BULLETIN

OF THE

SCHOOL OF OEIENTAL STUDIES

LONDON INSTITUTION

PAPERS CONTRIBUTED

'OMAR KHAYYAM
By E. DENISON BOSS

THEwhointerest in 'Omar Khayyam is perennial, not only among those

can only appreciate FitzGerald's masterly version, but also
among those who can study the Persian poet at first hand : and within
the last few years notable contributions have been made to the
biography of 'Omar and more critical examination of the verses
attributed to him. It is with this last subject that I wish to deal in
the present article.
As is well known, and as is also inevitable, there is no definite edition
of the Rvbwiyydt of 'Omar Khayyam. Collections of these isolated
poems vary in number from thirteen to upwards of 800. It is conse-
quently a question of considerable interest to attempt by a process
of elimination to define which quatrains may be safely attributed to
'Omar Khayyam and which may be with certainty rejected. The task
is by no means a simple one, and the following tests have been applied.
(1) To eliminate from the attributed verses all those which are found
in old MSS. of early poets.
(2) To eliminate verses which have from the first been claimed
for later poets.
(3) To accept as genuine incidental quotations from 'Omar,
occurring in early works of biography and in anthologies, and
(4) To take the style and subject matter as the test of genuineness.
VOL. IV. PART III. 29
434 E. DENISON ROSS—

The first two methods have been carefully pursued by the late
Professor Schukofsky, by Professor Christensen, and by myself. The
result of these researches reduced the number of quatrains as known
to us to-day and presumably attributable to 'Omar, to about 100.
In connexion with the third test, most valuable light has been
thrown on this subject by the discovery of a unique MS. dated
741 (A.D. 1340-1) and bearing the title Mu'nis ul-Ahrar (j\y>^\ ^y>).
This MS., which occupies upwards of 500 folios, contains an anthology
of the works of famous Persian poets from the earliest times down
to the compiler's day. The whole is written in the hand of the com-
piler, whose name was Muhammad ibn Bahr-i-Jajarmi. The MS. was
first brought to Paris in 1913 by the well-known dealer, Mr. Kevorkian,
but unfortunately was not purchased at that time and no one knew
what had become of it. It was not, however, sold elsewhere, and a
few weeks ago the dealer, who shows no inclination to part with it,
was kind enough to lend this precious volume to the Bibliotheque
Nationale for a short period, in order that it might be more fully
examined by Mirza Muhammad Khan of Qazwin. I have been
fortunate enough to obtain Mr. Kevorkian's permission to reproduce
the whole work. As a preliminary measure, it was necessary to take
negatives, and thanks to the generosity of a former pupil of this
school, who wishes to remain anonymous, this part of the work is
being at once proceeded with. It only remains now for funds to be
collected to defray the cost of facsimile reproduction. Fortunately
the writing is a very clear Naskh.
Though I am actually talking of 'Omar Khayyam, I cannot refrain
from mentioning here that this MS. is possibly the most important
document for the history of early Persian literature that has ever
come to light; for in it are presented not only copious extracts from
famous poets whose works have disappeared, but also first-class
poets with whose names we are quite unfamiliar.
I hope on a future occasion to publish a more detailed description
of the contents of this MS. from the pen of Mirza Muhammad Khan,
than whom no one is better fitted to deal with it.
Among the poets included is 'Omar Khayyam, who is represented
by thirteen quatrains. This constitutes the earliest collection of
'Omar's Ruba'iyydt which has yet been discovered, and is 123 years
older than the famous Bodleian MS. Of the thirteen only two have
hitherto been known, and thus we have eleven new quatrains which
may more safely than any others be accounted genuine.
 'QMAE KHAYYAM 435

