Shahnameh summary. G.V. Nosovsky, A.T. Fomenko Shahnameh: Iranian Chronicle of the Great Empire of the 12th-17th Centuries

23.04.2020

Firdousi's poem "Shahnameh" is a heroic epic of the Iranian peoples, a classic work and national pride of literatures: Persian - modern Iran and Tajik - Soviet Tajikistan, as well as a significant part of the Iranian-speaking peoples of modern Afghanistan.

Shahnameh" in translations into many languages of the world became the property of a wide range of readers. In Russia, Firdousi's poem was first introduced to V. A. Zhukovsky's free adaptation of the episode Rustem and Zorab. At the turn of the XIX and XX centuries. translations of fragments of the Shahnameh appeared. A significant number of poetic anthologies have been published in Soviet time, in 1934-1936, in connection with the celebration of the millennium of the birth of Ferdowsi.

World history knows bright periods full of formidable events, which Stefan Zweig figuratively called "the finest hours of mankind." In these eras, the most advanced representatives of their time, those who are rightly called the conscience of the people, acutely and strongly experiencing the dramatic situations of their era, create great creations of the human spirit.
Among such works, which reflected in a highly artistic form the spiritual and social upsurge of the peoples, are: "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana", "Iliad" and "Odyssey", " The Divine Comedy» Dante and Shakespeare's tragedies. In this row is the "Shah-name" of the brilliant Ferdowsi.
The poet, who took the pseudonym "Firdousi", which means "heavenly", lived and worked in eastern Iran, which at that time was part of the Samanid state, which united the lands where the ancestors of modern Tajiks and Persians lived. This territorial unity of the two peoples lasted for many centuries, and until the 16th century, the cultural heritage of the Persians and Tajiks was common.
In the Samanid state, political and cultural centers which were the cities of Bukhara and Samarkand, in the X century, on the basis of the development of productive forces, urban life and the growth of the national self-consciousness of the people, science and fiction flourished. The outstanding mathematicians Khorezmi (IX century), Khujandi (X century), great philosophers and scientists Al-Farabi (IX century), Ibn-Sina (X-XI centuries) lived and worked on the territory of Khorasan and Central Asia at that time. and Biruni (X-XI centuries).
In the 10th century, in the capital of Bukhara and other cities of the Samanid state, literature in the Dari language, also known as Farsi, developed rapidly. It served as the basis for further development classical Persian-Tajik poetry: in the 10th century it was developed and polished literary language Farsi, the main genres of Persian-Tajik poetry were formed, a system of images with a developed poetic vocabulary and a wealth of speech means was formed, all poetic meters and their modifications were canonized.
During this period, a galaxy of remarkable poets created in the state of the Samanids, in whose works, along with panegyrics characteristic of the era, ideas and thoughts were embodied that excited the progressive people of that time and reflected the fundamental interests of the people. reached in poetry high development lyrics of both philosophical and ethical and love character; the lyrical poems of the poets were imbued with deep thoughts about the fate of man, about the universe, social injustice.
The verses of the outstanding poet-philosopher Shahid Balkhi (X century) give a vivid idea of philosophical lyrics, in which he expressed his understanding of the relationship between wealth and knowledge:

It can be seen that rank and wealth are the same as a daffodil and a rose,
And one with the other in the neighborhood never flourished.

"He who owns riches has a penny of knowledge,
He who possesses knowledge has little wealth."

"Shah-name" is the crown of all Persian and Tajik poetry.
Historical and historical-literary sources report only scarce information about the life of Firdousi. It is known that he was born somewhere around 934, in the family of an impoverished dihkan - a representative of a semi-patriarchal, semi-feudal nobility, oppressed by a new class of feudal landowners.
In 994, as mentioned in the final part of Shahnameh, Ferdowsi completed the first, incomplete edition of his work. During the long years during which he wrote the Shah-name, he had to experience hunger, cold, and severe need. The unenviable financial situation of the great poet is mentioned in many lyrical digressions scattered throughout the huge book. So, in one of them he laments:
"The moon is dimmed, the firmament is gloomy,
From the black cloud the snow is coming, coming.

Neither mountains, nor rivers, nor fields are visible,
And the crow, which is darker than the darkness, is not visible.

I have no firewood, no corned beef,
And no - until the new harvest - barley.

Though I see snow - an ivory mountain -
I am afraid of requisitions at such a time.

The whole world turned upside down all of a sudden...
At least a friend helped me in some way!"

According to the existing legend, Sultan Mahmud promised the poet to pay a gold coin for each couplet. But he cruelly deceived him. When a caravan arrived from the Sultan and the bales were untied, it turned out that gold had been replaced by silver. The offended poet, who, according to legend, was allegedly in a bath, divided this money into three parts: he handed one to the attendant, the other to the people of the caravan, and bought soft drinks with the third. It was a clear and direct challenge to the despotic ruler. The Sultan ordered to punish the poet - to throw him at the feet of an elephant. Ferdowsi fled from his native places and spent many years in wanderings. Only in his old age did he decide to return to his homeland.
Once the chief minister, in the presence of Mahmoud, recited a couplet from a great poem. The Sultan, having changed his anger to mercy, decided to reward the poet. When the caravan with gifts entered the gates of the city, a stretcher with the body of the deceased Ferdowsi was carried out from the opposite gate.
"And at the same hour from the eastern gate
People walked with funeral lamentation.

To silent graves, white in the distance,
The ashes of Firdusi were carried along the road, "
- so ends his ballad dedicated to the great Persian-Tajik poet, Heinrich Heine.
“He is everywhere – this Iranian singer. Wherever Homer, Virgil, Shakespeare, Moliere, Give, Cervantes, Schiller and Lermontov are, everywhere he is next to them.

*************************

In the name of the creator of soul and mind
Above whom the soaring thoughts cannot rise,
Who gives a place to everything and a name
Gives us blessings, leads us forward.
He rules the universe, reigns over the sky,
He lit the sun, and the moon, and Nahid,
He will take higher signs, ideas, names;
They embodied the world in visible images.
Don't bother your eyes: it's all the same
It is not given to us to see the Creator with our eyes
Not even thought can find a way to it;
Above all in the world honor his names.
The one who is exalted above all by nature,
It is impossible to hug with soul and mind.
Although the mind is sometimes mature in judgments,
He can only judge what he has seen.
Worthy of the Creator, we cannot add praise,
We must serve Him tirelessly.
He gave life to both the soul and the mind -
He cannot fit in His creation.
Not able to our mind and spirit to the end
To comprehend and glorify the greatness of the Creator.
Remain convinced in His being,
Forget doubts and idle thoughts.
Serving Him, the truth must be sought,
To penetrate his commands with the soul.
He will achieve power, who has achieved knowledge;
From knowledge, the old man becomes younger.
There is a limit to the word, there is nothing higher
The Creator's being is inaccessible to the mind.

