Omar Khayyám in German Reformulations: Translation between Politics, Scholarship and Belief

Omar Khayyám in German Reformulations: Translation between Politics, Scholarship and Belief. Amir Theilhaber
In: Sufi non-conformism : antinomian trends in the Persianate cultural traditions. A.A. Seyed-Gohrab (ed.) Amsterdam : Leiden University Press, 2024. (Iranian Studies Series; 32) ISBN: 9789087284541. Pp. 203–226

Summary
Khayyām’s legacy extends to Europe and the present day. Amir Theilhaber’s chapter studies how Khayyām’s quatrains (rubāʿiyyāt) were canonised in the German-speaking world through the translation of Friedrich Rosen (1856–1935), Die Sinnsprüche Omars des Zeltmachers. Rosen was a diplomat and scholar of Oriental studies, who had an impact on Khayyām studies in Europe. Theilhaber examines Rosen’s life and the role Khayyām played in his intellectual and religious life. One of the many interesting topics that Theilhaber examines is how Rosen sees in Khayyām the ideas of a freethinker openly challenging Islamic religious orthodoxy, seeing in the Persian scientist an “Aryan-Indo-Germanic spirit that seeks cognisance, in a cultural war against the dogma of Semitic ‘Arabianness.’” Theilhaber demonstrates how such perverse antisemitic ideas were rightly refuted by scholars such as Ignaz Goldziher. The discussion shows how scholars in modern times treated nonconformist mediaeval ideas to explain the rise and popularity of antinomian movements. Aside from such original insights, Theilhaber’s chapter elaborates upon Rosen’s collaboration with Persian intellectuals such as Taqī Arānī in Berlin.

Fitz Gerald und Omar Khajjam

Fitz Gerald und Omar Khajjam. Joseph Steinmayer
In: Süddeutsche Monatshefte, Juni 1911, p. 710–726

Discusses influence of Persian literature and how FitzGerald treated the quatrains that he translated. Steinmayer also compares a number of FitzGerald’s translation with corresponding quatrains in Whinfield (translated into German)

Strophen aus FitzGerald’s Omar Nachdichtung

Strophen aus FitzGerald’s Omar Nachdichtung. Gustav Keyssner
In: Süddeutsche Monatshefte, Juni 1911, p. 698–710

Keyssner argues that although there are already a number of German translations of Omar Khayyám’s rubáiyát, he still remains rather unkown. Followed by a translation into German of 61 quatrains after FitzGerald.

Rubaiyat EI-Khayyam zwischen den deutschen und den arabischen Übersetzungen

Rubaiyat EI-Khayyam zwischen den deutschen und den arabischen Übersetzungen. Fausia Hassan
In: Revue Traduction et Langues, 2 (2003), 1, p. 22–42

Al-Khayyam between the Arabic and German translations -This work deals with the Rubaiyat of Omar Al -Khayyam. -We will cover the life and work of Omar AlKhayyam in general, emphasizing his importance and influence on other poets. A general overview of the different translations is given. It is further examined to what extent the Arabic translations differ from the German translation and where there is a comparison. The question is also asked whether the difference involves social, political or other aspects. With 50 quatrains quoted from the translation by Mohamed Abou-Zaid.