Saturday 12 February 2011

Quote of the week




With Valentine's Day coming up I thought I'd bring you one of my favourite quotes from the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. This verse is one that my dad used to quote to my mum when he was being romantic. This is from Edward Fitzgerald's second edition of his translation.





A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,

A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread, and Thou

Beside me singing in the Wilderness,

Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!




Image, Edmund Dulac Art Images. If you like this image, then please take a look at his website here

21 comments:

  1. Hi Tony, just dropping by to say hello. I'm a crusader! Thanks for dropping by my blog and following :)

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  2. It's amazing to see a translated poem. Has to be difficult to do.

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  3. Welcome aboard Len. Good to see you.

    Hi Chris, yes it's a true art to traslate a beautiful poem and end up with something that's still a beautiful poem.

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  4. Hi, Tony,

    This so simple yet perfect. Thanks for sharing.

    I hope you and Margo have a wonderful weekend. She told me about the wonderful outing you have planned for Monday....

    I hope it's a beautiful sunny day.

    Michael

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  5. Thats a fairy lovely quote! thanks for sharing.

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  6. Hey there fellow Crusader! If your dad quoted obscure passages, it's little wonder that you became a writer! Cheers.

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  7. Aw shucks Tony, lucky mum! Beautiful quote. What a romantic dad!

    And many congrats on 50 followers. You'll be ove 100 before you know it.

    Hope the writing is going well.

    Denise:)

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  8. Michael; Thank you so much, we're really looking forward to it.

    Alex; Yes, she did. She's nearly 80 now and he's been gone nearly 40 years. I honestly don't know how well she remembers.

    Summer; Lovely indeed. There's a few quotes from the Rubáiyát that I love. I might quote a couple more in the coming weeks.

    Will; I thought so too. He was a great influence on me. My hero.

    Denise; Thank you. I'm always pushing my time to get in as much writing as possible. Bring on the 100!

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  9. Hello, fellow crusader! Nice quote there! Happy Valentine's Day to you! :)

    Here's some more blog love for you:

    http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/awards/

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  10. Yey! Many thanks JC. I hope you have a lovely Valentine's day.

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  11. I love Fitzgerald's translation! We studied it in English class and I fell in love with it. I don't know how many copies I have. :)

    When I was in college, I had an Iranian friend-boy for a while who used to quote it to me in Persian. At least, that's what he said he was doing. For all I know, he was reciting his times tables. lol! Thanks for the memories!

    Marian Allen

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  12. I am a sucker for quotes and that was so simple and sweet!

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  13. Marian; I think Fitzgerald's is my favourite translation. Somehow the flow and beauty of the language come across better with his writing. I'm sure the times tables sound very poetic in Persian :-)

    Doreen; Yes, I am a bit of a quote fan myself. I'll be doing more quote of the week posts in the future.

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  14. Hi Tony. Fellow crusader here. Great poem, thanks for sharing it. Looking forward to following your blog!

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  15. The simple things on life are the setting for wonderous memories.

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  16. CherylAnne; Good to meet you. I've visited and followed your blog too. Enjoy the crusade.

    Stephen; Aren't they just? The verse conjures wonderful images.

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  17. Beautiful! Thanks for making me remember Omah Khayyam on Valentines day. I love so many of the Persian poets. Look forward to follwing your blog.

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  18. Nancy; Yes, fabulous isn't it?

    Jacqueline; Thanks for coming by and following. I agree, this is one of my favourite poems.

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  19. O that is beautiful!

    Thank you so much for visiting my blog and your kind words :)

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