The creativity of the great oriental poet and philosopher Omar Khayyam fascinates with its depth. His biography is mysterious, full of secrets. The image of the poet is covered in various legends. His wisdom has come to us through the centuries, sealed in poetry. These works have been translated into many languages. Creativity and works of Omar Khayyam will be considered in the article.
Childhood and youth
The name of the famous scientist, Persian, Tajik poet and philosopher, known to everyone as Omar Khayyam, does not leave the lips of people of our time. The greatest scientist and philosopher of the East was born in the city of Nishapur, which is currently located in Iran. This event dates from 1048. The great philosopher died in the same city in 1131.
Little is known about his family. The surname Khayyam means "tent master." Presumably, his father or grandfather had such a profession. According to some reports, he had a younger sister, Aisha.
It is known that at the age of twelve, the boy entered the Nishapur Madrasah. Here he diligently studied mathematics, astronomy and philosophy. Later, the future poet studied at the madrasah of Balkh, Samarkand and Bukhara. Thanks to his outstanding memory and a steady pursuit of knowledge by the age of seventeen, the young man graduated with honors from the course in Muslim law and medicine, receiving the title of hakim (doctor).
However, medicine was not his main hobby for him. Significantly more scientists were interested in such disciplines as mathematics, astronomy and philosophy. The best works of Omar Khayyam today are included in the school curriculum in literature.
Youth
The young scientist fell a lot of tests. His parents died during one of the myriad epidemics that claimed a large number of human lives in the Middle Ages.
After completing the course, the young poet moved to Samarkand, where he got a job as a teacher. They paid little for this work, but it made it possible to somehow make ends meet. At the same time, the philosopher got the opportunity to do his favorite thing - science.
It was in Samarkand that work was completed on the treatise "On the proofs of problems of algebra and admukabala." Later, the list of works by Omar Khayyam was supplemented by the scientific works “Comments on the difficult postulates of the book of Euclid” and “On the art of determining the amount of gold and silver in the body consisting of them.” They characterize the author as an outstanding scientist of his time.
Court Career
During the scientist’s stay in Samarkand, he enjoyed the location and support of the chief judge of this city. Then he was able to win the favor of the Bukhara Khan.
In addition to studying the “serious” sciences, he was fond of cooking - he studied cooking, collecting and improving old recipes. In 1074, the future great poet was invited to Isfahan as the court nadim of the Sultan Melik Shah.
Over the next decade, the scientist served at the court as an organizer of magnificent receptions, inventing recipes for new dishes for the shah. The scientist skillfully applied his knowledge, creating new works. So, he developed special tables of astrological nutrition, in which he indicated in detail how and what the various signs of the zodiac should eat.
These tables are still used by many astrologers in the East. They are also interesting for modern science. Astrologers around the world now draw their knowledge in ancient texts.
Contribution to the Development of Astronomy
In addition to his gastronomic activities, the scientist performed the duties of an astronomer at court. The Shah instructed him to supervise the construction of the astronomical observatory. Later, the scientist was entrusted to lead this creation of engineering.
Melik Shah created a special commission to streamline the existing calendar, which was headed by Khayyam. Under his direct supervision, within the framework of this commission, a calendar of the highest accuracy was developed. This document gives an error of one day for five thousand years, while the modern calendar that we use gives such an error for 3333 years.
The change of leadership posts in Isfahan led to the closure of the observatory. The scientist moved to Bukhara, where he continued to engage in scientific work and at the same time medical practice.
In 1097, a unique treatise written in Farsi “On the universality of being” came out from under his pen. The philosophical works of Omar Khayyam characterize him as a consistent supporter of Aristotle and Ibn Sina. However, not scientific works brought him world fame.
Rubai
The list of works by Omar Khayyam, which brought him world fame, included his quatrains - ruby. Researchers of his work could not precisely determine which of the works attributed to the poet really came out of his pen. More or less firmly, one can be sure of the 66 rubyes that have come down to us in the most ancient lists.
The works of the great poet and philosopher are strikingly different from traditional Persian poetry. His quatrains, accurate and accurate, like a snakebite, are completely devoid of pretentiousness of images, of any “beautiful things”. The best poems of Omar Khayyam are a clear and unambiguous reflection of his philosophical views on life, society, religion and relations between people.
The philosophical meaning of ruby
The meaning of Omar Khayyam’s poems is clearly delineated by traditional symbols. So, for example, grass grows from the ashes of those who left this world. It symbolizes the eternal process of degeneration of matter.
