Omar Khayyam was another one of those fellows who was just brilliant in so many different subjects. The other day we were discussing the 17th century French philosopher Rene Decartes. Brilliant in math, science, and philosophy.
So now we consider Omar Khayyam, the 13th century Persian thinker and writer. He, too, was brilliant in so many different subjects. He contributed the knowledge base of certain parts of algebra and geometry and the development of the solar calendar based on his observations as an astronomer.
And still, somehow, he found time to express himself beautifully as a poet. Some scholars think that Omar wrote poetry as an amusement and a respite from his work as an astronomer and mathematician. His poetry shows up in various accounts in Persian history.
Of course, credit for the book The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam rightly goes to 19th century English poet Edward FitzGerald, who translated Omar’s work into English. FitzGerald published numerous editions of the Rubaiyat, and made significant changes in some of them. Furthermore, much of the poetry is simply a very loose translation of what Omar originally wrote.
Case in point, the quotation in the image is from the fifth edition, which was publish posthumously. It is probably the most familiar. However, the verse in the first edition is somewhat different, though offering the same sentiment.
You could get quite caught up in learning the history of this iconic volume. Suffice it to suggest that there probably will be copies of the Rubaiyat at the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair.
There will be booksellers of a wide variety of subjects. So, if your interest lies in poetry, history, or most any other subject, you probably won’t want to miss the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair. It’s happening on Saturday and Sunday, March 1-2, 2025 at The Coliseum in downtown St. Petersburg.
Tickets are available at Eventbrite.com. Just search of the 2025 book fair. You also can visit our website at floridaantiquarianbookfair.com
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