O wise one, should it not be at the beginning of the path
Exalt the virtues of reason.
[Tell your thoughts about the mind,
Thinking fruits from people do not conceal.
The highest gift of all that Ized sent us, -
Our mind is worthy of being the first to be sung.
Salvation in him, comfort in him
In our earthly life, and in the other world.
Only in the mind is happiness, trouble without it,
Only reason is wealth, need without it.
As long as the mind is in darkness, forever
A person will not find consolation for the soul.
Thus the thinker teaches that he is rich in knowledge,
Whose word is a treasure for those who thirst for truth:
If the mind does not become your leader,
Your deeds will wound your heart;
A wise man will consider you obsessed,
Native, as a stranger, you will be swept away.
In both worlds he exalts us;
In chains, the unfortunate one, whose mind has faded.
Is not the mind the eye of the soul? Can not found
With a blind soul of a good path.
He is the first among the eternal creatures of the Creator,
He guards the triple guards of the heart.
Hearing, sight and speech are your three guardians:
And you will know good and evil through them.

Who mind and soul would dare to sing?
Who dared to hear, answer?
If there are no listeners, words are useless.
You turn your thought to the first days of nature.
The crown of the universe, you were created by the Creator,
You distinguish the image and essence in everything.
Let the mind be your guide
You will be the deliverer from evil.
You find the truth in wise sayings,
Talking about her, go around the whole world.
Strive to comprehend science ever deeper,
Languish with an eternal thirst for knowledge.
Only the first knowledge will shine on you light,
You will know: there is no limit to knowledge.

A WORD IN PRAISE OF MIND

/ The time has come for the true sage
Finally spoke about the mind.
Show us the word, praising the mind,
And teach people with your story.
Of all the gifts, which is more valuable than intelligence?
Praise be to him - all good deeds are stronger.
The crown, the beauty of all living things is the mind,
Recognize that being the basis - the mind.
He is your leader, he is in people's hearts,
He is with us on earth and in heaven.
From the mind - sadness and pleasure,
From reason - greatness and fall.
For a man with a pure soul
There is no earthly joy without reason.
Have you heard the wise man's saying?
He said to the truth-seekers in a lesson:
"He repents of his deeds,
Who, without thinking, will begin to act.
In the eyes of the reasonable - he will become a fool,
For those closest to him, he will become a stranger.
A friend of the mind is held in high esteem in two worlds,
Enemy of the mind - tormented in chains.
The eyes of your soul are your bright mind,
And you can embrace the world only with your eyes.
Our mind was the first in the world,
He is the guardian of the soul, the three guardians of the faithful guardians,
Those three are language, eyes and ears:
Through them, souls eat good and evil.
Who has the power to honor reason?
I will give honor, but who will understand me?
Do not ask about the first days of creation
Before our appearance with you,
But, created by the Almighty at a certain moment,
You have comprehended the obvious and the secret.
Follow your mind with love
Reasonable do not subject to slander.
To the words of reasonable you look for ways,
Go through the whole world to gain knowledge.
Tell everyone what you heard
Investigate the roots of knowledge with perseverance:
Only having studied the branches on the tree of words,
You will not be able to reach the basics. /

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Current page: 1 (the book has 18 pages in total)

ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE USSR

DEPARTMENT OF LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE

LITERARY MONUMENTS

FIRDOWSI

SHAHNAME

VOLUME ONE

FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE POEM TO THE LEGEND ABOUT SOKHRAB

The publication was prepared by Ts. B. Banu, A. Lakhuti, A. A. Starikov

PUBLISHING HOUSE OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE USSR

Moscow

1957

Editorial Board of the Literary Monuments series:

academician V. P. Volgin(chairman), academician V. V. Vinogradov, academician M. N. Tikhomirov, corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR D. D. Moisture, corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR N. I. Konrad(Deputy Chairman), Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences D. S. Likhachev, corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR S. D. Skazkin, Professor AND. I. Anisimov, Professor S. L. Utchenko, Candidate of Historical Sciences D. V. Oznobishin(Scientific Secretary)

Responsible editor Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences E. E. VERTELS

Translation editor L. LAHUTI

Editorial

Deeply national in content and form, Ferdowsi's poem was a symbol of the unity of the Iranian peoples in the difficult centuries of feudal fragmentation and foreign oppression, a banner of the struggle for independence, for national language and culture, for the liberation of peoples from tyranny.

The humanism and folk character of Firdousi's poem, combined in a peculiar way with the feudal-aristocratic tendencies natural for the monuments of the early Middle Ages, its high artistic merits made it one of the most significant and widely known classical works of world literature.

"Shahnameh" in translations into many languages of the world has become the property of a wide range of readers. In Russia, Firdousi's poem was first introduced to V. A. Zhukovsky's free adaptation of the episode Rustem and Zorab. At the turn of the XIX and XX centuries. translations of fragments of the Shahnameh appeared. A significant number of poetic anthologies were published in Soviet times, in 1934-1936, in connection with the celebration of the millennium of Firdousi's birth. Several episodes in poetic processing published in the most last years. However, there has not yet been a complete translation of the poem into Russian.

This edition fills this gap and provides a translation of the entire poem, made directly from the original and combining, as far as possible, scientific accuracy with artistry. The first volume contains:

poetic translation of "Shahnameh" from the beginning of the poem to the legend of Rostem and Sohrab, made by Ts. B. Banu, edited by A. Lakhuti;

historical and literary essay "Firdousi and his poem" Shahname "", written by A. A. Starikov; the essay introduces the main problems of studying the life and work of the poet, with the content and literary history"Shahnameh";

commentary on the verses of the translation, compiled by A. A. Starikov; a bibliography of the main works on the Shahnameh, a short afterword by the translator, as well as nominal, geographical and subject indexes.

The publication is designed for 5-6 volumes.

[INTRODUCTION] 1
These verses are the traditional author's preface, preceding the actual narrative - the history of the kings.

