Rubiyat of Omar Khayaam

The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, rendered into English verse by Edward FitzGerald, is a collection of loosely connected quatrains that meditate on life’s biggest, messiest questions—time, fate, love, mortality, and whether any of it ultimately makes sense. FitzGerald’s version isn’t a strict translation so much as an interpretive reimagining of the Persian mathematician and poet Omar Khayyám. The result is lyrical, philosophical, and very accessible, even if it takes liberties with the original text.

Life is short and uncertain—so don’t waste it.
The universe doesn’t offer clear answers (and may not care).
Enjoy simple, tangible things: wine, companionship, nature, the present moment.
Question authority, dogma, and the promise of an afterlife.