Quote:
Originally Posted by Doitsu
The verses are definitely not from the Qur'an. BTW, in 2010 Islamist lawyers in Egypt have called for Arabian Nights to be banned.
Many verses in the book are actually by famous poets, for example the very first verse in the book is by Jarir ibn ‘Atiya.
Unfortunately, several translators tried to match the original rhyme scheme at the expense of readability. |
In his
The Arabian Nights: A Companion Irwin discusses the issue of the readability of translation of poetic passages.
Rhymed prose, as well as poetry, was used to convey a heightened emotional experience. He then quotes a particularly ugly example from Burton.
"But in the stress and stowre I get sundry grievous wounds and sore; and since that time. I have passed on his back three days without tasting food or sleeping aught, so that my strength is down brought and the world is become to me as naught."
Irwin continues to note that the "closeness and profusion of rhyming and metrical patterns cannot be mimicked in English without serious strain." Further there is a "penchant for punning and word play." Thus, a translator generally finds it nearly impossible to get a multiplicity of senses.
" Again and again, a translator will find he can translate one sense of a couplet, but only at the cost of sacrificing a second sense which the author also intended and which gave force and wit to his verse."
He concludes:
"Although there is a lot of poetry in the
Nights and its protagonists have little difficulty in spouting it, even when faced with shipwreck, rape or death, little of the poetry which features in the stories appears to have any direct bearing on the action. Understandably, then some translators, notably Littmann, who produced the best German translation, and Dawood, who translated a selection of the stories for Penguin Books, took the decision to omit poetry in the
Nights altogether."
By the way I sampled this book having read Dr Drib's post and I would recommend it for anyone who wants a modern study of the context of
The Arabian Nights. It is adding a great deal to my enjoyment.