The Rub??y?t of Omar Khayy?m, and the Sal?m?n and ?bs?l of J?m?

The Rub??y?t of Omar Khayy?m, and the Sal?m?n and ?bs?l of J?m?: Rendered Into English Verse | Omar Khayyam

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FitzGerald's Rubáiyát = 5⭐
Euphranor is an earlier work taking the form of a Platonic dialogue one day in late spring in Cambridge between a doctor and several young students while they drink beer and play bowls. It's a reply to a popular book of the 1850s on the proper education of English manhood which, little known today, set the tone for a certain kind of Stiff Upper Lipped Englishness that inspired the Scout movement and running towards ⬇️

Bookwomble ... machine gun fire armed with a stick, and pertains today amongst the Eton Set, Daily Mail readers, and those who still pine for the British Empire. FitzGerald, as far as I can make out, wasn't a fan. The polemic, good natured as it was, I could have done without, but the characters and setting were really appealing, and it's a great loss that FitzGerald never wrote a novel.
Sáláman and Absál is FitzGerald's translation of 14th century ⬇️ 3w

Bookwomble ... Persian Sufi poet, Jámí's, allegory of the soul's enlightenment. That he uses the metaphor of female sexual allure corrupting masculine purity & nobility doesn't read well in the 21st century. It was a bit of a slog, to be honest, but not without some beautiful images, & I learned of the legend of Alexander's Mirror, which allowed the Great One to view far-off lands and communicate with people there, which was interesting. Overall rating 4 ⭐ 3w

TieDyeDude Very cool. It is amazing how one book set the tone for centuries after. So was this a rebut or an endorsement? I forgot about Alexander's mirror. That would be interesting to learn about. 3w

Bookwomble @TieDyeDude Given the tone when referring to the book's author (tagged), I'd say it's a rebuttal, but to be honest I was less interested in FitzGerald's argument than in his characterisation. I am fascinated by the influence of Digby's writings, but don't think I want to read them. In the other poem, FitzGerald/Jámí use Alexander's Mirror, though it must have been such a cultural touchstone that it's not really explained or described. I Wikied it!

The broad stone of honour: or, The true sense and practice of chivalry. The 1st book, Godefridus

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