Omar Khayam - Enduring Legacy

It's astounding to think that a poem - made of hundreds of quatrains - by a Persian writer born this day in 1048 is still loved and read today. Omar Khayam was a brilliant mathematician, astronomer and poet - a polyglot - but mostly known now for his 'Rubayaiyat of Omar Khayam'. 

Translated from the Farsi by Edward Fitzgerald in 1859, it wasn't as big a hit as was hoped or expected; but being discovered by the Pre-Raphaelites some time later was instrumental in its becoming a lot more popular. I think it's enduring longevity is due to the utterly beautiful illustrations that have graced so many of its versions. I found I couldn't resist starting a little collection of my own, and particularly love the artwork by Edmund Dulac. 

     

It's hard to resist loading the page with a heap of illustrations - so I won't resit too hard! 

                        

And add some quotes...

    
A tomb or mausoleum is usually a thing that one would prefer to avoid looking at, but this has to be the prettiest one I've ever encountered. 

    

So not hard to see why the book - the poem - has lasted so long - there's no end to the lush illustrations, and these here are just a fraction. Enjoy!