Draxt-i Asurig

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Draxt-i Asurig ( Eng . The Assyrian Tree ) is a controversial poem in the Parthian language between a date palm and a goat.

After a brief introduction, the date palm explains its advantages: Numerous objects can be made from it, its fruits nourish people and it offers shade, even animals benefit from it. The goat in her reply makes fun of the palm's attempt to start a dispute, and in turn puts forward its merits. Without the palm being able to answer, the goat is declared the winner. Blessings for those who recite or pass on the poem conclude the composition.

The poem contains a number of allusions to Iranian mythology . The symbolism of the goat and numerous products that can be made from it are explained against a Zoroastrian religious background. Among other things, the phrase “throwing pearls before swine and bears” appears, which is found in a similar way that later became proverbial in the New Testament Mt 7,6  LUT . Other individual motifs suggest a courtly context of the poetry. A possible thematic forerunner of poetry is the debate between the date palm and tamarisk, known from the ancient Orient .

The poem has survived in several manuscripts in Buch-Pahlavi , but it clearly contains Parthian lexemes . In addition to the Parthian inscriptions, Draxt-i Asurig is one of the most important testimonies in Parthian literature.

literature

Web links

  • Aḥmad Tafażżolī: DRAXT Ī ĀSŪRĪG . In: Ehsan Yarshater (ed.): Encyclopædia Iranica . Volume VII (5), pp. 547-549, as of December 15, 1995, accessed on August 31, 2015 (English, including references)