Firdausi

Firdausi, otherwise Abul Kasim Mansur (931-1020), a Persian epic poet, was born at Khorassan. Study of the history of Persia gave him the idea of embodying it in verse, and he went to the court of Mahmoud, who set him about his desired task, and in the course of years he produced a historical poem of 60,000 verses, containing the history of the Persian kings from the beginning down to 632 A.D. The history of Rustam, the Hercules of Persia, is one of the episodes. The Emperor did not keep the promise he had made of a gold piece for each verse, and the poet struck out an eulogy he had made of the Sultan, and made a satire upon him. He then fled into retirement, and Mahmoud repenting sent presents, which arrived in time to meet Firdausi going to his tomb. A good edition of the poem was issued in 1829 by

Captain Macan, and parts have been translated into English.