Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, and Salámán and Absál Together with a Life of Edward Fitzgerald and an Essay on Persian Poetry by Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám and Salámán and Absál" by Omar Khayyám, Edward FitzGerald, and Jami is a collection of translated Persian poems that invites readers to think about life's big questions. The book includes Khayyám’s short poems, called "quatrains," which touch on love, how short life is, and what it all means, alongside "Salámán and Absál," a story-poem about love and wanting something deeply. The translations try to keep the feeling of the original Persian poems but make them understandable for English readers, and is introduced with an image and words about why these poets and translators are important, especially FitzGerald's part in bringing Khayyám's work to the world, giving readers a peek into his life and the times Khayyám lived in as a mathematician, astronomer, and poet. The poems themselves start with beautiful descriptions of nature, the pleasure of wine, and a feeling of sadness about how quickly life passes, pulling readers into a thoughtful and musical exploration of human feelings and experiences.