In the name of the creator of soul and mind 2
Natural, for a representative of the deep Middle Ages, an appeal to God at the beginning of work. The poets of the East, as a rule, began the work with a short (10-15 bytes) appeal to God, usually called "dibache" (from "dib", "dibach" - brocade), since these introductory bayts were decorated with colorful headpieces with gold and silver, making up, as it were, the "brocade page" of the book. Regardless of the author’s poetic introduction, medieval scribes traditionally began their work with the basic formula of Muslim piety: “In the name of God, merciful, merciful” - introductory words to the Qur'an in general and to each of its "sura" (chapter) in particular. The scribal's introductory formula precedes the Shahnameh poetic text in most manuscripts and editions of the poem.
,
Above whom the soaring thoughts cannot rise,
Who gives a place to everything and a name 3
Who gives a place to everything and gives a name - In the original, literally: "lord of the name" ( hodand-e to us) and "lord of the place" ( hodavand-e jai).
,
Gives us blessings, leads us forward.
He rules the universe, reigns over the sky,
He lit the sun, and the moon, and Nahid 4
Nahid is the Persian name for the planet Venus.
,
He will take higher signs, ideas, names;
They embodied the world in visible images.
Don't bother your eyes: it's all the same
10 It is not given to us to see the Creator with our eyes 5
This bayt was constantly cited by the poet's enemies as proof of his heretical, in this case rationalistic, views on the nature of God.
,
Not even thought can find a way to it;
Above all in the world honor his names.
The one who is exalted above all by nature,
It is impossible to hug with soul and mind.
Although the mind is sometimes mature in judgments,
He can only judge what he has seen.
Worthy of the Creator, we cannot add praise,
We must serve Him tirelessly.
He gave life to both the soul and the mind -
He cannot fit in His creation.
20 Our mind and spirit are not able to the end
To comprehend and glorify the greatness of the Creator.
Remain convinced in His being,
Forget doubts and idle thoughts.
Serving Him, the truth must be sought ,
To penetrate his commands with the soul.
He will achieve power, who has achieved knowledge;
From knowledge, the old man becomes younger.
There is a limit to the word, there is nothing higher;
30 Mind inaccessible Creator being.

[WORD ABOUT MIND]

O wise one, should it not be at the beginning of the path 6
The praise of reason is the first thing addressed great poet. These lines are traditional, they are characteristic of the poetry of Sasanian Iran, but they are original in comparison with most of the later classical authors, who excelled in verbose praise of Allah, Muhammad, his companions, the first caliphs, etc.
The praise of reason, whether it be the philosophical category of Greek Neo-Platonism or the tradition of Sasanian Zoroastrianism, cannot but be regarded as a kind of expression of Ferdowsi's religious free-thinking.

Exalt the virtues of reason.
[Tell your thoughts about the mind,
Thinking fruits from people do not conceal 7
The couplet enclosed in brackets is, in all likelihood, a variant of the previous bait (the same rhyme with herad in adjacent verses), although it is preserved in most manuscripts and editions.
.]
The highest gift of all that Ized sent us 8
Ized (Avest. Yazata - worthy) is the main pre-Muslim term for a bright deity.
,-
Our mind is worthy to be the first to be sung.
Salvation in him, comfort in him
In our earthly life, and in the other world 9
In our earthly life, and in the other world, that is, in the earthly world and in the heavenly world. The idea of two worlds is common to the Eastern Middle Ages. In Ferdowsi, we naturally meet the idealistic idea of afterlife, but he is also alien to the later reactionary (mainly Sufi) interpretation of the sensory world as devoid of reality, being only a dim reflection, a shadow of the true world of ideas.
.
Only in the mind is happiness, trouble without it,
40 Only the mind is wealth, need without it.
As long as the mind is in darkness, forever
A person will not find consolation for the soul.
Thus the thinker teaches that he is rich in knowledge,
Whose word is a treasure for those who thirst for truth:
If the mind does not become your leader,
Your deeds will wound your heart;
A wise man will consider you obsessed,
Native, as a stranger, you will be swept away.
In both worlds he exalts us;
50 In chains, the unfortunate one, whose mind has faded.
Is not the mind the eye of the soul? Can not found
With a blind soul of a good path.
He is the first among the eternal creatures of the Creator 10
There was also a slightly different interpretation of these bytes in connection with the double spelling: se pass and sepas. Se pas - three guards (vigilia), sepas - praise, for example, in the old experience of translating Shahnameh by S. Sokolov:
Let it be known that the mind was created first. He is our guardian of the soul - give him praise, Praise with your tongue, and hearing, and eyes, Then, through him, good and evil to you.
,
He guards the triple guards of the heart.
Hearing, sight and speech are your three guardians:
And you will know good and evil through them.

A photograph from the so-called Hamadan bas-relief found during excavations near Hamadan. Above the carved image of Firdousi with the bird Simorgh (?), there is a date - the years of the Hijri 955 and 833 -, as well as verses from the Introduction to the "Shahnameh"

And how they lived with glory

His heroic military days.

(verses 277-280)

Who mind and soul would dare to sing?
Who dared to hear, answer?
If there are no listeners, words are useless.
60 You turn your thought to the first days of nature.
The crown of the universe, you were created by the Creator,
You distinguish the image and essence in everything.
Let the mind be your guide
You will be the deliverer from evil.
You find the truth in wise sayings,
Talking about her, go around the whole world.
Strive to comprehend science ever deeper,
Languish with an eternal thirst for knowledge.
Only the first knowledge will shine on you light,
70 You will know: there is no limit to knowledge.

[ON THE CREATION OF THE WORLD]

First, so that you study everything in succession,
Listen to the story of the beginnings.
Revealed his hidden power
Creator: He commanded being;
Without knowing labor, he created nature;
The elements came into being by His will.
Four of them: the flame that always shines 11
Ferdowsi means four primary elements - the elements: fire ( atash), water ( ab), air (or wind - bad) and earth (ash - hack), reflecting the general religious and philosophical ideas of the Muslim Middle Ages, intertwined with the philosophical concepts of the Greeks, folk beliefs and religious dogmas of Mazdaism.
.
And air, under them - earth and water.
At first, the movement gave birth to fire,
80 And the heat then brought forth dry land;
The coldness was born from the peace that came,
And cold - moisture, such is the law.
They, fulfilling their purpose,
Created life on the young earth;
From flame to air, land to water
Being born, phenomena flowed in succession.
A revolving vault arose above the earth,
Showing wonder after wonder from on high.
He lit up the world with truth and mercy
90 By the will of the Giver of knowledge and strength.
Everything came into harmony over the expanse of the earth,
And seven over twelve gained power 12
And seven over the twelve gained power, that is, seven planets (including the Sun and the Moon) were located in the twelve constellations of the Zodiac. The image is associated with the astrological ideas of the Middle Ages, according to which the planets, located in one combination or another, in various constellations determine the fate of people,
.
The heavens rose one above the other 13
The heavens rose one above the other. – Here Ferdowsi accurately reflects the general ancient and medieval ideas about the heavens as crystal concentrically rotating spheres (Ptolemy's system). There were usually seven such spheres-heavens (according to the number of planets, including the Sun and the Moon). Above them was thought the eighth heaven - the sphere fixed stars and, finally, the all-encompassing motionless "higher sky", paradise - the seat of the Deity. Thus, in ancient times, seven, eight, and nine heavens were counted.
,
And the cycle of the world began.
There were seas and hills and fields;
The earth became a shining light.
Birth of mountains, raging waters. . .
And now a blade of grass rises from the soil.
The time has come for the earth to rise,
100 Until then, she was immersed in darkness.
The beam of a bright star in the sky shone,
And the light of the earth lit up the limit.
The fire ascended, the waters flowed down,
And the sun began its run around the earth 14
This idea is a reflection of the geocentric ideas about the world that prevailed in the Middle Ages (Ptolemy's system).
.
Trees and grass grew everywhere, -
They turn green and stretch up.
One vegetative life is destined for them,
And they are not allowed to move on the ground.
But behold, the walking beast was created;
110 And herbs, and trees perfect it.
He lives for food, rest and sleep;
No other consolation was given to him.
Grass and thorns - that's all his food;
He was not created to master thought and speech;
He does not know what leads to evil, what leads to good;
The Creator does not expect worship from him.
The Creator is omniscient, powerful and truthful;
He created, revealing all the power of art.
This is the world, but no one comprehended
120 All that hides his visible face.

