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Juan Cole

Omar Khayyam
“But come with old Khayyam and leave the Lot,” FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:9

“But come with old Khayyam and leave the Lot,” FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:9

Juan Cole

As with stanza 1:8, the next quatrain in Edward FitzGerald’s 1859 translation of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám concerns the fleeting character of political glory, and of life in general. It continues to introduce English-speaking audiences to Iranian kings and heroes, the Persian equivalents of Agamemnon and Achilles: IX. But come with old Khayyam, and […]

Omar Khayyam
“A thousand Blossoms with the Day Woke:” FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:8

“A thousand Blossoms with the Day Woke:” FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:8

Juan Cole

Quatrain no. 8 in the first edition of Edward FitzGerald’s loose translation of the FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám is about the impermanence of all life — of flowers and of kings and heroes. It is a common theme in the Persian originals. I have argued that since some of this poetry grew up in […]

Featured
Türkiye Bans Israeli Ships, Goods at its Ports, Halts Cargo Overflights, Declares Gaza a Genocide

Türkiye Bans Israeli Ships, Goods at its Ports, Halts Cargo Overflights, Declares Gaza a Genocide

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced Friday that his country would completely cut economic relations with Israel, blocking Israeli ships from docking at Turkish ports and denying Israeli aircraft that might be carrying weapons overflight rights over Türkiye. The latter step imposes extra costs on Israeli cargo flights, which will have […]

Omar Khayyam
“The Bird is on the Wing”: FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:7

“The Bird is on the Wing”: FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:7

Juan Cole

Stanza 7 of the first edition of Edward FitzGerald’s translation of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám talks about how little time we have here on earth, and the urgency for us to enjoy life. “Repentance” is a luxury we can’t afford, the poetry affirms: VII. Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring […]

Featured
Russia, China, reject attempt of E3 to Reimpose Sanctions on Iran over Nuclear Program

Russia, China, reject attempt of E3 to Reimpose Sanctions on Iran over Nuclear Program

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – France, the United Kingdom and Germany (the “E3”) on Thursday sent a formal letter to the UN Security Council asking for snap back sanctions on Iran over its nuclear enrichment activities, which they maintain breach the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or nuclear deal. The joint letter of […]

Featured
More Americans now Sympathize with Palestinians than with Israelis

More Americans now Sympathize with Palestinians than with Israelis

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A new opinion poll by the Sadat Center at the University of Maryland finds a sea change in the American public on the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. For the first time, the percentage of Americans who say they sympathize with Palestinians (28%) exceeds the percentage who sympathize […]

Omar Khayyam
“Red Wine!” – the Nightingale cries to the Rose: FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:6

“Red Wine!” – the Nightingale cries to the Rose: FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:6

Juan Cole

The sixth quatrain of Edward FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám continues with its celebration of wine-drinking in the morning. It connects ancient Iran’s language of Middle Persian or Pahlavi, spoken in the Sasanian Empire 224–651 AD with the biblical figure of David, said in the Qur’an to be the author of the Psalms. VI. And […]

Climate Crisis
When even Saudi Arabia Jumps into Solar and Wind Power, You know Change is Here

When even Saudi Arabia Jumps into Solar and Wind Power, You know Change is Here

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Saudi Arabia’s massive oil deposits and its 9.53 million barrels per day (bpd) of petroleum production make it an enormous carbon polluter and the foremost enemy of climate science and of electric vehicles. Some 38% of Saudi power plants use petroleum and 62% of electricity generation is done by domestically […]

Archaeology
Ancient Nomadic Scythians Found to be Ethnically Diverse

Ancient Nomadic Scythians Found to be Ethnically Diverse

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The more genetic history that is done, the more it is clear that ancient ethnonyms, the names given supposed ethnicities, put a variety of peoples under a single rubric. I talked recently about how the Phoenicians, long thought to be what we would now call Lebanese, were actually a multi-ethnic […]

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