A LION SLAIN BY RAKUSH—ESCAPE FROM THE DESERT—THE DRAGON 252 SLAIN—THE ENCHANTRESS—CAPTURE OF AULĀD—VICTORY OVER DEMONS—SEVENTH LABOR, THE WHITE DEMON SLAIN—THE MARRIAGE OF RUSTEM—SOHRĀB CHAPTER XIII. ISFENDIYĀR. THE HEFT-KHĀN OF ISFENDIYĀR—THE BRAZEN FORTRESS—THE CONFLICT 272 WITH RUSTEM—THE FALL OF THE WARRIORS CHAPTER XIV. SECOND PERIOD. ANWĀRI—NIZĀMĪ—LAILĪ AND MAJNŪN—A FRIEND—THE WEDDING— 284 DELIVERANCE—THE MEETING IN THE DESERT—DEATH OF THE LOVERS— VISION OF ZYD CHAPTER XV. THIRD PERIOD. GENGHIS KHĀN—JALAL-UDDIN RŪMI—SĀ’DĪ—WORKS OF SĀ’DĪ—THE 309 BŪSTĀN—THE PEARL—KINDNESS TO THE UNWORTHY—SILENCE, THE SAFETY OF IGNORANCE—DARIUS AND HIS HORSE-KEEPER—STORIES FROM THE GULISTĀN—THE WISE WRESTLER—DANGERS OF PROSPERITY— BORES CHAPTER XVI. LATER PERIODS. THE FOURTH PERIOD—LITERARY KINGS—HĀFIZ PĪR-I-SEBZ—SHIRĀZ—THE 321 FEAST OF SPRING—MY BIRD—FIFTH PERIOD—JĀMI—THE WORKS OF JĀMI—RECEPTION—THE SIXTH PERIOD—THE SEVENTH PERIOD CHAPTER XVII. MEHER AND MŪSHTERI. PERSIAN ROMANCE—THE TWO COMRADES—THE SEPARATION—THE QUEEN— 338 THE DEPARTURE—THE ANNOUNCEMENT CHAPTER XVIII. MEHER AND MŪSHTERI—CONTINUED. THE EXILES—THE DESERT—A SHIPWRECK—THE RESCUE—THE CAPTURE 351 CHAPTER XIX. MEHER AND MŪSHTERI—CONTINUED. THE FUGITIVES—ROYAL INTERVIEWS—THE CONFLICT—A GARDEN SCENE— 365 AFTERWARDS—THE DECISION CHAPTER XX. MEHER AND MŪSHTERI—CONTINUED. THE CAPTIVES—ARREST AND TRIAL—ROYAL FAVOR—THE SENTENCE 383 CHAPTER XXI. MEHER AND MŪSHTERI—CONCLUDED. THE WEDDING—A COUNCIL—ROYAL CAVALCADE—THE MESSENGER— 392 RECEPTION CHAPTER XXII. CONCLUSION. SUMMARY—PRIESTLY RULE—RUSSIAN OPPRESSION 403 PREFACE. There is a growing interest in the literatures of the Orient, but the difficulties in this field of investigation have been so great that few students have taken time to recover the gems from the worthless matter surrounding them. The author of the present volume, however, has chosen to devote years of persistent effort to the work of collecting and condensing the historic facts pertaining to this subject, and giving them to the public, together with the finest thoughts to be found upon the pages of these early manuscripts.