Sipping From The Rubaiyat's Chalice

During the 1100s, Omar Khayyám contributed to the fields of astronomy, math, poetry, and philosophy. This Renaissance man questioned the orthodoxy and academics of his time. His poetry celebrates enjoying simple pleasures. Then 700+ years later in 1859 the bohemian English poet Edward FitzGerald made the defining translation of Khayyám’s Rubáiyát. The verse resonated deeply with the 19th and 20th Century artists, writers and everyday people looking for meaning and comfort.

This symbolic East...