Subscribe: by Email | in Reader

The Moving Finger Writes; and, Having Writ -- Omar Khayyam

       
(Poem #545) The Moving Finger Writes; and, Having Writ
 The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
 Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
 Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
 Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it
-- Omar Khayyam
Perhaps the most famous verse of Fitzgerald's Rubaiyat, and with good reason
- it is hard to think of any way in which it could possibly be improved.
That's one of the things I most like about short poems, actually - at
their best, they can attain a self-contained, gemlike perfection[1] that
longer pieces are hard-pressed to match, and the Rubaiyat definitely take
their place among the best of the breed.

Indeed, today's poem has attained an almost proverbial status quite
independent of its Biblical origins (see Notes) - while 'the writing on the
wall' is definitely from the Bible, the image of a Moving Finger has, IMHO,
been popularised far more by Fitzgerald's verse.

[1] yes, we've used the phrase before. It's still the right one :)

Notes:

'Rubaiyat' (singular 'rubai') is simply the name for the verse form (Arabic
'ruba`iyat, singular 'ruba`iyah', a quatrain)

The full title of Fitzgerald's translation (or adaptation, if you prefer) is
'The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam'. The individual rubai are untitled, of
course; I've just followed the standard practice of using the first line as
the title. Also, since we've set a precedent, I've continued to list the
author as Khayyam rather than Fitzgerald.

Today's quatrain is based on a passage from the Old Testament, specifically
Daniel 5. Quoting sections from the King James Version:

  (5:1) Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his
  lords, and drank wine before the thousand. (5:2) Belshazzar, whiles
  he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which
  his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in
  Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines,
  might drink therein. (5:3) Then they brought the golden vessels
  that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at
  Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines,
  drank in them. (5:4) They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold,
  and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. (5:5) In
  the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against
  the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and
  the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. (5:6) Then the king's
  countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints
  of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. (5:7)
  The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the
  soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon,
  Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof,
  shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck,
  and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. (5:8) Then came in all the
  king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to
  the king the interpretation thereof.

and later on

  (5:23) But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they
  have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy
  lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou
  hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and
  stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy
  breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: (5:24)
  Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
  (5:25) And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL,
  UPHARSIN. (5:26) This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath
  numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. (5:27) TEKEL; Thou art weighed in
  the balances, and art found wanting. (5:28) PERES; Thy kingdom is divided,
  and given to the Medes and Persians. (5:29) Then commanded Belshazzar, and
  they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck,
  and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler
  in the kingdom. (5:30) In that night was Belshazzar the king of the
  Chaldeans slain.

Biography:

There's an ex.html

Some excerpts

  As one who found the freest current for his delicate and impressionable
  genius in the translation and adaptation of the works of others, Edward
  FitzGerald stands as far aloof from the ordinary activities of the
  literature of his day as his life was remote from that of the world in
  general.

  [...]

  Of work which was entirely original, FitzGerald left little. The charming
  verses, written at Naseby in the spring of 1831 under the influence of
  "the merry old writers of more manly times," and printed in Hone's
  Year-Book under the title The Meadows in Spring, were thought, at their
  first appearance, to be the work of Charles Lamb and were welcomed by
  their supposed author with good-humoured envy. Diffidence of his own
  powers and slowness in composition prevented FitzGerald from rapid
  publication. It was not until 1851 that the dialogue Euphranor appeared, a
  discourse upon youth and systems of education set in the scenery of
  Cambridge, amid the early summer flowering of college gardens and "the
  measured pulse of racing oars." Its limpid transparency of style was not
  achieved without an effort: in 1846, when FitzGerald was writing it, he
  alluded to his difficulties with the task in a letter to his friend Edward
  Cowell, and its ease and clearness, like those of Tennyson's poetry,
  appear to have been the fruit of constant polish and revision.

Links:

  We've run a couple of pieces on the Rubaiyat as a whole (with excerpts):
    poem #162, poem #342.

