داستان رستم و سهراب

by Abolqasem Ferdowsi, Djalal Khaleghi Motlagh (مصحح و شارح), محمد افشین وفایی

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.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Literature, Iran, History, Mythology, Middle East

269 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1846

About the author

Abolqasem Ferdowsi (Persian: ابوالقاسم فردوسی), the son of a wealthy land owner, was born in 935 in a small village named Paj near Tus in Khorasan which is situated in today's Razavi Khorasan province in Iran.
He devoted more than 35 years to his great epic, the Shāhnāmeh. It was originally composed for presentation to the Samanid princes of Khorasan, who were the chief instigators of the revival of Iranian cultural traditions after the Arab conquest of the seventh century. Ferdowsi started his composition of the Shahnameh in the Samanid era in 977 A.D. During Ferdowsi's lifetime the Samanid dynasty was conquered by the Ghaznavid Empire. After 30 years of hard work, he finished the book and two or three years after that, Ferdowsi went to Ghazni, the Ghaznavid capital, to present it to the king, Sultan Mahmud.

Ferdowsi is said to have died around 1020 in poverty at the age of 85, embittered by royal neglect, though fully confident of his work's ultimate success and fame, as he says in the verse:
" ... I suffered during these thirty years, but I have revived the Iranians (Ajam) with the Persian language; I shall not die since I am alive again, as I have spread the seeds of this language ..."

Reviews

[Nadi Ghaffari · Rating 5 out of 5]

چرا این داستان انقدر غمگینه...؟!
جلسه ی آخر کلاس نیلوفر گفت کامل خوندیش...؟!گفتم نه.دنبال یه فرصتم که تنها بشینم یه گوشه بخونمش و قشنگ زار بزنم.۲-۳روز بعد تو مترو فرصته پیدا شد.کتابو درآوردم و نشستم به خوندن.تو سکوت و سرما دل سیر گریمو کردم.از همه پرسیدم و هیچکس نمیدونه رمز غصه ی عمیق این داستان چیه...

پ.ن:استادم بهم لقب گردآفرید داده و خب بدیهیه که من عاشق قسمت نبرد گردآفرید و سهراب باشم...:دی
پ.ن۲:"نیامد به دامم بسان تو گور ز چنگم رهایی نیابی،مشور" از وقتی این بیت رو خوندم دیونه کردم همه رو بس که پرسیدم من چه شکاریم به نظرت...؟!:دی

[Anahita · Rating 5 out of 5]

خیلی خیلی لذت بردم از شنیدن دوباره این داستان. مخصوصا با جلوه‌های صوتی جذاب و شنیدن حرفهای شخصیتها با صداهای دوبلرهای قدیمی و خوش صدا جذابت شنیدنش رو بیشتر می کرد.

[Saba Mirzahosseini Barough · Rating 5 out of 5]

کنون من ز ترکان جنگ‌آوران

فراز آورم لشکری بی کران


برانگیزم از گاه کاووس را

از ایران ببرم پی طوس را


به رستم دهم تخت و گرز و کلاه

نشانمش بر گاه کاووس شاه


از ایران به توران شوم جنگ‌جوی

ابا شاه روی اندر آرم بروی


بگیرم سر تخت افراسیاب

سر نیزه بگذارم از آفتاب


چو رستم پدر باشد و من پسر

نباید به گیتی کسی تاجور


چو روشن بود روی خورشید و ماه

ستاره چرا برفرازد کلاه

[ツAlirezaツ · Rating 5 out of 5]

با وجود اینکه هممون آخر داستان رو میدونیم گوش کردن اش خالی از لطف نیست :)
#کتاب_صوتی

[Mika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I couldn't find ('cause there is no) the whole translation of Ferdowsi's great epic 'Shahnameh' (شاهنامه), which I would love to read after reading this single episode about Sohrab and Rostam. I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed Homer and there are many similarities to be found, of course. Ferdowsi (means 'heavenly') finished his major work which counts a hundred and twenty thousand verses c. 1010 CE. 'Shahnameh' tells the story (all mythical, legendary and historical events) from the beginning - the creation of the world and first man to the Islamic conquest of Persia.

I'm not wondering why this episode about father and son is among the best in epic. It is indeed tragic story full of very sympathetic and strongly outlined characters. As fatum decided, father and son (who never got a chance to meet), encounter on the battlefield. Sohrab feels something strange about his opponent and believes they got something in common, but Rostam hides his name.
What brought tears to my eyes is a long description of a father's mourning for a dead boy after he finds out his ancestry.

Hope I'll be able to translate this into serbian in few decades (haha) when my persian becomes fluent

[Matin Pyron · Rating 5 out of 5]

با داستان مرگ سهراب بدست پدرش رستم گریستم

[Fateme H.]

