Draxt ī Āsūrīg (meaning "The Assyrian Tree" or "The Babylonian Tree") is a Parthian-language poem consisting of about 120 verses and written in Book Pahlavi script. The language shows influences from Middle Persian.[1] It is one of the oldest existing texts in the Parthian language.
The poem is framed as a dialogue between a goat and a palm tree. At the end, the goat is proclaimed to be victorious. The Iranians may have adopted this genre from the oral traditions of ancient Mesopotamia.[1]
Some scholars consider the goat and the palm tree to be the symbols of Zoroastrianism and the Babylonian religion, or simply the pastoral life and agricultural life, respectively.[1]
The poem is also considered wisdom literature.[1]
A similar but less significant story, "The story of the vine and the ewe" (رز و میش raz o mīš), has been recorded in Persian literature.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Ahmad Tafazzoli, "DRAXT Ī ĀSŪRĪG", Encyclopædia Iranica, December 15, 1995.
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