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Primary sourceBook

Rubaiyat Quatrain in Persian

Omar Khayyám

An image of one of Omar Khayyám's quatrains in its original Persian, reflecting on arrival, departure, and mortality.

A quatrain in Khayyám's own Persian language, showing his poetic voice directly.

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Four lines of Persian script, right-aligned, forming a quatrain of the Rubaiyat on a white background. The text reads from top to bottom: from our coming and going what benefit is there; from the weft of the thread of our life's hope what warp is there; from the fire of the fair ones' faces... burning and turning to dust, what smoke is there.
Omar Khayyam, quatrain from the Rubaiyat, in Persian.

About this source

What it is

This image shows four lines of Persian script forming one quatrain from the Rubaiyat, a collection of short poems attributed to Omar Khayyám. The English caption translates the poem's theme: questioning what benefit there is in life's coming and going, and reflecting on beauty turning to dust.

Why it matters

This quatrain, in Khayyám's own language, lets readers see his original words rather than a translation. The themes — the shortness of life, the uncertainty of fate, and the fading of beauty — are typical of the poetry connected to his name and show why his verses have resonated across centuries and cultures.

Look closer

  • What feeling does the poem create about life and time?
  • Why might reading the original Persian text matter, even if you cannot read the language, compared to only reading a translation?
  • What questions does the poem ask, and does it answer them?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Omar Khayyam on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Front cover of a green cloth book titled Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, the Astronomer-Poet of Persia, with gold lettering, a gold floral emblem, black decorative arch border, and publisher Houghton, Osgood & Co. at the bottom.Book

Secondary source

Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

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Khayyam Geometry Manuscript

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The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (First Edition)

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Painted manuscript page in Persian miniature style: a seated bearded ruler in a crown gestures toward a woman in green kneeling on a rug, while a small attendant in a blue robe stands at a doorway on the left. Persian text fills the bottom panel.Book

Secondary source

Chahar Maqala

Nizami Aruzi · 1155–1157

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Jameh Mosque of Isfahan

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