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COMPARISON AND ANALYSIS OF LEXICAL CHOICES IN E.
FITZGERALD’S VS. E. HERON-ALLEN’S TRANSLATIONS OF OMAR
KHAYYAM’S RUBAIYAT
Namangan S a e Uni e is y
Mama o a Dil abo Maxmudjano na
Abs ac . This s udy examines he lexical s a egies employed by Edwa d Fi zGe ald
and Edwa d He on-Allen in hei English ansla ions o Oma Khayyam’s Rubáiyá .
Using i e qua ains om each ansla o , he esea ch analyzes pa e ns in wo d
choice, me apho ical densi y, image y, and cul u al speci ici y. Fi zGe ald’s ansla ion
exhibi s a poe ic, imagina i e lexicon ha p io i izes aes he ic d ama iza ion, symbolic
image y, and uni e salized philosophical e lec ion, whe eas He on-Allen’s lexicon
emphasizes li e al accu acy, e hical cla i y, and p ese a ion o Pe sian cul u al and
eligious con ex . The compa ison illus a es how lexical decisions shape in e p e i e
and emo ional impac , highligh ing he b oade ension be ween c ea i e adap a ion
and philological ideli y in li e a y ansla ion.
Keywo ds: ansla ion s udies, lexical choices, Oma Khayyam, Rubaiya , Edwa d
Fi zGe ald, Edwa d He on-Allen, Pe sian poe y, poe ic dic ion, li e al ansla ion,
compa a i e analysis
INTRODUCTION
Oma Khayyam (1048–1131), he Pe sian ma hema ician, as onome , and poe ,
occupies a unique posi ion in wo ld li e a u e. Al hough only a ac ion o he qua ains
a ibu ed o him can be au hen ica ed, he Rubaiya has become one o he mos widely
ansla ed and cul u ally in luen ial poe ic collec ions in he wo ld. The qua ain
o m—based on concise e lec ion, pa adox, and exis en ial ques ioning—in i es
mul iple in e p e i e possibili ies, making ansla ion an especially e ealing
in ellec ual exe cise. Among he nume ous English ende ings, he e sions by Edwa d
Fi zGe ald and Edwa d He on-Allen s and as wo undamen ally di e en ansla ion
philosophies, each shaping Khayyam’s oice o a dis inc eade ship and cul u al
momen .
Edwa d Fi zGe ald’s i s edi ion o he Rubaiya (1859) is o en desc ibed less as a
ansla ion and mo e as a li e a y e-c ea ion. In luenced by Vic o ian poe ic
sensibili ies, Roman ic image y, and O ien alis aes he ics, Fi zGe ald selec ed,
ea anged, and ans o med qua ains acco ding o his own in e p e i e ision. His
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lexical choices c ea e a lush imagina i e wo ld: “Bowl o Nigh ,” “Hun e o he Eas ,”
“Bi d o Time,” and o he exp essions e lec a poe ic imagina ion ha o en depa s
signi ican ly om Khayyam’s o iginal philosophical one. Fi zGe ald’s e sion
became a global phenomenon, shaping Wes e n pe cep ions o Khayyam o o e a
cen u y.
In con as , Edwa d He on-Allen’s 1898 ansla ion ep esen s a much mo e li e al,
philologically o ien ed app oach. A schola o Pe sian language and cul u e, He on-
Allen sough o p ese e Khayyam’s heological, e hical, and cul u al egis e s. His
ocabula y— ea u ing e ms such as “Mih ab,” “dus o sin,” “humble olk,” and
“ hee”— e lec s he mo al in ospec ion and Su i-in luenced spi i uali y o he Pe sian
o iginals. Ra he han c a ing a uni ied poe ic na a i e, he aimed o ep oduce
indi idual qua ains wi h accu acy and con ex ual anspa ency.
Toge he , hese wo ansla ions o e a compelling con as . Thei di e gen lexical
choices e eal no only di e en unde s andings o Khayyam bu also b oade ensions
wi hin ansla ion s udies: poe ic eedom e sus ex ual ideli y, cul u al domes ica ion
e sus p ese a ion, and imagina ion e sus schola ship.
