Most current-day readers might prefer Davis, but the best in my eyes is that by the two brothers Warner: "Between 1905 and 1925, the brothers Arthur and Edmond Warner published a translation of the complete work in nine volumes, now out of print." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahnameh I read classical Persian, I've read most of the Shahnameh in Persian and taught parts of it to English-speakers, and have been amazed by the art of the Warner's work and the depth of their understanding.