‘Omar Khayyam and the Persian Quatrain

Service Description

Dates: October 12 – December 14, 2026 (online course) Time: Mondays, 10:15 – 11:15 am Pacific Standard Time (Los Angeles) Persian language skills: basic, intermediate, advanced This course explores the Persian quatrain (robā‘i) through the poetry attributed to ‘Omar Khayyam and the broader literary tradition in which the form developed. Students will examine the linguistic, formal, and philosophical characteristics of the robā‘i, paying particular attention to its remarkable capacity to condense reflections on love, mortality, fate, pleasure, faith, rationalist skepticism, and the instability of human experience into four highly charged lines. While Khayyam will remain at the center of the course, his poetry will be read alongside quatrains attributed to or composed by other major figures in the Persian literary tradition, including Abu Sa‘id Abu’l-Khayr, Mahsati Ganjavi, Sana‘i, ‘Attar, Rumi, Sa‘di, and Hafez. These comparisons will allow us to explore the extraordinary flexibility of the form across erotic, mystical, skeptical, satirical, and philosophical registers, while also raising questions about authorship and the circulation of individual poems between different poetic corpora. Each session will introduce elements of Persian grammar, prosody, rhetoric, and style relevant to the interpretation of the poems, while situating them within their intellectual and cultural contexts. Particular attention will be devoted to manuscript transmission and to the difficulties involved in reconstructing an authoritative corpus of Khayyam’s poetry. The course will conclude by examining the reception of Khayyam outside Iran, with particular attention to Edward FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám and its profound role in shaping the modern image of both Khayyam and the Persian quatrain. * Once learners enroll, Silk Road Academy will coordinate the class schedule, process payments, and manage administrative details. * Silk Road Academy can issue invoices so learners can request reimbursement from their affiliated universities or institutions. * Class days and times may be adjusted in accordance with the request of enrollees. * Registered participants will receive full access to recorded session videos and all course materials. Dr. Domenico Ingenito is Associate Professor of Iranian Studies and premodern Persian Literature at the University of California, Los Angeles.