Rūdāba

‘From top to toe she is Paradise gilded; all radiance, harmony and delectation’
Rūdāba is a persian mythology tale written by Ḥakīm Abu'l-Qāsim Ferdowsī Țusī in 10th century Persia as part of the Shahnameh.

Plot
Mehrāb, the king of Kabul, ruled across Sind and paid yearly donations to help out the Prince of Sistān, who is named Sām.

While on a trip to their generous friend in Kabul, Zāl, son of Sām, overheard the gossip about the most beautiful Princess Rūdāba, daughter of their kind friend Mehrāb:

‘Her face was fairer than the sun and her ivory white figure a teak in height, her cheeks resembled pomegranate blossoms, her eyes twin narcissi in a garden, adorned with long black lashes, and her black hair was so long that it fell in two musky ringlets over her silveren neck down to her ankle’.

Rūdāba became equally lustful over Zāl when her father describes him as a young but wise paladin of unequalled handsomeness, grace and generosity.

So, a meeting was arranged between the two by her maids (without her father's permission), and when Zāl arrived at the base of the castle, Rūdāba let her long hair fall down the side of the castle wall so that he could scale the castle to her room.

The two fell deeply in love, and promised to marry despite the dangers of going against her arranged marriage with the wealthy King Manučehr, and the religious authorities in Iran. Zāl pleaded desperately for the acceptance from King Manučehr many a times, until he finally accepted Zāl's request when astrologers believed the union of the two would result in ‘the hope and pillar’ of the nation and the greatest guardian of the royal throne, and when Zāl proved his worth with the Magian priests.

Not long after, Rūdāba became pregnant amidst all the controversy, to the disapproval of her father. Unfortunately, when she was in labour, the baby proved to be too large for the petite Rūdāba, which threatened her life! Zāl appealed for guidance to his mother, Simorḡ, who advised to intoxicate her so that she could perform a caesarian:

The procedure was miraculously successful for the time, and the two lived happily together, even if others wished them the opposite.