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Secondary sourceBook1898

The Stanzas of Omar Khayyam

Omar Khayyám (translated by John Leslie Garner) · 1898

An 1898 English edition of quatrains attributed to Omar Khayyám, translated by John Leslie Garner, with a frontispiece showing his tomb.

This is an English translation of quatrains attributed to Khayyám, showing how his poetry reached later readers.

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The Stanzas of Omar KhayyamPDF · 172 pages
The Stanzas of Omar Khayyam, translated by John Leslie Garner, 1898.

About this source

What it is

This is a small printed book from 1898 called The Stanzas of Omar Khayyam. It presents English translations of the quatrains (short four-line poems) attributed to the Persian poet Omar Khayyám, translated by John Leslie Garner. The book includes a frontispiece image of Khayyám's tomb at Naishapur and introductory material.

Why it matters

Omar Khayyám's poetry became hugely popular in English-speaking countries during the 1800s, long after his death, through translations like this one. This edition shows how Western readers encountered and reimagined his verses, and how his image as a poet of wine, fate, and mortality took hold in Victorian culture.

Look closer

  • Why might a translator choose to include a poem about visiting Khayyám's tomb at the start of the book?
  • How might translation change the meaning or tone of the original Persian poems?
  • What does the popularity of this book tell us about how historical figures can be reinterpreted long after they lived?

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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