Status Updates From Night & Horses & the Desert...

Irwin wraps up the most recent five centuries or so by saying there may be(or may not) be less to tell about, certainly skilled poetry—so he claims—than that of earlier authors. Rather analogous to skimming over recent work in English, because after all, none of is so wonderful as Shakespeare.

Only in the final ages does Irwin delve into the challenge of translation. Arabic has the largest vocabulary of any language, and thus one-word translation of an Arabic word may not carry all the nuances of the original. How could it?

and fables with vegetable and also animal characters... and more battles and war..

Much disdain for stories with a moral or those failing to represent morality, to demonstrate a moral according to faith.

Irwin's commentary claims "zirbaj is a Persian sweet-and-sour recipe" but all I can find are stews with meat (430). However, these may be sweet-and-sour stews, but all contain meat.

and war and romance and several mentions of horses, which have been notably absent... prior, more mules than horses

Only 448 pages, and these last 30 pages seem to focus on fictional adventures.

I have read the 1001 nights story of Judar in another translation. I recognize the marriage to parent's brother's daughter kinship from Anthro.

A glossary and better index would be so much appreciated! Otherwise, fascinating.

Gorgeous poetry, especially for translation.

Words are defined, but I could wish for a glossary because I've lost track and some words I probably should know but don't. Also, a more extensive index, please.

I am somewhere past this page number, but another dense read.

It's not and easy-quick read, but the bigger challenge is that I keep this book in another place and I always bring another novel along when I go there.