the moment Minuchihr beheld the venerable
monarch, he alighted and kissed the ground. They then, seated in the
palace together, congratulated themselves on the success of their arms.
In a short time after, the end of Feridun approached; when recommending
Minuchihr to the care of Sam and Nariman, he said: "My hour of departure
has arrived, and I place the prince under your protection." He then
directed Minuchihr to be seated on the throne;

And put himself the crown upon his head,
And stored his mind with counsel good and wise.

Upon the death of Feridun, Minuchihr accordingly succeeded to the
government of the empire, and continued to observe strictly all the laws
and regulations of his great grandfather. He commanded his subjects to
be constant in the worship of God.

The army and the people gave him praise,
Prayed for his happiness and length of days;
Our hearts, they said, are ever bound to thee;
Our hearts, inspired by love and loyalty.

ZAL, THE SON OF SAM

According to the traditionary histories from which Firdusi has derived
his legends, the warrior Sam had a son born to him whose hair was
perfectly white. On his birth the nurse went to Sam and told him that
God had blessed him with a wonderful child, without a single blemish,
excepting that his hair was white; but when Sam saw him he was grieved:

His hair was white as goose's wing,
His cheek was like the rose of spring
His form was straight as cypress tree--
But when the sire was brought to see
That child with hair so silvery white,
His heart revolted at the sight.

His mother gave him the name of Zal and the people said to Sam, "This is
an ominous event, and will be to thee productive of nothing but
calamity; it would be better if thou couldst remove him out of sight.

"No human being of this earth
Could give to such a monster birth;
He must be of the Demon race,
Though human still in form and face.
If not a Demon, he, at least,
Appears a party-coloured beast."

When Sam was made acquainted with these reproaches and sneers of the
people, he determined, though with a sorrowful heart, to take him up to
the mountain Alberz, and abandon him there to be destroyed by beasts of
prey. Alberz was the abode of the Simurgh or Griffin,[4] and, whilst
flying about in quest of food for his hungry young ones, that surprising
animal discovered the child lying alone upon the hard rock, crying and
sucking its fingers. The