” In The Name Of God “

The love of Farhad for Shirin began when Shirin requested fresh milk to be brought to her palace. Shapur suggested Farhad for this task. Since the pastures around the palace were distant, it was challenging and almost impossible for servants to get fresh milk. Shapur introduced Farhad, and when Shirin and Farhad met, he fell deeply in love with her and became so mesmerized that he couldn’t even understand Shirin’s instructions. After leaving Shirin’s presence, Farhad asked Shapur about her instructions and realized he had to carve a canal from the spring to Shirin’s residence. With great love and passion, Farhad struck the rock with a chisel and created a canal in a short time, along with a reservoir at the end. When Shirin visited Farhad to see the progress, she was amazed and gifted him her earrings as part of his reward, but Farhad respectfully refused and gave the earrings to Shirin. Farhad’s love for Shirin became so intense that he became restless and wandered into the wilderness and deserts. Khosrow, the king, heard about this love and invited Farhad to test his feelings in a debate, but he understood that Farhad’s love for Shirin couldn’t be matched. So, he decided to remove Farhad from his path. He sent Farhad to carve the Bistoon Mountain and promised that if he completed the task, he would give up Shirin. Farhad immediately set off towards Bistoon. He first carved the image of Shirin, the king, and Shabdiz, Shirin’s horse, on the rock, and then, with thoughts of his beloved, he began carving the mountain. The story of his mountain-carving spread far and wide. One day, Shirin rode her horse to visit Farhad and brought him a cup of milk. On the way back, her horse got stuck in the mountains, and Shirin feared it might fall. But Farhad respectfully lifted the horse and its rider, taking them back to the palace. The news of Shirin’s visit and the impact it had on Farhad reached the king’s ears. Realizing that he had lost Shirin, the king sought a solution and sent a deceptive messenger to inform Farhad of Shirin’s death and discourage him from continuing his mountain-carving task. When the messenger brought the news of Shirin’s death to Farhad, he threw his chisel and he fell on the ground.
After Farhad’s death, a mountain tomb was built according to Shirin’s request. Khosrow also sent a satirical letter of condolence to Shirin, urging her to abandon grief and sorrow..

Source: Khosrow and Shirin romance by the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi