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995 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1010
He reared throughout the realm a tree of godly foliage, and men rested beneath its branches. And whosoever ate of the leaves thereof was learned in all that regardeth the life to come, but whosoever who ate of the branches was perfect in wisdom and faith.
There is no parity between joy & grief in this den of strife; One thing remains after we're gone: a good name; And that's the lesson of Kay Khosrow's life.Out of context, this may seem like fortune cookie wisdom but appearing after battles lost, children slain, willful alliances that fail, family disloyalty & untold mistakes of judgement, Ferdowsi's commentary is uplifting. The author believes in divine forces, inescapable fates and reminds the reader that life in impermanent, thus cautioning to avoid greed & attempt to be happy because all else is illusory.
Life is full of mysteries to ponder; None can unravel this riddle of existence: So don't squander your labors on the surface of the stories; Look instead at the truths behind the signs; Where faith & reason are at peace.
The fickle world, capriciously grants favors & ever inflicts unjust pain. Fortunate is the one who supplants worries for serenity of the heart, calms his covetous nature & shares his wealth, without fears & petty qualms.
Magnificent buildings decay by the dint of time; And exposure to the elements wrecks even a house of flint; For 3 decades have I suffered to restore; This Persian tongue & now my work is done.*There is a helpful genealogy of the main characters + an excellent introduction to the illustrations by Hamid Rahmanian, a creative effort that took 10,000 hours to achieve. **Included within my review are photo images of the translator, my friend Ahmad Sadri; the image of the author, Ferdowsi + two examples of the wonderful illustrations by Hamid Rahmanian in this new version of the Shahnameh, an epic book I very much enjoyed.