Iranian translator working on selection from Shahnameh

TEHRAN,Aug.11(MNA) – Iranian translator Nastaran Nosratzadegan is currently busy doing an English translation of a selection from the Shahnameh (Book of Kings), the epic masterpiece of Persian poet Ferdowsi. The poems, which narrate popular stories from the Shahnameh, have been selected for translation, she said in a press release on Friday. “I am trying to retain the measure of the verses in English,” she added. Nosratzadegan also plans to begin translating some poems and stories from Rumi’s Masnavi-e Manavi into English in the near future. According some historical sources on Persian literature, Ferdowsi spent 30 years writing the Shahnameh. The Shahnameh is based mainly on the Khwatay-namak, a history of the kings of Persia in Pahlavi (Middle Persian) from mythical times down to the 7th century. For over 1000 years, the Shahnameh has remained one of the most popular works in the Persian-speaking world.