Omar Khayyam
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- An essential read for multi-cultural studies
- Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
- Illustrated Editions Company Review
- Edward FitzGerald Gets Far Too Little Credit For this Translation
- Review of Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
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Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Omar Khayyam
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
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ASIN: 0312695276 |
Book Description
In the eleventh century, in Persia, there lived a mathematician named Ghiyathuddin Abulfath Omar bin Ibrahim al-Khayyami--or, Omar, son of Abraham, the tent-maker. Omar wrote poetry, and while his rhymes received little attention in their day, they were rediscovered and translated into beautiful English--more than seven centuries later--by a gentleman and scholar named Edward FitzGerald. It was a meeting of minds, a great collaboration of the past and the present, and FitzGerald's rendition of those passionate verses has become one of the best loved poem cycles in the English language.
With their concern for the here and now, as opposed to the hereafter, Omar Khayyam's quatrains are as romantic today as they were hundreds of years ago; they are a tribute to the power of one moment's pleasure over a lifetime of sorrow, of desire over the vicissitudes of time. Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, presented here with Edward FitzGerald's original preface, is truly a classic, and it will stand forever as one of our finest monuments to love.
Customer Reviews:
An essential read for multi-cultural studies.......2007-04-12
The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is almost certainly the most widely known work by an Islamic writer. It is the only non-western piece of literature that I was required to read when in high school and I recently re-read this version. Like most historical pieces, it is difficult to understand without additional knowledge of the historical context. Khayyam was a Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer, which means he was as educated as the times allowed. The Rubaiyat was written in about 1120 C. E. and is in the form of quatrains or four-line rhymes.
As a poem, the flow is smooth and the imagery deals with the lot of what human life is. The fourteenth quatrain is:
Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend,
Before we too into the Dust descend;
Dust into Dust, and under Dust to lie
Sans Wine, sans Song, sans Singer, and--sans End!
with clear imagery regarding death, which is a consistent theme throughout. Other quatrains deal with how we cope with life, and how we deal with the difficult questions of our existence. Quatrain 74 is
Yesterday This Day's Madness did prepare;
To-morrow's Silence, Triumph, or Despair:
Drink! for you know not whence you came, nor why:
Drink! for you know not why you go, nor where.
describing how little we know about the consequences of our journey through life.
The deep imagery of the poems requires that you read it slowly and several times. Like the best of poems, the passages are often open to multiple interpretations, which increases the level of interest. I hope that the high schools in my area still require the eleventh grade English classes to read this poem, understanding it is truly within the purview of multicultural studies.
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.......2007-03-01
I collect this work in different formats. This particular book is very good. I recommend everyone reading the Rubaiyat at least once in their lifetime. It is an excellent poetic examination of Man's purpose and Man's relation with God. One can appreciate the Rubaiyat only for its beautiful poetic images or explore it over and over for its deeper philosophical nuances. The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is ever a delight no matter how you prefer it.
Illustrated Editions Company Review.......2006-01-14
There are so many editions of Fitzgerald's Rubaiyat translations that have been published, with many being limited editions. Several of these rose to highly collectible status, especially those with tipped-in color plates by Dulac, Pogany or Arthur Szyk. These necessarily set them apart from other more textual editions.
This review has specifically to do with the Illustrated Editions Company 1938 printing. Physically, at 11 1/2" x 8" it is rather long and wide, almost completely black, except for a red illustration of a mosque on the cover, and thin.
I give 4 Stars only because it is not the first Fitzgerald edition, but a 20th century reprint. Beyond that, this is the most excellent of editions. The Illustrated Editions Company version has the first and last Fitzgerald translations.
This book is powerful and sacred. Reading it will invoke a shamanic experience-- you will be there, as Omar uses the wine metaphor to teach the value and ephemeral substance of life. The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is essential metaphysics. The note and comment that open this edition are key to understanding why the Illustrated Editions Company is above all the rest, even other collector editions, of which I own several. It is the care and quality of the edition that sets it apart, certainly not anything distinguished about its content. This is my favorite edition of all. The tipped in color plates by Hamzeh Abd-ullah Kar are authentic Persian fantasy, and reading each carefully printed verse on the heavy, slightly glossy parchment is a religious experience. There is something qualitatively different about reading the Illustrated Editions Company version.
I can't find much else about this copy on the net, but there is one site that shows a copy remarkably similar to the one which I am using to base this review. I see no evidence that the title letters were ever gilt, although whenever the book goes up for auction the owners usually say the gilt is worn from the letters. This can't be true of all these copies, especially for a printing as late as '38, so I'm inclined to believe there never was any gilt lettering. I have seen other far less well preserved editions from earlier periods that have almost fully retained their gilt. The gems are between the boards, in this case.
The comment by Edward Heron-Allen is itself a collectible piece of literature, though he wrote only one paragraph. Truly an edition which can only be enjoyed by the reverential Rubaiyat enthusiast.
