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Larger hopes and the new hedonism: Tennyson and FitzGerald

Larger hopes and the new hedonism: Tennyson and FitzGerald. Norman Page.
In: Edward FitzGerald’s The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. Ed. by H. Bloom. Philadelphia, Chelsea House, 2004. p. 151-168.
(From Tennyson: Seven Essays, edited by Philip Collins. 1992 by The Macmillan Press Ltd.)

Page compares Tennyson’s In Memoriam with the almost contemporary Rubaiyat. The author’s analysis is that, even as he confronts the threats to faith posed by the new science (Darwin), Tennyson remains conservative and reassuring with the strength of his convictions, while the Rubaiyat, a fin-de-siecle poem “born before its time”, is uncompromisingly unorthodox and challenging with the power of its scepticism.

Edward Fitzgerald and Other Men’s Flowers: Allusion in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Edward Fitzgerald and Other Men’s Flowers: Allusion in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Christopher Decker.
Literary Imagination 6 (2004) 2, pp. 213-239.

One of the most arresting images called to mind in Edward FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám is that of the corpus redivivum, the buried corpse that turns to flowers gently in the grave. The body’s separate members suffer a metamorphosis into other objects that recompose and recollect their bygone looks. Khayyám reflects: I sometimes think that never blows so red The Rose as where some buried Cæsar bled; That every Hyacinth the Garden wears Dropt in its Lap from some once lovely Head. (XVIII)

FitzGerald’s Approach to Translation

FitzGerald’s Approach to Translation. Habibollah Mashhady, Mahbube Noura.
International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research 3 (2012) 4, pp. 370–384.

The present paper attempts to explore FitzGerald’s overall approach to translation by examining his translated works and particularly by focusing on his translation of Khayyam’s Rubaiyat. Khayyam Rubaiyat is selected as the text to gather data and it is compared to its English translation by FitzGerald in order to identify the strategies he used in translating it into English.

Méditation sur les mystères de la création. Paul Valéry et Omar al Khayyâm

Méditation sur les mystères de la création. Paul Valéry et Omar al Khayyâm. Mohammad Reza Mohseni.
Revue Annales du patrimoine, (2012) Nr. 12, pp. 57-71.

La méditation sur la mort, l’ordre de l’existence ainsi que les mystères de la Genèse constitue l’objet principal des études philosophiques dont s’inspirent, de temps à autre, la poésie et la littérature. Cette recherche se fixe comme objectif de démontrer si l’attitude des poètes Paul Valéry et Omar al Khayyâm à l’encontre des notions telles que la mort et l’existence tire son origine de leur affres de la mort, ou bien elle prend ses sources dans leurs préoccupations philosophiques. Nous allons étudier les attributs narcissiques des poèmes de Valéry, en pleine contra diction avec des vers cosmopolites et regorgés de sagesse de Khayyâm.

The Reflection of “The Rubaiyat of Omar Kheyam in “The Fruits of Earth” by Andre Gide

The Reflection of “The Rubaiyat of Omar Kheyam in “The Fruits of Earth” by Andre Gide. Hassan Emami, E. Mohammadi, M. Zarei.
Research in Contemporary World Literature / Pazhuhesh-e Zabanha-ye Khareji, (2012) 63.

This research, based on the fundamental theories of comparative literature, indicates that the treasure of Persain culture and literature has played a vital role in creating and inspiring several literary masterpieces of the world. Andre Gide –the eminent French writer–is one of those who under the influence of this rich heritage has created such a unique work as “The Fruits Of Earth”. He has created this famous work under the influence of Persian literature. By mentioning a line of Hafiz and a verse of Quran at the beginning of his book, Gide has indicated his special attention to oriental works. To some extent, his “The Fruits of the Earth” is related to oriental literature, especially Persian. Although he has mentioned the name of Khayyam just one time, the influence of Khayyam on his work is more than other Persian writers. This research shows the different ways and the extent of Gide’s familiarity with Khayyam and offers a comparison of common concepts in “Rubaiyyat” and “The Fruits of Earth”.

The similar lives and different destinies of Thomas Gray, Edward FitzGerald and A.E. Housman

The similar lives and different destinies of Thomas Gray, Edward FitzGerald and A.E. Housman. A. Briggs.
In: FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. Popularity and neglect. Ed. by A. Poole et al. London, Anthem Press, 2011. pp. 73-92.

Briggs considers the arresting similarities and instructive differences between FitzGerald and two other retiring poets whose modest poetic output has won an exceptional popularity, Thomas Gray and A. E. Housman.

The Protean precursor: Browning and Edward Fitzgerald

The Protean precursor: Browning and Edward Fitzgerald. J. Woolford.
Victorian Literature and Culture 24 (1996), p. 313-332.

Woolford analyzes Robert Browning’s varying attitude towards FitzGerald, as reflected in “Rabbi ben Ezra” and “To Edward FitzGerald,” and argues that FitzGerald, though a contemporary, at times figured for Browning as a Bloomian precursor.

Variants in Khayyamic Poetry

Variants in Khayyamic Poetry. Ralph Groves.
Islamic culture 69 (1995), nr. 3, p. 47-64.

This study will examine some of the variants found in Khayyamic poetry. After a brief introduction to Omar Khayyam, some variants in Khayyamic poetry will be presented to the reader. A hypothesis as to the causes of variations will be put forth and then criteria will be suggested to the reader for choosing the variant roba’i most loyal to Khayyam’s style.

Love and wine in Khayyam and Hafez

Love and wine in Khayyam and Hafez. R. Foltz.
In: Persian studies in North America. Studies in honor of Mohammed Ali Jazayery. Ed. by M. Marashi. Bethesda, Iranbooks, 1994. p. 417-421.

Both Omar Khayyam and Hafez of Shiraz are known for writing about wine and love, yet the use of similar images by the two poets belies a great difference in content. This should not be surprising, since beyond the fact that their lives were separated by were separated by three centuries, the two men differed vastly in nature as well as circumstance.