[ON THE CREATION OF MAN]

In the chain, man became the last link,
And the best of everything is embodied in it.
Like a poplar, he ascended with a proud head,
Gifted with a mind and good speech.
He is the receptacle of the spirit and mind,
And the world of the wordless is subject to him.
You delve deeper with your mind, understand
What does it mean for us to be called human beings.
Is a person so insignificant and small,
130 What higher did you not notice in him?
The earthly with the heavenly is intertwined in you;
Haven't you been given the opportunity to connect two worlds?
The last in a row, but by fate
You are the first in creation, know your worth.
I heard other words about it 15
Apparently, here Firdousi hints at the presence of other views that degrade the dignity of a person, including the idea of a person as a slave in the official religion.
. . .
But who will unravel the ways of the Divine!
Think about what lies ahead;
Having chosen a good goal, go straight to it.
Teach yourself not to be afraid of work:
140 Work with reason, always in harmony with honor.
So that evil does not set up a network for you,
So that you can resist a bitter fate,
And grief did not know in this world and in that,
And appeared clean before the highest court,
Think of the vault of heaven that we
Illness sends and gives balm.
He does not grow old from the passage of time,
Works, sorrows are not exhausted;
Knowing no rest, he completes his run
150 And corruption, like us, is not subject to forever;
He sends us a reward, judges our deeds;
You can't hide from heaven neither good nor evil.

[ON THE CREATION OF THE SUN]

A sparkling yacht reigns in the sky,
Not air, not smoke, not water, not dust.
There are bright lights forever shining, -
As if a garden was decorated on Novruz 16
Novruz is the first day of the Persian New Year, the day of the spring equinox (March 21-22 of our calendar). According to the Persian solar calendar, Novruz is celebrated on the first day of the month of Ferverdin. Novruz holiday, preserved in Muslim times, the main and beloved folk holiday Iran. It should be noted that in ancient times Novruz was celebrated not on the day of spring, but in summer, on the day of the solstice, the first day of the month of Fire (Azer).
.
There proudly floats a life-giving diamond,
The light of the day illumines us.
From the east, at one o'clock in the morning, like a golden shield,
160 He emerges in the sky, blinding with beauty.
Then the earth is lit up with brilliance,
The dark world brightens, cheerful hearts.
But the sun sank to the west, and behold
A night full of darkness floats from the east.
They will never meet in the run of time -
This is an immutable, eternal law.
Oh, you who, like the sun, shine in the sky!
Tell me why don't you shine on me?

[ON THE CREATION OF THE MONTH]

A clear lamp is given to the midnight haze 17
The images of the month and the sun were widely used both in folk poetry and in classical literature Tajiks and Persians. The full moon - a symbol of perfect beauty and all-overshadowing brilliance, as a rule, was opposed to a new month (crescent) - an emblem of grief, despondency, damage.
.
170 Do not go astray, do not wallow in evil!
For two nights he is invisible in the expanse of heaven,
As if, tired of whirling, he disappeared.
Then appears yellow, exhausted,
As one who suffers from love is condemned.
But only he was seen from the ground,
He again hides in the dark distance.
Tomorrow brighter it shines from the heights
And longer the radiance pours on the earth.
By the end of two weeks, that sickle will become a disk,
180 To again steadily go to the damage.
Every night he looks thinner,
Glides closer and closer to the radiant sun.
He is so created by the Supreme Lord;
He will never change forever.

[PRAISE OF THE PROPHET AND HIS COMPANIONS] 18
The traditional for the Muslim Middle Ages appeal to the prophet (Muhammad) and - depending on the religious persuasion - to his main associates and immediate successors: among the Sunnis - to the four righteous caliphs (Abu-Bekr-Bubekr, Omar, Osman and Ali), among the Shiites - to Ali, the husband of Fatima, the daughter of the prophet, with silence or attacks against the usurpers and enemies of the family of the prophet (i.e., the first three caliphs). In the text “Shahnameh” that has come down to us, with emphasized chanting of Ali, his three predecessors are remembered with goodness. However, in comparison with subsequent verses (211-212), this mention gives the impression of some kind of accident, deliberateness. In any case, the authenticity of a number of these bytes is doubtful, and in the text they are enclosed in square brackets.

