Omar Khayyam

Omar Khayyam (c 1048 - 1122) was a Persian poet, mathematician, astrologer and astronomer. He was born at Naishapur, in Khorassan; lived in the later half of the 11th century, and died in the first quarter of the 12th century.

He is famous for his 'rubaiyat' (quatrain) poems, a collection of poems which breathe an Epicurean spirit, and while they occupy themselves with serious problems of life, do so with careless sportiveness, intent he on the enjoyment of the sensuous pleasures of life, like an easy-going Epicurean. The great problems of destiny don't trouble the author, they are no concern of his, and the burden of his songs assuredly is, as his translator says, "If not 'let us eat, let us drink, for to-morrow we die.'"

Seljuq sultan was his patron who had invited him to make astronomical calculation for rectifying calendar and to work on observatory in Isfahan.

Later, he also became court astrologer.

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam was published in 1859 in English by Edward Fitzgerald, who had translated and rearranged the quatrains.

Wisdom & Quotes

• Drink! for you know not whence

you came, nor why:
Drink! for you know not why you
go, nor where.
- Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

• The Moving finger writes ; and, having writ,

Moves on : nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a line,
Nor all Thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
- Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

• Strange, is it not ? that of the myriads who

Before us passed the door of Darkness through,
Not one returns to tell us of the Road,
Which to discover we must travel too.
- Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Al Hariri