Point of View

The Rubáiyát is told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator who betrays similarity to Omar Khayyam himself. For instance, in one section of the verse the narrator mentions have used mathematical calculations to devise a new calendar, as Omar Khayyam was known to have done for Malik Shah, the Seljuk sultan, in 1075. The narrator also mentions in an extended section a youthful period in which he devoted much time and energy to seeking wisdom through philosophical and ecclesiastical discourse. This coheres with Omar Khayyam’s own trajectory as it has been explained in the introduction to the Rubáiyát. Fitzgerald notes Omar Khayyam’s study with the renown cleric Imam Mowaffak of Naishapur. Omar Khayyam’s prodigious development as a polymath and accomplished figure in the natural sciences and the arts is also a matter of historical record. Therefore, it is...