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The Crown and the Sword: 40 Epic Passages of Ferdowsi in Modern English - Heroes, Kings, Battles, Wisdom, and Fate from the Shahnameh
Paperback
Series: Persian Poetry Caravan
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jul 13 2026
Pages: 116
Weight: 0.36
Height: 0.28 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
A thousand years ago, a poet spent thirty years gathering the memory of a nation into a single book - the Shahnameh, the Book of Kings. His name was Ferdowsi, and his epic is one of the great works of world literature: the Iliad and the Odyssey of Persia, in one vast poem.
The Crown and the Sword presents 40 of the Shahnameh's greatest passages in clear, modern English - the creation of the world, the tyranny of Zahhak, the labours of Rostam, the tragedy of Sohrab, the fire-trial of Siyavash, and Ferdowsi's own final word on time and glory.
- A note placing the passage within the epic
- The passage itself, in flowing modern verse
- A short reflection drawing out its meaning for today's reader
- A guide to the symbols - the crown, the serpent, the Simorgh, the sword
- You love epic poetry - Homer, Gilgamesh, Beowulf - and want Persia's answer to them
- You know Rostam and Sohrab by name and want the full weight of their story
- You are searching for a meaningful gift for a lover of mythology or world literature
From the publisher of The Rose and the Tavern (Hafez) and The Reed and the Flame (Rumi), Persian Poetry Caravan brings the treasures of Persian literature to modern readers - with accuracy, elegance, and heart.
Open the Book of Kings. The crown is waiting. So is the sword.
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