Edward FitzGerald Gets Far Too Little Credit For this Translation.......2005-12-08
These verses, which we anglophones have come to intone as though they were scripture, are not those of Omar Khayyam (meaning Omar the tentmaker in Farsi), but those of a less celebrated Elizabethan poet, Edward FitzGerald. Our affection for the rhyme scheme, the aliteration, the meter, the very image the words evoke, is not for Omar, but for his tranlator, Edward FitzGerald. It was not Omar who wrote, "oh, but the long, long while the world shall last," but FitzGerald. FitzGerald translated this Twelfth Century poetry in the very early years of the Nineteenth Century, seven hundred years after Omar. It is FitzGerald to whom we should be grateful.
FitzGerald's verse is literally accurate only to the extent of its a, a, b, a rhyme scheme; and even so, the final combination of phonics comprising the cadence in each line is constructed in our language, not in Omar's. Only in the figurative meaning of the verse is the translation from Farsi accurate. What we anglophones think of as Omar's verse is not at all Farsi and not at all Twelfth Century. It sounds much more familiar to our ears because FitzGerald has cut the time gap by seven centuries and the language barrier to nothing.
But don't take my word for it; speak to any Iranian (if you permit them to speak for their ancestral Persians) and they will tell you that Omar is known principally for astrology and alchemy. Some will say he was a mathmetician, but no evidence remains to support that claim. Omar is never quoted as a poet by his ancestral Iranians. I have asked a dozen university-educated Iranians to recite a single verse of Khayyam and none have been able to do so. Not one.
One explanation for this omission is Omar's obsession with hedonism in general and wine in particular, which is now so stridently verboten by his militantly muslim ancestors. FitzGerald drew inspiration only from Omar, and that inspiration has positioned him in an orbit around Omar's star. Our current affection for Omar Khayyam's verse is not remotely due to the accuracy of FitzGerald's translation, but rather to his own creativity and originality.
The reason for the historical coincidence making blood-brothers of Omar and FitzGerald is the shocking nature of their verses. Omar's rebellion against the muslim propriety of his age paralleled FitzGerald's rebellion against the Elizabethian propriety of his age. Yet even to us these verses still sounds racy, and as long as they do they'll titillate our sensibilities, irrespective of their authorship.
"Perplext no more with human or divine,
Tomorrow's tangle to the winds resign,
And lose your fingers in the tresses of
The cypress-slender minister of wine."
Review of Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.......2005-10-15
Wisdom of the past has transcended time and is true today as it was 700 years ago. Verses are easy to memorize and the book could be like a bible by your night table. Too bad that not all of Khayyam's poetry in this book.
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- Genius!
- Scriptures of Chaos
- You're a Fenderson.
- It found me!
- Eris Stole My Sanity and Played Basketball With It
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Principia Discordia
Manufacturer: Illuminet Press
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 096265342X |
Customer Reviews:
Genius!.......2003-08-05
This book changed my life! I simply would not be who I am if not for this book.
Scriptures of Chaos.......2003-07-01
These profound scriptures come close to rivalling James Robinson's edition of the Nag Hammadi Library as the most important contribution to 20th century metaphysics. And not only for those who consider Discordianism as a form - albeit a weird one - of Gnosticism. Certain passages are more inspiring than others, like "The Enlightenment Of Zarathud" and Lord Omar's "Epistle To The Paranoids", although only the orthodox version of the latter appears here. According to the Samaritan Codex and the Octuagint there is an additional verse which reads: "Ye build high buildings, only to cast yeself from the roofs." The same Codex (but not the Octuagint) also contains "The Epistle To The Neurotics" by St. Euthanasius that sadly didn't make it into this edition. These minor gripes aside, I do recommend this work to all those who are searching for the meaning of life, the universe and everything. Eris, goddess of Chaos, is ready, willing and able to help you. For more information about spirituality and chaos, read Peter Carroll's Liber Kaos or Liber Null And Psychonaut. And if you appreciate this type of humour, you will love the work of Robert Anton Wilson.
You're a Fenderson........2002-12-17
This is either one helluva pun or it's some divine knowledge or something... I laughed, cried, and hit myself in the eye. Taking a stand back from the hype: this book isn't a joke. It can lead to some very confronting issues such as: the ambiguity of belief, the need for dogma and many other "shattering" realizations. I don't feel that a proper review can be written for this book--it is too stupid, profound and obscure. Pegging this book down is like kicking a hyena in the face for laughing.
It found me!.......2002-11-21
We are all attracted to (or attracted by) the appropriate elements at the appropriate time. If you're considering buying this, then you're in rarified air; you might as well make the leap and...
JOIN US...
You can thank me later
Eris Stole My Sanity and Played Basketball With It.......2002-07-25
A refreshing look of religion, beliefs and ethics formed from a giant collage of chaos. Malaclypse The Younger avoids running around his ideas and giving hints to the reader. Instead he forces a reader into a head dive sucking him into his world. A true work of poetic terrorism.
