ent
here, of Achilles sulking in his tent and nursing his wrath against
Agamemnon.--_Iliad_, Book I.

=199. sate.= Old form of "sat," common in poetry.

=200. falcon.= A kind of hawk trained to catch game birds.

=217. Iran.= The official name of Persia.

=221. Go to!= Hebraic expression. Frequently found in Shakespeare.

=223. Kai Khosroo.= According to the _Shah Nameh_, the thirteenth
Turanian king. He reigned in the sixth century B.C., and has been
identified with Cyrus the Great.

=230. Not that one slight helpless girl, etc.= See ll. 609-611, also
introduction to the poem.

=232. snow-haired Zal.= According to tradition, Zal was born with
snow-white hair. His father Lahm, believing this an ill omen, doomed
the unfortunate babe to be exposed on the loftiest summit of the
Elburz Mountains. The Simurgh, a great bird or griffin, found him and
cared for him till grown, then restored him to his repentant parent.
He subsequently married the Princess Rudabeh of Seistan, by whom he
became father of Rustum.

=243-248. He spoke ... men.= Note carefully Gudurz's argument. Why so
effective with Rustum?

=257. But I will fight unknown and in plain arms.= The shields and
arms of the champions were emblazoned with mottoes and devices. Why
does Rustum determine to lay aside his accustomed arms and fight
incognito? What effect does this determination have upon the ultimate
outcome of the situation? Read the story of the arming of Achilles
(Book XIX., Homer's _Iliad_), and compare with Rustum's preparation
for battle. [160]

=266. device.= See note, l. 257.

=277. Dight.= Adorned, dressed.

"The clouds in thousand liveries dight."
--MILTON. _L'Allegro,_ l. 62.

=286. Bahrein= or Aval. A group of islands in the Persian Gulf,
celebrated for its pearl fisheries.

=288. tale.= Beckoning, number.

"And every shepherd tells his _tale_,
Under the hawthorn in the dale."
--MILTON. _L'Allegro,_ ll. 67-68.

=306. flowers.= Decorates, beautifies with floral designs.

=311. perused.= Studied, observed closely.

=318.= In a letter dated November, 1852, Mr. Arnold speaks of the
figures in his poem as follows: "I can only say that I took a great
deal of trouble to orientalize them, because I thought they looked
strange, and jarred, if western." What is gained by their use?

=325. vast.= Large,