The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám — Edward FitzGerald

Description

Edward FitzGerald's celebrated English translation of the quatrains of 12th century Persian poet Omar Khayyám — one of the most beloved poems in the English language. Philosophical, sensual, and deeply moving, the Rubáiyát contemplates the fleeting nature of life, the pleasures of wine and companionship, and the mysteries of fate and time. A cornerstone of world literature that bridges Persian and English poetry.

Excerpt

I.
Awake! for Morning in the Bowl of Night
Has flung the Stone that puts the Stars to Flight:
  And Lo! the Hunter of the East has caught
The Sultan's Turret in a Noose of Light.

II.
Dreaming when Dawn's Left Hand was in the Sky
I heard a Voice within the Tavern cry,
  "Awake, my Little ones, and fill the Cup
Before Life's Liquor in its Cup be dry."

III.
And, as the Cock crew, those who stood before
The Tavern shouted—"Open then the Door.
  You know how little while we have to stay,
And, once departed, may return no more."