RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM [Hardcover]

With Paintings and Decorations by Sarkis Katchadourian, born in Iran, where he recreated romantic frescoes in old palaces, he then trained in Rome, continued in Paris and then later in Munich. It is really fitting that this cosmopolitan artist's original paintings reproduced in bright colors and the black and white line drawings take you there celebrate under a bough with a book of verse and flask of wine you are magically drawn in and there drinking in the words of the poet.... drunk on the verse.

Fantastic poetry from 11th century Persia as translated by a depressed Englishman going through a divorce in 1859. The first translation is by far the best but it is interesting to get several of them and compare. I'm not a huge poetry fan but I love the simplicity, imagery and strange allegories Omar Khayyam writes about. He was apparently a big fan of the wine.