《列王纪》是波斯诗人菲尔多西以三十余年时间创作的一部卷帙浩繁人物众多的民族英雄史诗。全书有六万联（十二万行）。史诗描写伊朗萨珊王朝被阿拉伯人推翻（六五一年）以前伊朗五十位国王统治时期的兴衰大事，时间跨度在四千五百年以上。 《列王纪》问世以后，直到十八世纪末，都被认为是伊朗的史书。十九世纪伊朗古代历史的真实面貌逐渐显现出来，确定了《列王纪》的民族史诗的地位。

The story of Rostam and Esfandiyar is one of the most moving tragedies in Ferdowsis epic Shahnameh. In this story, Esfandiyar, the designated heir to the throne of Iran, has just returned in triumph from his campaign against the shah of Turan. He has slain Arjasp, Irans greatest enemy, captured his family and treasury, and liberated his own sisters from their captivity. He expects that his father, Goshtasp, will now abdicate the throne of Iran in his favor, as he had swornto. Goshtasp, however, is not yet ready to honor his promise. Instead he sets his son yet another task as a condition of his abdication. He must bring Irans greatest hero, Rostam, back to the court in chains. For Rostam has neither come to court to honor Goshtasp nor sent him a letter declaring loyalty. Esfandiyar recognizes this task as simply a way to put his own life at risk, and says as much. Yet he cannot refuse his fathers command. The story of Rostam and Esfandiyar displays a surprisingly modern skepticism about the values typically associated with Ferdowsis epic. It expresses a profound ambivalence about the demands of heroism, and is sharply critical of a monarch who exploits the courage and loyalty of his heroes to further his own selfish ends.

The great national epic of Persia—the most complete English-language edition Wherever Persian influence has spread, the stories of the Shahnameh become deeply embedded in the culture, as their appearance in such novels as The Kite Runner amply attests. Among the greatest works of world literature, this prodigious narrative, composed by the poet Ferdowsi in the late tenth century, tells the story of pre-Islamic Iran, beginning in the mythic time of creation and continuing forward to the Arab invasion in the seventh century. The sweep and psychological depth of the Shahnameh is nothing less than magnificent. Now one of the greatest translators of Persian poetry, Dick Davis, presents Ferdowsi’s masterpiece in an elegant combination of prose and verse.