Grandma's Stories--981--Love Story !! Shirin Farhad !!

This is a story belongs to the mountains of Kurdistan.
There was a brave man called Farhad, who loved a Princess named Shirin, but the Princess did not love him. Farhad tried in gain her love, but no one could think even that , a stonecutter loved a lady of royal blood. Farhad, went to the mountains and spent his days without food, playing his flute sweet music in praise of Shirin. At last people thought  a plan to see and test their love
The task which the king skillfully suggested was that Shirin should ask her lover to dig a canal in the rocky land among the hills. The canal must be six lances in width and three lances deep and forty miles long! 

The Princess had to convey her father's decision to Farhad, He worked hard and broke the stones for years. He used to start his work early in the morning when it was yet dark and never stopped his labor till it was dark, no man could see one yard on each side. Shirin secretly visited him and watched the hard working Farhad sleeping with his spade under his head, his body stretched on the bed of stones. She noticed, with all the pride of a lover.Farhad worked for years and cut his canal; all was in ready but his task was not yet finished, for he had to dig a well in the rocky mountains. He was half- way through, probably had completed it, when the King consulted his courtiers and asked their advice. Some hard conditions were to be fulfilled soon,Only then his daughter will marry him. The ministers suggested that an old woman should be sent to Farhad to tell him that Shirin was dead; then, perhaps, Farhad would become heart broken and leave off the work.



So an old woman went to Farhad the stone-cutter asked her the cause

"Well, my brave man," she said  "you have worked so well, and for such a long time, too, but you have labored in vain, for the object of you devotion is dead!"

"What!" cried the man, "Shinin is dead?"

Such was his grief that he cut his head with the sharp spade and died , streamed into his canal first was his own blood. When Shirin heard this she ran in great sorrow to the mountains it is said that,she hurt her own head with the same sharp edge of the spade which was stained with her lover's blood. No water ever flowed into the canal, but the two lovers were entombed in one and the same grave.