  While the quatrains are wonderful poems in their own right, they take on a
  whole new dimension when read in the context of the complete Rubaiyat. See
    http://www.arabiannights.org/rubaiyat/index2.html

  There's a searchale KJV at http://www.concordance.com/bible.htm

-martin

455 comments: ( or Leave a comment )

«Oldest   ‹Older   401 – 455 of 455   Newer›   Newest»
Anonymous said...

Natuгal аnd ѕafе way tο lose weight, but that аlsο incluԁes vitаmins, mіnerаls, soԁіum, vitamіns, mineгals,
copper, magnesium, ѕelenіum, and chromium.
Nаpѕil is a greаt prоduсt for those ωho hаvе
heart diseaseѕ, аnd cаrԁiac green coffеe beаn extгасt
аrгhуthmіaѕ. The inсгeasing amount of green coffee bеan eхtгact
avaіlable in the market. Οne cuρ of гefгeshing Grееn Τea сonsistѕ оf powerful
anti-oxidants such as epicаtechin EϹ, ерigаllocatеchin EGС аnd epіgallocatechіn gallatе.


Αlso visit my web-sіte ... http://Www.Ceram-Ege.com/

Anonymous said...

If you wish for to grow your knowledge just keep visiting this web page and
be updated with the latest news posted here.

My web page - Colonic hydrotherapy

Anonymous said...

I know this if off topic but I'm looking into starting my own blog and was wondering what all is required to get setup? I'm assuming having a
blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I'm not very internet smart so I'm not 100% positive.
Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
buy targeted twitter followers

Anonymous said...

We ѕtumbled oνer here by а different website and thought I shoulԁ check
things out. I like what Ι ѕee so noω i'm following you. Look forward to going over your web page yet again.

Here is my web page; cash advance

Anonymous said...

Good day! I simply wish to give an enormous
thumbs up for the good data you have right here on this post.
I shall be coming again to your weblog for more soon.


Also visit my weblog :: Top40 Charts - Most Trusted Music Charts in the Industry

Anonymous said...

Good day! I just would like to give an enormous thumbs up for the good info you have got here
on this post. I shall be coming again to your weblog for more soon.


Also visit my blog ... semi colon notation

Anonymous said...

Good day! I simply wish to give an enormous thumbs up for the nice data you have right here
on this post. I can be coming back to your blog for extra soon.


my page ... semi truck rental for cdl test

Anonymous said...

Hello! I simply would like to give a huge thumbs up for
the nice data you will have right here on this post. I
might be coming again to your weblog for more soon.


Have a look at my webpage social semiotics and science education

Anonymous said...

Howdy! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the good info you have right here on this post.

I will probably be coming again to your blog for more soon.


My weblog ³¬½ÃÅÙÆ®

Anonymous said...

Howdy! I just would like to give an enormous thumbs up for the great information you’ve here on this post.
I can be coming back to your weblog for more soon.

My web-site seoul korean bbq calgary menu

Anonymous said...

Hello! I just wish to give an enormous thumbs up for the nice data you’ve got here on
this post. I will likely be coming again to your blog for more soon.


Feel free to surf to my blog: yahoo maps seoul korea

Anonymous said...

Good day! I just want to give a huge thumbs up for
the nice data you’ve got here on this post.
I shall be coming again to your blog for extra soon.


my blog: seo software comparisons

Anonymous said...

Hi to every one, it's actually a good for me to pay a visit this website, it contains helpful Information.

Also visit my web blog ... quantrim reviews

Anonymous said...

Whats up! I simply would like to give an enormous thumbs up for the good data you could have here on this post.

I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.



Also visit my webpage seoul south korea weather in june

Anonymous said...

Hiya! I simply wish to give a huge thumbs up for the nice information you will have right here on
this post. I can be coming again to your weblog for extra soon.


My blog post: all for you seo in guk download

Anonymous said...

You can consult with root canal dentists plano easily and get the best in anesthesia and relaxation technology.

Quite naturally, most gymnasts have their favorite events, or events in which they specialize; but the all arounders must put in the time to correctly research on Root Canal Dentists Planos who could possibly accomplish the process.
Veneers Veneers are used to repair teeth that have become stuck between your teeth and give an enhanced smile.

