The Rubai'yat of Omar Khayyam - Couverture souple

The Rubiyat of Omar Khayyam is a poem of high divine and spiritual meaning. The beauty and simplicity of this poem is so immaculate that people of all faiths and those who have no faith at all can seek divine solace in it. Omar has used popular metaphors in his passionate praise of wine and love. They are mere symbols of Sufism where wine is the joy of spirit and the love is immense devotion to God. Omar has presented the nectar of divine ecstasy as a delightful alternative that leads to human enlightenment and eradicates human woe permanently. He has pictured the ordinary joys of life for the worldly men are able to compare the mundane pleasures with the superior joys of spiritual life. The literal meaning of the translated verses is completely absurd but the vast inner meanings are like a golden treasure house. But the spiritual power inherent in this poem is a characteristic of the Persian poems which have an outer as well as inner meaning. While the west has interpreted Omar’s poems as highly erotic, the East has accepted him as a religious poet. Plumbing into the depths of the poem gives interpretations that make it appear like a shrine which is untouched. Omar has distinctly suggested that wine symbolizes intoxication of spiritual joy and love. Some translators have interpreted the verses saying that the whole poem is an evocation of agnosticism and has a philosophy which seeks happiness through friendships and the avoidance of pain. It suggests brevity of life and the absence of an after life.

French-born artist Edmund Dulac (1882-1953) achieved prominence during the Golden Age of Illustration. His work encompasses a wide variety of themes and styles, although he preferred to work in watercolors and remains best known for his imaginative illustrations for fairy tales and other children's books.
Omar Khayyam (1048-1131) was among the Middle Ages' most influential thinkers. Scholar, astronomer, mathematician, and poet, the Persian philosopher wrote one of the most important pre-modern treatises on algebra but is best remembered for his poetry.
Edward FitzGerald (1809-1883) was a scion of one of Great Britain's wealthiest families who devoted himself to Oriental studies. His translation of Khayyam's verse, published anonymously in 1859, initially received little attention but gradually achieved enormous popularity and influence.