Term Paper on "Omar Khayyam"

Term Paper 5 pages (1563 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Omar Khayyam: The Man and the Poetry

Omar Khayyam was a medieval Persian mathematician/astronomer who settled in modern-day Uzbekistan. Popular in the 11th century for his algebraic proofs, he became popular in the 19th century for his poetry -- thanks to the translations of Edward FitzGerald.

Khayyam taught mathematics during the day and studied astronomy during the night. In between these two activities he also composed the poetry which has made him famous in the West -- his rubaiyat, or quatrains (four line verses). FitzGerald's translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam re-introduced the world to the poetic talents of this Arabian mathematician. Since then scholars have attempted to understand Khayyam the man.

Who was Omar Khayyam? Christopher Decker observes that "his Takhallus or poetical name (Khayyam) signifies a Tent-maker, and he is said to have at one time exercised that trade" (5). It was a common exercise for Persian poets to take their names from their trades. Names like Attar and Assar (druggist and oil presser, respectively) are common in the Persian culture, as Decker points out. In his rubaiyat, Khayyam hints at his previous occupation when he states: "Khayyam, who stitched the tents of science, / Has fallen in grief's furnace and been suddenly burned; / the shears of Fate have cut the tent ropes of his life; / and the broker of Hope has sold him for nothing!" They are curious lines, mostly because it is known that Omar was deeply devoted to scientific pursuits. It is possible therefore that he descended from a family of tent-makers but left this trade to pursue astronomy and mathematics. He is believed to have studied under the Iman Mowaffak and to have even been offered a position in the court of the Sultan.

Today, however, readers are content to satisfy themselves with Omar's verses -- his daily thoughts on the questions of life that troubled him or inspired him. More interested in knowing who he was than in being labeled as a "philosopher," Omar would quietly turn away from the stars to look inside himself. Through the science of poetry, he recorded all he saw.

Important Works

Omar wrote several important works, such as on the Difficulties of Euclid's Definitions (Whinfield 14). His mathematical writings reveal him to be one who was steeped in algebraic functions and who could understand all the aspects of geometry. For example, he argued that cubic equations could not be solved by using a simple compass and ruler but that one needed rather to use conic sections. In this manner he preceded the advancement of algebraic thought by nearly a millennium (Amir-Moez 324).

His most important poetical work, of course, is the Rubaiyat, first translated into English by FitzGerald in 1859. A second edition was printed a decade later, containing 110 quatrains (as opposed to the first edition which contained only 75). Before the century was out, FitzGerald had released three more editions, using the rhyme scheme AABA. These quatrains are reflective, meditative, happy, sad, introspective analyses into the question and nature of life. They focus on Khayyam and how he fits into the world and where he stands in relation to the universe.

Though FitzGerald's translations have proven to be much admired, they are not viewed as being particularly or rigidly faithful to Omar's original verses. For that reason, many other translations have appeared in many other languages, which present Omar's poetry in different lights -- but always with the same emphasis of thought on life and experience.

Style of Writing

It is difficult to discern the true style of Omar Khayyam without appreciating the original language in which the poetry was written. When one comments on the translated verses of the Rubaiyat, he is mainly commenting on the translator's style rather than the original poet's. Nonetheless, some attempt to see through the translator's pen to the original pen of Omar can be made by comparing a variety of verse translations.

For example, in two of FitzGerald's translations of a particular quatrain, we see a picture changed subtly but importantly: Quatrain 11 in FitzGerald's first edition reads: "Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough / a Flask of Wine, a Book of verse -- and Thou / Beside me singing in the Wilderness -- / and Wilderness is Paradise enow." The same quatrain is re-written in his fifth edition: with the "Loaf of Bread" in the first line being replaced by the "Book of Verse" of the second line. This switch paints an entirely different picture of Khayyam: in the first edition the poet appears first with bread, which satisfies his stomach and appeals the more natural, physical man; the fifth edition shows the poet sitting with "verses" -- indicating that he is sitting with the precise goal of reading; thus, the fifth edition appeals to the intellectual side of man. Both versions show that the poet enjoys wine and bread with his verses; but the first implies that he likes to have a little poetry on the side while he enjoys his bread and wine; the second implies that he likes to have a little bread and wine on the side while he enjoys his poetry: "A Book of Verses underneath the Bough, / a Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread -- and Thou / Beside me singing in the Wilderness -- / Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!" Still, in spite of the subtle (yet important) changes, Khayyam's style of writing is evident: his poetry is simple, matter-of-fact, ordered (in four lines of verse) to capture a moment and present a slice of life. What comes out is the fact that Omar Khayyam appreciates an afternoon in which he can relax and stimulate both his mind and his belly and appreciate the awesome power of nature. Khayyam's use of language is directed towards representing the beauty and power of the natural world. This is evident in other translations, too

Edward Henry Whinfield, for example, translates the same verses and shows another view of Khayyam: "In the sweet spring a grassy bank I sought / and thither wine and a fair Houri brought; / and, though the people called me graceless dog, / Gave not to Paradise another thought!" Here, Khayyam is seen as emphasizing the fact that others around him do not perceive the same natural and intellectual delights as he does. He seems to be perfectly happy and comfortable sitting on the bank with his wine and Houri (nymph). What does he need of Paradise when he has these Earthly delights, he seems to suggest.

Justin Huntly McCarthy translated 466 of Omar Khayyam's quatrains in 1889, and he, like Whinfield, focuses on the Earthly delights aspect of the verses: "In Spring time I love to sit in the meadow with a paramour / perfect as a Houri and goodly jar of wine, and though / I may be blamed for this, yet hold me lower / than a dog if ever I dream of Paradise." There is a rustic contentedness in this example of Khayyam's verse, which seems to express a more faithful translation than FitzGerald's.

Yet, still another aspect of the poet is discernible in the prose translation of Edward Heron-Allen, who presents Khayyam thus: "I desire a little ruby wine and a book of verses, / Just enough to keep me alive, and half a loaf is needful; / and then, that I and thou should sit in a desolate place / Is better than the kingdom of a sultan." Here, Khayyam emphasizes the simple need for company, poetry, wine and bread. Nothing else is needed -- certainly not a seat in the court of a Sultan, which Khayyam is supposed to have refused in real life. One finds in Khayyam's verses that the more prosaic the… READ MORE

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