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Poetry Prompt 18 – Rubaiyat Let's Write some Rubaiyat! There are two areas to explore: the historic form of this poem as a complete, self-continued unit, and its later use in English as a stanza pattern. First, the original form: Omar Khayyám may not have invented the ruba'i, but he was a master at writing this type of verse. The term comes from the Arabic word for 'four,' and means a stand-alone poem in four lines. The plural is rubaiyat, and as such means a collection of these poems in one volume. Khayyám, born in medieval Persia, was an all-around Renaissance man and bona fide genius; a great mathematician whose texts on the subject of algebra are still current today, an astronomer, geologist, and philosopher, it's a miracle he still had time to pursue his two main interests in life – wine and handsome young men! Those less scholarly pursuits led him to create some of the best poetry mankind is lucky enough to have. Often these beautiful four-lined verses came spontaneously to him while he was at a gathering and would be written down by others. Soon after his death in 1131, his many young men and acolytes gathered them together and published a collection of approximately 300 rubaiyat. So, what makes a Rubaiyat a Rubaiyat? Four lines of equal syllable length – usually 10 beats for Khayyám – and a rhyming pattern more often than not conforming to a-a-a-b-a. This means a quatrain with three words that rhyme and one that does not; this 'oddball' is often the concluding word of the third line, but sometimes it can shift to the second. Now that we know the basics of the form, the harder question arises as to what is the soul of this type of poem. It is a rather philosophical one, and for Khayyám personally, it rests squarely in the school of the ancient Greek thinker Epicurus. Akin in many ways to modern existentialism, it can be glibly summarized as 'eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die!' Let's look at an example.[1] عاشر من الناس كبار العقول وجانب الجهال أهل الفضول واشرب نقيع السم من عاقل واسكب على الأرض دواء الجهول رباعيات خيام Eashir min alnnas kibar aleaqul wajanib aljihal 'ahl alfudawl washrab naqie alssmm min eaqil waskab ealaa al'ard dawa' aljuhul Omar Khayyám One tenth of the top-minded people, and also those people ignorant of curiosity, drink the poisoned infusion of sanity while pouring on the ground the medication of alcohol. Omar Khayyám Here we see the poet has chosen to use consistent 10-syllable lines, and a rhyme pattern of a-a-b-a. In this regard, it's a good example of the form, and also shows the type of philosophical subject Rubaiyat excel at. More examples: يا نفس ما هذا الأسى والكدر قد وقع الإثم وضاع الحذر هل ذاق حلو العفو إلا الذى أذنب والله عفا واغتفر رباعيات خيام Ya nafs mma hdha al'asaa walkudur qad waqae al'iithm wadae alhidhr hal dhaq hulu aleafw 'illa aldhdha 'adhnab walllah eafa waghtafir Omar Khayyám Hey, what is this same sorrow and chagrin that has signaled sin and lost restraint; it may have tasted sweet, but he who forgives both 'guilt' and God pardons the excuse. Omar Khayyám ----------- اي بس كه نباشيم و جهان خواهد بود ني نام زما و ني نشان خواهد بود زين پيش نبوديم و نبد هيچ خلل زين پس چو نباشيم همان خواهد بود رباعيات خيام Ay bs kh nbashim w jhan khawahid bud ni nam zama w ni nshan khawahid bud zyn pysh nbwdim w nabud hych khalal zyn ps chw nbashim hman khawahid bwd Omar Khayyám Suffice to say, we are not of the world that will be, they will outshine this time that was, and not be saddled with our piled-up damages; if only we could do the same for us now. Omar Khayyám Two more examples I cannot find the original for are these; they give a beautiful sense of Khayyám as a poet: Everywhere that there has been a rose or tulip-bed, It has come from the redness of the blood of a king; Every violet shoot that grows from the earth Is a mole that once was on the cheek of beauty. Omar Khayyám [Clement Wood, translator] ----------- Hell is a spark from my useless worries, Paradise is a moment of time when I am tranquil. Omar Khayyám [Clement Wood, translator] Second, the modern form in English: Due to the stunning popularity of Edward FitzGerald's book, The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, published in 1859, the Rubaiyat form became very well-known in English. So popular in fact, that rough parodies of it arose in blatant praise of drinks and carousing (ones which Khayyám no doubt would have cheered!). In addition, the attention FitzGerald's flowery and un-abashedly Victorian language received influenced generations of poets who came after him.[2] In time, the Rubaiyat was adapted into a stanza form. It followed the originals in having consistent line lengths (either narrative like Khayyám: 10 syllables; or lyrical with 8 beats per line), and a rhyme pattern of a-a-b-a. From this, a totally new type appeared called the 'Interlocking Rubaiyat.' This poem consists of multiple stanzas with the 'oddball' word forming the main rhyme for the next strophe. Thus, this pattern was born: a-a-b-a; b-b-c-b; c-c-d-c; d-d-e-d; e-e-f-e, and so forth. Now for examples. First, a taste of FitzGerald: I sometimes think that never blows so red The Rose, as where some buried Caesar bled; That every Hyacinth the Garden wears Dropt in her Lap from some once lovely Head…. Edward FitzGerald, after Omar Khayyám Believe it or not, that is supposed to be the same poem that Clement Wood translated so beautifully and accurately above. Here is another Rubaiyat: Tudor indeed is gone and every rose, Blood-red, blanch-white that in the sunset glows Cries: "Blood, Blood, Blood!" against the gothic stone Of England, as the Howard or Boleyn knows. Ezra Pound Suffice to say, the florid language of FitzGerad became associated with the form, but other poets were attracted to it as well. Few people realize that Robert Frost's best-known poem is a Rubaiyat. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening was first published in 1922, and recaptures some of the lost spirit and soul of the true Rubaiyat of Khayyám. It is an Interlocking example, and the rhyme patterns are this:[3] …know. ...though; …here …snow. …queer …near …lake …year. …shake …mistake. …sweep …flake. …deep, …keep, …sleep, …sleep. Frost chose a lyrical metre for this poem, and also concluded with a four-line strophe of a single rhyme, but the three preceding Rubaiyat work beautifully to bring the thought of one's own mortality to mind without even mentioning 'death.' The prompt: write one four-lined Khayyám-style Rubaiyat on the theme of 'your muse' (with or without references to drink and pretty boys ). In addition, write one multi-stanza Interlocking Rubaiyat based on the sights and feelings stirred in you by watching Ambrose Bierce's short story, An Occurrence at Owl Bridge.[4] Use the consistent line lengths you think are best for the individual poems, and follow the basic rhyme patterns for the two types of Rubaiyat. --------------------------------------------- [1] Translations, such as they are, are mine and based on Google Translate with reference to the meaning of the poems rendered in English by others. I provide the originals because they are available online here, but I have no way to verify the veracity of the text. The phonetic rendering of the original is also generated by Google Translate, and I make no claim on its legibility in Farsi or Arabic. I include it so we can see the relative metre and length of the lines, and the poet's rhyme scheme without translation. I have avoided all references and use of FitzGerald for this section. [2] In should be noted that FitzGerald's book is not an accurate rendering of the original in any sense. FitzGerald exercised a free hand in cobbling together various bits and pieces found in some of the Rubaiyat to make them more 'poetic.' Nevertheless, FitzGerald's influence as a poet cannot be understated; he just did not bother to present Khayyám in an accurate way. The Rubáiyát can be found here. [3] The full version of Frost's poem can be found here. [4] There are several versions of this video on youtube, but so you are not influenced by Bierce's word choice, please avoid reading the actual story while writing your poem.