The tyrannical monster Zahhak upon whose shoulder grew serpents that feasted daily on the brains of Iran's youth; the giant hero Rostam who vanquished entire armies with his immense strength and military prowess; the inept Shah Kay Kavus whose greed and vanity brought incessant warfare and misery to the land he ruled; the bold princess Rudabe who defied two armies to pledge her love to the Iranian hero Zal--these are but a few of the charters who inhabit the world of the great Persian classic known as the Shahname, or Book of Kings. Completed in the eleventh century A.D. by the poet Abol-Qasem Ferdowsi, the Shahname describes in more than 80,000 lines of verse the pre-Islamic history of Persia from mythological times down to the invasion of the armies of Islam in the mid-seventh century A.D. From this long saga, Jerome Clinton has translated into English blank verse the most famous episode, the story of Rostam and Sohrab. It is a stark and classic tragedy set against the exotic backdrop of a mythological Persia where feasting, hunting, and warring are accomplished on the most magnificent scale. Matching the English translation line by line on the facing pages is the Persian text of the poem, based on the earliest complete manuscript of the Shahname, which is preserved in the British Museum. This lyrical translation of the tragedy of Sohrab and Rostam captures the narrative power and driving rhythm of the Shahname as no other English translation has. His rendering into modern blank verse is both faithful to the original and pleasing to the ear of the contemporary reader.

Dick Davis, "our pre-eminent translator from the Persian" (Washington Post) has revised and expanded his highly-praised translation of Ferdowsi's masterpiece, including more than 100 pages of newly translated text. Davis's elegant combination of prose and verse allows the poetry of the Shanameh to sing its own tales directly, interspersed sparingly with clearly-marked explanations to ease along modern readers. Among the greatest works of world literature, this prodigious narrative, composed by the poet Ferdowsi in the late tenth century, tells the story of pre-Islamic Iran, beginning in the mythic time of creation and continuing forward to the Arab invasion in the seventh century.

Shahnameh is a lengthy epic poem which vividly intertwines the mythical and historical history of Persia, thereby enchanting and impressing readers for many centuries. Originally composed by Abolqasem Ferdowsi in the 10th century, the Shahnameh enjoys the distinction of being the longest epic poem by a single author in existence. The verses took Ferdowsi over three decades to complete. Although it draws heavily from established mythology and the historical archives of Persia, Ferdowsi also imbues the poem's story with his own vivid inventions and plot devices. The entire poem is intended as a history of Persia from the earliest times until the Islamic Conquest of the country, which occurred about 350 years before Ferdowsi composed his epic. The verses proceed chronologically, beginning with the creation of the Earth, through the establishment of Zoroastrianism as the first monotheistic faith in the region, with the principle characters being various great generals and rulers.

Shahnameh is a lengthy epic poem which vividly intertwines the mythical and historical history of Persia, thereby enchanting and impressing readers for many centuries. Originally composed by Abolqasem Ferdowsi in the 10th century, the Shahnameh enjoys the distinction of being the longest epic poem by a single author in existence. The verses took Ferdowsi over three decades to complete. Although it draws heavily from established mythology and the historical archives of Persia, Ferdowsi also imbues the poem's story with his own vivid inventions and plot devices. The entire poem is intended as a history of Persia from the earliest times until the Islamic Conquest of the country, which occurred about 350 years before Ferdowsi composed his epic. The verses proceed chronologically, beginning with the creation of the Earth, through the establishment of Zoroastrianism as the first monotheistic faith in the region, with the principle characters being various great generals and rulers.

"Shahnameh: The Epic of Kings" is the epic poem of the Persian poet Ferdowsi which tells of the mythological and historical past of Persia from the creation of the world up until the Islamic conquest in the seventh century. Written between 977 and 1010 AD, the "Shahnameh" is a captivating story of the ancient world and details much of Persia's history, culture, and ancient religions. The Helen Zimmern prose translation of the "Shahnameh" is presented here.

The selected adventures of Persia's Hercules, from Iran's great national epic
No understanding of world mythology is complete without acquaintance with Rostam, Iran's most celebrated mythological hero. According to the "Shahnameh "(the tenth-century "Book of Kings"), this titan, magnificent in strength and courage, bestrode Persia for 500 years. While he often served fickle kings?undergoing many trials of combat, cunning, and endurance?he was never their servant and owed allegiance only to his nation's greater good. Anyone interested in folklore, world literature, or Iranian culture will find "Rostam" both a rousing and illuminating read.
The selected adventures of Persia's Hercules, from Iran's great national epic
No understand ing of world mythology is complete without acquaintance with Rostam, Iran's most celebrated mythological hero. According to the "Shahnameh "(the tenth-century "Book of Kings"), this titan, magnificent in strength and courage, bestrode Persia for 500 years. While he often served fickle kings?undergoing many trials of combat, cunning, and endurance?he was never their servant and owed allegiance only to his nation's greater good. Anyone interested in folklore, world literature, or Iranian culture will find "Rostam" both a rousing and illuminating read.

Rostam is Iran's greatest mythological hero, a Persian Hercules, magnificent in strength and courage. As recounted in the tenth-century Book of Kings (Shahnameh) by the poet Ferdowsi, he was an indomitable force in ancient Persia for 500 years, undergoing many trials of combat, cunning and endurance. Although Rostam served a series of often-fickle kings, he was always his own man, committed to the greater good of Iran. His adventures are some of the best-loved of all Persian narratives and remain deeply resonant in Iranian culture. This book begins with the birth of Rostams father Zal and ends with Rostams death. The tales tell of the love between Zal and Rostams mother, the Kaboli princess Rudabeh; of Rostams miraculous birth, aided by the magical bird Simorgh; of Rostams youth and the selection of his trusty horse Rakhsh; of his affair with Princess Tahmineh, the birth of their son Sohrab, and, after Sohrab grows into a mighty warrior himself, the tragic confrontation between father and son. The tales conclude with Rostams war against demons, his seven trials, his rescue of Prince Bizhan, and finally his battle, both intellectual and physical, with the ambitious and religiously-driven prince Esfandyar.