یک. خوشحالم که بالاخره این داستان رو تمام و کمال خوندم. بالاخره بعد از این‌همه اقتباس سینمایی و اینا که هیچ‌کدومشون برام جالب نبوده‌ن، اصل کار رو خوندم و واقعا ایمان آوردم که متن اصلی کلا یه چیز دیگه‌ست. چه برسه که حالا کار فردوسی باشه.
دو. در شاهکار بودن این اثر و به شدت هنرمند بودن شاعرش که اصلا حرفی نیست. و واقعا هم بر خلاف تصورم، از خوندنش خسته نشدم و حوصله‌م سر نرفت. ولی خب این قضیه اغراق هنرمندانه‌ای که می‌گن فردوسی داره، به طرز وحشتناکی رو اعصابم بود. این‌که یه بچه‌ی دوازده ساله این‌قدر غول‌پیکر بود و این‌قدر خفن، یا حالا نمی‌دونم چیزای دیگه‌ای که درمورد شخصیت‌ها گفته بود... خب من نمی‌پسندم.
با شخصیت رستم هم هیچ‌وقت نتونسته‌م ارتباط برقرار کنم و دوستش داشته باشم. بعد از خوندن این داستان هم بیشتر نمی‌تونم باهاش ارتباط برقرار کنم و دوستش داشته باشم. :/
سه. توضیحات کتاب و دیدگاه‌هایی که اولش برای شاهنامه و یا داستان رستم و سهراب به طور خاص آورده بود واقعا به نظرم مفید بودن.
ولی نمی‌دونم چه امتیازی باید بهش بدم.

[Ali Mazari · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتابی بسیار مفید و خواندنی است، به‌ویژه برای استفادۀ دانشگاهی و تخصصی. مقدمۀ کتاب پرفایده و خوب بود و تعلیقات نیز مکفی و دقیق. هرچند مانند هر اثر تحقیقی و شرح متن دیگری، می‌توان بر تعلیقات خرده‌هایی گرفت. خصوصاً در زمینۀ ریشه‌شناسی‌ها و کلمات فارسی میانه. به‌هرحال دکتر خالقی در هر زمینه‌ای متخصص باشد، در زبان‌های باستانی نیست.

[آناهی · Rating 5 out of 5]

خرد را ز بهر هوا کشته‌ام.

[Gela Tevzadze · Rating 5 out of 5]

A translation of the best-known fragment from the glamorous epic by Ferdowsi, a good place to start before reading the entire poem. A prosaic translation by Helen Zimmern is on the "Omphaloskepsis" website. Regrettably, that one is also incomplete and covers the time frame from the reign of Qaumars to the death of Rustam. Does anyone know whether a complete English translation (i.e., from Qaumars to Ezdigerd) exists?

[Lanier · Rating 4 out of 5]

As part of a re-current thread which runs through Hosseini's The Kite Runner this story and others like "Zal and Rudabeh" and "Saum" range from tragic tales of kings of old and love stories that may have been the source of several of the world's most famous epics and fairy tales. These stories and others from Iranian poet, Firdursi's (or Ferdowsi), epic Shahname or The Book of Kings, were written around 1000 AD, along the lines of R. K. Narayan's "The Ramayana"

[Madonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually, this wasn't the author that I read it from. I loved the poem of Sohrab and Rostam, but it was very sad. I felt so sad for Rostum once he realized what he had done, and there was no turning back.

[Mr.mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's realy the best book of the world

[E Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yep. Good.

[Juliet Ezati · Rating 3 out of 5]

realy like it

[Razi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bilingual text of the most famous story from Firdausi's majestic 'Shahnamay', what else could one ask for? Helped me brush up on my almost forgotten Persian!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Oedipus, but different. Hehehe.

[Ramin ahmadi]

be name khodavande jan o kherad kazin bartar andishe bar nagzarad ... khodavande nam o khodavande jay khodavande roozi dehe rahnamay

be ghole yeki az doostan agar az 10 javoone Irani yekishoon in ketaba faghat mikhoond ... vaze mardome Iran behtar az in mishod

dar Iran bayad ketab haye panj ganeye :
1- shahname , abolghaseme ferdosi
2- masnavi manavi molana vaghazaliyate ishan
3- divane hafez
4- golestan va boostane sadi
5- ketabe shirine dobeiti haye khayam

khande shavad ( alave bar in ketab ha ketabe shivaye molayam ali )

moafagh bashid

[Roar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure the book deserves more than two stars, but I rate the books according to my subjective reading experience. It was a good way to sample some of Firdawsi and get some first hand impression of what the Shahname is. So it was more like a self imposed homework. Besides, the genre of "epic poem" was never meant to be read in the first place, but when there are no bards available to chant it to you, what can you do?

