by Hakim Omar Khayyám (c1048 - c1122)
Translation by Edward Fitzgerald (1809 - 1883)
But helpless Pieces of the Game He plays
Language: English after the Persian (Farsi)
But helpless Pieces of the Game He plays Upon this Chequer-board of Nights and Days; Hither and thither moves, and checks, and slays; And one by one back in the Closet lays.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Edward Fitzgerald (1809 - 1883), no title, appears in The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, Fourth Edition, no. 69, first published 1879 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Persian (Farsi) by Hakim Omar Khayyám (c1048 - c1122) [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir (1868 - 1946), "But helpless Pieces of the Game He plays", published 1907 [ soli, chorus, and orchestra ], from Omar Khayyám, Part II, no. 5, Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by Henry Houseley (1852? - 1925), "Part 5", published 1917 [ soli, chorus, orchestra ], from cantata Omar Khayyám, no. 5, New York : H. W. Gray
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Frédéric Roger-Cornaz (1883 - 1970) , appears in Omar Khayyám. Les Rubáiyát, Paris, Éd. Librairie Payot et Cie ; composed by René Lenormand.
- Also set in Spanish (Español), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Luis Sandi.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-06-21
Line count: 4
Word count: 32