Ramadan Mubarak!
I’ve been playing around with something in my spare time and I want to share a little piece of it with you.
You might have experienced that the beauty and majesty of the Quran is sorely lost in translation.
There are better English translations today than when I was growing up, so the message may be more clear now, but it still requires a lot of ‘hard work’ to get through an English translation. For the most part, I find myself needing to read at least 3 translations before I can really appreciate the message and find a blend of meanings that fits my understanding.
I believe a big part of the issue is that the intention of translations has never been to reflect the beauty of the message – just the meaning of it.
We all know it’s a lost cause to even try to capture the beauty of the Quran. But what happens if we try to make the English as beautiful as possible? Might it become easier and more enjoyable to read, and by extension, might the message be easier to absorb and spread further?
What follows is my own humble attempt.
I was inspired by the “Rhyming Quran” which is an as-yet unpublished work that attempts to combine the translation of the Quran with tafsir in order to find rhyming schemes – you can follow it here: https://www.instagram.com/therhymingquran/
My version is much more strict on the rhyming scheme used.
Inspired by the Oxford World Classics version of Rumi’s “Masnavi”, in which the entire book is translated into the naturally rhythmic and beautiful rhyming scheme of the iambic pentameter, I thought I’d have a crack at it.
I have only worked on a few verses and I make no promises about being able to do more, or whether or not it is even do-able.
Here is a translation of the Opening of the Quran – my version. Please note that italicised words are not in the original text, but used for explanation and/or rhyme scheme purposes. For the best experience, read it out loud two or three times – you’ll notice an intentional pause
Chapter 1: The Opening
“In the name of God, the All-Loving One,
Praise to the God of, every dimension
Infinitely Kind, filled with Compassion,
Master of the day, all deeds are repaid
You alone we serve, from You we seek aid
Guide us to the path, straight for those You saved:
Not the path of those whose deeds incur rage
Nor the path of those who wander astray.”
If you enjoyed it and want a little more, subscribe to my email list and reply to any of the emails I send you, to let me know what you think of it (and encourage me to do more!)
Oh, and recite the original one time with the intention that the reward goes to the author too 😉
