Rubāʿīyāt-i Khayyām Persian 1992

Omar Khayyam stands among Iran's greatest scholars and one of the country's most celebrated cultural figures. A true polymath, he possessed a profound command of the sciences and intellectual disciplines of his age, achieving distinction in philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and the study of the heavens.

Khayyam's Rubāʿiyāt have been admired for centuries, and he has long been recognized as the unrivaled master of the Persian quatrain. It has often been said that, just as Ferdowsi occupies the highest rank in epic poetry and Saadi in lyric verse, Khayyam holds the foremost place among composers of the rubāʿī.

Despite its modest size, this volume comprises three complementary sections: an introduction to Khayyam's life and thought, a collection of his authentic quatrains, and a concise commentary illuminating their themes and philosophical significance.

The edition is based on the pioneering scholarship of Mohammad Ali Foroughi, whose method of identifying Khayyam's genuine verses remains among the most reliable and influential. Rather than relying on a single manuscript, Foroughi began with a careful examination of multiple early sources, comparing their readings while paying close attention to Khayyam's distinctive poetic style, concise yet powerful language, profound philosophical outlook, and deeply reflective spirit. The result is a text that offers readers one of the most authoritative selections of Khayyam's authentic poetry.