Only faith and knowledge save your spirit,
Seek the way to salvation tirelessly.
If you want peace in your heart,
Do not want to be tormented by longing and shame, -
In the words of the prophet penetrate the soul,
Wash their hearts with the dew of life.
190 Said the beholder of the Divine light,
In whose power is the command, in whose power is the prohibition:
[Peace, after the prophets that God gave him,]
[I have never seen a worthier husband Boubecr.]
[Omar, proclaiming Islam to the nations,]
[He decorated all countries like gardens.]
[Osman, that he became the chosen one after them,]
[He was full of humility, warmed by faith.]
[The fourth was Ali, the husband of Fatima,]
200 [About whom we heard from the prophet:]
“I am the city of truth, the gate to me is Ali,”
Good lips spoke the prophet.
Indeed, his will is this;
I hear eternally holy words.
[Honor the glorious name of Ali and others]
[Because faith was strengthened with them.]
[The prophet is like the sun, like the stars, they are. ]
[Honor all: their fates and days are inseparable.]
A faithful servant, I mail the prophet's family;
210 That dust, where the successor stepped, I will sing.
Verily, I care not for others;
Others will never glorify my verse ..
The world-ocean presented itself to the wise,
Where, raising the waves, the hurricane roars.
Raising the sails, through the turbulent waters
Ships sail - there are seventy of them 19
The ships are sailing - there are seventy of them. - Seventy ships rushing across the stormy ocean of being, according to the teachings of Muslim theologians, symbolize seventy religious beliefs. An image traditionally used in Muslim theological and fiction. According to the later theologians (Sufis), all these rumors (judgments) should more or less easily lead to salvation (to the shore), since they are based on faith in God. Only the materialistic philosophers (dahri) with their denial of faith will surely perish. In particular, the famous scientist and poet, a freethinker of the 11th-12th centuries, was ranked among such materialists condemned to death as their head. Omar Khayyam. Ferdowsi figuratively emphasizes the reliability of the vessel of the prophet and Ali (i.e., the Shiite direction) and his loyalty to him.
.
Between them there is one spacious vessel;
Pheasant's eye is more beautiful.
With relatives on it: Muhammad and Ali, -
220 Prophet and successor, luminaries of the earth.
The sage, seeing this boundless expanse,
In which the confused gaze is lost,
I learned that the ramparts would overturn the ships,
And everyone will inevitably be in trouble.
He said: "From Nebi and Vesi to drown 20
Here, the Arabic terms of the original are used in the translation. Nebi is a prophet, Vesi is an executor, an executor of the will of the prophet, his legal heir in the view of Shia Muslims, i.e. Ali.
, -
Isn't that the only way to heaven?
Will give me a hand, delivering from evils,
Keeping the crown, and the banner, and the throne,
With him kravchiy, who owns a wine stream,
230 And honey, and milk, and the key of paradise. . ."
If you want to enter the abode of bliss, -
You only with Nebi and Vesi on the way.
Forgive me if you do not love these words,
Such is my way and custom.
Born and die, repeating the words:
"I am the dust under the foot of the sacred lion" 21
A lion ( header- Arabic.) - Ali's epithet.
.
If your heart is a center of delusion,
Know that such a heart is your sworn enemy.
Contemptible is he who is given as an enemy to the great;
240 May Yazdan burn his body with fire!
Feeding the soul with hostility to Ali
More ill-fated, believe me, than all the ill-fated of the earth.
You are your life, look, do not play,
Do not reject saving companions.
With glorious marching beside, and himself
You will bow to glorious, great deeds.
How long should I keep this story?
I will be silent: there is no limit to him.

[ON THE ORIGIN OF "SHAKHNAME"] 22
In this section we are talking about collecting ancient legends into one book (“Khodai-name”, the so-called Mansurov’s prose shahname) - which is the basis of Ferdowsi’s versification.

What to sing about? Everything has been sung for a long time.
To tell me about what has been said is only given.
I will not find unknown legends,
250 The fruits are all picked in this garden.
But if it is not easy for me to pluck the fruits -
I do not think to climb so high, -
A cool shadow will lure under the tree,
Will cover, save the fertile canopy.
Maybe I'll get my place
Under the branch of that shady tree, -
Avoiding oblivion, I will not perish in the dust,
I will abide in the book of the great ones of the earth.
Not all life paths are the same:
260 You do not consider my story an invention;
Every speech in it agrees with reason,
At least I had a chance to clothe the thought in a symbol.
The old book was kept, and in it 23
Apparently, this refers to the Pahlavi Sasanian chronicles, which also included the ancient epic legends of Iran. According to legend, at the end of the reign of the Sassanids, they were brought together in one extensive "book of lords" (pahl. - "Grab-namak"). Grab Namak (as well as its Arabic translations of the 8th-9th centuries) formed the basis of the New Persian prose collections of the 10th century. (Khodai-name - Shahname), which in turn served as the basis for subsequent versions. It is not without probability that we are talking directly about the New Persian Shahnameh of Mansurov.
-
There are many tales of vanished days.
In the hands of the mobeds, that treasure survived 24
Mobeds (Mubeds) are ministers of the Zoroastrian cult, representatives of the priestly caste of the Sasanian state, which dominated, along with the military landed aristocracy. In the era of the creation of the Shahnameh, Zoroastrianism was not yet obsolete, especially in the rural areas of Central Asia and eastern Iran. Term mobed, mubed(Farsi) - actually, "the foreman of the magicians-priests" (other Persian. Magupati). In the Shahnameh, mobeds act as wise advisers, experts and keepers of traditions, and not as actual clergymen.
,
But each sage only owned a part.
There lived a kind of dekhkan knight-sage 25
A kind of dekhkan knight-sage, i.e., one who belonged to the ancient landed aristocracy. Being opposed to the new feudal order and the caliphate, the farmers of that time were, along with the mobeds, the main keepers and connoisseurs of ancient legends. The words "knight-sage" undoubtedly mean Abu-Mansur ibn Abd-ar-Rezzak - the largest land magnate and ruler of Tus, and later of the whole of Khorasan, who accepted Active participation in the complex political struggle of the middle of the X century. The creation of Mansur's prose Shahnameh is associated with the name of Abu-Mansur. Firdousi does not name here the name of Abu-Mansur, odious for Mahmud of Gaznevid.

270 From pure, kindly illuminated hearts.
He loved to penetrate into the depths of centuries,
The forgotten ones were brought to light.
Mobeds from near and far
Convoked and recreated the book of times 26
Apparently, in these beits it is already directly about the creation of the New Persian (in Farsi) code, known under the name "Khodai-name" or Mansurov's Shahnameh.
.
He asked the elders about the ancient kings,
About the glorious warriors-heroes, -
How proudly they ruled in the old days
The land that is now in captivity in grief,
And how they lived with glory
280 His heroic, military days.
The elders told each other after
About the life of kings, about the course of years,
And the knight, diligently listening to speeches,
In the cherished book he entered them himself. . .
So he erected an eternal monument to himself.
They honor the wise knight, small and great.

[ABOUT THE POET DAKIKI] 27
Dakiki is a talented poet, a contemporary of Firdousi, killed in the prime of his life and talent by his slave. Several bright lyrical fragments and a thousand bytes of epic versification about the appearance of Zerdesht (Zoroaster) have been preserved from Dakika, which were included by Firdausi on behalf of Dakika in the text of Shahnameh. However, it can be assumed that Dakiki, versifying the Mansurov code, wrote more than a thousand bayts, preserved in the text of the Shahnameh.

