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252 LITERATÛRZINÂTNE, FOLKLORISTIKA, MÂKSLA
worldly riches and worldly renown, become interrogated about the ‘pleasant’ things
– ani–n–naîmi – they had preferred to the real and eternal joys of the Garden, or,
otherwise, They are asked about the real Pleasant, which they had rejected for the
questionable ‘joys’ of piling up... Let the both renderings be represented by Rudi
Paret’s translation: “An jenem Tag werdet ihr dann bestimmt nach der Wonne (des
Paradieses) gefragt werden (oder: An jenem Tag werdet ihr bestimmt nach der
Annehmkichkeit (eures Erdenlebens) gefragt werden (mit der ihr der Lohn des
Paradieses verscherzt habt). 1
As a working hypothesis I above submitted my ‘ironic’ interpretation of 102:8
which I first presented at the Islamic Seminar, Lund University in November 2000
and which was met with an equivocal reaction. Is one authorised to speak about irony
in the Qur’ân? Or, for that matter, about a ‘sense of humour’in the Qur’ân?
What is for us the present Qur’ânic text? A message reflecting a superhuman
reality in human terms? Or a human response to (questions put by) man’s own existence
and some guessed Presence in the universe? For many readers, including this
perplexed translator, there is still no answer. And still, none of the alternatives disallows
an ironic touch in passages like 102:8.
As a furthermore and generally recognized illustration to Qur’ânic irony I submit
Surah 111 in my Latvian and Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s English rendering.
111. sûra. Vîta virve
Lîdzcietîgâ, Þçlsirdîgâ Dieva vârdâ!
(1) Kaut Abi/Abu? Lahabs* putçdams izputçtu!
(2) Ko lîdz nu tam viòa manta un viss, ko tas guvis?/un ko tas guvis?
(3) Viòð cepsies/degs uguns liesmâs,
(4) un viòa sieva, ie/naida kûrçja** –
(5) kaklâ tai vîta virve!
* “Liesmu Tçvs”, “Liesmvaidzis”.
** Vai: un viòa sieva par ðíilu pienesâju... ((4) and his Wife, the stirrer of strife... – or: and
his wife, the gatherer of firewood...The text plays ironically with the literal meaning of
the idiom: Abi Lahab’s wife is bringing branches for Hell’s fire in which her idolatrous
husband is burning – or, perhaps, left after his death without protection or help, she is
forced to gather branches for her hearth as she once gathered fuel for flames of intrigue
and enmity?)