The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Original price was: $3.00.$2.29Current price is: $2.29.
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
ASIN : B004UJJEX6
Publisher : (March 30, 2011)
Publication date : March 30, 2011
Language : English
File size : 125 KB
Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Not Enabled
Print length : 56 pages
9 reviews for The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
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Original price was: $3.00.$2.29Current price is: $2.29.
Robin Helweg Larsen –
Brilliant poetry, fascinating introduction in this particular edition
FitzGerald’s version of Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat is one of the glories of English poetry. It has contributed more phrases and common quotations to the language, relative to its size, than any other piece of literature – including the Bible and Shakespeare. “A flask of wine, a book of verse, and thou”… “The Moving Finger writes; and having writ // Moves on”… and so on.FitzGerald came out with five editions of the Rubaiyat (the fifth being posthumous), with 75 four-line stanzas in the first edition, then tinkering with it for the rest of his life: adding another 30 stanzas, subtracting again, and constantly modifying words, phrases and punctuation. The first edition has several things in its favour: succinctness, and the fire and integrity of the original effort.And of the hundreds of editions that have been published since, my two favourites are: for the lushness, the one illustrated by Edmund Dulac; and, for the background and insights, the one with an introduction by Dick Davis and published by Penguin in 1989.In this particular Penguin edition (there have been several others), FitzGerald’s first edition and fifth edition are given in full, together with complete listing of all the other variations found in the intervening versions. But – FitzGerald’s Rubaiyat only being 300 or 400 lines, depending on the version – all of that barely takes up 50 pages. Dick Davis’ introduction, almost as long, was presumably commissioned to make this a saleable book. And it is his introduction that gives it its full value.Davis covers the life and what can be known of the personality of Omar Khayyam and – in conjunction with a review of FitzGerald’s life, personality, agnosticism and guarded homosexuality – the attraction, almost identity, that FitzGerald felt for him. He also investigates and approves the depth of FitzGerald’s translation skills, and analyses his use of rhyme scheme and meter to heighten the sense of inevitability in the work.Perhaps the most intriguing thought to come from the Introduction is that the sensual illustrations of half-naked women, so common in our collection of Rubaiyats, are all wrong. From both linguistic and cultural clues in both the Persian and the English, it appears that the Saki, the young cup-bearer, the Thou of the flask of wine and book of verse, should be an attractive young male with his first moustache starting to grow in. In other words, and despite my preference for Dulac, FitzGerald’s version of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam would perfectly support lush, ornate, gay illustrations.
Owl –
A highly affordable book of verse for underneath that bough: enduring in wisdom, enchanting in beauty
Little money, great poetry.–Both the first (original, initial) and last (fifth) Fitzgerald-Khayyam Rubiyat are here. In my opinion, the first version is the most breath-taking and the fifth less so, like the King James’ Bible compared to the New American Standard. One is poetry that reaches the stars and the other is prose.–The size and heft both are small. This paperback fits into a jeans pocket or small bag, the better to bring underneath some bough with (preferrably) a loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and Thou.–The cover is from, I believe, the gorgeous Dulac fully illustrated version. It is intended (again, I think) for the quatrain urging us to live fully NOW and when the dark glass comes to us, to reach for it complete and undismayed. I once mortgaged the cat to buy the superb 1901 edition printed on heaviest paper, every page magnificently illustrated by Edmund Sullivan, leather bound, with an enlightening long introduction by Fitzgerald. The same poems, O reader, however (first and fifth version) for about 2% of the price.ANY READER ALERTS? None. Just expect paperback quality, not legacy quality in size, binding, and illustration. After the second jar of wine and enough Thou, it may not matter. And expect also the similarity between Horac3e writing in about 20 AD and Khayyam/Fitzgerlad in about 1,000 AD and 1870 AD. HIGHLY recommended.NOTE PLEASE: The Dover THRIFT EDITION is reviewed. Other editions & versions can have different features such as introductory essays and paper quality. The Dover Thrift Edition is high end for the poetry but low end for paper, size, and extras, which make it a fine value if it’s the poetry in a smaller format the reader wishes.
Whispering Whiskers –
I love the content
This writer and translator are two historical figures that I follow. I really like the rubaiyat by Omer Khayyam. The quality of the paperback was horrible. I honestly regretted after receiving the booklet because I could’ve printed the same quality in my home. But still, don’t judge a book by its cover.
Science Struggler –
Beautiful – and Powerful – Poem
The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is a poem I have been re-reading for much of my life, ever since my father introduced me to it back in the 1950s. Omar (known also as Omar the Tent-maker) was a Persian poet who lived in the 13th century, which was a golden age for the Arabs, who conquered Persian [now called Iran.] The poem pretends to be in praise of drinking (wine), and one of its most famous stanzas is: “A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou, beside me in the wilderness: Ah, wilderness is paradise enou.” One of my favorite stanzas is: “I studied with the philosophers, about it, and about; but, evermore, by the same door that in I went, came out.” A very interesting thing about this edition is that it gives two translations; the famous Fitzgerald one, and another, with discussions of the differences, and information about Khayyam’s life and beliefs. I have also frequently quoted: “I wonder what the vinters buy, one-half so precious as the stuff they sell?” The philosophy expressed is that of a live-for-today hedonist – or alchoholic – but there are hints that he is being ironic, and means just the opposite. My father always believed that this poem is the result of an assignment from Khayyam’s Sufi mentor [the Sufis didn’t drink alchohol]; the comments in this edition have an interesting different angle on that. This is a poem you will read and re-read for its beauty and cleverness, and then go back to it for its deep and deeper thought and meaning.
Amin H. –
Good print.
robledo –
Ótimo produto. As publicações da CALLA EDITIONS são sempre ótimas. Gostei muito.ObrigadoRobledo
Frances M –
Nice edition of this old favourite. Good introduction from the nineteenth century translator.
Ali –
Obwohl das Buch verbraucht war , gab es kaum Spüren davon. Außerdem empfehle ich jedem, der sich für Literatur oder Philosophie interessiert sich unbedingt mindestenseinmal die Werke von Omar Khayam anzuschauen.
Mahdi –
Recommended