Resea ch Me hods
This s udy employs a quali a i e compa a i e ex ual analysis o en qua ains: i e by
Edwa d Fi zGe ald and i e by Edwa d He on-Allen. Ra he han ea ing indi idual
qua ains as di ec equi alen s, he analysis examines each ansla o ’s co pus as a
cohesi e uni o iden i y pa e ns in lexical choice, seman ic emphasis, and s ylis ic
s a egy. The ocus is on nouns, e bs, adjec i es, and cul u ally loaded e ms, as well
as me apho ical densi y, image y, and one. Seman ic ields such as spi i uali y,
empo ali y, pleasu e, and social e hics a e analyzed o e eal ansla ional p io i ies.
Syn ac ic s uc u e and he o ical de ices a e also conside ed o unde s and how dic ion
shapes meaning and eade pe cep ion. The me hod ollows p inciples om ansla ion
s udies, pa icula ly he dicho omies o adap i e e sus li e al ansla ion,
domes ica ion e sus o eigniza ion, and poe ic ec ea ion e sus philological ideli y.
The goal is o illus a e how consis en lexical s a egies ac oss mul iple qua ains
cons uc dis inc in e p e i e and aes he ic wo lds o each ansla o .
Compa ison and Discussion
A close examina ion o Edwa d Fi zGe ald’s i e qua ains e eals a consis en
lexical pa e n ha e lec s his b oade ansla ional philosophy: he ans o ms
Khayyam’s e lec i e, o en e se Pe sian ubāʿiyā in o ichly imagis ic, pe o ma i e
English e se illed wi h me apho ical elabo a ion, symbolic ein en ion, and a
dis inc ly Vic o ian- oman ic sensibili y. In Fi zGe ald’s qua ains, he lexicon is
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domina ed by high-poe ic nouns, my hic o exo ic image y, pe soni ica ions, and
me apho s ha a ely co espond di ec ly o li e al Pe sian equi alen s.
Specimen 1:
AWAKE! o Mo ning in he Bowl o Nigh
Has lung he S one ha pu s he S a s o Fligh :
And Lo! he Hun e o he Eas has caugh
The Sul an's Tu e in a Noose o Ligh
In he i s qua ain, exp essions such as “Mo ning in he Bowl o Nigh ,” “ he S one
ha pu s he S a s o Fligh ,” and “ he Hun e o he Eas ” demons a e his inclina ion
o d ama ize na u al phenomena in o my hic spec acle. The lexicon elies hea ily on
conc e e nouns li ed in o me apho ical abs ac ion— he “Bowl,” “S one,” “S a s,” and
“Hun e ” unc ion simul aneously as physical and symbolic en i ies. This c ea es an
a mosphe e o cosmic allego y a he han philosophical medi a ion. E en e bs such
as “ lung,” “pu s,” and “caugh ” anima e he dawn in o a o ce ul agen , gi ing he
scene he na a i e momen um o an epic ableau.
Specimen 2:
DREAMING when Dawn's Le Hand was in he sky
I hea d· a Voice wi hin he Ta e n c y,
Awake,myLi leones, and ill he Cup
Be o e Li e's Liquo in i s cup be d y.
This my hopoe ic endency con inues in he second qua ain, whe e Fi zGe ald again
uses an h opomo phic and symbolic dic ion: “Dawn’s Le Hand,” “a Voice wi hin he
Ta e n,” and “Li e’s Liquo .” His penchan o compound me apho s—he e “Li e’s
Liquo ” ep esen ing mo ali y—illus a es his desi e o wea e uni e sal exis en ial
meaning in o sensuous image y. The a e n, a ecu en Khayyamic space, becomes in
Fi zGe ald’s lexicon a si e o poe ic p oclama ion a he han socio- eligious ension.
His diminu i e ph ase “my Li le ones” injec s a ende , almos pas o al emo ional
quali y o eign o he Pe sian o iginal. The u gency embedded in “ ill he Cup / Be o e
Li e’s Liquo … be d y” shi s he o iginal emphasis om mo al o on ological
e lec ion o an aes he ic exho a ion o pleasu e.
