Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
List Price: $19.99
Price: $15.99
You Save: $4.00 (20%)
It is somewhat ironic (one might say "tragic") that Amazon chooses to lump reviews of multiple translations into each version of a book; in the case of the Rubaiyat, the two prevailing translations--FitzGerald's, and Avery and Heath-Stubbs'--could not be more different. As a general reader not terribly knowledgeable about Persian literature, I struggled before deciding on which version to read; influenced by the leading reviewer on this page, I read the FitzGerald version with illustrations by Dulac and the introduction by Byatt.
As a reader and occasional translator of a foreign language myself (although Japanese, not Persian) I was hesitant to read a version (one hesitates to call it a "translation") this old and this famously derided for its looseness with the original work by Omar Khayyam. And yet after comparing the two translations, I am glad that I read FitzGerald, for two main reasons.
First, true to his intention, FitzGerald accentuated the spirit of the original over the literal translation/transliteration of the original. The delightful impishness of Khayyam and the melancholy ephemerality of his Rubaiyat is wonderfully captured. FitzGerald made this artistic choice consciously, stating that "better a live sparrow than a stuffed eagle" ... although this modesty downplays the beautiful lyricism and Victorian elegance of his version.
Second, for better or for worse, this is the version that most captivated--and influenced--the world outside of Persia, including writers from Browning and Tennyson to O. Henry and Borges to Agatha Christie and Stephen King. Even the person who has not heard of Khayyam or the Rubaiyat and could not even locate Iran on a map has heard of "a jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and thou". It is hardly an overstatement to credit FitzGerald for this.
That said, I completely sympathize with those who view FitzGerald as an unfaithful artist unworthy of the title 'translator' and who view his version of the Rubaiyat as an abomination. Indeed, it is advisable to read his version in concert with a more faithful translation such as Avery and Heath-Stubbs'. That said, for the general reader with an open mind, FitzGerald's version is more likely to be the more captivating, the more likely to tickle the imagination and captivate the spirit. Warts and all, FitzGerald's "live sparrow" has survived the generations for a reason.
Enjoy while you are here and while it lasts
Peter Avery had indicated at the beginning that his objective to create a literal translation and that he seems to have done well. However, to me, a lot of it sounds a bit too prosaic and repetitive since the subtleties seem to have been lost in the process (and this has to with translation of poetry in general). Khayyam suggests to enjoy the life here with a jug of wine and a tulip cheeked one instead of getting into knots about metaphysical quandaries and existential qualms. Will try again later to see if it leaves a different impression.
omar wins again
anexcellent reasonably priced edition of a popular philosophical statement that should cause all new readers to review closely any beliefs they currently hold about the big eternal questions. read it and be astounded ...
Find a better translation than Fitzgerald's
Edward Fitzgerald was a mediocre Orientalist with a faulty command of Farsi, and his translations of Spanish poetry are forgotten. Why he is still considered a competent - even brilliant - translator of this work of Persian poetry is a bit of a mystery to me. Omar Khayyam's work is a multidimensional set of meditations on many topics, most notably the impermanence of all things, and is admittedly a hard nut to crack for any translator due to the amount of controversy around which manuscripts are genuine and how many quatrains Omar Khayyam actually wrote (various editions run from just over one hundred to well over one thousand). As a result, even a serious poet like Robert Graves The Original Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam and a serious Orientalist like A.J. Arberry Omar Khayyam: a New Version Based Upon Discoveries have been taken in by forgeries or frauds. I very much like the Friedrich Rosen translation Quatrains of Omar Khayyam, which is unfortunately out of print and can only be had for a great deal of money on Amazon. I have glanced at the much more easily accessible translation by Avery and Heath-Stubbs The Ruba'iyat of Omar Khayyam (Penguin Classics), and it seems to be worth recommending, too.
not bad
A little repetitive...
No point in worrying... enjoy life at the moment... can't control birth or death so lets get drunk and make love
But pretty.
List Price:
Price: $15.99
You Save: $4.00 (20%)
Description
The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is a collection of poems authored by Persian astronomer and mathematician Omar Khayyam. The poems in this title are written into quatrains, Rubaiyat being arabic for root of four, as in four line verses of which quatrains are made up of. This popular edition of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is the edition by Edward Fitzgerald, who translated this work in the late 19th century.Customer Reviews
Better a live sparrow than a stuffed eagleIt is somewhat ironic (one might say "tragic") that Amazon chooses to lump reviews of multiple translations into each version of a book; in the case of the Rubaiyat, the two prevailing translations--FitzGerald's, and Avery and Heath-Stubbs'--could not be more different. As a general reader not terribly knowledgeable about Persian literature, I struggled before deciding on which version to read; influenced by the leading reviewer on this page, I read the FitzGerald version with illustrations by Dulac and the introduction by Byatt.
