Yataghan inscription translation please

eftihis · 3rd February 2008, 06:18 PM

According to Manoucher, the persian inscription read:

Ey bāri Xodā be haq hasti
Šeš čiz marā madad feresti
Elm-o amal farāx dasti imān amān tandoristi-ye abd-e Mohammad

O God if you are the Almighty, you will provide me with six things: knowledge, action, generosity, faith, peace, and the health for the servants of [the Prophet] Mohammad

ariel · 3rd February 2008, 07:28 PM

I do not doubt Manoucher's linguistic precision. Because of that, I am somewhat confused: the word "if".
Does the supplicant leave open the possibility that his prayer is addressed not to the True Almighty God? Then, to whom?
Or, if to the God who is not Almighty, does it mean that the six requests is the maximum he is asking for ( but would be happy with, say, 3?)
Is this structure ("... if you are...") common in Islamic prayers?

Yannis · 3rd February 2008, 08:23 PM

Who was that guy who said that

"translations are like women; the more beautiful the less faithful"

Aleksey G. · 21st January 2009, 02:26 PM

Yannis, I think it was Yevgeny Yevtushenko, a russian poet and novelist.

Original quote I think was:
"Translation is like a woman. If it is beautiful, it is not faithful. If it is faithful, it is not beautiful."

He might've meant something else when he repeated "If it is faithful, it is not beautiful.", maybe his own conflict and faith, he was a traveling poet and a creative person who was not afraid to speak his mind during the soviet regime, so KGB reported some "anti-soviet" activity on his part, by that they probably meant his ability to talk about things that are not exactly in line with the popular at the time.

I like your version better, shorter.

Absolutely true and applies here perfectly

21st January 2009, 02:26 PM	#4
Aleksey G. Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 70	Yannis, translation quote origin Yannis, I think it was Yevgeny Yevtushenko, a russian poet and novelist. Original quote I think was: "Translation is like a woman. If it is beautiful, it is not faithful. If it is faithful, it is not beautiful." He might've meant something else when he repeated "If it is faithful, it is not beautiful.", maybe his own conflict and faith, he was a traveling poet and a creative person who was not afraid to speak his mind during the soviet regime, so KGB reported some "anti-soviet" activity on his part, by that they probably meant his ability to talk about things that are not exactly in line with the popular at the time. I like your version better, shorter. Absolutely true and applies here perfectly

3rd February 2008, 06:18 PM	#1
eftihis Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Chania Crete Greece Posts: 511	According to Manoucher, the persian inscription read: Ey bāri Xodā be haq hasti Šeš čiz marā madad feresti Elm-o amal farāx dasti imān amān tandoristi-ye abd-e Mohammad O God if you are the Almighty, you will provide me with six things: knowledge, action, generosity, faith, peace, and the health for the servants of [the Prophet] Mohammad

3rd February 2008, 07:28 PM	#2
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	I do not doubt Manoucher's linguistic precision. Because of that, I am somewhat confused: the word "if". Does the supplicant leave open the possibility that his prayer is addressed not to the True Almighty God? Then, to whom? Or, if to the God who is not Almighty, does it mean that the six requests is the maximum he is asking for ( but would be happy with, say, 3?) Is this structure ("... if you are...") common in Islamic prayers?

3rd February 2008, 08:23 PM	#3
Yannis Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Athens Greece Posts: 479	Who was that guy who said that "translations are like women; the more beautiful the less faithful"