A book of verses underneath the bough,
A jug of wine, a loaf of bread—and thou.
 
The Rubáiyát is one of the most popular poems of all time. A collection of quatrains composed in the eleventh century by Persian poet and philosopher Omar Khayyám, it was first published in English-language translation by Edward Fitzgerald in 1859. Since then, its melancholy tone and enigmatic philosophy of mourning the painful brevity of life while celebrating what pleasures we may find have made it an inspiration to many writers, including Matthew Arnold and Thomas Hardy. More recently, it has also been the subject of many music adaptations and films.
           
This collector’s edition of The Rubáiyát features stunning full-color illustrations created by René Bull in 1913 that interpret the poem’s brilliant sensual imagery and provide the perfect complement to Fitzgerald’s translation, which remains the most famous. Every page of poetry in this collector’s edition features unique art nouveau borders in gold, with each illustration framed in a gold border.

Omar Khayyám (1048–1131) was a Persian poet, philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician on the court of Malik Shah I. Edward Fitzgerald (1809–83) was an English poet and philosopher. His is the first and most famous translation of Omar Khayyám’s The Rubáiyát.René Bull (1872–1942) was an Irish illustrator. In addition to The Rubáiyát, other major works he illustrated include Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales and The Arabian Nights.