The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

** "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam" by Omar Khayyam is a series of Persian poems transformed into English by Edward Fitzgerald, exploring deep thoughts on life's short duration and the hunt for joy while facing death. Emerging from the 11th and 12th centuries, these writings come from Khayyam, a poet who also excelled in math and astronomy. In this Persian literary work, we find conversations between someone speaking and the universe, often using wine and celebrations as symbols. Each poem reflects on big questions about existence, the happiness found in earthly pleasures, and how useless it can be to try and solve life's great mysteries. Khayyam points out that life is brief, inspiring people to fully experience each moment, with lines like "Awake! for Morning in the Bowl of Night" urging us to welcome life. These poems mix a love for pleasure with serious philosophical questioning, leading to meaningful considerations about what it means to be human that continue to touch people through time, pushing them to think deeply about their own lives and eventual end. **