That memorable work became famous;
Listening to the reader, the people gathered.
Everyone was in love with these legends,
290 Who is endowed with a pure soul and mind.
Rumors spread about the young singer
With charming speech and a clear mind.
“Tales,” he said, “I will correct in verse,”
And joy settled in human hearts.
But his companion was a secret vice,
And in the heavy struggles, the singer was exhausted.
Death has come, brought on by evil,
She put on the young man a black helmet.
Vice sacrificing his life,
300 He did not know carefree and joyful days;
Slain by the hand of his servant,
He died: fate turned away from him.
As soon as he sang in two thousand lines
Goshtaspa with Arjasp - his time has come 28
As soon as he sang Goshtasp with Arjasp in two thousand lines, his time came. This bait was taken by the translator not from the main text of Vullers, but from the notes. Goshtasp is the Shahanshah of Iran, the patron and follower of the teachings of Zerdesht, Arjasp is his political opponent and fierce enemy of the new faith (Zoroastrianism).
.
He died and did not finish the tale:
The star of the young singer went out.
Be merciful, God, forgive him his sin,
Do not deprive him of heavenly pleasures!

[ABOUT CREATING A POEM] 29
The traditional section of the poetic introduction in the classical Tajik and Persian poems of the Middle Ages, usually shedding light on the personality of the author of the poem and the circumstances associated with the beginning of work on the book. From this subsection, we learn that Firdousi turned to the idea of the poetic embodiment of Mansurov's legends about kings after the tragic death of Dakiki, already in adulthood. This section also contains many other valuable points for the researcher.

From the thoughts of the young singer renounce,
310 To the throne of the lord the soul was carried away 30
In the original, literally: "to the throne of the king of the world", which can also be understood as an appeal to Mahmud of Gaznevid.
.
I decided to dedicate my days to that book,
The old ones were translated into poetry.
I asked many for advice more than once,
The vicissitudes of rock are involuntarily afraid.
Perhaps I won't be here for long,
Someone else will have to leave their work.
In addition, I am deprived of certain wealth,
Will my work find a connoisseur?
At that time, war was raging everywhere 31
We are talking about unrest and civil strife in the last years of the collapse of the Samanid state (end of the 10th century).
;
320 The earth has become narrow for thinkers.
Day after day passed in such doubts;
I kept my cherished thought in secret.
I have not seen a worthy husband anywhere,
Which would become my support in work. . .
What is more beautiful than the words of a captivating way?
Old and young alike praise him enthusiastically.
[God would not have created a beautiful Word -]
[The path could not have been shown to us by a prophet.]
I had a friend - we were that double
330 Walnut, covered with one shell.
“To me,” he said, “your bold plan is sweet;
You, friend, have stepped on a good road.
I will hand over the pahlavi book to you 32
This refers to the Mansurov Shahnameh, that is, a book that is Pahlavi only in its original source. There are serious reasons to believe that Firdousi did not know the Pahlavi language (more precisely, Pahlavi scripts).
,
Get down to business, do not resist fate.
Free speech, you have a youthful fever,
You have a gift of a heroic verse.
You skillfully fold a song about the lords
And deserve the honor of the great ones.
Then he brought the treasured book,
340 And my gloomy spirit lit up with a beam.

[PRAISE OF ABU-MANSUR IBN-MUHAMMED] 33
In a number of old manuscripts of the Shahnameh, this subheading is absent altogether or given simply - Abu-Mansur Muhammad. Abu-Mansur is most likely one of the ordinary representatives of the old (dekhkan) aristocracy of Tus, who died without a trace in the midst of civil strife.

At that time, when I decided to start work,
There lived a husband who was proud of the supreme nobility;
From the kind of warriors, the young prince
With a clear-sighted mind and a bright soul.
He was wise, modest and brave,
He had a gift for words and a gentle voice.
He said to me: “I am ready to do everything,
To direct your spirit to the creation of words.
Yours, than I can, I will facilitate the work,
350 Live in peace without worries and needs!”
How the fruit is protected from the cold, the shore
I am a patron from troubles and anxieties.
From the dust he raised me to heaven,
That righteous husband, the rulers of the beauty.
Majesty befits that prince;
Treasures seemed like dust to him;
He did not appreciate the mortal blessings of the earth
And in his heart he kept high fidelity.
But the great one disappeared, left our circle,
360 Like a poplar suddenly uprooted by a storm.
Struck by a villainous blow fatal,
He was neither dead nor alive 34
He was neither dead nor alive. – This reference by Firdausi to the unknown death of Abu-Mansur Muhammad excludes the possibility of identifying him with the historical Abu-Mansur, the ruler of Tus, who was poisoned by the Samanids in 963-964.
.
Do not see me the royal camp and shoulders,
Do not hear his mellifluous speech.
The patron has died away, and I am a hundred orphans, d,
Like a willow leaf, I trembled in anguish.
But I remembered the prince's reasonable advice,
He brought the lost soul to light.
The prince said: “If you can complete your work,
370 You must hand over to his crown-bearer.”
The obedient heart has found peace,
Hope in the soul shone brightly.
And I proceeded to this book of books,
To a poem in praise of the lord of lords 35
This refers to Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznevid.
, -
The one who lucky star led,
He owns the throne, owns the crown. . .
Ever since the Creator created this world,
He did not give the world such a king.

[PRAISE OF SULTAN MAHMUD] 36
These final bayts of the poetic "Introduction" to the poem are a panegyric to Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznevid.