As a reader and occasional translator of a foreign language myself (although Japanese, not Persian) I was hesitant to read a version (one hesitates to call it a "translation") this old and this famously derided for its looseness with the original work by Omar Khayyam. And yet after comparing the two translations, I am glad that I read FitzGerald, for two main reasons.
First, true to his intention, FitzGerald accentuated the spirit of the original over the literal translation/transliteration of the original. The delightful impishness of Khayyam and the melancholy ephemerality of his Rubaiyat is wonderfully captured. FitzGerald made this artistic choice consciously, stating that "better a live sparrow than a stuffed eagle" ... although this modesty downplays the beautiful lyricism and Victorian elegance of his version.
Second, for better or for worse, this is the version that most captivated--and influenced--the world outside of Persia, including writers from Browning and Tennyson to O. Henry and Borges to Agatha Christie and Stephen King. Even the person who has not heard of Khayyam or the Rubaiyat and could not even locate Iran on a map has heard of "a jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and thou". It is hardly an overstatement to credit FitzGerald for this.
That said, I completely sympathize with those who view FitzGerald as an unfaithful artist unworthy of the title 'translator' and who view his version of the Rubaiyat as an abomination. Indeed, it is advisable to read his version in concert with a more faithful translation such as Avery and Heath-Stubbs'. That said, for the general reader with an open mind, FitzGerald's version is more likely to be the more captivating, the more likely to tickle the imagination and captivate the spirit. Warts and all, FitzGerald's "live sparrow" has survived the generations for a reason.
Enjoy while you are here and while it lasts
Peter Avery had indicated at the beginning that his objective to create a literal translation and that he seems to have done well. However, to me, a lot of it sounds a bit too prosaic and repetitive since the subtleties seem to have been lost in the process (and this has to with translation of poetry in general). Khayyam suggests to enjoy the life here with a jug of wine and a tulip cheeked one instead of getting into knots about metaphysical quandaries and existential qualms. Will try again later to see if it leaves a different impression.
omar wins again
anexcellent reasonably priced edition of a popular philosophical statement that should cause all new readers to review closely any beliefs they currently hold about the big eternal questions. read it and be astounded ...
Find a better translation than Fitzgerald's
Edward Fitzgerald was a mediocre Orientalist with a faulty command of Farsi, and his translations of Spanish poetry are forgotten. Why he is still considered a competent - even brilliant - translator of this work of Persian poetry is a bit of a mystery to me. Omar Khayyam's work is a multidimensional set of meditations on many topics, most notably the impermanence of all things, and is admittedly a hard nut to crack for any translator due to the amount of controversy around which manuscripts are genuine and how many quatrains Omar Khayyam actually wrote (various editions run from just over one hundred to well over one thousand). As a result, even a serious poet like Robert Graves The Original Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam and a serious Orientalist like A.J. Arberry Omar Khayyam: a New Version Based Upon Discoveries have been taken in by forgeries or frauds. I very much like the Friedrich Rosen translation Quatrains of Omar Khayyam, which is unfortunately out of print and can only be had for a great deal of money on Amazon. I have glanced at the much more easily accessible translation by Avery and Heath-Stubbs The Ruba'iyat of Omar Khayyam (Penguin Classics), and it seems to be worth recommending, too.
not bad
A little repetitive...
No point in worrying... enjoy life at the moment... can't control birth or death so lets get drunk and make love
But pretty.
News from the University of Texas at AustinHarry Ransom Center Presents "Orientalist Silents" Film SeriesBackground: In conjunction with the exhibition "The Persian Sensation: 'The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám' in the West," the Harry Ransom Center presents the "Orientalist Silents" film series throughout the summer. June 11: George Melford's film "The Sheik" More than 50 Research Fellowships Awarded By the Harry Ransom Center
Cultural Heritage NewsOmar Khayyam: Persian Mathematician, Astronomer and Poetby Rachel Balik Omar Khayyam was a brilliant mathematician, astronomer, philosopher and physician of the 11th century. He contributed to the basic principles of algebra and developed an accurate solar calendar that was used for 800 years. Happy Khayyam Day Iran observes Omar Khayyam day Iran Honors Omar Khayyam's Day
Cultural Heritage NewsKhayyam+s Museum to ReopenTehran, May 23, 2009: The museum of the renowned Iranian poet and mathematician Omar Khayyam in Neishabour has been renovated, and will reopen in late May. Announcing this, Esmaeil Etemadi, in charge of Neishabour Cultural Heritage Department,
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Which brings me to Omar Bradley. Omar is an alternative spelling of Umar, ie, Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second caliph of Sunni Islam. Presumably Gen. Bradley was named for the poet Omar Khayyam, who bore the caliph's name. Omar Khayyam's "Rubaiyat," in