Anonymous said...

Just rеmember to drink ѕafe аnԁ try nοt
tο get bаnneԁ from your locаl baг bесаuѕе of me.
Puгpose: Thiѕ will help ωіth
mаstеry of baѕic math facts аnd fasteг reсall of mаth
facts. The i - Ρоd Touсh vеrѕion
hаs eѵerything the orіginal hаd, from
the top down view to the funnу characters. Εnѕure to inѕtruct the соmpany to
wear olԁ clothes and bring а change of thοrοughly cleаn clothѕ wіth.

Kiԁs aѕ уoung аs tοddleгs сan play, sinсe nο геadіng іs requirеd.


My blog; shooting Games unblocked

Anonymous said...

I ωas curiouѕ if you ever thought of сhanging the page layοut of
youг ωebѕite? Its vегy well writtеn;
I love what youve got to say. Βut mаybe you could a lіttle more in
the way of contеnt so ρeοple could conneсt with it better.
Youѵe gοt an awful lot of text foг
оnlу having onе or two imаges.
Μaуbе you сoulԁ ѕpace it out better?


Here is my web-site :: amazing 3d tattoos

Anonymous said...

Whаt's up to all, it's in fact a gοοԁ for me to pау a νіsіt this site,
it includes importаnt Informatіοn.


Негe is mу website :: Garage door parts phoenix

Anonymous said...

Whats up! I simply want to give an enormous thumbs up for the great info you’ve here on
this post. I might be coming back to your weblog for extra
soon.

Look at my blog; semogue 1305 review

Anonymous said...

As a popular rest stop for those on their way
home, there are those who say that doesn't appear to exist anymore. Sherrie Carruth says the boy was found, people have placed three crosses, dozens of stuffed animals, candles, flowers, a baseball and other children's items.
We have school facility issues that need to be, it will be
a hindrance in my surgery.

Feel free to visit my homepage; zachariah hedrick

Anonymous said...

Τhey havе to sеt the next marshmallow іn thеir mοuth and repeаt the ωοrԁs.

Τhеy wеnt baсk to the waterfall and сollected their thіngs,
гeady to go home. I have founԁ along the way some great fun games that уou
сan plаy with youг dog that сan аlsо teаch agility and strengthen obedience cоmmands such as ѕtop, sit аnd stаy.
Gueѕs What Baby Item - Mothеrs ωill enjoy
thіs game the most. Κids aѕ young as toddlers сan
play, since no reading іs required.

Also visіt my web blog - games at school unblocked

Anonymous said...

Hi! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was
wondering which blog platform are you using for this website?
I'm getting sick and tired of Wordpress because I've had problems with hackers and I'm looking at options for another platform. I would be awesome if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

my blog post: unblocked games at school

Anonymous said...

Usually within 2 weeks you have a child that is bottle feeding, do not
use excessive amounts of toothpaste.

Visit my homepage: dentist plano texas ()

online drugstore said...

Greetings! I would just like to express my gratitude for the cool information contained in this post. I will be visiting your site for more awesome info soon.

Unknown said...

I started following your blog while looking for info on custom essay reviews for my college thesis. Since then, I have been an avid reader! I really appreciate the effort you put in to the research and the lucid manner in which you present the info to your readers. Cheers!

temple run game said...

I would just like to express my gratitude for the cool information contained in this post. I will be visiting your site for more awesome info soon.

Bridal saree said...

Hello. Cool article. There's a problem with the site in firefox, and you may want to test this... The browser is the market chief and a big component to people will miss your wonderful writing due to this problem.

aman said...

I really like your post. This is very beneficial for all. I hope more people will like this post. Thanks for sharing with us.

Anonymous said...

This provided a great link for a point I was making, here. Many thanks, it's a beautiful poem, and you covered it well.

Content Writing Services said...

The you post the article is totally staggering, i strongly like which you give here on the web. keep posting such kind of stuff here on the web.

Anonymous said...

It is really much ado about the obvious.

Anivhomestyle said...

Very helpful blog...will share it

friv 45 games said...

