds the throne with majesty, for a human body cannot live without a head. The high priest at once pointed me to a king, one of youthful fortune and glory: From Fereydun's line, the hero Kay Qobad, a man of splendor, stature, wisdom, and justice.