🍷 Omar Khayyam

Omar Khayyam (1048–1131) was a Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer. He lived in Iran at a time when the Seljuks ruled there. In his lifetime he was known mainly as a scientist: he worked on the calendar and solved equations.

His fame as a poet comes from the rubaiyat, short quatrains. They speak of life, death and time, and many lines praise wine. However, scholars debate which of the quatrains Khayyam really wrote: many verses are attributed to him, and not all are genuine.

The image of wine in these poems is understood in different ways. Some readers see a literal drink, others a symbol of the joy of life or of spiritual intoxication. It is worth remembering that Islam forbids alcohol, so such verses were written in defiance of strict rules.

In the West the rubaiyat became known in the 19th century thanks to Edward FitzGerald's English translation. Since then Omar Khayyam has been one of the best-known Persian poets in the world.