Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, and Salámán and Absál

A fresh, lyrical bridge between East and West, this volume brings the timeless quatrains of Omar Khayyám and the graceful tale of Salámán and Absál into English verse. Edward FitzGerald’s delicate rendering captures the wine‑kissed contemplation and gentle irony of the original Persian, inviting listeners to linger over each pearl‑like stanza and feel the quiet sway of centuries‑old desert skies.

The companion essay offers a vivid portrait of FitzGerald himself—his Suffolk upbringing, his Cambridge friendships, and his devotion to simple pleasures such as roses, books, and the sea. Insight into his early forays into Spanish drama and his eventual turn to Persian poetry reveals the restless curiosity that shaped his extraordinary translations. Together, the poems and biography create an intimate listening experience, revealing both the sublime beauty of the verses and the modest, generous spirit of the man who first sang them to English ears.