Asadi's most significant work is
Garshāsp-nama (
The Book [or Epic] of Garshāsp). His other important contribution is a lexicon of the
modern Persian language (). Five of Asadi's
Monāẓarāt () (
Debates in the form of poetry between two people or objects or concepts) also still exist.
Garshaspnama (The Epic of Garshāsp) The
Garshasp-nama () epic, with 9,000
couplets, is Asadi Tusi's major work. The hero of the poem is
Garshasp (father of Nariman and great-grandfather of Šam), identified in the
Shahnameh with the ancient Iranian hero Kərəsāspa- (
Avestan language). In Avestan, he was the son of
Θrita- of the
Yama clan. The poet adapted the story from a book,
The Adventures of Garshāsp, saying that it complements the stories of the
Shahnameh; Although the poem was part of folklore, it was based on written sources. The poem begins with
Jamshid, the father of Garshāsp, who was overthrown by
Zahhak and flees to Ghurang, king of Zabulistan (near modern
Quetta). In Zabulistan, Jamshid falls in love with the king's daughter and she gives birth to Garshāsp. Jamshid is forced to flee. When Garshāsp's mother poisons herself, he spends much of his life with his grandfather and grows up to be a warrior like Jamshid. After Ghurang's death, Zahhak was to become king, although the secret remained until the birth of Nariman. Zahhak, as king, visits Zābulistān and challenges the young Garshāsp to slay a dragon. Equipped with an antidote to dragon poison and armed with special weapons, Garshāsp kills the monster. Impressed with the child's prowess, Zahhāk sends Garshāsp to
India, where the king (a vassal of Zahhāk's) has been replaced by the rebel prince Bahu (who does not acknowledge Zahhāk's rule). Garshāsp defeats the rebel and remains in India to observe its marvels and engage in philosophical discourse. He then goes to Sarandib (
Sri Lanka), where he sees the footprint of
the Buddha (in Muslim sources, identified with the footprint of
Adam in Islam). Asadi then recounts many legends about Adam, the father of mankind. Garshasp then meets a
Brahman, whom he questions in detail about philosophy and religion. The words Asadi Tusi attributes to the Brahman relate to Asadi's support for
Platonism in Islamic philosophy. Garshasp later visits the Indian islands and sees supernatural wonders, which are described in great detail. The hero returns home and pays homage to
Zahhak. He woos a princess of
Rum, restores her father Etret to his throne in Zabulistan after his defeat by the King of
Kabul, and builds the city of
Sistān. He has
anachronistic adventures in the
Mediterranean, fighting in
Kairouan and
Córdoba. In the West, he meets a "Greek
Brahman" and engages in philosophical discourse with the wise man. When he returns to Iran his father dies, and Garshāsp becomes king of Zābolestān. Although he has no son of his own, he adopts Narēmān (
Rostam's great-grandfather) as his heir. At this time,
Fereydun defeats Zahhak and becomes king of Iran, and Garshāsp swears allegiance to him. Garshāsp and his nephew then go to
Turan and defeat the Faghfūr of Chin (an Iranian title for the ruler of
Central Asia and
China, probably of
Sogdian origin), bringing him as a captive to Fereydun. Garshāsp fights a final battle with the king of
Tangier, slaying another dragon before he returns to
Sistān in Zābolestān and dies.
Loḡat-e fors (Khorasani Persian dictionary) The dictionary was written to familiarize the people of
Arran and
Iranian Azerbaijan with unfamiliar phrases in Eastern Persian (Darī) poetry. It is the oldest existing
Persian dictionary based on examples from poetry, and contains fragments of lost literary works such as
Kalīla wa-Dimna by
Rudaki and
Vāmiq u ‘Adhrā, a translation of
Metiochus and Parthenope by
Unsuri. A variety of manuscripts exist in Iran and elsewhere; the oldest (1322) may be at the
Malek National Museum and Library, although the one written in
Safina-yi Tabriz is also from the same period.
Monāẓarāt (debates) Five debates survive in the Persian poetic form of
qasida. Although this form of
qasida is otherwise unprecedented in Arabic or
New Persian, it is part of the
Middle Persian (Pahlavi) tradition. The Pahlavic poetic debate
Draxt i Asurik indicates the history of this form of debate. The surviving debates are ''Arab o 'Ajam
(The Arab vs. the Persian
), Mogh o Mosalman
(The Zoroastrian vs. the Muslim
), Shab o Ruz
(Night vs. Day
), Neyza o Kaman
(Spear vs. Bow
) and Asman o Zamin
(Sky vs. Earth''). The Persian wins the Persian-versus-Arab debate, while the Muslim defeats the Zoroastrian. ==See also==