[XeTeX] Tabulated RTL poetry

John Was john.was at ntlworld.com
Sat Jan 24 22:10:29 CET 2009


Hello

Would the edmac package help you out?  But I've no idea at all how it might 
or might not conflict with the persian style package in LaTeX.  I've used it 
to produce automatic line-numbers on occasion (you can specify the 
increment - usually 5 but it's completely customizable, and can be paused 
and resumed at will).  But for most work I key in the numbers as I'm going 
along, and then just do exactly as I did for the second half of your Syriac 
lines.  Something like:

\def\lineno#1{\unskip \endgraf \nobreak \kern -\baselineskip
        \nobreak \noindent \hbox to \hsize{\hfill}\rlap{\eightpoint \rom 
#1}\endgraf}

Then \lineno{5} and so on typed at the end of your poetry line (or on the 
next line) should work.

(This assumes \eightpoint \rom to achieve footnote-size roman type for the 
number:  of course replace it with whatever you actually use.  And it also 
assumes that the line-numbers, as is usual, will appear at the end, not the 
beginning, of your right-to-left text, and within the text width as opposed 
to prose line-numbers, which traditionally appear beyond the text width.)

I can do marginal paragraphs within Edmac following some hints in its 
manual, but I thought this sort of thing was much easier within LaTeX.  If 
you want to try out a macro of your own without getting into Edmac, the 
\lineno macro above could perhaps be pressed into service.  Call it 
something like \margtext and for ragged-right marginalia in the left margin 
with a 4pc text width, replace the bit after {\hfill} with:

\llap{\vbox to 0pt{\eightpoint \hsize 4.5pc \parindent 0pt  \rightskip 0.5pc 
plus  2pc #1}}}

(omit 'plus 2pc' if you don't want ragged-right setting in these marginalia, 
but there could be a lot of overfull rules).

It could get more complicated if you want marginalia in the outside margins 
though, rather than at the left throughout.  And a long marginale could 
trail well below the normal text depth as the \vbox to 0pt tells TeX that 
the box has no height or depth, irrespective of what it contains.

Just a passing thought this - it's rather clumsy!


John


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gareth Hughes" <garzohugo at gmail.com>
To: "Unicode-based TeX for Linux and other platforms" <xetex at tug.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2009 6:13 PM
Subject: Re: [XeTeX] Tabulated RTL poetry


> John Was wrote:
>> \def\parttwo#1{\unskip \endgraf \nobreak \kern -\baselineskip
>>        \nobreak \noindent \hskip 12pc #1\endgraf}
>>
>> Your post-caesural parts would then all be included in \partwo{TEXT HERE}
>>
>> (Of course change 12pc to whatever indentation you require.)
>>
>> You could have instead e.g. \syriacline with two arguments so that the
>> command includes the entire line:
>>
>> \def\syriacline#1#2{\leavevmode #1\parttwo{#2}} (assuming you've already
>> defined \parttwo as above).  You would then have each line enclosed in 
>> the
>> command:
>>
>> \syriacline{FIRST BIT OF TEXT}{SECOND BIT OF TEXT}
>>
>> Or if it helps visually
>>
>> \syriacline{FIRST BIT OF TEXT}%
>>         {SECOND BIT OF TEXT}
>
> Thanks, John, this is exactly what I was looking for, and it works well.
>
> وفا خليقى wrote:
>> Have you tried XePersian's persianpoem.sty?
>
> No, I hadn't, but I just tested it, and it does all I wanted an more.
> The equalisation of the lines looks particularly nice on the page. I
> used the oldpoem environment, but I cannot use line numbering or
> marginal notes within the environment. I was using the memoir class, and
> really do need to be able to keep my marginal notes, as they mark the
> folios in the original manuscripts.
>
> So, I torn between the two techniques. The persianpoem package makes for
> even nicer layout, but the plain-TeX way allows me to keep my notes and
> line numbering. Any solutions?
>
> Gareth.
>
> -- 
> Gareth Hughes
>
> Department of Eastern Christianity
> Oriental Institute
> Pusey Lane
> Oxford
> OX1 2LE
>
> +44 (0)1865 610227
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