Chapter I: Front Matter

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FAC SIMILE OF A PORTION OF THE TITLE PAGE OF AN ILLUMINATED
“SHĀH NĀMAH” (SEE PREFACE)
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PERSIAN LITERATURE
ANCIENT AND MODERN

BY
ELIZABETH A. REED

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MEMBER OF THE PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN
MEMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF ORIENTALISTS
AUTHOR OF HINDU LITERATURE, ETC.

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CHICAGO
S.C. GRIGGS AND COMPANY
1893

COPYRIGHT, 1893.
BY S.C. GRIGGS AND COMPANY.

=The Lakeside Press=
R.R. DONNELLEY & SONS CO., CHICAGO

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

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PERSIAN LITERATURE, ANCIENT AND MODERN.

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DIVISION I.—EARLY TABLETS AND MYTHOLOGY.

CHAPTER I.

HISTORIC OUTLINE.

ORIGIN OF PERSIAN LITERATURE—ACCAD AND SUMER—LITERATURE OF 1
NINEVEH—BABYLON—ĪRĀN OR PERSIA—PHYSICAL FEATURES—PERSIAN
ART—MANUSCRIPTS—EARLY LITERATURE—THE ARABIAN CONQUEST—
LITERATURE OF MODERN PERSIA—PERSIAN ROMANCE

CHAPTER II.

THE CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTIONS.

EARLY LITERATURE—HISTORIC TABLETS—THE INSCRIPTIONS OF 30
NEBUCHADNEZZAR—THE FALL OF BABYLON—CYRUS, THE ACHÆMENIAN—
BEHISTUN INSCRIPTIONS—DARIUS AT PERSEPOLIS—INSCRIPTIONS OF
XERXES—ARTAXERXES—A LATER PERSIAN TABLET—RÉSUMÉ

CHAPTER III.

THE POETRY AND MYTHOLOGY OF THE TABLETS.

PRIMITIVE MYTHOLOGY—ANŪ—SEVEN EVIL SPIRITS—ACCADIAN POEM— 53
ASSUR—HEA—NIN-CI-GAL—SIN, THE MOON GOD—HEA-BANI—NERGAL—
MERODACH—NEBO—NINIP—CHEMOSH—INCANTATIONS TO FIRE AND
WATER—IM—BAAL—TAMMUZ—ISHTAR—ISHTAR OF ARBELA—ISHTAR OF
ERECH—LEGEND OF ISHTAR AND IZDŪBAR—ISHTAR, QUEEN OF LOVE
AND BEAUTY—THE DESCENT OF ISHTAR

CHAPTER IV.

PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY.

THE COMMON SOURCE OF MYTHOLOGY—MYTHICAL MOUNTAINS—RIVERS— 86
MYTHICAL BIRDS—AHŪRA MAZDA—ATAR—THE STORM GOD—YIMA—THE
CHINVAT BRIDGE—MITHRA—RÉSUMÉ

DIVISION II.—PERIOD OF THE ZEND-AVESTA.

CHAPTER V.

THE ZEND-AVESTA.

DERIVATION AND LANGUAGE—DIVISIONS—AGE OF THE ZEND-AVESTA— 109
MANUSCRIPTS—ZARATHUŚTRA—THE EARLY PĀRSĪS—THE MODERN PĀRSĪS

CHAPTER VI.

THE TEACHINGS OF THE ZEND-AVESTA.

THE GĀTHAS—THE WAIL OF THE KINE—THE LAST GĀTHA—THE MARRIAGE 127
SONG—THE YASNA—COMMENTARY ON THE FORMULAS—THE YASNA
HAPTANG-HĀITI—THE SRAŌSHA YAŚT—THE YASNA CONCLUDING

CHAPTER VII.

TEACHINGS OF THE ZEND-AVESTA, CONCLUDED.

THE VENDĪDAD—FARGARD II—THE VARA OF YIMA—THE LAWS OF 146
PURIFICATION—DISPOSITION OF THE DEAD—PUNISHMENTS—THE PLACE
OF REWARD—THE VISPARAD—TEACHING OF THE MODERN PĀRSĪS

DIVISION III.—THE TIME OF THE MOHAMMEDAN
CONQUEST AND THE KORĀN.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE KORĀN.

THE SUCCESSOR OF THE ZEND-AVESTA—AUTHOR OF THE KORĀN—FIRST 165
REVELATIONS—THE HIGRAH—CONTINUED WARFARE—DEATH OF
MOHAMMED—RECENSION OF THE TEXT—TEACHING OF THE KORĀN—
HEAVEN—HELL—PREDESTINATION—POLYGAMY—LITERARY STYLE OF THE
KORĀN

DIVISION IV.—THE PERIOD SUCCEEDING THE
MOHAMMEDAN CONQUEST.

