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Book Reviews of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Author: Omar Khayyam, Edward FitzGerald (Translator)
ISBN-13: 9780894717178
ISBN-10: 0894717170
Publication Date: 8/1989
Pages: 75
Edition: Mini ed
Rating:
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 3

4.5 stars, based on 3 ratings
Publisher: Running Press
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

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sphinx avatar reviewed The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam on + 97 more book reviews
I cannot read or speak Persian/Farsi, so this refers only to the English interpretation, without reference to the original.

I found this to be a beautiful, touching, and contemplative poem, which can be read literally, as a celebration of wine and the beauty of the world that surrounds us, or symbolically, as a reminder to welcome in to one's soul the 'wine of divine light'. Khayyam implores the reader to remember that life is short and a beautiful gift, and that one needs no church or priest or holy book to access heaven, as it is available all around us, if only we can sense its presence. This is the sort of mysticism found in Walt Whitman, and if you like one, you'll probably like the other.

The translation seems very fluid and expresses the dual meaning of the text well.