Specimen 3:
NOW he New Yea e i ing old Desi es,
The hough ul Soul o Soli ude e i es,
Whe e he WHITE HAND OF MOSES on he Bough
Pu s ou ;1-and Jesus om he G ound suspi es
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The hi d qua ain ampli ies Fi zGe ald’s symbolic laye ing h ough he in usion o
eligious igu es. The “WHITE HAND OF MOSES” appea ing “on he Bough” and
“Jesus om he G ound” who “suspi es” a e ema kable lexical ein e p e a ions.
Fi zGe ald app op ia es sc ip u al igu es no as heological e e ences bu as seasonal
o na u al me apho s—Moses’ whi e hand sugges ing blossoming, Jesus’ b ea h
signi ying sp ing enewal. His lexicon he e ope a es h ough emblema ic ans e ,
con e ing eligious icons in o agen s wi hin a poe ic landscape. The dic ion o cyclic
e i al (“ e i ing old Desi es,” “Soul… e i es”) main ains Fi zGe ald’s endency o
ame Khayyam’s philosophy in pas o al- oman ic e ms.
Specimen 4:
IRAM indeed is gone wi h all i s Roses,
And ]amshyd's Se 'n- ing'd Cup whe e no one knows;
Bu s ill he Vine he ancien Ruby yields,
And s ill a Ga den by he Wa e blows.
In he ou h qua ain, Fi zGe ald shi s o a lexicon o legenda y g andeu and na u al
con inui y. The names “IRAM” and “Jamshyd” in oke a my hic Pe sian pas bu
unc ion in his ansla ion as nos algic, aes he icized e e ences a he han cul u ally
speci ic symbols. His ph ase “Se ’n- ing’d Cup” exempli ies his abili y o c ea e
enchan men h ough a chaic and o namen al ocabula y. Meanwhile, exp essions like
“ he Vine he ancien Ruby yields” ely on allego ical synes hesia, associa ing wine
wi h ubicund ichness and cul u al longe i y. The ension be ween loss (“IRAM… is
gone wi h all i s Roses”) and pe sis ence (“s ill he Vine… yields”) is exp essed
h ough a dic ion ha leans hea ily on colo , image, and senso y sugges i eness.
Specimen 5:
COME, ill he Cup, and in he Fi e o Sp ing
The Win e Ga men o Repen ance ling
The Bi d o Time has bu a li le way
To ly-and Lo! he Bi d is on he Wing.
The i h qua ain con inues Fi zGe ald’s cha ac e is ic blend o impe a i e exho a ion
and symbolic na u e image y. “COME, ill he Cup” epea s he a e n mo i , bu he e
na u e becomes he mo al agen : “in he Fi e o Sp ing / The Win e Ga men o
Repen ance ling.” His lexicon ans o ms epen ance—a mo al-spi i ual s a e in
Pe sian adi ion—in o a ga men ha can be disca ded. This me apho is a elling
ins ance o cul u al domes ica ion h ough ma e ializa ion: spi i ual concep s become
ac ile objec s. The ph ase “The Bi d o Time” is ano he quin essen ial Fi zGe ald
c ea ion, pe soni ying empo ali y i sel as a lee ing c ea u e. The line “Lo! he Bi d
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is on he Wing” employs mo ion and immediacy o p ess u gency upon he eade .
Ac oss all i e qua ains, Fi zGe ald’s lexical s a egy is o uni e salize, aes he icize,
and d ama ize. His wo ds belong less o he mo al-philosophical lexicon o Khayyam
and mo e o a Vic o ian poe ic lexicon sa u a ed wi h image y, me apho , senso y
de ail, and emo ional expansi eness.
In con as , Edwa d He on-Allen’s i e qua ains display a ma kedly di e en lexical
landscape, g ounded in mo al cla i y, cul u al au hen ici y, and philological es ain .
Ra he han eimagining Khayyam h ough embellishmen , He on-Allen aims o
p ese e he e hical one, eligious esonance, and di ec ness cha ac e is ic o Pe sian
didac ic e se. His lexicon is domina ed by abs ac nouns, e hical impe a i es, second-
pe son add ess, and cul u ally speci ic e ms.
