QUATRAINS OF OMAR KHAYYAM
Edward FitzGerald translation
COMPARATIVE TABLE OF STANZAS IN THE FOUR[100] EDITIONS OF FITZGERALD
Ed. 1Ed. 2Edd. 3 and 4
III
IIIIII
IIIIIIIII
IVIVIV
VVV
VIVIVI
VIIVIIVII
VIIIIXIX
IXXX
XXIXI
XIXIIXII
XIIXIIIXIII
XIIIXVXIV
XIVXVIIXVI
XVXVIXV
XVIXVIIIXVII
XVIIXIXXVIII
XVIIIXXIVXIX
XIXXXVXX
XXXXIXXI
XXIXXIIXXII
XXIIXXIIIXXIII
XXIIIXXVIXXIV
XXIVXXVIIXXV
XXVXXIXXXVI
XXVILXVILXIII
XXVIIXXXXXVII
XXVIIIXXXIXXVIII
XXIXXXXIIXXIX
XXXXXXIIIXXX
XXXIXXXIVXXXI
XXXIIXXXVXXXII
XXXIIIXXXVIIXXXIV
XXXIVXXXVIIIXXXV
XXXVXXXIXXXXVI
XXXVIXLXXXVII
XXXVII
XXXVIIIXLIXXLVIII
XXXIXLVILIV
XLLVIILV
XLILVIIILVI
XLIILXLVIII
XLIIILXILIX
XLIVLXIILX
XLV
XLVILXXIIILXVIII
XLVIIXLVXLII
XLVIIIXLVIXLIII
XLIXLXXIVLXIX
LLXXVLXX
LILXXVILXXI
LIILXXVIIILXXII
LIIILXXIXLXXIII
LIVLXXXILXXV
LVLXXXIILXXVI
LVILXXXIIILXXVII
LVIILXXXVIILXXX
LVIIILXXXVIIILXXXI
LIXLXXXIXLXXXII
LXXCIVLXXXVII
LXIXCILXXXIV
LXIIXCIILXXXV
LXIIIXCIIILXXXVI
LXIVXCVLXXXVIII
LXVXCVILXXXIX
LXVIXCVIIXC
LXVIIXCVIIIXCI
LXVIIICXCII
LXIXCIXCIII
LXXCIIXCIV
LXXICIIIXCV
LXXIICIVXCVI
LXXIIICVIIIXCIX
LXXIVCIXC
LXXVCXCI
VIIIVIII
XIV
Note on
XXXVIII
XXVIII
XXXVIXXXIII
XLIXXXVIII
XLIIXXXIX
XLIIIXL
XLIV
XLVIIXLVI
XLVIIIXLVII
LXLIX
LIL
LIILI
LIIILII
LIVLIII
LVXLI
LIXLVII
LXIIILXI
LXIVLXII
LXV
LXVIILXIV
LXVIIILXV
LXIXXLIV
LXXXLV
LXXILXVI
LXXIILXVII
LXXVII
LXXXLXXIV
LXXXIVLXXVIII
LXXXVLXXIX
LXXXVI
XCLXXXIII
XCIX
CVXCVII
CVIXCVIII
CVII
NOTE
It must be admitted that FitzGerald took great liberties with the original in his version of Omar Khayyam. The first stanza is entirely his own, and in stanza XXXI. of the fourth edition (XXXVI. in the second) he has introduced two lines from Attar. (See «Letters,» p. 251.) In stanza LXXXI. (fourth edition), writes Professor Cowell, «There is no original for the line about the snake: I have looked for it in vain in Nicolas; but I have always supposed that the last line is FitzGerald's mistaken version of Quatr. 236 in Nicolas's ed. which runs thus:
«O thou who knowest the secrets of every one's mind, Who graspest every one's hand in the hour of weakness, O God, give me repentance and accept my excuses, O thou who givest repentance and acceptest the excuses of every one.
«FitzGerald mistook the meaning of giving and accepting as used here, and so invented his last line out of his own mistake. I wrote to him about it when I was in Calcutta; but he never cared to alter it.»