Persia

3682

Persimmon

Rawlinson's Cuneiform Inscriptions of West-
ern Asia (5 vols); Jackson's Persia Past and
Present; Browne's Persian Revolution of
1005-1910 (1910); GENERAL: Cresson's Per-
sia, Shuster's The Strangling of Persia
(1912); Sykes' History of Persia (2 vols.,
1921).

Persia, Language and Literature. The
Persian language is a branch of the great
Aryan or Indo-European family of lan-
guages. The earliest form of the language
which has been preserved is found in the
inscriptions of the Achasmenian kings. The
oldest form of modern Persian, represented
by the language of the Shahnamah. This
was followed by what is known as the class-
ical Persian of the great writers of later
times.

The language at present spoken in Persia
contains a somewhat larger proportion of
Arabic words, though a considerable number
of Turkish words may also be met with. The
date of the composition of the Gat has has
been supposed to be about the i4th century
B.C., while the rest of the Avestd was com-
posed probably between the 5th and ist cen-
tury before the Christian era. The Moham-
medan conquest for a time put an end to all
literary life in Persia, but the nation ulti-
mately developed a new literary language.
The earliest prose work in what is now
known as Persian is BaPami's version of Ta-
bari's Universal History (A.D, 963). The
greatest epic poet of Persia is Firdausi (040-
1020), who after thirty-five years' toil pub-
lished his Shanamah, or 'History of the
Kings of Persia,' in ion.

The most renowned of the philosophical
poets of Persia in Jalalu'ddin Rumi (1207-
73). Sa'di (died in 1292) is celebrated for his
Gulistan and Bustdn. With these may be
coupled the Gulshan i Rdz of Mahmund i
Shabistari (died 1320), and the Baharistan of
Jarni' (1487), 'Umar (Omar) ibn Khayyam
represents the sceptical and Epicurean school;
his verses have obtained great popularity in
England and the United States. The greatest
lyric poet of Persia is undoubtedly Hafiz
(died in 1389). His verses breathe the same
Epicurean spirit as those of Omar Khayyam,
but their sweetness and musical charm are
far superior. Among prose writers of fiction,
one of the best known is Muhammed Taqqi
Khan (1742-56), author of a voluminous
work entitled Bustdn i Khay&l> or 'The Gar-
den of Imagination/ Persia has produced not
a few able historians, among whom may be

mentioned the name:? of Khvandamir, Mirkh-
vand, Juvaini, and Vassaf.

Among the most important modern works
in the language are the journals (Rilznamah-
ltd) of Nasiru'ddin Shah. These are com-
posed in the ordinary colloquial form of
modern Persian. They have thus introduced
a much more simple and intelligible style of
composition. Consult Browne's Literary His-
tory of Persia (1902); Levy's Persian Liter-
ature (1923).

Persian Architecture. In ancient Persian
architecture sundried brick was chiefly used,
beautifully enamelled in color for decorative
purposes. Persian architectural luxury reached
its height in the great Hall of Pcrsepolis, with
its huge capitaled pillars, stairs, and vast
area. Not till after centuries of stagnation
and ruin did a new style of architecture ap-
pear with the Mohammedan conquest. This
style shows at its best in the mosque and
mausoleum. Use is made of blue-colored tile
and bricks and the keel dome predominates.
See also ARCHITECTURE,

Persian Gulf, an arm of the Arabian Sea,
running north westward from the shallow
Strait of Ormuz between Persia and Ara-
bia. Its length is about 550 m,, and its great-
est breadth about 200 m. It has an area of
about 75,000 sq. m. The shores on the Per-
sian side are high and precipitous; on the
Arabian side they are low and flat. The wa-
ter is very warm. Great Britain exorcises a
protectorate over the Bahrein Islands, and
enjoys a measure of domination over the en-
tire Gulf.

Persian Lamb, a fur obtained from the
karakul or Arabi sheep, of Bokhara. The
young lambs are usually jet black, with a
lustrous wool closely curled over the entire
body. When used for fur, they must be
killed when not older than ten days, as the
curls open after this period,

Persigny, Jean Gilbert Victor Fialin,
Ducde (1808-73), French public official, was
born in Saint-Gcrmain-l'Espinasse, Loire. On
the overthrow of the Orleans dynasty (1848),
Pcrsigny secured the election of Louis Napo-
leon to the Constituent Assembly in June
and September, and to the presidency of the
republic in December, 1848, In 1855-60 he
was ambassador at London.

Persimmon, or Date Plum, belongs to the
genus Diospyros, a genus of mostly tropical
trees. JD, virginiana is a medium-sized tree,
often fifty ft, or more in height. Its fruit is
much like a reddish-yellow plum, containing