I've been reading about this topic for one week now for my papers in school and thank God I found it here in your blog. I had a great time reading this.

Online GED said...

very helpful work thanks for sharing

Caroline said...

Helpful once ya news,
thanks a lot ya pa admin has given this minimalist livingroom design | yamaha yzf r good news.

hampton bay fan said...

writing wrong articles and sending me and regenerating me to some other website for a different content all together. But your articles and blog is very genuine and that is what I like about you.

High School Diploma Online said...

Great sharing you have done here keep it up.

chota bheem games club said...

I've been reading about this topic for one week now for my papers in school and thank God I found it here in your blog. I had a great time reading this.

Anonymous said...

Good to learn something new about SEO from this blog. Thanks for sharing such worthy article.

Recent Work for Konnect Infoline & Best and Affordable SEO Packages

unsgu said...

terimakasih, website ini telah home interior design memberikan ilmu pengetahuan interior design minimalist office yang sangat bermanfaat untuk ducati superbike saya dan yang lain price yamaha yzf r1

taiseer said...



reputed overseas consultancy in hyderabad do you want to study in abroad today or in the next intake. we are the best and top rated study abroad consultancies in india with good visa assurance.we help you in filing the f1 visa for you in very less time. we are also help you with information needed to apply for the college university.


سحرعلي said...

site translation
https://transltion.wordpress.com/2018/11/27/legal-translation-dubai/
https://translationindubai.wixsite.com/website
https://saharalsun1.wixsite.com/legaltranslation
https://www.behance.net/gallery/70266569/legal-transltion-in-dubai?


https://translation2017.livejournal.com/326.html
https://legaltranslationindubai.weebly.com/
https://translationindubai.wixsite.com/website
https://wallinside.com/post-64923847-legal-translation-in-dubai.html

https://legaltranslationservicesindubai.yolasite.com/
https://transltion.wordpress.com/2018/11/27/legal-translation-dubai/
https://translationindubai.wixsite.com/website
https://saharalsun1.wixsite.com/legaltranslation
https://www.behance.net/gallery/70266569/legal-transltion-in-dubai?


https://translation2017.livejournal.com/326.html
https://legaltranslationindubai.weebly.com/
https://translationindubai.wixsite.com/website
https://wallinside.com/post-64923847-legal-translation-in-dubai.html

https://legaltranslationservicesindubai.yolasite.com/
https://translation2017.livejournal.com/

Jeff C. McAbee said...

No doubt this is an excellent post I got a lot of knowledge after reading good luck. Theme of blog is excellent there is almost everything to read, Brilliant post. moving companies studio city

benard walker said...

Hello , my name is Benard walker....
A friend of mine lied to my wife that I was cheating on her and this made her filed for divorce without even giving me a chance to explain and everything went up. The thought of losing my family got my heart broken so i prayed for a solution and a way i can be able to bring back my wife and kids and prove to her all these things she heard about me and the other lady working in my office are all lies because deep down in my heart i knew i never and will never cheat on my wife. To cut this whole story short my wife sister from the USA heard all the issues on ground and immediately asked me to contact DR SAM she gave me his contacts details and i did as she said and DR SAM told me everything will be fine in two days in two days my wife will come home for good again and this was exactly what happened and for this reason i say this man is real and can also help anyone with any of the below problem:
BRINGING BACK LOST LOVER.
RESTORATION OF BROKEN MARRIAGES / RELATIONSHIPS.
HEALING OF DISEASES.
PRAYERS OVERCOME SPIRITUAL ATTACKS OR BAD DREAMS.
CURE FOR HSV 1 AND HSV 2.
TOTAL CURE FOR INFECTION STD ETC.
A WEAK ERECTION TREATMENT AND CURE FOR HIV IS GUARANTEED.
PRAYERS FOR LUCKY NUMBERS FOR LOTTO WINNING.
ETC..................
email: thegreatcure5@gmail.com
call/ text/ whatsapp ; +2349133200695
Thank you.

«Oldest ‹Older   401 – 455 of 455   Newer› Newest»

Post a Comment