To some this might seem as an explanation for just another religion, to others a blasphemy and a selected few as a whole new way of approaching the world. This book is a must have for any chaos magician, a big giant sigil designed to awaken your mind.
CAUTION: After purchasing this book expect Eris to play head games with you and tasting chaos early in the morning.
NOTE: Principia Discordia and Principia Discordia or How I Found Goddess And What I did To Her When I Found Her are the same book except for a special afterword and a collage found at the end in the later book. Of course Eris did not inform me of this and I bought both. Twice the fun.
Assume Nothing
Book Description
This Elibron Classics edition is a facsimile reprint of a 1900 edition by Methuen and Co., London.
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The Quatrains of Omar Khayyam: Three translations of the Rubaiyat
Omar Khayyam
Manufacturer: Bardic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0974566713 |
Book Description
Though few translations have had as much impact as Edward Fitzgerald's Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, anyone who wishes to truly appreciate Omar Khayyám needs to read more than one translation. This volume contains Edward Fitzgerald's classic translation with all its variations, Justin McCarthy's elegant and mystical literal translation and Richard Le Gallienne's sharp and poetic version. For the first time the reader can appreciate the range of Omar Khayyám and his interpreters in a single volume.
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The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Omar Khayyám
Manufacturer: Hard Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1406942170 |
Average customer rating:
- Disregard Earlier Reviews
- Yes please
- Steal this review.
- Hail the Goddess
- Stolen from the public domain
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Discordia: Hail the Goddess of Chaos and Confusion
Malaclypse the Younger , and Lord Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst
Manufacturer: Ronin Publishing
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ASIN: 1579510299 |
Book Description
What's the right faith for those who clamor for spirituality, but strain at the confines of organized religion? Discordia — described as a religion disguised as a joke disguised as a religion — may be the answer. Starting from the "firm belief that it is a mistake to hold firm beliefs," Discordia lays out a tongue-in-cheek plan for worshipping Eris, the Greek goddess of discord. Loads of laughter and paradox are key to keeping the faith, as well as counter-evangelism, surrealist pranking, and the presentation of absurd rewards to distinguished individuals. Packaged in a trendy new edition, Discordia brings an underground classic that has sowed chaos for 50 years to a new generation of neo-pagans.
Customer Reviews:
Disregard Earlier Reviews.......2007-01-27
Early on there was much ado about this version being sub standard. Phooey! Graphic wise and print wise it is an improvement over the edition of the Pricipa Discordia I own (Yellow cover). I for one am grateful that this holy book is back in print. Although, the reason I held back a star was for the high price. Hail Eris! Hail Discordia!
Yes please.......2006-11-03
I regularly buy reprinted editions of public domain works. Please support the publisher by buying a used copy. Hail Eris.
Steal this review........2006-11-03
Alterations to the unalterable holy text improve the Godness quotient of this rampant publication.
Preternatural references to the Godless Padre Pederastia cannot help but uncover certain samenesses within blue typography.
Samoan natives try, and Alaskan King Crab weep. But, still, without copyright nor copyleft, nor common copies, all stand.
Hail the Goddess.......2006-11-02
This text, a republishing of our most sacred texts, has been changed a little by this publisher, which allows him to publish a kopyleft document and copyright it as his own. I warn you, the car chase in the third chapter has been excised and replaced with a love-in, the love-in from the sixth chapter has been replaced with a graphic description of a child being aborted, and the abortion scene in the eighth chapter has been replaced by the second stanza of the Star Spangled Banner. Otherwise, this is still the pulse-pounding thriller that we discordians have loved for decades. I don't disagree with the edits or the copyright so much, but I *am* disturbed at the publisher's decision to replace all the commas with small pictures of tree frogs, which is why I've had to reduce my review to 4 stars. Buy this, buy the tshirt, and eat a friggin hot dog.
Stolen from the public domain.......2006-11-02
The original is in the public domain, and is also better. Better because it was actually written by its authors. And it smells better too.
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Las rubaiyyat
Omar Khayyam
Manufacturer: Edaf S.A.
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 847640932X |
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Desde la primera aparición en el Occidente de Las Rubaiyat en 1859, estas cuartetas, escritas entre los siglos XI y XII, han conocido un éxito y una difusión poco habituales para obras de tal naturaleza. Aquí queda para el lector esta joya de la literatura universal tomada de la versión francesa de Franz Toussaint en atención a sus valores de claridad , sencillez y elegancia.
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The original Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayaam
Omar Khayyam
Manufacturer: Omen Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: 0912358386 |
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Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Omar Khayyam
Manufacturer: Dodo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1905432453 |
Authors:
- Ondaatje, Michael
- O'Neill, Eugene
- Orczy, Emmuska
- O'Reilly, Jackson
- Orlovsky, Peter
- O'Rourke, P. J.
- Orr, Gregory
- Orwell, George
- O'Siadhail, Micheal
- Ostriker, Alicia
Authors
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