The Quatrains of Omar Khayyam: Three Translations of the Rubaiyat

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam Explained

The Wine of Wisdom: The Life, Poetry and Philosophy of Omar Khayyam

Moments of Truth: Excerpts from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam Explained

Rediscovery of Hakim Omar Khayyam : The Great Persian Mathematician, Astronomer, Scientist, Philosopher, Poet and Eternal Role Model

From Wikipedia
Omar Khayyám, Persian (born: May 31, 1048 in Nishapur, Iran (Persia) – died: December 4, 1131), was a Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer.
He was originally named Ghiyath al-Din Abu'l-Fath Omar ibn Ibrahim Al-Nisaburi Khayyámi. Khayyám is an Arabic loanword meaning "tentmaker." He is best known for the collection of poetry, the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.In 1073, the Malik-Shah, sultan of Seljuk, invited Khayyám to build and work with an observatory, along with various other distinguished scientists. Eventually, Khayyám very accurately (correct to six decimal places) measured the length of the solar year as 365.24219858156 days. This calendar measurement has only a 1 day error in every 5,500 years, whereas the Gregorian Calendar used today, has a 1 day error in every 3,330 years. He also calculated how to correct the Persian calendar. On March 15, 1079, Sultan Jalal al-Din Malekshah Saljuqi (1072-92) put Omar's corrected calendar into effect, as in Europe Julius Caesar had done in 46 B.C. with the corrections of Sosigenes, and as Pope Gregory XIII would do in February 1552 with Aloysius Lilius' corrected calendar (although Britain would not switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar until 1751, and Russia would not switch until 1918). Omar Khayyám was famous in the Persian and Islamic world for his astronomical observations. He built a star map (now lost). Omar Khayyam also estimated and proved to an audience that included the then-prestigious and most respected scholar Imam Ghazali, that the universe is not moving around earth as was believed by all at that time. By constructing a revolving platform and simple arrangement of the star charts lit by candles around the circular walls of the room, he demonstrated that earth revolves on its axis, bringing into view different constellations throughout the night and day(completing a one-day cycle). He also elaborated that stars are stationary objects in space which if moving around earth would have been burnt to cinders due to their large mass. All these theories were centuries later adopted by Christian astronomers, as we know them now.
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Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

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Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Skeptic
(This poem translated by
Edward FitzGerald)

And, as the Cock crew,
those who stood before
The Tavern shouted -
"Open then the Door!"
You know how little time we
have to stay,
And once departed, may return
no more."
Alike for those who for TO-DAY prepare,
And that after a TO-MORROW stare,
A Muezzin from the
Tower of Darkness cries
"Fools! your reward is neither
Here nor There!"
Why, all the Saints and Sages
who discuss'd
Of the Two Worlds so learnedly,
are thrust
Like foolish Prophets forth; their
Words to Scorn
Are scatter'd, and their mouths are
stopt with Dust.
Oh, come with old Khayyam,
and leave the Wise
To talk; one thing is certain,
that Life flies;
One thing is certain, and the
Rest is Lies;
The Flower that once has blown
for ever dies.
Myself when young did eagerly frequent
Doctor and Saint, and heard
great Argument
About it and about: but evermore
Came out of the same
Door as in I went.
With them the Seed of
Wisdom did I sow,
And with my own hand
labour'd it to grow:
And this was all the Harvest
that I reap'd -
"I came like Water, and like
Wind I go."
Into this Universe, and why
not knowing,
Nor whence, like Water willy-nilly flowing:
And out of it, as Wind along the Waste,
I know not whither, willy-nilly blowing.
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.
And that inverted Bowl we call
The Sky,
Whereunder crawling coop't
we live and die,
Lift not thy hands to It for help - for It
Rolls impotently on as Thou or I.