Rostam and Sohrab
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The tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab forms part of the 10th-century Persian epic Shahnameh by the Persian poet Ferdowsi. It tells the tragic story of the heroes Rostam and his son, Sohrab.
Plot
Rostam lived in Sistan, Iran (also known as Persia), hero and one of the favorites of King Kaykavous. Once, following the traces of his lost horse, he enters the kingdom of Samangan where he becomes the guest of the king during the search for his horse. There, Rostam meets princess Tahmina. She admires Rostam and knows of his reputation. She goes into his room at night and asks if he will give her a child and in return, she will bring his horse. Rostam leaves after he seals the deal with Tahmina and his horse is returned. Before he leaves, he gives her two tokens. If she has a girl, she is to take the jewel and plait it in her hair. If she has a boy, she is to take the seal and bind it on his arm. Nine months later, she bears his child—a son, whom she later names Sohrab. Years go by before Rostam and Sohrab meet again. Finally, a new war between Persia and Turan is on the horizon. The two armies face each other and prepare for the imminent battle. By then, Sohrab has become known as the best fighter of Turan army. But Rostam's legend precedes him and the Turan army cowers before the hero. No one else dares to fight Rostam, so Sohrab is sent to wrestle with the legendary Khurasaan hero. Though Sohrab knows his father's name, he is unaware that the man before him is Rostam. On the battlefield, Rostam and Sohrab fight for what seems like an eternity, neither knowing the true name of his opponent.
After a very long and heavy bout of wrestling, Rostam feels weak and, fearing for his reputation, he stabs his son in the heart. It is then that he notices the necklace that he once gave Tahmina who gave it to her son to keep him safe during the war. Tahmina, who comes to the field to save them from bloodshed, arrives too late and finds Sohrab lying dead in his mourning father's arms.[1]
Adaptations
- Sohrab and Rustum (1853), by Matthew Arnold, English language
- Rostam and Sohrab (opera), by Loris Tjeknavorian
- Rustam and Zohrab (1910), by Uzeyir Hajibeyov, Azeri language
- Rustom O Sohrab (1929), by Agha Hashar Kashmiri, Urdu language
- Rustom Sohrab (1963), Indian Hindi language film starring Prithviraj, Premnath, Suraiyya and Mumtaz.
- Dastan-e Rustam-ou Suhrab, a Tajikistani film produced by Benyamin Kimyagarov. The film plot differs from the story in some places. For example, Tahmineh comes to the battlefield trying to stop the fight; Rustam gives an arm band (not a necklace) large enough to only have fit his stout arms, and now only fit Sohrab´s arm; and, Rustam uses a poisoned knife to stab his son.
References
- ↑ Rustam and Sukhrab (1972), Boris Kimyagarov's movie based on Shahnameh of Firdawsi, Tajikfilm
External links
- Rustam and Suhrab (Рустам и Сухраб) on YouTube
- List of film adaptations for Rustam and Sohrab at IMDB
- EastPage: The Rustan and Sohrab Poem. Russian translation