Only the sun showed the radiance of the rays,
380 The world has become ivory brighter.
Who is the sun that gives warmth?
From whose rays did dawn dawn on earth?
That is the triumphant king Abulkasim 37
Abulkasim ( Abu-l-Kasem) is one of the honorary names of Mahmud of Gaznevid.
,
Throne established over the sun itself.
Sunrise and sunset he gives beauty 38
Apparently, the point is that Mahmud of Ghaznevid, who firmly secured the east of Iran and India, successfully strengthened his positions on the approaches to the west of Iran, i.e., acted in the halo of the restorer of ancient statehood.
;
The whole region seemed to have become golden in bulk.
And my happiness awakened from sleep;
The soul is resurrected, full of inspiration.
I understood: the melodious word again,
390 As in the old days, destined to sound.
The ruler's image is cherished in dreams,
I fell asleep one day with praise on my lips.
My soul, in the twilight of the night is clear,
Rested quietly in the arms of sleep.
I saw my spirit, full of amazement:
A burning lamp ascended from the waves.
The whole world shone in the impenetrable night,
What a yacht, by the light of that wondrous candle.
Dressed in an ant satin dol;
400 On that ant is a turquoise throne,
And the king is seated, with the face of the moon;
The lord is crowned with a diamond crown.
Built by a chain of endless arrows
And hundreds of elephants raise their fangs 39
The use of war elephants in the army, these “tanks of antiquity”, taken out by Mahmud from India, made a great impression on contemporaries, although there were cases of using elephants in ancient Iran. In the decisive battle near Balkh (1008), five hundred elephants of Mahmud brought him victory over the Karakhanids.
.
The throne has an adviser in whom wisdom lives 40
The throne has an adviser in whom wisdom lives. - The name of the adviser - vizier Mahmud - is not mentioned. Most likely, the main vizier of Mahmud of Gaznevid before 1011, Fazl Isferaini, could be implied.
,
Who to faith and truth the royal spirit calls.
Seeing the greatness of that halo,
Elephants, and an uncountable army, and the throne,
Looking at the face of the luminous king,
410 I asked the nobles, curiosity of grief:
“Is that sky with the moon or a crown and a throne?
That the stars or the army strewn the valley?
The answer was: "And Ruma and Hindu he is the king 41
Rum - the Roman Empire, Byzantium, more precisely the Asia Minor possessions of the Roman Empire; Hind - India.
,
Of all countries from Kannuj to Sindh he is the king 42
Kannuj (or Kanauj - Arabized from the Sanskrit Kanyakubja) is the capital of one of the major Indian states during the period of the Muslim conquests of Mahmud of Gaznevid, now a small town on the Ganges River. Sindh - refers to the valley of the lower Indus, where Muslims early and firmly established themselves. Older Muslim authors usually distinguished Hind (India - the non-Muslim country of the Hindus) from Sind - the Indus Valley and Mekran.
.
Turan, like Iran, bows before him 43
Turan, like Iran, bows before him. – In this case, we are talking about the sovereignty of Mahmud over the possessions of the Karakhanids, that is, about Samanid Central Asia.
;
To all his will is an immutable law.
When he put the crown on his forehead,
From his truth it dawned on the earth.
In the country where the laws of Mahmud reign,
420 Dire wolves will not touch the lambs.
From the towers of Kashmir to the banks of the Chin 44
Kashmir is a city in India; Chin - China.

He is glorified by any ruler.
Baby - barely torn from the chest -
Already begins to babble: "Mahmud."
Sing this name in ringing lines!
With that song you will find immortality through the ages.
There is no disobedient to his command,
No one will break the vow of service.
And I woke up and got to my feet
430 And for a long time he did not close his eyes in the darkness.
I gave praise to that ruler;
Not gold - I gave my soul to him.
I thought: “The Prophet had a dream.
The whole world admires the deeds of the Shah.
Truly the singer should glorify
Majesty, and his ring, and his crown.
Like a garden in spring, the earth comes to life;
The meadows are full of flowers, the fields are green,
And the cloud pours the desired moisture,
440 And the land, like a radiant paradise, blooms.
In Iran, from his truth - grace,
Everyone strives to give him praise.
At the hour of the feast - he is unsurpassed in generosity,
In the hour of battle, he is a dragon throwing flames;
Elephant - powerful body, soul - Jabrayil 45
Jabrail (Gabriel) is the biblical and Christian image of the archangel-evangelist. Among Muslims, Jebrail is a messenger who conveys to the chosen one Muhammad the true words of Allah (surahs of the Koran).
:
The hand is a spring cloud, and the heart is like the Nile.
The enemy will not be overthrown by him,
Wealth to reject him at all.
Neither the crown nor the treasury intoxicates him,
450 He fears neither work nor war.
Men who have been raised by the master,
And those that are subject, and those that are free,
Everyone loves their king immeasurably,
All are glad to submit to his will.
They were given power over different lands,
Their names are glorified in legends.
And the first of them is the brother of the lord of the lesser 46
And the first of them is the brother of the lesser lord. – The younger brother of Mahmud of Gaznevid, Nasr. Viceroy of Khorasan, the main Iranian regions of the Samanids. Apparently, he was a patron and connoisseur of literature. The poets of Mahmud's so-called literary circle dedicated their best qasidas to Nasr.
;
No one compares to him with a pure soul.
Honor the glorious Nasr: mighty and great
460 You will be under the shadow of the lord of lords.
Ruler whose throne is above the constellation Pervin 47
Pervin (Avest. paoiryaeinyas) - the constellation of the Pleiades. It is also known by the Arabic name Sureya.
,
Who was the parent of Nasireddin,
Courage, intelligence, good deeds
He captured the hearts of the noblest men.
I will still sing of the ruler of Tus 48
It is not clear in the text who is being referred to. One could assume Abu-Mansur, but in the edition dedicated to Mahmud of Gaznevid, this seems impossible.
,
Before whom even a lion trembles in battle.
Showering his people with generosity,
For good only glory, he lives in the world.
He leads the people along the path of Yazdan,
470 Wishing the king endless days. . .
May the earth not lose its ruler,
Long live he forever, cheerful spirit,
Keeping your throne and golden crown,
Knowing no troubles, under a lucky star!
Now I turn to my poem,
To this book crowned with glory of kings.

Shahnameh is an epic poem by Abul-Kasim Mansur Firdousi, a Persian and Tajik poet of the 10th-11th centuries. Firdousi supposedly began composing the poem in 975-976, the first edition was completed in 994, the second - in 1010.

According to the researchers, the poet drew material for creating his masterpiece from a wide variety of sources, including oral legends and ancient traditions, and most importantly, from the codex of the Iranian epic tradition of Abu Mansur. According to the poet, he gave thirty-five years of his life to this work, completing which he began a grueling and sometimes humiliating search for patrons in the hope of putting an end to a miserable existence and financially securing his old age. Ferdowsi had great hopes for the patriotism of the first Samanid national dynasty after the Arab conquest of Iran. However, the hopes were in vain. The Samanids were defeated, and the power in Maverannahr ( middle Asia) passed into the hands of the Turk Sultan Mahmud Ghazni with his capital in Ghazna. The poet reacted favorably to these changes, seeing in the new ruler the long-awaited unifier and restorer of the integrity of Iran. At the age of 58, he sent his poem "Shahnameh" in parts to Ghazna, accompanying each of his messages with panegyric verses addressed to the newly acquired overlord. Finally, having completed his gigantic work, Firdowsi, apparently, personally goes to the capital, but again his hopes were not justified. The legend says that in response to the rejection of his work by Sultan Mahmud, the poet wrote bold poems, as a result of which he had to hide from the persecution of the enraged Sultan for five years. After great suffering and extreme poverty, the poet, having finally received a petition, returned to his homeland and soon died. There is another legend: when the poet was buried, a caravan with rich gifts from Sultan Mahmud entered the gates of the city.

