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,<br />
i<br />
*<br />
FIRDAWSI *<br />
Hurler of horse-troops in hot-contested'fights, Feeder of carrion-fowls with foemeritflesh-feast,<br />
Raising the roar of strife on the red war-field,<br />
From the grim war-clouds grinding the gore-shower.<br />
Who, by his manly might merit on merit .<br />
Heaps, till his merit merit outmea^ures 1 "<br />
.^<br />
'<br />
, 55<br />
In eloquence I know of^no poetry in Persian which equals this, ,<br />
and but little even in Arabic.<br />
When Firdawsi had completed the Shdhndma,<br />
'<br />
it was trans-<br />
both of<br />
scribed by 'All Daylam 2 and recited by Abu Dulaf2 ,<br />
whom he mentions by name in tendering His thanks to Huyayy-i-<br />
Qutay^a 3 the , governor of Tus, who had conferred on Firdawsi<br />
many favour^ :<br />
,<br />
" Of the men of renown of this city 'A h'Daylam and Abu Dulaf have<br />
participated in this book.<br />
From them my portion was naught save ''Well done /'<br />
My gall-bladder was like to burst with their 'Well dones^?<br />
Jjfuyayy the son of Qutayba is a nobleman who asks me notfor unrewarded<br />
verse.<br />
I know nothing either of the root nor the branches of the land-tax ;<br />
I Igunge [at ease} in the midst of my quilt"."<br />
Huyayy the son of Qutayba was the revenue-collector of Tus,<br />
and deemed it his duty at least to abate the taxes payable b^v<br />
Firdawsi hence ; naturally his name will endure till the Resurrection<br />
and Kings will read it.<br />
So 'All Daylam transcribed the Shdhndma in seven volumes,<br />
and Firdawsi, taking with him Abu Dulaf, set out for the Court<br />
of Ghazna. There, *>y the help of the great Minister Ahmad ibn*<br />
Hasan 6 the , secrefary, he presented it, and it was accepted, Sultan<br />
1 Poor as this rendering is, I am strongly of opinion that for an English rendering<br />
of the Shdhndma (which always seems fo me very analogous in aim, scope, and<br />
treatment to that little-read English Epic, the Brut of Layamon) the old English<br />
alliterative verse would be the > most suitable form.<br />
2 See Noldeke, op. cit., p. 153 (p. 27 of the new edition), and n. i ad calc.<br />
3<br />
Soy\.. and L. B. has the more usual " Husayn b. Qutayba." Cf. Noldeke, loc. cit.<br />
4<br />
, I.e.J. am sick of their barren and unprofitable plaudits. As these poor men<br />
rendered him material service in other ways, Firdawsi's remarks seem rather un-<br />
gratefuf.<br />
5 What follows is evidently an explanation of this couplet. Firdawsi means that<br />
being no longer vexed with the exactions of the tax-gatherer, he can now repose in<br />
pfeace.<br />
6 ,,This celebrated minister had the title Shamsu'l-Kufdt and the nisba of al-<br />
Maymandi. He died in 424/1033 after twenty years' service as Minister to Sultan<br />
Mahmud.<br />
I<br />
.<br />
j<br />
'