Firdausi (fur-dou'se), or Firdusi. One of the most eminent of Persian poets. Born in Khorassan, about A.D. 940. During his lifetime, his fame filled the East, and he was the recipient of great honors from the Sultan Mahmud. His chief poem, the "Shah-Namah," or "Book of Kings," has been termed by Sir William Jones "a glorious monument of Oriental genius and learning." Died about 1020.

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