Specimen 1:
IF I ha e ne e h eaded he pea l o Thy se ice,
I ha e, a leas , ne e wiped he dus o sin om my ace;
his being so, I am no hopeless o Thy me cy,
o he eason ha I ha e ne e said ha One was Two.
In his i s qua ain, wo ds such as “ h eaded he pea l o Thy se ice,” “dus o sin,”
and “me cy” loca e he ex wi hin a de o ional, in ospec i e amewo k. Unlike
Fi zGe ald’s cosmic o scenic me apho s, He on-Allen’s me apho s emain cul u ally
g ounded: he “pea l o Thy se ice” e okes amilia Islamic de o ional image y, and
he ph ase “ne e said ha One was Two” e lec s mono heis ic doc inal p ecision.
His e bs—“ h eaded,” “wiped,” “said”—a e li e al and unembellished, o ming a
s aigh o wa d mo al a gumen .
Specimen 2:
I I ell Thee my sec e hough s in a a e n,
i is be e han i I make my de o ions be o e he Mih ab wi hou Thee.
O Thou, he i s and las o all c ea ed beings!
bu n me an Thou wil , o che ish me an Thou wil .
He on-Allen’s second qua ain con inues his e hical- heological ocus h ough lexical
choices such as “sec e hough s,” “de o ions,” “Mih ab,” and “ i s and las o all
c ea ed beings.” The inclusion o “Mih ab,” a speci ically Islamic e m e e ing o he
niche indica ing he qibla, is an example o his e usal o domes ica e cul u ally
embedded e e ences. His dic ion o eg ounds spi i ual since i y and heological
p oximi y; he con as be ween “ a e n” and “Mih ab” is no me apho ical, as in
Fi zGe ald, bu explici ly mo al and i ualis ic. The lexical ield emphasizes spi i ual
hie a chy and di ine-human ela ionship a he han aes he ic con empla ion.
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Specimen 3:
So a as in hee lies, ep oach no d unka ds,
lay hou aside p e ence and impos u e;
i , hence o h, hou desi es es om his li e o hine,
do no o a momen shun humble olk.
Specimen 4:
So a as in hee lies, cause no pain o anyone,
no cause anyone o su e om hy w a h;
i hou has a desi e o e e nal peace,
e hysel always and ha ass no one.
The hi d and ou h qua ains u he de elop He on-Allen’s hema ic consis ency
h ough a lexicon cen e ed on e hical injunc ions. Ph ases such as “ ep oach no
d unka ds,” “lay hou aside p e ence,” “cause no pain o anyone,” and “ha ass no one”
ely hea ily on nega ion and p ohibi ion, mi o ing he admoni o y s yle o many
Pe sian e hical ubāʿiyā . His e bs a e p esc ip i e—“ ep oach,” “lay aside,” “shun,”
“cause,” “ha ass”—and a ely me apho ical. His ocabula y ancho s i sel in mo al
conduc , in e pe sonal esponsibili y, and social humili y. E en he abs ac aspi a ion
“e e nal peace” is exp essed h ough p ac ical, ela ional ins uc ions. Unlike
Fi zGe ald, who ele a es image y and a mosphe e, He on-Allen g ounds meaning in
ac ionable e hics and social esponsibili y.
Specimen 4:
Since no one will gua an ee hee a omo ow,
make hou happy now his lo e-sick hea o hine;
d ink wine in he moonligh , O Moon, o he moon
shall seek us long and shall no ind us.
The i h qua ain e eals ye ano he aspec o He on-Allen’s lexicon: a
commi men o con eying he li e al philosophical a gumen o he o iginal.
Exp essions such as “no one will gua an ee hee a o-mo ow,” “make hou happy now
his lo e-sick hea ,” and “ he moon shall seek us long and shall no ind us” a e
ende ed in a nea -li e al, almos se e e one. The dic ion p io i izes cla i y and
di ec ness. His use o wo ds like “lo e-sick hea ,” while poe ic, emains
psychologically li e al a he han symbolically elabo a e. The inal lines hinge no on
me apho ical ans o ma ion, bu on empi ical obse a ion: ime passes, oppo uni y
ades, he moon endu es longe han i s iewe s. He on-Allen a oids he me apho ical
d ama iza ion ypical o Fi zGe ald, ins ead p esen ing mo ali y h ough sobe lexicon
and s aigh o wa d syn ax.
