A literary history of Persia

138 THE SASANIAN PERIODworm of Kirman, including the war with Mithrak (Mihrak) (K. 49-57 ; Sh. 1381).(6) How Ardawan's daughter, married to Ardashir, is by himdoomed to death ;how her life is saved by the chief mubad (namedAbarsam by Tabari) ; how she brings forth a son, who is namedShapur (Shdh-puhar, " King's son ") and how the boy is recognised;by his father (K. 57-63 Sh. ; 1392).(7) Ardashir, having learned from the King of India, Kayt orKayd, that the sovereignty of Persia will be in his family or in thatof his enemy Mihrak, endeavours to extirpate the latter. One ofMihrak's daughtersis saved from the massacre, and brought upamongst peasants. Shapur sees and falls in love with her, butconceals his marriage, and the birth of his son Hurmuzd in whichit results, from his father Ardashir. Hurmuzd, when seven years old,is recognised by his grandfather by his boldness on the polo field(K. 64-68 ;Sh. 1397).No one who has read the Kar-n&mak and thisportion of theShdhndma side by side can fail to be greatly impressed by thewith which the lattergeneral fidelity, even in minute details,reproduces the former and our;opinion of Firdawsfs faithfuladherence to genuine old legends is equally strengthened by acomparison of the Pahlawi legend of Zanr (Tdtkdr-i-Zarlrdn,translated into German by Geiger)*with the correspondingpartof the Shdhndma. Now it is a mere accident that wehappen to be able to check these portions by the originals, andwe may fairlyassume that elsewhere, where we have no suchmeans of control, the poetisequallyconscientious in hisadherence, even in detail, to ancient legend. Space, however,will not allow the comparison in this place of more than oneor two incidents of these two versions of the Legend ofArdashir. We will begin with the account of his birth.1See the Sitzungsberichte d. K. b. Akademie d. Wiss. zu Mfinchen for1890, vol. :i, pp. 43-84 Das Yatkdr-i Zanrdn und sein Verhttltniss znniShah-ndma by Geiger and Noldeke's Persische; Stttdien, II : Das Buchvon Zarer, in the Sitzungsberichte d. phil. hist. Classe der K. Akad. d. Wissenschaftenfor 1892 (Vienna), vol. cxxvi, Abhandlung 12.