True Translation of Hakim Omar Khayyam's Robaiyat [Paperback]

Omar Khayyam (Author), Irandokht A. Malek (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 4, 1994

The true translation of Hakim Omar Khayyam's Robaiyat from original Persian (Farsi)into modern English. This Robaiyat edition is translated, illustraded, designed and printed by Persians. It dispels the idle, drunken, Epicurean image that many readers have come to associate the the name Khayyam.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Twenty years before I met her,she had lost part of her throat to cancer. A native Persian she spoke English with a foreign pronunciation. Together these made her very difficult to understand. However,arguably, Irandokht was one of the most educated women I have ever met. She understood my own native tongue better than I do and was equally conversant in few other languages.In this book she reveals the dignity of the poet as scholar and philosopher and discloses the authentic text of this mystical poet of the Islamic world -- Jenny Todish Luoma, Author

About the Author

Irandokht A. Malek, ( 1910-1991)a native Persian,was born in Tabriz, Iran. Graduate of University of Tehran in Literature, she had a life-long career in teaching. She has translated number of books from English into Persian. Irandokht memorized all Khayyam's quatrain before the young age of five years. As she matured and studied different languages, she became deeply annoyed with fanciful notions attributed to Khayyam by his various translators. As a result, Malek spent 20 years creating a new translation more genuinely the work of Hakim Omar Khayyam.

Product Details

• Paperback: 89 pages
• Publisher: Eshagh Malek; First Edition edition (July 4, 1994)
• ISBN-10: 1882029747
• ISBN-13: 978-1882029747
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 7.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,545,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars True translation?, September 8, 2000

By 

Reader (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: True Translation of Hakim Omar Khayyam's Robaiyat (Paperback)

This book presents the poem in one verse per page, showing the author's English translation with the Persion below. Those who can read Persian will be able to draw their own conclusions as to the veracity of the translation. Readers familiar only with the Edward Fitzgerald translation will not recognize anything here. It is impossible even to place the two translations side by side for comparison, for they bear no resemblance to one another. It makes you wonder if they refer to the same poem! This version does suggest a somewhat greater philosophical depth than does the Fitzgerald, and loses the annoying Baroque tone that so trivializes that version. On the other hand, this translation reads fairly awkwardly, and one wishes the author had not attempted the rhyming. One can't help but feel that the English rhyming alone must have resulted in some degradation of the original meaning, if not the spirit of the verses. Perhaps some readers who know Persion can provide clarification. Finally, the book appears to be self-published. It has quite a lot of typos and seems to have lacked professional editing. Also, the first time I opened the book the spine broke and the pages began to fall out.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hakim Omar Khayam's Roboyat, February 21, 2001

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L.Artusy (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: True Translation of Hakim Omar Khayyam's Robaiyat (Paperback)

This is one of the best literature translation books that I have read. The author must have been well versed in both languages. Usually, to bring out the true meaning of the words in literature is most challenging. The author conveys perfectly the philosophy, and the message of Omar Khayam poetry. I highly recommend this book. It is well illustrated with beautiful paintings. It is very pleasing to look at, and easy to follow.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Refreshing Version, December 26, 2000

By 

Bill Eldredge (Georgetown, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: True Translation of Hakim Omar Khayyam's Robaiyat (Paperback)

I first read Edward's Fitzgerald's version of the Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam when I was a freshman in College many years ago. I have never forgotten some of the quatrains of this very famous poem. Although some of the quatrains are purely mystical and that the universe is a manifestation of God, some of them show another side; they reveal a radical free thinker, who protests in the most forcible manner both against the narrowness and bigotry of the times. He struggles with the questions of life and death during his search for the truth.

Irandokht Malek's translation is a refreshing version of Hakim Omar Khayyam's famous poem. As a non-Persian, I feel that it is probably a truer expression, and a more romantic/spirtual version of the poet's real meaning, and view of life.

This book is well written and beautifully illustrated. I would recommend it highly to everyone.

Bill Eldredge