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Persian Poet, humanist philosopher, and mathematician Omar Khayyam is probably the most famed of all Persian Poets in the West, ever since the translation by Victorian-era writer Edward Fitzgerald of a series of Quatrains known as the "Rubaiyaat". It is probably the best-selling book in the entire history of English poetry. It exists in many editions and has Enjoyed massive popularity throughout the 20th century, many people have carried it around, taken it to war, kept it in the car, ordered it for reading on a putative desert island. The memorable quatrains appeal to all classes and conditions of men and women; they are still treasured by millions.
This translation profoundly influenced the West's perception (or misperception) of Persia ( today known as Iran ) in the turn of the century. In fact as unusual as it may seem one of the original manuscripts of the "Rubaiyaat" was carried aboard the "R.M.S. Titanic" and was to dissapear with the doomed Liner under the Sea never to resurface again ...
http://www.payvand.com/news/03/mar/1039.html
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