Divergent Interpretations of Omar Khayyam’s Quatrains: The Pivotal Role of FitzGerald

Authors : Nayeb GHODRAT GOJAR

Pages : 86-102

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Publication Date : 2022-12-15

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Omar Khayyam, a philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, and scientist, is one of the intellectuals whose arguments and insights traveled beyond the borders of Persia and profoundly influenced the literature and cultures of many other countries over the years. The Eastern-inspired quatrains\` meanings, contexts, and messages were subjected to unrestrained interpretations and distortions, dramatically impacting Khayyam\`s reputation. Although scholars debated the non-uniformity of the quatrains and cast doubt concerning the attributions to Khayyam, FitzGerald picked up a few poems from hundreds of quatrains, and his rendering of selected quatrains became more accountable for the related phenomenological diversions. Afterward, by utilizing techniques such as adding, subtracting, and incorporating a few quatrains into one, he developed a compilation that, on the one hand, became a seasoning for Western readers and, on the other hand, threatened the spiritual, scientific, and cultural context of Khayyam. Thus, biased interpretations by FitzGerald resulted in a series that reflected controversial schools, including materialism, hedonism, agnosticism, determinism, nihilism, and skepticism. This article illustrates the inauthenticity regarding the attribution and interpretation of quatrains by applying a few quatrains as examples of the collections, as well as the fact that none of the extracted schools are consistent with Khayyam\`s philosophy and thought. Additionally, the primary quatrains credited to Khayyam adopt a mystical and Sufi perspective.
Keywords : Rubaiyyat, Quatrains, FitzGerald, Philosophical Schools, Ideological Manipulation

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