"The houses that are the dwelling of today will sink beneath shower and sunshine to decay but storm and rain shall never mar the palace that I have built with my poetry." —FerdowsiThe Shahnameh, The Epic of Kings, is an epic composed by the Iranian poet Ferdowsi. It tells mainly the mythical and to some extent the historical past of the Persian Empire from the creation of the world until the Arab conquest of Iran in the 7th century. The Shahnameh is common...

A fresh, lyrical new translation of Persia’s founding epic.Abu al-Qasem Ferdowsi (940–1020 CE), one of Iran’s greatest poets, versified the ancient legends of the Persian Book of Kings (Shahnameh) in verse over one thousand years ago. It is the longest poem written by a single poet. A combination of myth and history told over a series of 50,000 elegant couplets, Ferdowsi dedicated thirty-three years of his life to writing the Shahnameh and intended it to p...

The tenth century Persian poet Ferdowsi was the author of ‘Shahnameh’ (Book of Kings), the Persian national epic poem. The Persians regard Ferdowsi as the greatest of their poets and his enormous epic poem is revered as the history of their country’s glorious past, preserved for all time in sonorous and majestic verse. The Delphi Poets Series offers readers the works of literature’s finest poets, with superior formatting. This volume presents Ferdowsi’s ‘Shahnameh’, with multiple t...

Among the great works of world literature, perhaps one of the least familiar to English readers is the Shahnameh: ThePersian Book of Kings, the national epic of Persia. This prodigious narrative, composed by the poet Ferdowsi between the years 980 and 1010, 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.As a window on the world, Shahnameh belongs in the company of su...

The definitive translation by Dick Davis of the great national epic of Iran—now newly revised and expanded to be the most complete English-language editionA Penguin ClassicDick Davis—“our pre-eminent translator from the Persian” (The Washington Post)—has revised and expanded his acclaimed translation of Ferdowsi’s masterpiece, adding more than 100 pages of newly translated text. Davis’s elegant combination of prose and verse allows...

“Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings” is the timeless masterpiece by the Persian poet Ferdowsi. The epic poem, believed to have been written between 977 and 1010 AD, tells of the mythological and historical past of Persia from the creation of the world up until the Islamic conquest of Iran in the seventh century. The “Shahnameh” is a captivating story of an ancient world and details much of early Persia’s history, culture, and Zoroastrian religion. The poem, consisting of over 50,000 coup...

"The Shahnameh" (The Epic of Kings) also transliterated as Shahnama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 60,000 verses.Hakim Abu ʾl-Qasim Ferdowsi Tusi (940–1020 CE), or Firdawsi, was a highly revered Persian poet and the author of the epic of Shahnameh (the Persian "Epic of Kings")Translated by Helen Zimmern (1846-1934)

‘Among the many national poets of historical Persia, Ferdowsi is perhaps the greatest...In this superb translation of the epic, the Western reader would not fail to discern clear equivalents of chapters in Genesis, The Odyssey, Paradise Lost or the Canterbury Tales.’ Islamic ReviewThe Shah-nama is the national epic poem of Persia. Written in the tenth century it contains the country’s myths, legends and historic reminiscences. This edition makes available a valuable prose translatio...

Planning and Management for Sustainable Water Resources and Infrastructure under Climate Change explores the critical intersection of climate change, and sustainable water resources and infrastructure. With a diverse range of chapters covering topics from public participation and water governance to smart technologies, it provides a holistic understanding of the current concerns, core challenges, and innovative solutions surrounding water infrastructure and resilience. The book offers nece...

The definitive translation by Dick Davis of the great national epic of Iran—now newly revised and expanded to be the most complete English-language editionDick Davis—“our pre-eminent translator from the Persian” (The Washington Post)—has revised and expanded his acclaimed translation of Ferdowsi’s masterpiece, adding more than 100 pages of newly translated text. Davis’s elegant combination of prose and verse allows the poetry of the Shahnameh to sing its o...

"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 epicNo 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...