The Rubdiyat of Omar Khayyam. (H. S. Nichols. 108. 6d.
net.)— This scholarly and elaborate work consists of a facsimile of the manuscript in the Bodleian, a transcript into modern Persian characters, a translation into English prose, and an introduction and notes, the editor being Mr. Edward Heron-Allen. The quatrains of Omar may almost be said to be the only Oriental poetry except that of the Bible—a very large exception of course
—which has really caught hold of the Western World. Whether this is due to something in Omar, or merely to the astonishing power of reproduction possessed by Fitzgerald, is a nice question, but cannot be discussed here. A comparison of the literal English translation with Fitzgerald's verse shows that Fitzgerald, as should all translators of poetry into poetry, aimed rather at giving the spiritual impression than a mere rendering. Take, as an example, the following. The English literal translation of the thirty. first quatrain reads :—
" From the beginning wag written what shall be ; unbolting the Pen writes, and is heedless of good and bad ; on the First day He appointed everything that must be— our grief and our efforts are vain."
Fitzgerald's version is as follows :—
"The Moving Finger writes, and having writ, Moves on ; nor all your Piety and Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a lane, Nor all your tears wash out a Word of it."
Mr. Heron-Allen's introduction is full of interesting matter,, and the whole book will be a pleasure to students and lovers of Omar, even though they have no knowledge of the Oriental languages.
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