Before there was cinema, before there were novels, there was Ferdowsi. And before there was Ferdowsi, there was the story.
The story of Rostam and Sohrab is approximately 1,100 years old. It exists in a 60,000-verse epic called the Shahnameh — the Book of Kings — written by the Persian poet Abolqasem Ferdowsi, who spent thirty years composing it so that the Persian language would survive the Arab conquest.
It worked. Persian survived. And so did this story.
Your First Farsi Words
As you read, you will encounter Farsi words in bold. Each one is followed by its pronunciation and meaning. By the end of this episode, you will have learned 15 real Persian words — in context, attached to real emotion.
pedar (pe-dar) — father
maadar (maa-dar) — mother
jaan (jaan) — soul, life (also a term of endearment)
del (del) — heart
qahramaan (gah-ra-maan) — hero
The Story Begins
Rostam is the greatest qahramaan (hero) in the world. He is so strong that a single blow of his fist can shatter stone. He rides a horse named Rakhsh who has served him since childhood. He is the protector of Iran.
One night, while hunting near the border of Turan (the kingdom across the Oxus River), Rostam is separated from his army. He finds a beautiful city. He is invited to stay. And he meets Tahmineh — a princess of extraordinary beauty and courage.
In Tahmineh’s eyes there is something that stops Rostam. He asks to marry her. She agrees — on one condition: that she may have his child.
They spend one night together. Before dawn, Rostam gives her his armband — a piece of jewelry known to all of Iran — and tells her: if the child is a boy, tie this to his arm. It will protect him. It will identify him.
Then Rostam rides away. He does not know that Tahmineh is already carrying his son.
She names the boy Sohrab (soh-raab) — the bright-faced one.