Omar Khayyam was a Persian polymath, philosopher, mathematician, astronomer and poet. although best known in the West for his verse he is better known in his homeland as a man of science. Outside Iran and Persian speaking countries, Khayyam has had an impact on literature and societies through the translation of his works and popularization by other scholars. The greatest such impact was in English-speaking countries The most influential of all was Edward FitzGerald, who made Khayyam the most famous poet of the East in the West through his celebrated translation and adaptations of Khayyam's quatrains. It is these verses which are included in this volume