<P> Sohrab and Rustum : An Episode is a narrative poem with strong tragic themes first published in 1853 by Matthew Arnold . The poem retells a famous episode from Ferdowsi 's Persian epic Shahnameh relating how the great warrior Rustum unknowingly slew his long - lost son Sohrab in single combat . Arnold , who was unable to read the original , relied on summaries of the story in John Malcolm 's History of Persia and Sainte - Beuve 's review of a French prose translation of Ferdowsi . In Sohrab and Rustum , Arnold attempted to imitate the `` grandeur and rapidity '' of Homer 's style which he was to discuss in his lectures On Translating Homer ( 1861 ) . The poem consists of 892 lines of blank verse . </P>
<P> Sohrab and Rustum : An Episode is a narrative poem with strong tragic themes first published in 1853 by Matthew Arnold . The poem retells a famous episode from Ferdowsi 's Persian epic Shahnameh relating how the great warrior Rustum unknowingly slew his long - lost son Sohrab in single combat . Arnold , who was unable to read the original , relied on summaries of the story in John Malcolm 's History of Persia and Sainte - Beuve 's review of a French prose translation of Ferdowsi . In Sohrab and Rustum , Arnold attempted to imitate the `` grandeur and rapidity '' of Homer 's style which he was to discuss in his lectures On Translating Homer ( 1861 ) . The poem consists of 892 lines of blank verse . </P>
the story of sohrab and rustum is taken from
the story of sohrab and rustum is taken from
a famous episode from Ferdowsi 's Persian epic Shahnameh
a famous episode from Ferdowsi 's Persian epic Shahnameh