Rubaiyat (Classics) [Hardcover] Omar Khayy?m

Description

Imitation blue leather cover has some normal wear. The pages are clean and in good condition. The binding is secure.

This hardcover edition of the Rubaiyat presents the immortal verses of the 12th century Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet Omar Khayyám. His quatrains convey a remarkable blend of hedonism and fatalism, exalting the pleasures of the fleeting moment while acknowledging the inscrutability of God’s greater design. An air of melancholy permeates these poems as Khayyám laments human reason’s inability to unlock the secrets of existence. Yet his verses also celebrate life’s sensual delights – wine, song, and romantic love – as a defiant counterpoint to the implacable workings of fate.

First translated into English in 1859 by Edward FitzGerald, Khayyám’s Rubaiyat rapidly attained classic status in the West, influencing the Victorian era’s burgeoning interest in Eastern philosophy and literature. This edition preserves the distinctive character of FitzGerald’s renowned rendering, which took great artistic license in interpreting the original Persian verses. For collectors, it represents an affordable gateway into the seminal work that sparked the 19th century’s “Rubaiyat Craze” and inspired myriad artistic tributes. Its modest external wear lends a sense of tangible history to this literary masterpiece.