Customer Reviews

Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám: A Critical Edition (Victorian Literature and Culture Series)

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Edward FitzGerald's translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is an enormous accomplishment although it is not true to the original Persian (the Avery/Heath-Stubbs version is more faithful). Another important fact to note is that FitzGerald worked on his translation over a period of several decades and eventually published four different editions. Modern editions are often a compilation of bits and pieces from each of FitzGerald's four editions, something that doesn't always make for the smoothest reading. This Critical Edition, edited by Christopher Decker, goes a long way towards overcoming these problems.

In this edition, an introduction written by Decker provides very good and much needed background for Khayyam's work. Most importantly, all four of the author's editions are included in their entirety, first individually and then, in an appendix, by quatrain, so one can compare the texts. A table providing the sequence of the quatrains is also provided, a pronunciation guide and a small glossary. An added bonus, to be found only in this edition, I believe, is the inclusion of FitzGerald's Latin translation of the poems.

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is beautiful and classic poetry encompassing simple quatrains where East seems to meet West in a mingling of Eastern mysticism and Western language and expression of the nineteenth century.

Anyone who is serious about these gorgeous poems will find this text most useful. Although this is not the most visually beautiful of the translations, it is certainly the most comprehensive and the one that will most enhance your knowledge. Definitely worthy of adding to your collection. In fact, a necessity.

I want to begin by refuting the criticisms of an earlier review, which claims that this version of FitzGerald's Rubaiyat edited by Christopher Decker is "extremely rude" and "biased" in its view of Islam, and "unprofessional" in terms of editing. These statements are patently false, as anyone who took the time to read the book carefully would know. Of the "enraging opinions" that the reviewer referred to, none were written by Christopher Decker; on the contrary, one came strainght from FitzGerald himself, and was included in the original editions of the Rubaiyat:

Regarding the Muslim calendar, Fitzgerald wrote in an endnote for the forth tetrastich (included in all four original editions): "NEW YEAR--Beginning with the Vernal Equinox, it must be remembered; and (howsoever the old Solar Year is practically superseded by the clumsy Lunar Year that dates from the Mohammedan Hijra) still commemorated by a Festival that is said to have been appointed by the very Jamshyd whom Omar so often talks of, and whose yearly Calendar he helped to rectify." Again, these are FitzGerald's words, NOT Decker's, and we can only be thankful that there is finally a solid, scholastic edition of these works available--one that takes the trouble to include FitzGerald's original notes. In any case, these words are hardly "enraging"--they are about as unprepossessing as could be written by a Victorian pen; and, moreover, it would be well to keep in mind FitzGerald's known preference for "Persian" over "Arabic", for example, in transcription of words into Roman letters--a bias of the poet, not his editor.

Again, the reviewer complained of the reference to Mohammed as a "false prophet". This comes from the forth Appendix to our edition of FitzGerald, wherein Decker provides extensive glosses for the Persian terms that occur in the Rubaiyat--far more extensive that FitzGerald's rather laconic annotation. Most of these notes are in fact translations from a French reference book written by Barthelemy D'Herbelot and published in 1697--the reason for the selection of this odd (and certainly Eurocentric) book is its recognized influence on FitzGerald at the time he was doing his translation: he possessed a copy of D'Herbelot's dictionary, and he regarded it quite highly. We can presume, then, that much of what he knew of Persian culture came from this source. The particular offensive quotation comes from page 252 of the present edition: [regarding the founder of the garden Iram]--"Mohammed mentions this impious man with horror in his Koran, and yet the Muslims who wish to enjoy sensual pleasures in Paradise, as promised time after time by their false prophet, often use the word "Iram" to characterize it." But remember, this is merely a translation from a seventeenth century French reference. These are certainly not Decker's words, nor are they FitzGerald's. To call them such is almost willfully perverse--certainly an amateur misreading.

I have read the book entire, and at no point is the editor ever "rude" or unprofessional. Quite the contrary: this book is the most scholastic, most critically rigorous version of FitzGerald's Rubaiyat produced to date. It includes the full text (including introductions and endnotes) from the four versions of the Rubaiyat published in FitzGerald's lifetime, and several extremely useful textual apparatuses: a pronouncing dictionary for Persian words, a comparative table of the quatrain selection and sequencing in the different versions, a collection of FitzGerald's Latin versions of Omar, an elaborate glossary (mentioned above--mostly translations from a French reference FitzGerald was known to have consulted), and, of course, elaborate notes on textual sources and editorial emendations. All this is prefaced by an introduction of over thirty pages, giving the stories of Omar Khayyam and Edward FitzGerald, and of the latter's interest in Persian literature in general, and the Rubaiyat in particular.

As a lover of the Rubaiyat in all its forms, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a critical text of FitzGerald's famous translation. It may not be the prettiest version available--the only illustration occurs on the title page--but, after all, the poetry is what we come for, and FitzGerald's rhymes have never seen such careful treatment as Decker gives them in this excellent book.

My father introduced me to the Rubiiyat when I was very young and I have always enjoyed quoting from it because it reflects such a wise philosophy on various aspects of life. My father's favorite (which I did for him in needlepoint) was "Myself when young did eagerly frequent Doctor and Saint and heard great argument about it and about: but evermore came out the same door as in I went." It is a collection that every individual should own.

Cindy Luzon

A lot has been shrouded in mystery about the Rubaiyat. The author was an eleventh century philosopher, mathematcian, astronomer, and a poet. The rennessience man!! Some of the rubaiyats , four lined verses, reflect his philoshophic views on life. The majority of the book is about the most profound aspects of life, the deep, palpable sense of passion, or the views of life after death, or the fear of mortal men. I found this book to be an journey through time and the fellings of humanity. A truely good read supplied by a genius of litericy, for all the reasons above.

omar khayyam is a much romanticized poet; his work is essential to any collection of books. fitzgerald's translations bear as much relevance to the victorian era as much as khayyam's work bears as both a Muslim poet and a timeless wordcrafter for the ages to admire and appreciate.
this edition is extremely useful, with christopher decker's insightful notes always a helpful guide to the multiple editions of the poetry and an excellent source of knowledge on khayyam's work as well as the victorian age.
i would recommend this book to all readers, since it's the essential translation of the rubaiyat. christopher decker is to be highly commended for his excellent work.
to quote keats on another translation-
Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
When a new planet swims into his ken;
Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes
He star'd at the Pacific--and all his men
Look'd at each other with a wild surmise--
Silent, upon a peak in Darien.
...BR>buy this book and enjoy it-- it's a good friend.

I wish I could have met him! I feel sure that the translation as good as it is does not capture his wisdom and brilliant verse.
"Omar" still sends a message of love that transcends to all people.
My favorite is:

"Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask if Wine, a Book of verse--and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness--
And Wilderness is Paradise enow"

That is a pot of gold! Cherish it if you can?

Whether at Naishapur or Babylon,
Whether the Cup with sweet or bitter run,
The Wine of Life keeps oozing drop by drop,
The Leaves of Life keeps falling one by one.

By the way: To put this dispute to rest once and for all, Omar Khayyam was a Persian, which means he was essentially Zoroastrian.

True, the book is an good compilation of the various Fitzgerald translations of the Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam, yet the editor, Christopher Decker, gives an extremely rude, biased veiw of the Islamic belief. Decker unneccesarily gives his enraging opinions, for example, he calls Prophet Mohammed (SAW) a "false prophet" of the Muslims. He openly attacks Muslim customs and beliefs, calling the Muslim calendar "clumsy". The editing is very unprofessional. Also, he attacks the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan. Fitzgerald is to be given positive credit for this book.