Fakhruddin As'ad Gurgani (–1058)

An epic-length Persian poem written in the 11th century and based on a Parthian love story that goes back even farther. A beautiful young woman and a handsome young man fall in love when they are just kids sharing the same nanny, but she's promised to a king (the young man's uncle) then married off to her brother (ew) instead, and then carried off to be the wife of the originally-promised king. In the end young lovers in love find a way to be together, with the help of a nurse (there's show more always a helpful nurse in these stories). It follows the common tropes for these kinds of tales and it's a fascinating look at how old stories evolve through different times and changing cultures. Not my favorite long form love story poem, but I'm still happy to have read it. show less