Book excerpt: An eleventh century Persian mathematician and astronomer, Omar Khayyam is renowned in his own country for his scientific achievements, though he is chiefly known to English-speaking readers through Edward FitzGerald’s 1859 translation of ‘The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám’. A form of verse complete in four lines, employing a rhyme scheme, the ‘quatrain’ is close in style and spirit to the epigram. Each quatrain forms a complete poem in itself, as part of a continuous elegy with intellectual unity and consistency. Although they are extremely free translations, FitzGerald’s ingenious work exerts a compelling verve and succinctness. Having flourished a thousand years ago, Omar Khayyam can be seen as a kindred spirit to other poets that explore existential themes, while celebrating the beauty of the world. The Delphi Poets Series offers readers the works of literature’s finest poets, with superior formatting. This volume presents Khayyam’s collected poetical works, with related illustrations and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Khayyam’s life * Concise introduction to Khayyam’s life and poetry * Excellent formatting of the poems * Easily locate the quatrains you want to read * Multiple translations of the quatrains by four different poets * Includes FitzGerald’s 1st and 5th edition texts * The original Persian 1342 text, edited by Sadegh Hedayat * A special dual Persian-by-English text of the first 50 quatrains * Features a bonus biography — discover Khayyam’s medieval world * Ordering of texts into chronological order and genres CONTENTS: The Life and Poetry of Omar Khayyam Brief Introduction: Omar Khayyam Edward FitzGerald Translation, 1st Edition Text (1859) Edward FitzGerald Translation, 5th Edition Text (1889) E. H. Whinfield Translation (1883) Gelett Burgess Translation (1904) Norton F. W. Hazeldine Translation (1908) The Original Text Contents of the Persian Text The Dual Text Dual Persian and English Text (Quatrains 1-50) The Biography Introduction: Omar Khayyam, The Astronomer-Poet of Persia (1859) by Edward FitzGerald