CHAPTER IX.

THE ANWĀR-I-SUHALI.

HISTORY OF THE WORK—PREFACE—THE BEES AND THEIR HABITS—THE 189
TWO PIGEONS—THE BLIND MAN AND HIS WHIP—AMICABLE
INSTRUCTION—THE PIGEONS AND THE RAT—THE ANTELOPE AND THE
CROW—THE ELEPHANT AND THE JACKAL—GEMS FROM THE HITOPADEŚA

CHAPTER X.

PERSIAN POETRY.

SEVEN ERAS—THE FIRST PERIOD—THE HOMER OF ĪRĀN—THE SHĀH 214
NĀMAH—HISTORY OF THE PERSIAN EPIC—FIRDUSĪ—INVECTIVE—
MŪTESHIM—THE SHĀH’S REPENTANCE—DEATH OF FIRDUSĪ—THE POEM

CHAPTER XI.

STORY OF THE SHĀH NĀMAH.

SĀM SUWĀR—THE SĪMǕRGH’S NEST—THE FATHER’S DREAM—RǕDABEH—THE 228
MARRIAGE—RUSTEM—THE TǕRĀNIAN INVASION—THE WHITE DEMON

CHAPTER XII.

THE HEFT-KHĀN, OR SEVEN LABORS OF RUSTEM.

A LION SLAIN BY RAKUSH—ESCAPE FROM THE DESERT—THE DRAGON 252
SLAIN—THE ENCHANTRESS—CAPTURE OF AULĀD—VICTORY OVER
DEMONS—SEVENTH LABOR, THE WHITE DEMON SLAIN—THE MARRIAGE
OF RUSTEM—SOHRĀB

CHAPTER XIII.

ISFENDIYĀR.

THE HEFT-KHĀN OF ISFENDIYĀR—THE BRAZEN FORTRESS—THE CONFLICT 272
WITH RUSTEM—THE FALL OF THE WARRIORS

CHAPTER XIV.

SECOND PERIOD.

ANWĀRI—NIZĀMĪ—LAILĪ AND MAJNŪN—A FRIEND—THE WEDDING— 284
DELIVERANCE—THE MEETING IN THE DESERT—DEATH OF THE LOVERS—
VISION OF ZYD

CHAPTER XV.

THIRD PERIOD.

GENGHIS KHĀN—JALAL-UDDIN RŪMI—SĀ’DĪ—WORKS OF SĀ’DĪ—THE 309
BŪSTĀN—THE PEARL—KINDNESS TO THE UNWORTHY—SILENCE, THE
SAFETY OF IGNORANCE—DARIUS AND HIS HORSE-KEEPER—STORIES
FROM THE GULISTĀN—THE WISE WRESTLER—DANGERS OF PROSPERITY—
BORES

CHAPTER XVI.

LATER PERIODS.

THE FOURTH PERIOD—LITERARY KINGS—HĀFIZ PĪR-I-SEBZ—SHIRĀZ—THE 321
FEAST OF SPRING—MY BIRD—FIFTH PERIOD—JĀMI—THE WORKS OF
JĀMI—RECEPTION—THE SIXTH PERIOD—THE SEVENTH PERIOD

CHAPTER XVII.

MEHER AND MŪSHTERI.

PERSIAN ROMANCE—THE TWO COMRADES—THE SEPARATION—THE QUEEN— 338
THE DEPARTURE—THE ANNOUNCEMENT

CHAPTER XVIII.

MEHER AND MŪSHTERI—CONTINUED.

THE EXILES—THE DESERT—A SHIPWRECK—THE RESCUE—THE CAPTURE 351

CHAPTER XIX.

MEHER AND MŪSHTERI—CONTINUED.

THE FUGITIVES—ROYAL INTERVIEWS—THE CONFLICT—A GARDEN SCENE— 365
AFTERWARDS—THE DECISION

CHAPTER XX.

MEHER AND MŪSHTERI—CONTINUED.

THE CAPTIVES—ARREST AND TRIAL—ROYAL FAVOR—THE SENTENCE 383

CHAPTER XXI.

MEHER AND MŪSHTERI—CONCLUDED.

THE WEDDING—A COUNCIL—ROYAL CAVALCADE—THE MESSENGER— 392
RECEPTION

CHAPTER XXII.