"Shahnameh" in most lists has from 48,000 to 55,000 couplets. Compositionally, the epic is divided into 50 unequal volumes of songs (padishahs) dedicated to individual rulers of Iranian antiquity, from the first mythical king up to the end of the Sassanid era (7th century). “This is a great epic of mankind, concretized in the history of Iran” (Y. Rypka). The peculiarity of the poet's creative manner lies in the fact that he strictly adheres to his sources, not giving free rein to fantasy or his subjective judgments. The story is told in chronological order: the first mythical and legendary kings represent the era of barbarism, a primitive Indo-Aryan society.

In the most ancient mythological part of "Shahnameh" Firdousi, the only enemies of Iran are divas, servants of evil. The first kings Khushang, Tahmuras, Jamshid (Yima in the Avesta) successfully fight against them. The mythical image of the latter was perceived, first of all, as the image of the creator who laid the foundation for Iranian statehood, a cultural hero who brought many blessings to the world. However, more than half of the Shahnameh is devoted to Turan and its relations with Iran. And in the epic tradition, Afrasiyab is considered the lord of the mythical Turan. This hero (in the Avesta Frangrasyan) at Firdousi completely acquired the features of a Turkic lord, the leader of the Turkic tribes.

Of the legendary and mythical events in the Shahnameh, the appearance of the epic hero Rustam on the arena of the fight between the Iranians and the Turanians, the epic hero Rustam, whose name is associated with the victory of the Iranians both over divas and over real enemies, the Turks led by Afrasiyab, is very important. In "Shahname" Rustam is given an exceptional place. He is the guarantee of the victory of the Iranians, the educator of the most beloved hero of the Iranian epic Siyavush, the father of the hero of the most tragic legend Sukhrab, the liberator of the most powerful king of Iranian antiquity Kay-Kavus and one of the most honest and brave heroes of the Iranian epic - Bizhan.

The most colorful figure in the Shahnameh is undoubtedly Siyavush, the son of Kay-Kavus. The legend about him has a special genre specificity and belongs to the lyrical-epic genre, which is rarely found in the Shahnameh.

The real-historical storyline in the epic of Ferdowsi begins with the era of the Arshakids (Parthians) and ends with the fall of Iranian statehood and the death of the last representative of the Sassanid dynasty.

The trend of the phasic development of the Iranian epic is continued in the subsequent chapters of the Shahnameh, which tells about historical events, for example, about the deeds of Alexander the Great, the rulers of the Parthians, the Sassanids, etc. At this stage, the epic, freed from myths, absorbs a lot of chronicle material.

Cover of the book released
AST publishing house in 2013

ANNOTATION

This edition is published in a new edition made by A.T.Fomenko. It differs markedly from the previous ones. In particular, color drawings are reproduced in color (unlike previous editions where they were reproduced in black and white).
The famous "ancient" Persian Epos Shahnameh is a grandiose and very popular source, which, as it is believed, tells about the events on the territory of Persia, Greece, Byzantium in the "deepest antiquity". Shahnameh brings us information about hundreds of characters and many important events.

In this book, we show that this huge epic actually speaks of the events of the XII-XVIII centuries, which unfolded mainly in the Great Empire of the XIII-XVII centuries. Most of the Shahnameh tells, as it turned out, about the Great Troubles in Russia in the 16th - early 17th centuries, that is, in the metropolis of the Great Russian Empire.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2. THE BEGINNING OF THE SHAKHNAME CONSISTS OF SEVEN REPEATED STORIES-DUPLICATES ABOUT THE SAME EMPEROR ANDRONIKUS-CHRIST (HE IS ANDREY BOGOLYUBSKY). HE REFLECTED AS "ANCIENT"-IRANIAN KINGS: ABU-MANSUR, KEYUMARS, SIYAMEK, JEMSHID, MERDAS, ZOHAK, FERIDOON.

Chapter 3. THE BATTLE OF KULIKOV IS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS EVENTS IN THE OLD IRANIAN CHRONICLE OF THE EMPIRE. "ANCIENT"-IRANIAN KING FERIDUN AND THE RUSSIAN PRINCE DMITRY DONSKOY.

Chapter 4. "ANCIENT"-IRANIAN HEROES - ZAL AND YOUNG ROSTEM - THIS IS TWO MORE PARTIAL REFLECTIONS OF THE EMPEROR ANDRONIK-CHRIST (ANDREI BOGOLYUBSKY) FROM THE XII CENTURY.

Chapter 5. FOUR REFLECTIONS OF THE HISTORY OF ESFIRI (ELENA VOLOSHANKA) FROM THE XVI CENTURY ON THE PAGES OF THE "ANCIENT"-PERSIAN POEM SHAKHNAME. AND ALSO - THE LIVON WAR OF IVAN THE TERRIBLE, THE TREASON OF PRINCE ANDREY KURBSKY AND THE BUILDING OF MOSCOW AS THE CAPITAL OF THE EMPIRE.

Chapter 6. THE LIVONIAN WAR AND THE GREAT TROUBLES IN RUSSIA OF THE XVI-XVII CENTURIES FIRDOWSI IS DESCRIBED AS "ANTIQUE" WARS BETWEEN IRAN AND TURAN. THE TURAN KING AFRASYAB IS A REFLECTION OF IVAN THE TERRIBLE AND BORIS GODUNOV. THE RUSSIAN-HORDE PRINCESS DMITRY, FALSELY DECLARED AN IMPOSTER BY THE ROMANOVS, IS PRESENTED IN THE SHAKHNAM AS THE LEGAL KING, THE "ANCIENT" KEY-KHOSROV. IN ADDITION, INFORMATION ABOUT IVAN THE TERRIBLE (= BLESSED BASIL) IS INCLUDED AT THE END OF KEY-KHOSROV'S HISTORY.

Chapter 7. IRANIAN HISTORY OF THE "ANCIENT" KING GOSHTASPA IS ANOTHER STORY ABOUT DMITRY THE IMPOSTER, FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE 17TH CENTURY.

Chapter 8. THE PERSIAN BIOLOGY OF ISKENDER (ALEXANDER THE MACEDONIAN) IS A "SUM" OF SEVERAL LAYERS: FIRST - ANDRONIK-CHRIST FROM THE XII CENTURY, THEN - THE BIBLICAL MOSES FROM THE XV CENTURY AND THE SULTAN MAHOMET THE CONQUEROR FROM THE XV CENTURY AND, FINALLY, LISULEIMAN .

Chapter 9. SO, WE UNDERSTAND - WHAT AND ABOUT WHOM THE FAMOUS PERSIAN EPO SHAKHNAME REALLY TELLS ABOUT.