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As a whole, He on-Allen’s lexical p o ile is one o es ain , ideli y, and cul u al
p ecision, while Fi zGe ald’s is one o imagina i e expansion, symbolic
econ igu a ion, and poe ic license. He on-Allen’s qua ains employ a didac ic,
in ospec i e lexicon ancho ed in mo al, heological, and in e pe sonal egis e s.
Fi zGe ald’s qua ains employ a sensual, imagis ic, and o en exo ically s ylized
ocabula y ha p i ileges a mosphe e o e doc inal meaning. Toge he , he wo
ansla o s p esen adically di e en linguis ic wo lds: one in which Khayyam
becomes a Vic o ian isiona y-philosophe o na u e and ime, and ano he in which
he emains a Pe sian mo al hinke whose wo ds bea he imp in o hei eligious and
cul u al en i onmen .
Conclusion
The compa a i e analysis o Edwa d Fi zGe ald’s and Edwa d He on-Allen’s i e
qua ains each demons a es how lexical choice se es as he p ima y ehicle o
shaping he eade ’s pe cep ion o Oma Khayyam’s Rubaiya . Fi zGe ald’s ansla ion
consis en ly exhibi s a lexicon cha ac e ized by imagina i e me apho , exo icized
image y, and poe ic embellishmen . Ac oss his qua ains, nouns and e bs a e o en
pe soni ied o imbued wi h symbolic o ce, as seen in exp essions like “Bowl o
Nigh ,” “Hun e o he Eas ,” and “Bi d o Time.” His ocabula y a o s hea icali y,
sensuali y, and emo ional esonance o e li e al seman ic ideli y, ans o ming
Khayyam’s con empla i e philosophical e lec ions in o a Vic o ian-Roman ic ision
ha emphasizes uni e sali y, d ama, and aes he ic pleasu e. The lexicon wo ks
syne gis ically wi h me apho and syn ax o c ea e i id, my hopoe ic ableaux, o en
subo dina ing o iginal cul u al o heological con ex in a o o imagina i e na a i e
cohe ence. He on-Allen, in con as , main ains a lexicon g ounded in li e alism,
cul u al speci ici y, and mo al-e hical cla i y. His wo d choices – “Mih ab,” “dus o
sin,” “humble olk,” and “e e nal peace” – p ese e Pe sian e hical and spi i ual
egis e s, while e bs and syn ac ic s uc u es emphasize p esc ip i e guidance and
in ospec i e e lec ion. Me apho is es ained, and when p esen , i se es p ima ily
o con ey doc inal o philosophical concep s a he han a mosphe ic lou ish. He on-
Allen’s dic ion si ua es Khayyam i mly wi hin his his o ical, eligious, and social
con ex , p io i izing ideli y o e aes he ic ein en ion. The esul is a con empla i e,
didac ic one ha communica es he poe ’s mo al and spi i ual p eoccupa ions di ec ly
o he eade .
Re e ences
1. Fi zGe ald, E. (1859). The Rubáiyá o Oma Khayyám (1s ed.). London:
Be na d Qua i ch.
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2. He on-Allen, E. (1898). The Rubáiyá o Oma Khayyám: A Li e al T ansla ion.
London: Geo ge Bell & Sons.
3. Bassne , S. (2013). T ansla ion s udies (4 h ed.). Rou ledge.
4. Venu i, L. (2012). The ansla o ’s in isibili y: A his o y o ansla ion (2nd ed.).
Rou ledge.
5. Sha ique, N. (2006). Oma Khayyam: A s udy in Pe sian li e a u e and
ansla ion. Jou nal o Middle Eas e n Li e a u e
6. Tymoczko, M. (2010). T ansla ion, esis ance, ac i ism. Uni e si y o
Massachuse s P ess.
