The quatrains of Omar Khayyām. The Persian test with an English verse translation. By E.H. Whinfield

About this book

“The quatrains of Omar Khayyām. The Persian test with an English verse translation. By E.H. Whinfield” is a book by Omar Khayyam in the “Poetry” category, written in English. It is in the public domain, so you can read it for free from the open source using the buttons above. If you enjoyed it, press Like to help others find it. Similar books are listed below.

About the author

Omar Khayyam (1048–1131) of Nishapur was famous in his own time as a mathematician and astronomer: he wrote a major treatise on algebra that solved cubic equations geometrically, and helped reform the Persian calendar into one of the most accurate ever made. The short four-line poems attributed to him were written, it seems, for himself and his friends.

Many of the quatrains credited to him may be by other poets, but their mix of doubt, wine and wonder at the shortness of life won the world through Edward FitzGerald's Rubaiyat of 1859. In Arabic they are best known in Ahmed Rami's version, parts of which Umm Kulthum sang.