Tahmina

Material : Oil on canvas
Size : 36" * 48"* 1-1/2"
Description : Tahmineh was king of Samangan's daughter who fell in love with Rostam the great warrior of Iran. The Shahname describes her as elegant as a cypress tree. One night she came to Rostam's room:
" My name is Tahmineh; longing has torn
My wretched life in two, though I was born
The daughter of the king of Samangan,
And am descended from a warrior clan.
But like a legend I have heard the story
Of your heroic battles and your glory,
Of how you have no fear, and face alone
dragons and demons and dark unknown
Of how you sneak into Turan at night
And prowl the borders to provoke a fight,
Of how, when warriors see your mace, they quail
And feel their lionhearts within them fail.
I bit my lip to hear such talk, and knew
I longed to see you, to catch sight of you,
To glimpse your martial chest and mighty face-
And now God brings you to this lowly place.
If you desire me, I am yours, and none
Shall see or hear of me from this day on."
But their time together was brief, Rostam departed for his homeland. Nine months later Tahmina gave birth to a son Sohrab, who grew up to be a warrior like his father Rostam.