Re: arabic number in bidi algorithm

From: Marion Gunn (mgunn@egt.ie)
Date: Fri Oct 29 1999 - 16:01:23 EDT


That's NOT Khayam! Only Fitzgerald's translation, which I love, but suspect
must be very far from the K. original on which he purports to have based
it! Best, mg

Ar 13:28 -0000 1999-10-29, scríobh John Cowan:
>Roozbeh Pournader wrote:
>
>> > Doesn't sound much like Omar Khayyam to me.
>>
>> I'm sorry. I also love Omar Khayyam. But even Khayyam (also a
>> mathematician did like this when not writing in ABJAD (written with
>> letters, some way like Roman numerals in western world.)
>
>I was referring to the quatrain which is translated:
>
> The moving ginger writes; and, having writ,
> Moves on: nor all your piety nor wit
> Shall lure it back to cancel half a line,
> Nor all your tears wash out a word of it.
>
>(one of my favorites). My implication is that when the moving finger
>writes numbers, it actually does have to backtrack! Omar as mathematician
>was not in my mind at the time.
>
>--
>
>John Cowan http://www.reutershealth.com
> jcowan@reutershealth.com
>Schlingt dreifach einen Kreis vom dies / Schliess eurer Aug vor heiliger Schau
>Den er genoss vom Honig-Tau / Und trank die Milch vom Paradies.
> -- Coleridge (tr. Politzer)

--
Marion Gunn * Everson Gunn Teoranta
27 Páirc an Fhéithlinn; Baile an Bhóthair; Áth Cliath; Éire (Ireland)
+353-1-283 9396, +353-1-478 2597. <http://www.indigo.ie/egt>
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