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[46] For in and out, above, about, below by Omar Khayyam (11th Century) Timeline English version by Edward FitzGerald Original Language Persian/Farsi Muslim / Sufi 11th Century For in and out, above, about, below, 'Tis nothing but a Magic Shadow-show,      Play'd in a Box whose Candle is the Sun, Round which we Phantom Figures come and go.     -- from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, by Omar Khayyam / Translated by Edward FitzGerald Amazon.com   / Photo by nandadevieast /	Themes   Sun         Recommended Books The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, by Omar Khayyam / Translated by Edward FitzGerald The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, by Omar Khayyam / Translated by Peter Avery The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (Illustrated Edition), by Omar Khayyam / Translated by Edward FitzGerald The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam Explained, by Paramhansa Yogananda / Edited by J. Donald Walters (Kriyananda) The Sufism of the Rubaiyat or the Secret of the Great Paradox, by Norton F. W. Hazeldine More >>
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

Goosebumps! I get an electrical thrill reading many of the verses from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. It's something about the rhyme in FitzGerald's translation.

In this quatrain, we have "below," "show," and "go" in the first, second, and fourth lines. But the real magic for me comes from that secondary rhyme in the first line that matches "out" and "about" without disrupting the meter and end of line rhyme. And then the double rhyme of "SHadOW-SHOW", and the "F" alliteration of "Phantom Figures"...

Read the lines out loud. Listen to the sound of it, the play of rhythm and rhyme.

When rhyme is done poorly, especially in modern poetry, it feel awkward or stilted, distracting from the poem. But when done well, rhyme carries a whole new level of enchantment, firing up a part of the awareness too often dormant in the modern mind. Reading FitzGerald's rendition of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is a good restorative elixir.

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2011 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers.