Regarding several couplets attributed to Ferdowsi

In a number of the manuscripts and printed editions of the Shahnameh, as well as in various sources, both poetry and prose, there are some verses cited singly or as two consecutive couplets ascribed to Ferdowsi that are are hardly substantiated by the old and creditable manuscripts of the Shahnameh. Thus,they cannot be regarded as having been written by ferdowsi. However, in Iran’s literary tradition, for certain reasons such as ethical and instructive contents, literary beauty, proverbial value, and frequency of repetition, such verses have gained currency and reputation in Ferdowsi’s name, finding their way to various sources (largely those on Persian sayings and proverbs). In this article, twelve instances of this kind of inauthentic verses attributed to Ferdowsi are addressed and their recording in the manuscripts and printed editions of the Shahnameh and other sources have been examined.