The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-03
NEW LI6Hr ON OMAR KHAYYAx.
A Remarkable Analysis Of Fttxssralas Yer.
sion Of the Persian Pees.

NEW LI6Hr ON OMAH KHAYYAN.
A Remarkable Analysis Of Fitsssraias YER
sion Of the Persian Pess.
Edward Frtzgerald's translation OF the uuat-
rains OF the Persian poet Omar Khayyam.
has taken its place as one OF the classics OF
English literature and IL has had thousands
upon thousands Of readers In America and
in England. Fitzgerald and Lord Tennyson
were lifelong friends. Tennyson was the
Poet Laureate and the foremost man Of letters
OF his country: Fitzgerald. during nearly all
his life vas only known. as an obscure scholar
and student. Yet ii Is likely that In the CEN
turtles to come no more OF Tennyson's work
will remain than 10 contained 4 in the thin volumes
Of Fitzgerald. Tennyson's place in our litera-
ture Is secure: bur IL is no more secure than
~Fit8gerald's.
When IL is considered that the only claim
Of Fitzgerald was TO present in an English
dress the poems Of the astronomer-poAt Of
Persia who died nearly eight centuries ago. mis-
fame is at first sight inexplicable. II ia, in
deed, not TO be explained at all until we realize
that Fitzgerald was far moro than a trans
lator. Prof. Charles Eliot Norton has ~x-
pressed his real ONCE In the mos, luminous
way. He SAYS: Fitzgerald Is TO be called
translator only in default OF a better word.
one which shout express the poetic TRANSMISSION
OF a poetic spirit from one language to another,
and the Misrepresentation Of the IDEAS and
images Of the original In a form not altogether
diverse from their own. but perfectly adapted
TO the new conditions OF time. place, custom
and habit of mind in which they reappear. 1t
Is the work Of a poet inspired by the work
OF a poet: not q translation. but the redelivery
OF a poetic inspiration"
Prof. Norton wrote more than thirty years
ago. Since that time the whole field has been
Thoroughly worked. The libraries OF Europe
and Asia have been ransacked and many man
uscripts OF Omars poems, previously IN
known, have been brought TO light. Nearly
a score such ara now known. These man
uscripts. and others, are represented by a
dozen llthoSrsphed editions OF his work.
TRANSACTIONS have been published In the pres
ent century in German. French. Italian. Hun
garian and English. Eight or nine issues
have been mad in England Of Fitzgerld's
translation. besides fourteen or more in Amer
lea. Half a dozen other Englishmen have
also published independent translations. and
a very long list could be made of critical ar
ticles printed in magazines and reviews The
bare enumeration OF such particulars is a
convincing proof Of the hold that these ORR
entail poems have upon our Western magma
tons Nowhere IL the hold stronger than in
our own country
Why is this hold so strong and intimate' The
Persians are, in the first place. human beings
like ourselves. They have wants, hopes, fears,
delights and Joys. and they seek the satisfaction
OF these in like fashion. Any graphic and
truthful recital OF human feeling interests us.
In the case OF the Persians It is more than this.
While the form Of their poetry Is as alien 70 us
as that Of the Chinese OF Of the Tertars. the feel
inss struggling for expression arc not foreign.
We are OF Aryan blood as they are. and thou
sands Of years Of different experiences have not
shut the door between US. During all these
centuries the culture Of the Fast has, in one way
or another. touched the West Their art. their
architecture. their chivalry, transformed IL is
true. hags influenced our own most intimately.
Alexander the Great destroyed at PersepoSs
(B. C.. 1901 buildings more magnificent than any
others ever seen on the round world. not
excepting the monuments Of Athens. Tho
looms OF Persia made Constantinople splendid.
The Persians transmitted the immortal fables
and Apologies Of India - the Arabs. and
through them 20 the West. The works Of a Per-
STA sage (Avicenna) were text books in the
University OF Paris so late as the time Of Louis
XIV. When BENJAMIN Franklin was seeking
for q new chapter of the Bible he found IL in
Sa'adi's Parable OF Abraham and the Fire
worshipper.- Our little children are bred up on
the tales Of the Arabian Nights, a great part Of
which are Of Persian origin. In a thousand
nacknowledsed ways the West has been taucht
by the East. When England was a wilderness
Inhabited by savaSes Persia was polite, culti-
waited, learned and illustrious. Whether We
know II or not, We have learned much from
them. and our thoughts still respond to theirs.
It Is the form OF their thoughts. and es~ pecally
Of their poetic thoughts. that f. alien. IL Ia
worth while TO dwell a little upon this point.
One Of the odes Of HafiB reads, in the Persia n.
as follows.
The Persian is written in italics, and neces-
sary words are Supplied In parentheses:
cTh., ,rt-aues TOT my face cha, Isl ny rs Isl ny
with tourtesv ,nersanns. 81, dorn In this house
dis Try houSs.
What are We 20 do with this We must reach
the meaning OF Hafz by a series OF approxima-
tons, each time coming a step nearer to Occi-
dental forms. but always preserving the
Oriental ~feelinS-ii we can Hafz would GER
tainly have accepted the following coupiet as
his own:
The ss.auIs Of ny res my eye u q nsn 10, you;
Be gracious, Oh, 81 dorn: ny hcu,e Is your houss.
The learned editor OF 'Hafz-R osen zweig-
has versfed this in German:
N.ines Auges Halle viii Ich
Dir rum Neste weih'n
Sass In ihr dich gnadig nieder,
Dem das Haus Is deIn.
This ode has also been made part OF an
English sonnet as follows:
From HAIRS lips In centuries gone By.
The honeyed couplets Of this artless ode.
Like lmpid drops OF dew, successive lowed:
my love- he said. 'the globe Of Hanr' eye
Tby mansion Is; then enter Fraciously.
Be Welcome, rest remain-for this abode
Is by its owner on his guest bestowed
With honor and In hospitality"
How true the poets crystal accent rings
And with what grave sin certify he sings
HIS song Of passion and OF courtesy
A, the smLl opening Of the lovers eye
The loved on knocks then enters-thencs departs
Only 70 dwell within his heart Of hearts!
Each one Of these usnslations is a progress
away from the form OF Hafs's couplet; each ono
of them 10 q step toward his meaning rsstated
In modern and in English fashion,. The problem
OF TRANSLATION IA TO change the form without
losing the flavor. II the translator leaves
face "a q nest for YOU the oddity. OF the image
obscures Its beauty 10 the general reader. who
may not know that the eye Is often so called
In Oriental verse. just o. q slender girl IL "a
cypress a ~blood-stained warrior "a Judas
tree" and 50 forth. II one translates as liter
sions like these. sit down graciously in the
hall Of my eye: IL Is dedicated ne a nest for you:
the house u yours" II one follows the lines
OF the sonnet sons OF the verbal expressions
Of Hafiz are quite lost while his meaning Is,
perhaps, still preserved.