T R U B N E R ' S ORIENTAL SERIES i/ Gd. each. Complete Work now Ready. Post 8vo. cloth, price 10s. THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI. Doue into English by ARTHUR GEORGE WARNER, M.A. AND EDMOXD WARXER, B.A. Tlie vear a.d. 1010 saw the completion of the Shdhndma, the great 1'er.siair Its author, the poet Firdausi, spent over thirty ei)ic. taskIfoori;had ou'4 vears in its coiiipositiou, only to experience, when the a heart-breaking disappointment weU worthy ot m- been" actiieved, has clusiou in any record of tiie calamities of authors. His worii to be sur-v-ived the test of time, and by general consent is accounted one of the few great epics of the world. Geographically, and in some the ol other resiiects, it may be said to stand half-way between epics Europe and those of India. In its own land it has no peer, wnile in construction and subject-matter it is uni(|ue. Other epics ct\utre round some heroic cliaracter or incident to which all else is sub.ser- vient. In the .^liAhndma there is no lack either of heroes or of in- cidents, but its real hero is the ancient Persian people, and its theme their whole surviving legendary history from the days of the Pirst Man to tiie death of the last Sdsiinian Shdh in the middle of the seventh of the Persian race that they alone century of our era. It is the glory own among all nations possess such a record, based as it is on their traditions and set lorth in the words of their greatest poet. In another sense, too, the Shdhndma is unique. Tlie authors of the other great or of their epics tell us little or nothing of their own personalities sources of information. Their works are fairy palaces suspended in it was achieved. The mid air ; we see the result, but know not how author of the Shillindma takes us into his confidence from the first, so tliat in reading it we are let into the secret of epic-making, and can apply the knowledge lliiis gained to solve the problem of the con- struction of its great congeners. To the student ot comparative mytliiilogv and folk-lore, to the lover of historic romance or roniantic historv, and to all that are fond of tales of high achievements and the gests of inToes. the Sbdiniama is a stoiclioiisc of ricli and abundant material. To set forth a com]ilete presentment of it with the needful notes and elucidations is tlie object of the present translation, made from two of tlie best printed texts of the original— that of Vullers and Laudauer, an<l that of Turner Macau. THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSl DONE INTO ENGLISH BY ARTHUR GEORGE WARNER, MA. AND EDMOND WARNER, B A. The homes that are the diceUincjs of to-day Will sinic 'neath shower and sunshine to decay. Hut storm and rain shall never mar what I Have built^the pulace of my poetry." , FiRDAUSI. VOL. IX LONDON: KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER & CO., L^ BROADWAY HOUSE I CARTER LANE, E.G. 1925 The rights of translation and of re /reduction are reserved. PIMNTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY THE DEVONSHIRE PRESS, TORQUAY THE SHAHNAMA VOL. IX. \ CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS " lines " Page ix, 1-3, for v, xi, xii," read vii, xiii, xv." " " " Page 130, Col. I, line 14 from bottom, for xii nacf xv." " " " Page 131, Col. I, line 21, for xii read xv." ' " Pages 123-133, in the case of Roman vii reod " " " " " numerals, fvr ix," for viii read x etc. Page 195, Col. 2, line 11, delete first comma. Page 196, Col. I, line 11 from bottom, delete "Ahran." Col. after " Page 216, 2, line 10 from bottom, insert Reign of, J57, V, 281 seq. Note on, v, 281." " Page 225, Col. I, line S from bottom, delete Bandwi." " " " Page 240, Col. 2, line 13 from bottom, before 102 insert i." " " " Page 245, Col. 2, line 12, for 162 read 162." Page 251, Col. I, line 11 from bottom, after "of" insert comma. Page 257, Col. 2, line 11, before and after "vitrified" inseit comma. Page 268, Col. 2, line 15 from^ bottom, after" oi" insert comma. " Page 276, Col. I, line 3 from bottom, read Olympias." " " " Page 279, Col. 2, line 5 from bottom, for 363 read 263." " " " Page 289, Col. I, line 25, for 140 read 140." Col. " Page 302, _>, line 10 from bottom, /o^ 85 read "23." " " " Page 310, Col. I, line 3, for ig6 read 171." Col. " Page 311, 2, line 15 from bottom, after "by" insert viii, 190. " Page 327, Col. 2, line 31 end, add ix, 23." " " " Page 328, Col. I, line 26, for 205 read 105." Page 334, Col. I, line 7, for "Northman" read "Northmen." " Page 337, Col. 2, line 2 from bottom, add viii, 108." Page 362, Col. I, line 7 from bottom, insert comma at end. Page 363, Col. I, line 25 end, insert comma. " " Page 366, Col. I, line 23, before 137" insert vii." " Page 372, Col. 1, line 14, delete vi." " Page 385, Col. I, line 23, delete 176." " Col. line 10 from insert Page 386," 2, bottom, after Khnrasdn," 176." " Page 39X, Col. 2, line 7 from bottom, delete Yazdagird." PREFATORY NOTE The General Index at the end of this vohime should be consulted in preference to—the Indexes to the separate volumes of this work. E.W. CONTENTS PAQB Prefatory Note ........ v Abbreviations ........ xi Note on Pronunciation ....... xii THE SASANIAN dynasty (concluded) KuBAD (Commonly Called Shirwi) — SKCT. 1. How Shirwi ascended the Throne, announced his Will, and sent Chiefs to his Father with Counsel and Excuses .... 8 2. How Khusrau Parwiz answered Shirwi . 15 3. How Shirwi grieved for Khusrau Parwiz and how the Chiefs were displeased thereat . 27 4. How Barbad lamented Khusrau Parwiz, cut off his own Fingers, and burned his Instruments of Music ....... 29 5. How the Chiefs demanded from Shirwi the Death of Khusrau Parwiz and how he was slain by Mihr Hurmuzd ..... 32 6. How Shirwi asked Shirin in Marriage, how Shirin killed herself, and how Shirwi was slain . 36 Ardsiii'r, Son of Shirwi— 1. How Ardshir, Son of Shirwi, ascended the Throne and harangued the Chiefs . -44 2. How Guraz was displeased at Ardshir being Shah and how he caused Ardshir to be slain by Piruz Son of Khusrau .... 45 ^ . Guraz (also called Farayin)— I. How Guraz (also called Farayin) received News of the Slaying of Ardshir, hastened to Iran, took Possession of the Throne, and was killed by Shahranguraz . .51 PiJrAndukht— 1. How Purandukht ascended the Throne and slew Piriiz, Son of Khusrau, and how her own Life ended ...... 56 ix CONTENTS AzARMDUKHT- SECT. PAGE I. How Azarmdukht ascended the Throne and how she died ...... 59 FarrukhzAd— I. How Farrukhziid ascended the Throne and how he was slain by a Slave .... 61 Yazdagird— 1. How Yazdagird ascended the Throne and addressed * the Chiefs ...... 70 2. How Sa'ad, Son of Wakkas, invaded Iran, how Yazdagird sent Rustam to oppose him, and how Rustam wrote a Letter to his Brother 72 3. How Rustam wrote to Sa'ad, Son of Wakkas, and how he rephed .... 78 4. How Rustam fought with Sa'ad, Son of Wakkas, and was slain ..... 83 5. How Yazdagird consulted with the Iranians and went to Khurasan ..... 85 6. How Yazdagird wro^e to Mahwi of Siir . 89 7. How Yazdagird wrote to the Marchlords of Tiis 90 8. How Yazdagird went to Tiis and how Mahwi of Siir met him ...... 95 9. How Mahwi of Siir incited Bi'zhan to war with Yazdagird and how Yazdagird fled and hid himself in a Mill ..... 96 10. How Mahwi of Siir sent the Miller to kill Yazdagird, and how the Archmages counselled Mahwi to forbear ...... lOI 11. How Yazdagird was slain by Khusrau, the Miller 107 12. How Mahwi of Sur was informed of the Obsequies of Yazdagird and ascended the Throne 1 12 13. How Bizhan, hearing of the Slaying of Yazdagird, and of Mahwi of Siir's Accession to the Throne, led forth the Host to fight with him "5 14. How Mahwi of Siir was taken and slain by Order of Bizhan ..... 118 15. Account of the Completion of the Shahnama 121 Index . .... 123 General List of Abbreviations 135 General Table of Contents . 139 Corrections and Additions 177 General Index 191 ABBREVIATIONS C.—Macan's edition of the Shahnama L.—Lumsden's do. P.—Mohl's do. T.—Tihran do. v.—Vullers' do. BCM. The Chahar Maqala (" Four Discourses ") of Nidhami-i- 'Ariidi-i-Samarqandi. Translated into EngUsh by Edward G. Browne, M.A., M.B. CTC. Theophanis Chronographia. Ex Recensione loannii Classeni. LEC. The Lands of the Eastern Califate. By G. Le Strange. NIN. Das Iranische Nationalepos von Theodor Noldeke. NT. Geschichte der Perser und Araber sur Zeit der Sasaniden . von. Th. Noldeke. RM. The Rauzat-us-safa of . ; or, Garden Purity. By Mirkhond. Translated ... by E. Rehatsek. RSM. The Seventh Great Oriental Monarchy. By George Rawlinson, M.A. ZT. Chronique de Abou-Djafar-Mo'hammed-Ben-Djarir-Ben- Yezid-Tabari, traduite . Par M. Hermann Zoten- burg. xiu NOTE ON PRONUNCIATION " a as in water." " i as in pique." " u as in rude." " a as in servant." " i as in sin." " M as in foot." " ai as in time." " au as in ou in cloud." " g is always hard as in give." " kh as ch in the German buch," " zh ^ ^ in azure," XV IV THE SASlNIAN DYNASTY (Concluded) VOL.