8 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

RUBAIYAT, KHAYYAM AND

FITZGERALD
1. No one bought it: It was published in 1859, the same year as
Darwin’s The Origin of Species, and though it had as profound an
effect on Victorian society as Darwin’s book, no one bought a single
copy when it was first published.
2. Absolutely amazing self-publishing story: Edward FitzGerald
self-published the book in a pamphlet form; ordered 250 copies and
they went to a basket of books for sale at one penny each. Rossetti, a
painter and poet, picked it up by chance and it took off from there.
3. Superb translation: Khayyam wrote the Rubaiyat almost nine
centuries ago. It became hugely popular in the 19th Century as a
result of the superb translation by Edward FitzGerald. It has often
been said FitzGerald’s translation is even better than the original.
Some even accused FitzGerald of making a mockery of the original.
4. Top seller: Rubaiyat has been translated in almost every living
language and is one the most quoted poems of all time. Critics and
the literary world have not been kind to FitzGerald’s work, yet, the
public has loved it. The work has sold, tens of millions of copies
worldwide.
5. Extraordinary author: Khayyam, apart from a poet, was a
philosopher, astronomer, mathematician and historian. He helped
revise the solar calendar still in use in Iran today.
6. Two translated versions: FitzGerald translated the Rubaiyat first in
Latin, then English. He produced five editions, and only the last
edition revealed his name as the translator of the poem.
7. Amazing legacy: Edward FitzGerald rests in a small and peaceful
churchyard in Boulge, England. A rose tree stands by his grave that
originated from a seed taken from the rose bushes of Omar
Khayyam’s grave.
8. Highly collectable: Rubaiyat is a collector's dream; a first edition
copy of the Rubaiyat sold a few years ago at Sotheby’s New York
for $40,000.
The
Rubaiyat is an Arabic style of poetry, but Omar
Khayyam's Rubaiyat are written in Persian.
Wine – is the joy of spirit
Love – is immense devotion to God
Nectar of divine – as a delightful alternative that leads to
human enlightenment and eradicates human woe
permanently

While the west has interpreted Omar’s poem as highly

erotic, the East has accepted him as a religious poet.
Plumbing into the depths of the poem gives
interpretations that make it appear like a shrine which is
untouched.
 This poem is about awareness,ignorance,jealousy and greed it also tells
us about knowledge and fate .and if you want the theme then it is that
stand for your rights but should not praise.
 Rubaiyat is the Arabic word for Quatrain and, like quatrains, rubaiyats
are poems made of four verses and can be written by anyone. The most
famous rubaiyats are those of Omar Khayyam, who was a Persian poet
and polymath.
 the angst of the main character (or the author) over the apparent
meaninglessness of human existence, and the apparent inability of
religious, and or philosophical systems to offer meaningful insight or
useful guidance. (In a nutshell, drink and be happy, because tomorrow
were all gonna die anyway.)
 The Persian poem The Rubaiyat Of Omar Khayyam is about Man's love
of women, wine, wisdom, knowledge and the cosmic universe. It is
written in the famous four-line stanzas called Quartrain. Many
translations of it have been brought out of which the most delightful in
English has been the one by Edward Fitzgerald.
 By using basic and easily decipherable (but not obvious)
symbolism, the poet has intentionally presented two
interpretations of the same idea: life’s finite and ends
soon. So we can seize the day and get drunk, but this
drunkenness obscures the greater truth and ultimately
provides only consolation and not answers. But then
again, is that such a bad thing? If you want to be
preached to, this poem will deliver a cynical sermon
condemning those who seek out wine (religion?) for
their answers. But if you just want to enjoy life, the
poem delivers the easy-to-swallow message of forgetting
about tomorrow and living for today. In a way, this poem
is like one of those drawings that, when you turn it
upside down, becomes something entirely different than
what it was right side up. And the poet never really gives
instructions on which way to hold it.