In connexion with the fourth method, Dr. Rosen, of Berlin, has made
a very careful study with a view to ascertaining from their manner
and contents which quatrains with the greatest likelihood may be
attributed to 'Omar Khayyam. It is, of course, almost impossible to
judge of the precise date of any Persian poem by the language test
alone, so little change has poetic diction undergone in the course of
over 1,000 years. Dr. Rosen has therefore confined himself to the
consideration of the thought and significance of these verses. Incident-
ally I may remind the reader that Professor Christensen in his
Recherches sur les Rubaiyyats d'Omar Khayyam pointed out that in
no less than twelve of the ascribed quatrains the name of Khayyam
occurs. But he admits at the same time that the occurrence of this
name by no means proves the genuineness of these quatrains as it
would be quite easy to change some other name to Khayyam if one
wished to ascribe some particular quatrain to him. Moreover, one of
these twelve certainly seems to imply that 'Omar was dead when it
was composed.
For further details I must refer my readers to Dr. Rosen's recent
article, Zur Textfrage der Vierzeiler Omar's des Zeltmachers : Z.D.M.G.
Neue Folge, Bd. v, p. 285 et seq. Suffice it to say that he finally decides
for thirteen quatrains, and that, including the new quatrains belonging
to the Kevorkian MS., he would admit " a basis of 23 Ruba'iyyat from
which we may obtain a true idea of 'Omar Khayyam's poetry, and by
which we may test the numerous other Ruba'iyyat which pass under
'Omar's name."
Dr. Rosen has been further influenced in his choice by the discovery
in Berlin of a hitherto unknown MS. of 'Omar's Ruba'iyydt. This
MS. bears the date 721 (A.D. 1321). Unfortunately the paper of this
MS. is certainly of a far later date than the colophon. It is, however,
quite possible that many, if not all, of the quatrains in this MS. were
copied from a MS. bearing that early date. This collection, which
contains 329 quatrains, has been edited and printed in Berlin at the
Kaviani Press, with a learned introduction in Persian from the pen
of Dr. Rosen. As an appendix to this edition, Dr. Rosen reproduced
the thirteen quatrains from the Kevorkian MS., and in view of their
importance I am again printing them here together with a literal
translation.
It will be noticed that No. 8, which is No. 252 in Nicolas, begins
with X\ in the Kevorkian MS., instead of with fti- as elsewhere.
 436 E. DENISON BOSS—

CHAPTER 5 OF BAB 28 OF THF MU'NIS UL-AHRAR

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- j. y i)\i j l Ai> li^s c—T AJ U-ls JJ^»1 S

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Sic with three points.
 'OMAR KHAYYAM 437

CO—WBXJ U&J i l*» j l j ^ l U^ O—lj ^ « ^ j 5 ^ i AiJt ^ jjj

/Sic with three points.

438 E. DENISON BOSS—

1
Although the world is made beautiful for you
Set no value on it, for the wise set value on nothing,
For many like you come and many go
Take you your share, ere they take you.
2
Since thou canst not either increase nor diminish thy daily bread or
the days of thy life,
Thou canst not complain about the more or the less.
My Fate and thine as I and thou well know
Cannot be moulded like wax between our hands.
3
It is the hour of dawn, rise, thou symbol of delight,
And gently gently sip the wine and touch the harp :
For none of those who are here endure for long
And none of those who've gone will e'er return.
4
Since there is no lasting abode in this world
It is a heinous crime to live without wine or the beloved.
How long must we discuss with hope and fear what is original and
what created ?
When we are gone, what matter whether the world was created or
exists from all time.
5
Now that the clouds for New Year's Day have washed the Tulip's face,
Rise and form your good resolutions with a cup of wine :
For this greensward which to-day delights your eye
Will be springing up to-morrow through your dust.
6
Last night I cast my cup against a stone
I was intoxicated when I did this wanton thing;
 'OMAR KHAYYAM 439

The cup cried out to me with mystic tongue :

" I was like you and you will be like me."
7
There was a drop of water and it fell into the sea :
There was an atom of dust, and it mixed with the earth.
What is thy coming and going in this world ?
A fly made its appearance and then vanished.
8
The days of our life are ashamed of him
Who sits disconsolate lamenting his Fate :
Drink wine from the jug to the sound of the harp
Ere the jug is broken on some stone.
9
This sea of existence came out .of hiding:
No one has pierced this pearl of Truth.
Each has pronounced a word out of his inner consciousness,
Of what really is no one is able to speak,
10
Oh ! wise old man, rise more betimes
And take a careful look at that child who is sweeping the dust.
Warn him and say : " Sweep gently, very gently
The brain of Karkobad and the eye of Parviz."
11
This circle within which we come and go
Has neither a starting nor an ending point:
No one claims that he can tell us truly
Whence we came or whither we are going.
12
Drink wine, for the sky revolves for my destruction and thine, ,
It has designs upon my poor soul and thine.
Recline upon the greensward and drink the bright wine
For this greensward will often spring from my dust and thine.
13
Oh ! Thou who art the result of the Four [Elements] and the Seven
[Spheres]
And art always excited about the Seven and the Four
Drink wine, for as I have told you a thousand times before
There will be no returning for Thee, when Thou art gone, Thou art
gone.