The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-03

lation: how far the poems that We have accepted
as omar's are really his. and how far they are
or from purely English IDEAS tSa, Would have
been unfamiliar and alien TO the Persian poet;
Mr.. Allen has studied these questions with
line Of the printed correspondence Ieft by Fitx-
gerald so as to obtain an accurate idea OF the
course OF his studies Mr. Allen knows. day by
Whs. Srammars and dictionaries he was CON,
sulting. and Is able to follow, so far as another
man can. his thoughts; Moreover, by great
diligence, Mr.. Allen has obtained q copy OF each
and every one OF these books and manuscripts.
and has surrounded himself with the precise
apparatus used by the hrst tr translator; Finally
manuscript that Fitzgerald employed
i find myself" he says, in the interesting
position Of having the whole q F,tzserald,s
ination OF IL is summarized as follows:
The third edition Of Fitygerald's book con-:
tanned one hundred and one auatrians or
paraphrases" OF single quauians OF Omar:
forty-four are traceable 10 two or more stan1as
of the originals in FiUgerald's hands; two are
gerald had seen; two are derived from Hafx's
odes, two from q Persian poem 1.-THE Mantik,ut-
talrl and two, M: Allen says. 15enect the Tnots
no prototypes In mar. OF course.
We may pause a moment TO note the exceed
Ing INDUSTRY T, and ~ psSt dros &c Of I'M Mr. 40 Allen len ,b rso
clusion upon Ftzcerald's poem Is expressed
as follows; a translation pure and simple
sense IL undoubtedly is" In what is TO follow
portions OF Mr.. Aliens book will be quoted so
that ne reader sG may test this conclusion onms of i tSr
stanzas OF Fit,esrald's poem. and next the eN-
c%ellent prose translation Of Mr., Allen, Readers
poetry viii mus be able to sae !. in an unvar-
nished. unsophisticated form. readers who al
ready have a familiarity, OF the sort Will be
lens prose. and every one will derive some new
pleasure from a comparison OF the two.
Here, for example. is a a~uatrain that is. in its
way, famous
oh. Thou, who;Man q o.ser Earth did make.
And ev'n with Paradise devise the Snake.
Fer all the SIN " herswith the Face Of Man
Is blackened- Mans forgiveness give-and tske
viii it he believed that this tetrastich Is not TO
Of Fitzcersld's s. Its very sound is modern. and
Us attitude Is not Omar's, but another's. Mr..
Heron-Allen has found no real equivalent for
y anywhere. though he has tried earnestly.
Much controversy has RACED about this slanza
andthere Is no space available TO present even
an abstract OF l. The present writer can
face blackened by sin. which is common in
Oriental writing, In fact .Fitzrerald's concep-
ton OF sin is. in the writer's, opinion, not Nc.
hammed's and not Omar's, but a compound OF
Calvins and Millions; and the Calvinists OF
lslamism were 6O wears later Than Omar. IL
Is 2 mater 9s iSaivtdgsi tasts, lesT9lns ana
.hLe hAf'b w '''A'' ~ a. Jus h'Ns
In this instancs. exceeded the widest permissi-
bic license OF a translator.
Leaving such questions, about which %contro-
versy is endless. We may cite instances OF per-
fectly. legitimate translation, choosing the
most famous Quatrain5.
XII
Book Of Verses pndsrn cath the BouEh.
A jug Of Wine a Loaf OF Bread-and Thou
Beside me singing 10 ihf Wudtrness-
oh, Wilderness were Paradise enowl
This is a happy version OF the original:
Idesire a TASK Of ruby wine and a book OF verses.
Just enough 10 keep me alive and half a loaf Is need
And then. ,ha, thou and I should SIT In the wilder.
Is BITTER than tn, Kingdom Of a Sultan.
There Is still another form OF this stanza In
the original as follows:
II a Loaf Of wheaton bread BE- forthcoming,
soIrd Of vine, and shigh eons q mutton;
That were a Joy not within the power OF any Sultan.
Fitzgerald writes:
Look to the flowing rose ssou, us-"Lo,
Laughing, " she says, into the world I blow,
AT once the silksn tassel OF my purse
Tear. and its TIRE ssure on the garden throw"
Laughing. laughing. har. blown into The void:
I~snatched the moose string from of the head Of ny
purse, and | am zone!
Inuns into the world ali the ready money I had!
XVI
The worldly hope men set their hearts upon
Turns ashes or - proepers; and anon
Like snow UPON the deserts dusty face.
Lighting a little hour or two-is gone.
oh. hearti suppose all this worlds Affairs were within
And the Whole world from end to end As you desiys Il
And then. like snow In the desert, upon IL, surface,
RESTING for rwoo or three days, understand yourself 10
be zone!
sometimes think that never blows 70 red
The Rose AZ who're some hurried CNSar HE'D.
That every ~hyacinth the Garden wears
Dropt In her Lap from some once lovely Head.
Everywhere that there Ia. been a rose or tulip bed,
II has come from the redness of the blood Of a king:
Is a mole tina, was once on ihe cheek OF a beauty.
Into this Universe and Why not knowing,
Nor Whence. Ike Water Willy -nilly flowing,
And out OF H. as Wind along the Waste,
tknow not whittier. willy -nilly blowing.
This IL from the original:
He nrst brought me In confusion into existence
Whs, do I gain from life save my amaienent At ~
We went away against our WILL and We know not
The purpose OF this coming, and going. and being.
Strange is +, not, thsi, of the myrisds who
Before us pass'd the door OF Darkness through,
Not one returns TO tell us fthe Road.
Which TO discover. We mus, travel. too
hav. travelled far In awandsring BY valley and
desert
1t came to pass tina, | wandered in all quarter, Of III.
have no, heard from any On. who came from tina,
The road b. travelled. no traveller travel, again
LXvIL
Heav'n. but the Vision OF fulfilled Desire,
And He'll the shadow from a Soul on nre,
Cas-, on the Darkness lnp which Ourselves
Hell Is q spark from my useless worries
Paradise Is q moment OF time when | am tranquil
Impo,en, Piece, Of the Game He plays
tpon this Checkerboard OF Nights and Days
Hither and thither moves. and checks aad Stays
And one BY one back In the close, lays
This quatrain il the version Of:
To speak plain Language. and not in parallels
We are the pieces and heaven plays the game;
We are played together In q baby game upon the
chessboard OF existence.
And one by one We return 70 the box OF nonexistence.
XCvI.
Ye. abb that Spring should vanish with the Rosei
That Youth ssveet- scented mar user pt should close,
The nightingale that In the branches sang,
All! whence. and whittier nown az ain. who knows!
Alas, that the book OF youth Is folded UP!
And ,ha, this fresh purple spring IL winter stricken:
Alas I know not whence Il came. nor when IL vent
The foregoing comparisons put the reader in
an independent critical position. IL Is possible
followed his original and in how far he has at
times departed from 10 in spirit and in form,