Document Type : Original Article
Abstract
The alternate versions of the Shahnameh unveil a mesmerizing realm to the reader, illustrating how scribes applied various manipulations during the transcription of the Shahnameh. Several Shahnameh scholars, including Noshin, Khaleghi Mutlaq, and Davis, have been deeply immersed in the discussion and examination of these manipolatins, subjecting them to various inquiries and explanations.
In this essay, the author has identified and scrutinized a particular type of these manipulations, hitherto unexplored by Shahnameh scholars: the manipulation of imagery whitin the Shahnameh. To accomplish this undertaking, the author has selected the term of ‘Afsar-e Māh’, which recurs 13 times in the Shahnameh, as an illustrative example of this type of manipulation. The author has proceeded to extract, categorize, and analyze the various approaches of the scribes in handling this term.
One of the notable findings of this research is that, in the verses containing this term, the scribes have refrained from altering it in only 5 instances (%38.46), while the remaining cases (%61.54) have not been exempt from their manipulations. These manipulations reveal five distinct approaches. Consequently, the outcome of these manipulations has been the diminishment of the elegance and profundity inherent in Ferdowsi's words. Another significant observation is that recognizing Ferdowsi's original wording amidst these manipulations involves moving in the opposite direction of the scribes' modifications; they have simplified it. Hence, one can access the essence of Ferdowsi's words by adhering to the principle that "the more difficult reading holds greater validity."
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