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

GERAAAAAAAAAAAAT.

[Jimin Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, we skip from beginning of Sohrab's birth to the almost end of the battle and his death. Altogether about 30 pages

[Ali Amiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

این اولین شماره است از مجموعه داستان‌های شاهنامه که با پیشگفتار، پیرایش و گزارش جلال خالقی مطلق منتشر شده. و خب امیدوارم که ادامه پیدا کنه و غیره که بماند.

دربارۀ خود داستان رستم و سهراب که حرفی ندارم واقعاً. یکی از تراژدی‌های اعلای ادبیات جهانه.

اما واقعاً از پیشگفتار و گزارش آقای خالقی مطلق لذت بردم. اون‌قدر این آدم استثنایی و به شاهنامه و حماسه آگاهه که از هر حرفش می‌شه کلی چیز یاد گرفت و خیلی جاها آدم رو به درنگ وادار می‌کنه. کاش امثال آقای خالقی مطلق بیشتر بودن و برای هر کدوم از این‌همه شاعر و نویسنده و تاریخ‌دان و غیره دست‌کم یکی از این آدم‌های خبره و مرجع داشتیم. دریغ.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

The director Mohammad Rasoulof, who spent time in a jail for his movies, and has a wonderful movie out now, said that in Iran the poetry is about the elders killing the youth, and Sohrab and Rostam is an example of that, but I don't think the poem really advocated that path, it's portrayed as a tragedy. This is a skillful poem, even in translation. I can't say I really enjoyed it as much as other Iranian poetry I've been reading lately, but it's part of the tradition and the tradition is so amazing that I want to check off on most of the classics and recommended poets.

[Daniel Draper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a simplified version as I am currently learning Farsi, but am excited to read the originals when I become more proficient; but yes, Ferdowsi is one of the greatest and most influential writers of all time. Please read his work if you haven't already - in Farsi or English. I guarantee you will enjoy both.

[Maryam Peyrovi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"یکی داستانی‌ست پر آب چشم
دلِ نازک از رستم آید به خشم"
همین :)

[fish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book and will be starting to read more books by Persian and Arabic authors love this

[Amin · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب خوب و کامل ایی بود
البته با رستم و سهراب جلال خالقی بیشتر حال کردم
از لحاظ خوانش ونوشتار و موثق بودن

[Marko Vasić · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jedna od najlepših tragičnih epizoda koje sam pročitao. Šteta što Šahnama nije cela prevedena kod nas.

[Danica Stankovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note, this book was read before I got a Goodreads account as part of a challenge to read 50 new books by the end of 2019. I wrote a review for it right after I read it and copy pasted it here.

In the Dragon's Claws: The Story of Rostam & Esfandiyar from the Persian Book of Kings by Ferdowsi translation and preface by Jerome W. Clinton footnotes scribbled over the text by anonymous

I've got to admit, I didn't even know The Shahnameh existed before I picked this tiny piece of it up at a used book store. (Btw, The Shahnameh holds the record for longest epic poem written by a single person so I both feel justified in counting one section of it as a book for my challenge and a little abashed that I'd never hear of it before.) Judging by the number of price stickers on the back cover, I am at minimum the 5th owner of this copy.

There's a lot I like about this. A big part of it is that it's fairly easy to understand what's actually going on and how the characters are feeling about events. You don't really need paratext to explain everything to you like you do in some epic poetry. I don't know if that's something inherent in the way Ferdowsi wrote it or if that's a result of the translation, but it is nice. There are some weird translation choices like keeping pahlavan in the text for flavor but having the footnote identify it as meaning hero or knight when the preface brings up the many cognates between the descendants of Proto-Indo-European and this would be the perfect time to point out pahlavan=paladin but whatever. Maybe they're not actually from the same root, but Rostam and Esfandiyar definitely fit the definition of paladin easily. I also just really like the point in the story where Esfandiyar and Rostam meet. They are both like, "brooooo" and "is it true that you did...", and "you're dad is a dick" "omg you're so cool" (I'm not quoting directly, but that's the gist). It's always a treat to watch ultra powerful characters geek out even if it's immediately followed by them fighting to the death because of honor and fealty and tax dodging. To compare it to the epic poetry we had to read in high school, it's more interesting by far than The Iliad and Beowulf. It's about on par with The Odyssey, though shorter. I would have loved to replace the Iliad with this.

Oh, also the title of this section of the poem is in reference to an idiom that gets used in the middle meaning "close to death". This is an A+ title and should be accompanied by a guitar riff. There's a decent chance I'll seek out the rest of the Shahnameh later.