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FitzGerald, Rámí, and Umm Kulthúm: the Making of ‘Umar Khayyám in Arabic

FitzGerald, Rámí, and Umm Kulthúm: the Making of ‘Umar Khayyám in Arabic. Huda J. Fakhreddine.
Al-Abhath, 60-61 (2012-2013), pp. 87-110.

This article traces the journey of the Rubá’iyyát of ‘Umar al-Khayyám into Arabic literature via English and primarily the highly influential translation made by Edward FitzGerald. Ahmad Rámí’s translation, which was the first direct translation from Persian into Arabic, was nevertheless greatly informed by FitzGerald’s translating decisions.

Singing the quatrains. Omar Khayyám and Umm Kulthúm

Singing the quatrains. Omar Khayyám and Umm Kulthúm. Jan Just Witkam.
In: The great ‘Umar Khayyám. Leiden, Leiden University Press, 2012. pp. 85-95.

Witkam examines in this chapter the translations of the Egyptian poet Ahmad Muhammad Rámí (1892-1981) and how his translations were sung by the famous singers Umm Kulthum (c. 1904-1975) and Muhammad ‘Abd al-Vahháb (1907-1991)