Hwang Chin-i (1506-1547) is a woman poet, whose wit and accomplishments were legendary. She was a kisaeng. Her professional name was Meongwol ('bright moon'). This was set to music by Michael Vinten.
Took me a while to get my English version right. It wasn't until a deadline loomed, to provide the text for one of the songs in a song-cycle for mezzo soprano by NZ composer Michael Vinten, that I had to bash out this version. (The song itself is also gorgeous, as is the performance by the recipient of the song cycle, Sarah Court. I think there may be a recording of her with the NZSO somewhere, probably on the SOUNZ site.)
My friend Matt (the palaeobotanist) recommended a new translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, but I can't recall which translator he favoured (except that it wasn't Fitzgerald, the Victorian). Any ideas?
Ordered the new Rubaiyat tr. Juan Cole from Bloomsbury. But It won’t be coming fast: ‘usually despatched in 2-4 weeks’. Still, I’m excited. I’ll have to make do with a glimpse of your illustrated Arabian Nights in the meantime.
Well, if you visit Orc-Land, the 28% Asian metropolis of Keyaurastan NZ, I shall show you the annotated Arabian Nights. I shan't show you my etchings as I don't have any. The reason I mention this book on your substack is that I presume you have many bibliophiles amongst your readership, who would like to pay $ and support publishers of books that are works of art in themselves. Seale includes a few of her whimsical found poems -- pages of English translations of the Nights, with most of the text blotted out by black ink or gold paint, leaving isolated words that form her found verse.
Don't know any translation of Rubaiyat apart from the Fitzgerald. However, there's a new translation out by Juan Cole. Now, Prof Cole is a worthy guy [ US prof pol sci ]-- I bought his book 'Engaging the Muslim World' when it came out around 2010. I don't expect a pol sci prof to be a great versifier, but I suppose it could only be more useful than the most unintentionally funny book of pol sci published by an Ivy League or Oxbridge publisher - Ashraf Ghani's 'Fixing Failed States' by OUP/ Columbia UP.
Juan Cole has a blog, informed comment, [ juancole.com ] that was the best source of info about the Muslim world, esp politics, that I've found. Cole is / was married to a Syrian, and travelled extensively in the middle east.
Hey, I've just gone on to his blog that I haven't been on for ages, and his New year's day post for 2024 is something from his Rubaiyat translation!
Me like! If I was studying this for NCEA, I might conjecture the first person of the poem is Clarke Gayford, and the 'long winter night' is his rueful reflection on Labour's disastrous electoral rout leading to the probability of two, three, four consecutive terms out of office.
BTW I have recently bought from Bezos Cartel 'the Annotated Arabian Nights' translated by Yasmine Seale. It is a folio-sized [ but not as heavy as the 1623 effort by Mr Jaggard ] sumptuous book production, illustrated from various eras. So many short poems from the Islamic classical age are incorporated into the texts of the various stories! Serves as a reminder to me how important verse was [ and oral poetry ] to Islamic cultures ; the antithesis to the current English-speaking world.
Thanks Anne French. Coverlet was delicious.
Thank you!
Took me a while to get my English version right. It wasn't until a deadline loomed, to provide the text for one of the songs in a song-cycle for mezzo soprano by NZ composer Michael Vinten, that I had to bash out this version. (The song itself is also gorgeous, as is the performance by the recipient of the song cycle, Sarah Court. I think there may be a recording of her with the NZSO somewhere, probably on the SOUNZ site.)
Very interested in your Annotated Arabian Nights.
My friend Matt (the palaeobotanist) recommended a new translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, but I can't recall which translator he favoured (except that it wasn't Fitzgerald, the Victorian). Any ideas?
Ordered the new Rubaiyat tr. Juan Cole from Bloomsbury. But It won’t be coming fast: ‘usually despatched in 2-4 weeks’. Still, I’m excited. I’ll have to make do with a glimpse of your illustrated Arabian Nights in the meantime.
Well, if you visit Orc-Land, the 28% Asian metropolis of Keyaurastan NZ, I shall show you the annotated Arabian Nights. I shan't show you my etchings as I don't have any. The reason I mention this book on your substack is that I presume you have many bibliophiles amongst your readership, who would like to pay $ and support publishers of books that are works of art in themselves. Seale includes a few of her whimsical found poems -- pages of English translations of the Nights, with most of the text blotted out by black ink or gold paint, leaving isolated words that form her found verse.
Don't know any translation of Rubaiyat apart from the Fitzgerald. However, there's a new translation out by Juan Cole. Now, Prof Cole is a worthy guy [ US prof pol sci ]-- I bought his book 'Engaging the Muslim World' when it came out around 2010. I don't expect a pol sci prof to be a great versifier, but I suppose it could only be more useful than the most unintentionally funny book of pol sci published by an Ivy League or Oxbridge publisher - Ashraf Ghani's 'Fixing Failed States' by OUP/ Columbia UP.
Juan Cole has a blog, informed comment, [ juancole.com ] that was the best source of info about the Muslim world, esp politics, that I've found. Cole is / was married to a Syrian, and travelled extensively in the middle east.
Hey, I've just gone on to his blog that I haven't been on for ages, and his New year's day post for 2024 is something from his Rubaiyat translation!
Me like! If I was studying this for NCEA, I might conjecture the first person of the poem is Clarke Gayford, and the 'long winter night' is his rueful reflection on Labour's disastrous electoral rout leading to the probability of two, three, four consecutive terms out of office.
BTW I have recently bought from Bezos Cartel 'the Annotated Arabian Nights' translated by Yasmine Seale. It is a folio-sized [ but not as heavy as the 1623 effort by Mr Jaggard ] sumptuous book production, illustrated from various eras. So many short poems from the Islamic classical age are incorporated into the texts of the various stories! Serves as a reminder to me how important verse was [ and oral poetry ] to Islamic cultures ; the antithesis to the current English-speaking world.