در زمانهاى باستان پهلوانى بود به نام سام نريمان. سام نريمان خيلى وقتى بود كه ارزوى داشتن فرزندى داشت ولى آرزويش برآورده نميشد. سرانجام همسرش به او مژده داد كه داراى بچه اى خواهند شد. پس از ٩ ماه، زن سام نريمان بچه اى بسيار زيبا به دنيا آورد. تنها ايرادى كه بچه داشت اين بود كه موهاى تنش سپيد بود (موى سر، ابرو و مژه). زن سام نريمان جرات نداشت كه به همسرش بگويد كه فرزندشان مو سپيد است. سرانجام به گوش سام رسيد كه فرزندش سپيد موى است و پس از ديدار فرزند با خود فكر كرد كه خداوند از دست او ناخشنود (ناراحت) است و به جاى كودك آدميزاد به او ديوى داده. هر چه زن سام ميگفت فرزندمان ديو نيست سام گوش نميدهد. سام تصميم گرفت دست كودك را ببندد و او را در كوه البرز رها كند تا بچه شيرخوار خوراك جانوران و يا پرندگان شود. سام اين كار را كرد و نوزاد با دستهاى بسته در كوه البرز گذاشته شد. نوزاد گريه ميكرد و سيمرغ، پرنده افسانه اى گريه كودك را شنيد و با خود انديشيد خوراك خوبى براى جوجه هايم ميشود. كودك را از روى سنگها برداشت و به بالاترين نقطه كوه برد كه آشيانه خودش بود. جوجه هايش به جاى خوردن كودك با او آغاز (شروع) به بازى كردند و مهر كودك بر دل سيمرغ هم نشست. از آن پس با كودك به مانند فرزندانش رفتار ميكرد. نام كودك را زال دستان (دستانش را باز كرد) نهاد. زال تا هفده سالگى در كوه البرز به مانند سيمرغ و فرزندان سيمرغ به شكار ميرفت. مردم بسيارى جوانى زيبا و ورزيده با موهاى سپيد را در كوه البرز ميددند و كم كم سام نريمان هم از اين جوان آگاه شد. شبى سام نريمان خواب بسيار پريشانى ميبيند و از خوابگزاران ميخواهد كه معنى خوابش را بگويند. خوابگزاران ميگويند، كارى كه تو با فرزند شيرخوارت كردى هيچ جانور و يا پرنده اى با فرزند خود نميكند. تو اكنون پير شده اى و موهايت سپيد شده، پس تو هم ديو هستى و ما تو را دست بسته به البرز كوه ببريم تا از گرسنگى بميرى. سام از كرده خود بسيار پشيمان شد و به البرز كوه رفت تا فرزند خود را پيدا كند. ولى هر كارى كرد نتوانست از كوه بالا برود. دست به نيايش ميبرد و از خداوند درخواست يارى ميكند. سيمرغ نيايشهاى سام را ميشوند و دلش براى او ميسوزد. به پيش زال ميرود و از او ميخواهد كه به پيش پدر و آدميان برود. زال اول نميپذيرد و ميگويد چه پدرى با كودك شيرخوار خود اين رفتار را ميكند. اى سيمرغ تو و فرزندانت خانواده من هستيد و من به پيش سام برنخواهم گشت. سيمرغ با زال بسيار سخن ميگويد تا زال ميپذيرد كه به پيش سام برود. سيمرغ ٣ تا از پرهاى خود را به زال ميدهد كه هر وقت زال نياز به كمك داشت يكى از پرها را آتش بزند تا سيمرغ به يارييش بيايد. سام از زال پوزش فراوان ميكند و با زال پيمان (عهد) ميبندد كه پدرى مهربان باشد و همه چيز به مانند پهلوان بودن و كشور دارى را به زال بياموزد.
In the ancient times, there was a hero named Sam Nariman. Sam Nariman wanted to have a child for a long time but his wish was not fulfilled. Finally, his wife gave him the good news that she was pregnant. Months later, Sam Nariman’s wife gave
birth to a beautiful baby boy. There was one problem with the child. His hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes were white. Sam Nariman’s wife was afraid to tell her husband that their child was white-haired. Eventually he heard that his son was like
this. After seeing his son, Sam thought that god was unhappy with him and had given him a demon instead of a human child. Sam decided to take the boy to the Alborz mountains, tie the baby’s hands and left him their so wild animals or birds
could
eat him.
The baby started to cry and a Simorgh (a legendary phoenix) heard the baby’s cry. She thought that the baby would be a great meal for her chicks. She took him from the rocks and brought him to the top of the Mountain. Which her nest was.
Amazingly her chicks instead of eating the baby, they started playing with him. Simorgh also started to care for the baby as well. Since then, the child became one of her own. She named the boy Zhal Dastaan, because when she found him, his
hands
were tied. Zhal lived in the mountains and would go hunting with Simorgh and her kids till he was 17 years old. A lot of people saw a handsome and muscular young man with white hair around the Alborz mountains. Eventually Sam heard about him
too.
One night Sam had a nightmare. He asked dream interpreters to tell him the meaning of the dream. Dream interpreters told him what he did to his baby no animals would do to their babies. “You are now old and your hair is white, so you are also a
demon and we will take you to Alborz mountain with your hands tied to die of hunger” said the dream interpreters. Sam was very sorry for what he had done and went to Alborz Mountain to find his son. But whatever he did, he could not climb the
mountain. He started praying out loud and asked God for help. Simorgh heard Sam's prayers and felt sorry for Sam. He went to Zal and asked him to go and live with his father and be among people. Zal first refused and said: “What kind of a
father
would leave an infant in the mountain to die?” Simorgh, you and your children are my family and I will not return to Sam” said Zal. Simorgh talked to Zal and convinced Zal to go to Sam. Simorgh gave 3 of its feathers to Zal and told Zal
Whenever
he needed help, just burn one of the feathers so that Simorgh could appear to help him. With that Simorgh took Zal to Sam. Sam apologized a lot to Zal and made a covenant with Zal that he would be a kind father and teach Zal everything he knows
and make him a great hero.
Translated by:
Arina Khoshsar (12 years old)
Sarina Bastani (12 years old)
Roajon Farsinejad (11 years old)