A Literary History

of Persia

From the Earliest Times until Firdawsi

By

Edward G. Browne, M.A., M.B.

Contents

CHAPTER

		PAGE
DEDICATION		vii
PREFACE		ix

I.	RETROSPECTIVE AND INTRODUCTORY	1
II.	THE GHAZNAWÍ PERIOD, UNTIL THE DEATH OF SULṬÁN MAḤMÚD	90
III.	THE EARLY SELJÚQ PERIOD, FROM THE RISE OF ṬUGHRIL BEG TILL THE DEATH OF MALIKSHÁH, INCLUDING THE ORIGIN OF THE ORDER OF THE ASSASSINS	165
IV.	THE LITERATURE OF THE EARLY SELJÚQ PERIOD: THE NIDHÁMU'L-MULK AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES	212
V.	THE PERIOD OF SANJAR AND HIS BROTHERS	297
VI.	THE FOUR GREAT POETS OF THE LATE TWELFTH CENTURY, ANWARÍ, KHÁQÁNÍ, NIDHÁMÍ OF GANJA, AND DHAHÍR OF FÁRYÁB	364
VII.	THE EMPIRE OF KHWÁRAZM AND THE MONGOL IN-VASION, UNTIL THE FALL OF BAGHDÁD AND THE EXTINCTION OF THE CALIPHATE	426
VIII.	WRITERS OF THE EARLIER MONGOL PERIOD	467
IX.	FARÍDU'D-DÍN 'AṬṬÁR, JALÁLU'D-DÍN RÚMÍ, AND SA'DÍ, AND SOME LESSER POETS OF THIS PERIOD	506
INDEX		545