The potter in the workshop is also a special way. The jugs that he makes symbolize the relationship between the creator, the world, and the individual. The cult of wine is also not accidental. So the poet glorifies the reveler-freethinker, thanks to which the poet sharply contrasts himself with the official religious dogmas that prevail in society.
last years of life
Of course, such statements by Omar Khayyam, to put it mildly, were not approved either by secular, or, especially, church authorities. For them it was possible to pay with life. In order to somehow protect himself, the poet made a pilgrimage to Mecca, which was to convince the discontented that he had repented.
However, the authorities hardly believed in the sincerity of the actions of the scientist, poet and freethinker. The last years of the life of the great philosopher, the greatest man of his time, passed in solitude. He shunned people, among whom there could always be a spy or an assassin. It is known that he spent his last hours reading the “Book of Healing” of the famous Avicenna (Ibn Sina), then put it aside, said the last prayer and died.
The style of poetry
The poet’s works are distinguished by an extremely capacious and concise style, which allows in a concise form of the quatrain to fit such a volume of philosophical thoughts that would be enough for a whole scientific treatise. Omar Khayyam’s short verses are distinguished by a chased, flexible rhythm and simplicity of pictorial means.
Brevity and naturalness - these are perhaps the main advantages of the poetry of the scientist and philosopher, making it simple and accessible to the widest readership. Each person will find in these chased lines something that makes his soul respond to the poet’s call, perceive his wisdom, and his heart beats in rhythm with immortal verses.
Main ideas
The value of human life, freedom as an inalienable right of the individual, the passionate scourging of hypocrisy and hypocrisy - these are the main ideas of the works of the great author. In medieval Persian and Tajik poetry, he is perhaps the only one in whose verses the lyrical hero appears as an autonomous person, independent of God and earthly rulers.
This hero, a rebel and an adversary of violence, casts doubt on the religious foundations, and the divinely rational structure of the world. Statements by a scientist and art worker put him on a par with European philosophers-humanists of the 18th century.
About the mortality of human life
All religious and philosophical teachings of that time preach the value of eternal life after death, filled with a series of endless pleasures. They contrast it with earthly life, in which a person must work and suffer.
Reasoning about the perishability of being is present in many works of the oriental poet. However, he immediately contradicts himself, continuing to value and love real life. The poet calls to enjoy her every unique moment, despite all her imperfections.
About love and friendship
Perhaps that is why Omar Khayyam associated the best pleasure in life with friendship and love. Very many rubyes of the poet are devoted to this very topic.
Enjoy life, kiss beauties, be happy here and now, because it is not known what awaits you later. Earthly happiness is fleeting, feel the pricelessness of every moment spent in the arms of a lover. These are the main calls to the person that the author makes in his work.
Love is the adornment of life. Friendship fills it with high meaning. The ability to value friendship, to respect enemies, to choose those who deserve to be called friends, not to let a low and vile person into your soul is a guarantee that life will be filled with meaning and will not be wasted. This is the main everyday wisdom of the work of the oriental poet and philosopher.
Aphorisms
Clarity, conciseness, clarity of thought and simplicity of form transform practically all poems into aphorisms of Omar Khayyam. Each of its quatrains is the essence, the equation, striving for an exact formula, and, therefore, for perfection.
No wonder the work of the famous oriental poet is relevant to this day. They not only admire him, they quote him, using accurate, capacious statements to express their attitude to life in general and to its individual manifestations. Perhaps he is the only poet from the past whose poems continue to be relevant and in demand in the modern world.
However, it should be recognized that not all quotations circulated in various sources attributed to this famous author to this day belong to his pen. To many of them the medieval poet has nothing to do. But these are the specific features of the modern information field.
The value of works
Being a comprehensively gifted, multifaceted creative person, the presented author left the invaluable creative legacy to his descendants. His contribution to science as a mathematician, astronomer and philosopher is invaluable. And his poetic talent, combined with the clarity of philosophical thought, gave a truly precious alloy in the form of immortal quatrains, representing a truly unique phenomenon in world cultural heritage. The work of the great scientist and poet is an invaluable gift that has come to us from the depths of centuries. These are not the dead lines of a forgotten past, but the source of wisdom, which is still in demand today.
Having considered in general terms the works of Omar Khayyam, we can say that they do not lose their relevance for many centuries. These are truly brilliant works that appeal to the very origins of the human person, to her aspirations and attitude to life. Thanks to its sincerity and truthfulness, these ancient lines are relevant to this day.