lang:Middle-Eastern

By Farid ud-Din Attar.
Begun 04 Jul 2007; finished 12 Jul.

I first learned of the mythical bird called Simurgh (Simorg Anka) from The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges, its origins in Persian mythology and its mythological and spiritual significance. I’ve seen that name dropped in various other texts; Borges’ compilation mentioned Farid ud-Din Attar’s poem. This spurred me to learn more about the Simurgh, and thus read The Conference of the Birds (Mantiq at-Tair).

Attar’s beautiful poem is, on the surface, about birds that embark on a quest to seek their legendary king, the Simurgh. But it is actually an allegorical poem about Sufism, the mystical Persian religion most prominently displayed in the dancing dervishes. Read the rest of this entry »

By Omar Khayyám.
Translated by Edward Fitzgerald.

The Rubáiyát was an appropriate follow-through, given my state of mind (after reading The Gods of Pegana). Once again, a vision of bronze skies and golden sands, minarets and mosques, caravansaries and ziggurats. The rubstrongiystrongt were wonderfully rhymed, and spoke long about the transiency and mystery of life, the delights of drink and food, the latter of which should be indulged in since the former is short — and about clay pots. The collection of quatrains, where the poet listens to the speech of pots concerning their creations and Creator, is quite delightful. Khayyám certainly was absorbed in Today and the pleasures it holds, but his poetry makes it sound so blissful and carefree. If only…

So that was worth reading. I would like to check out the literal translations of the Rubáiyát.