The transliteration and translation
of Rumis quatrains offered in this site is an attempt
in order to provide an opportunity for those who are interested
in practicing Persian with Rumi. There is a transliteration
of the original Rubaiyat (quatrains) provided for each
poem, in order to make the pronunciation easier for the unfamiliar
western readers of Persian Classical poetry. It is also necessary
to mention that due to the rough, classical English language
used by Professor Arberry translating the quatrains, a detail
translation for the key words, phrases and expressions is provided
to facilitate the understanding of each Quatrain.
The original translation is by
Professor A.J.Arberry (1905-1969), who selected 359 finest and
the most individual of the quatrains attributed to Rumi. Arberrys
book was published first in 1949 as The
Rubaiyat of Jalal al-Din Rumi Select translation
into English verse, London, Emery Walker, LTD. Arberrys
selection relies upon the Isfahan edition of quatrains edited
by Muhammad Baqir Ulfat, who comprises 1994 Rubaiyat upon
the Istanbul print with a manuscript of the Diwan preserved
in the Nimatullahi monastery at Isfahan. It is necessary to
mention that in Isfahan edition, the poems arranged in double
alphabetical order, i.e. first by rhyme and then by the first
word of each poem within the rhyme-group. Ulfats edition
known also as Isfahan manuscript is an inferior work of the
well-known Persian scholar Badi al-Zaman Furozanfar
consists of 1983 Rubaiyat, which currently considered
as the most authentic and reliable edition of Rumis Diwan.
However, both Ulfat and Furozanfar include all the quatrains,
which were in the earlier manuscripts, and modern scholars believe
some of them were falsely attributed to Rumi and composed by
the earlier poets.
The readers should note that since
the base of translation in this site is Arberrys work,
therefore the Persian transliteration and the numbers referred
to the quatrains are from Isfahan edition, which in some part
differ from Furozanfar edition.
Any comments or suggestions concerning
the method using in this site are highly appreciated in order
to develop a better way of learning Persian through Rumis
poetry.
by Eliza
Tashibi