بخش 6

When nine months passed for the King's daughter, she gave birth to a son shining like the moon. You would say he was the Elephant-Bodied Rustam himself, or Sam the Lion, or Nariman. When he smiled and his face brightened, Tahmineh named him Sohrab. At one month old, he looked like a year-old child; his chest was like that of Rustam, son of Zal. At three years old, he took up the polo stick; at five, he took up the bow and arrow. By the time he was ten, no one in that land dared to challenge him in battle. He came to his mother and asked, "Tell me openly, why am I superior to my peers? My head reaches the sky. From whose seed am I, and of what lineage? What should I say when someone asks about my father? If this question remains hidden from me, I will not leave you alive in this world." His mother replied, "Listen to my words, be happy with this, and do not be angry. You are the son of the Elephant-Bodied Hero, Rustam; you are of the line of Dastan (Zal), Sam, and Nariman. That is why your head is higher than the sky, for your seed is from that famous jewel. Since the Creator made the world, no rider like Rustam has appeared. And there was no one like Sam Nariman in the world; the heavens dared not touch his head." She brought a letter from the warrior Rustam and showed it to him secretly, along with three shining rubies and three golden beads that his father had sent from Iran. She warned him, "Afrasiyab must not know this story from beginning to end. If your father knows that you have become such a proud leader, he will call you to his side, and your mother's heart will be wounded with pain." Sohrab replied, "No one in the world keeps such a thing hidden. The great warriors of old tell stories of Rustam even now. With such a warrior lineage, what is the custom of hiding it from me? Now I will gather a boundless army of Turkman warriors. I will remove Kavus from his throne and wipe out all trace of Tus from Iran. I will give the throne, mace, and crown to Rustam and seat him on King Kavus's throne. Then I will march from Iran to Turan to fight, and I will confront the King face to face. I will take the throne of Afrasiyab and raise my spear above the sun. When Rustam is father and I am son, no one else in the world should wear a crown. When the face of the sun and moon are bright, why should the stars raise their heads?" From every side, an army gathered around him, for he was both noble of birth and a skilled swordsman.