The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM

Khayyam THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM. Fitzgerald's 1859 translation/adaptation of the fervent, skeptical, worldly, wine-loving mathematician-poet who lived in Persia from 1048 to 1122 CE, is a classic in Orientalism and in Western decadence. It was, at the turn of the 20th century, arguably the most-read and most-recited poem in the English-speaking world. The Rubaiyat craze swept the middle class, and the best Edwardian homes had carpeted and perfurmed "Persian corners," where a hookah might be smoked, and where numerous illustrated copies of The Rubaiyat could be found. Hundreds of rival editions were printed. The poem's glaring insults to orthodox faith of all kinds, and its claims for Romantic love, made it a favorite for rebels and lovers alike. Its charm has not yet faded. Here is a 1906 printing by Elbert Hubbard and The Roycofters, whose shops in East Aurora, New York (near Buffalo) produced a number of Rubaiyats. We have trimmed out the blank pages to make this more ebook-friendly; the scans are from archive.org. CLICK HERE TO READ.