Sīmīn-Qalam and Tīγ-e-Deram in Ferdowsi's Shāh-nāmeh

جستارهای نوین ادبی

Article 8, Volume 44, Issue 3 - Serial Number 174, January 2012, Pages 167-183   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/jls.v44i3.12654

Author

Changiz Mowlāi^*

Abstract

In the Shāh-nāmeh of Ferdowsi, the following verse has been used in describing the beauties of Rūdābeh, the daughter of Mehrāb:
دو نرگس دژم و دو ابرو بخم ستون دو ابرو چو سیمین قلم
Several manuscripts of the Shāh-nāmeh have recorded tīγ-e-dožam or tīγ-e-deram instead of sīmīn-qalam in this verse; therefore, some scholars have preferred tīγ-e-deram to tīγ-e-dožam and sīmīn-qalam. This fact has led them to suggest that the spelling of tīγ-e-deram is the original one and it has been changed first to tīγ-e-qalam [ = penknife ( ? ) ] and then this form has been metamorphosed and simplified to sīmīn-qalam by a number of scribes. Besides, it has been supposed that deram in tīγ-e-deram has nothing to do with the Persian word deram ( = drachma ) meaning "silver coin" and it must be read as daram referring to "an instrument for cutting, such as knife or dagger". In fact, there is some linguistic evidence which indicates that the application of daram in the Persian language is quite implausible and the second element in the phrase tīγ-e-deram has been used in its well-known meaning, namely, "silver coin". Accordingly, it is possible that Ferdowsi might have used deram metaphorically pointing to "silver" and tīγ-e-deram to refer to "a dagger made of silver". Besides, there are some examples in the Shāh-nāmeh and other Persian texts which indicate that the phrase sīmīn-qalam in the above– mentioned verse and also in the following verse which describes Sūdābeh:
دو یاقوت خندان، دو نرگس دژم ستون دو ابرو چو سیمین قلم
Like tīγ-e-deram is an original one and is created by Ferdowsi himself.

Keywords

Shāh-nāmeh; sīmīn-qalam; tīγ-e-deram; tīγ-e-dožam