Feeling, that I had already touched on the history of my two objects from the first class, I chose another object that has a great significance to me. For this particular assignment, I turned to my favorite collection of poems, the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. The book was originally given to me, by my brother, for what occasion, I can’t remember. However, I had first been introduced to these works in English class, my Freshman year of high school. And, despite my lack of enthusiasm for my teacher at the time, I never forgot the work of Omar Khayyám. It stood out to me as the most interesting and beautiful piece I had read up to that point in my life. The particular version that I have contains the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th editions of these poems, translated into English Quatrains by Edward Fitzgerald and published by Random House Inc, the date of Copyright being 1947. As a whole, this collection of poems discusses the brevity of life and the need to find the joy in it. What more, it gives this sense of hope, through a lens, which brings us into the fantastic and colorful world in which both Omar and Fitzgerald have strung together, centuries apart.
Examining the information in the preface of this collection, I learned that the title of the book, the word, Rubáiyát translates to “collection of rhymes” from Persian, self explanatory for sure. The original author, whose full name is, Ghiyathuddin Abulfath Omar bin Ibrahim al-Khayyami, which translates to Omar, son of Abraham, the tent maker, studied with the wise men of the Sultan. He was a mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, and obvious poet, who created work throughout the 11th and 12th centuries. The thing I find most fascinating about this particular work is the ability Fitzgerald possessed to bring to life the words, that were separated by geography, time and language. What is more, Omar apparently created a disjointed and somewhat haphazard collection of thoughts, which Fitzgerald, during the 1900’s wove into a series of some of the most revered poems in history. Perhaps the most interesting part of this collection is that Fitzgerald, originally from Ireland, found a connection between his home of Erin, and Omar’s Iran. Believing himself to connect as the “forgotten poet”. While the content of these poems may not have fit the “Victorian priggishness” of the time, Fitzgerald felt so passionately about this work he decided to publish it himself. To connect so fully to a place and time you haven’t experienced yourself, except through another person’s work, is a beautiful idea. And, I guess if you think about it, many of us have felt the same when reading some of our favorite stories.
As I am taking a translation course this semester, I’m learning very quickly the layers upon which a good translation is formulated. Not only is there a need to have a familiarity with the language, but it is necessary to take into account, culture, context and idiomatic phrases that may be culturally specific to that language or time. When reading anything that has been translated, it is always a wonder how much of it is true to the original, and what ideas have been lost in translation. Obviously, with this work, we will never really have an answer as to what was lost, but the way in which Fitzergerald has constructed these ideas, along with the help of beautiful pictures, created by Mahmoud Sayah, what was lost, may not be missed. Altogether this piece of art has surpassed the ages of time to be loved and read by the contemporary world. And, although I have taken only a few printed books with me to college, the Rubáiyát was the first one I packed away. In closing, I’d like to share one of the poems with you guys that I’ve always found thought provoking:
I sent my Soul through the Invisible,
Some Letter of that After-life to spell:
And by and by my soul return’d to me,
And answer’d “I myself am Heav’n and Hell:”
The Materials of History, Thought, and Art 
I can see why you, and Fitzgerald, were so drawn to this text. It is absolutely gorgeous! However, what interested me most was the fact that Fitzgerald rearranged the poems in his translation. This aspect captures a potential of stuff that we have not really talked about yet, i.e. the mutability of stuff. So far we have talked about things that kept much of their original character although their importance/significance may change with the user. Yet, Omar’s text demonstrates how a thing can change while still occupying the same niche. It sounds like Fitzgerald’s translation brings to the poem a certain coherence, a feature that would, no doubt, have made it easier to read. Yet, one wonders what Omar’s original audience thought of his disjointed style. Did they like it? What did Omar think? Did he mean to publish his work? These are fascinating questions to think about, and I am really intrigued with the possibility of finding out more about Fitzgerald and Omar and the passion that this work has inspired.
I enjoy the fact that this object has sentimental meaning in a multitude of ways. As a material object itself, it is a beautiful reminder of your brother and the gift he chose for you. In terms of philosophical and individual significance, I think you explained your connection to the deeper implications of this book very nicely. In a strange and awesome way, I had a ‘meta’ moment, which a teacher once eloquently described to me as “when you think about a person,who is thinking about another person, and then that person is actually thinking about a different person, etc, etc.” So basically, when you described your interest in Fitzgerald’s interest in an 11th century writer, I found that experience to be very unique. Your expression of admiration for this phenomenon of literature as a means through which we might reconnect with a point in the past is very inspiring. The book also looks very beautiful, tempting to read!