A thousand years ago in Nishapur,
was born a genius, one whose works endure.
Inspiring awe until this very day,
he'll never be forgotten, come what may.
In mathematics, he was without peer,
his mastery of algebra was clear.
Astronomer, was he, of quite some note,
the proof lies in a calendar he wrote.
From poetry that borders on divine,
we learn he had a healthy love of wine.
For Omar was a proper vinipote-
to prove it, one need only heed this quote:
A book of verses underneath the bough
A flask of wine, a loaf of bread and thou.
Thus says this truly wonderful Bacchant;
one luminary Persian bon vivant.
I raise my glass to celebrate his art,
in deference to old Rene Descartes;
and toast him with my very last iamb,
in playful jest- "I drink, therefore Khayyam."
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Author Notes
Today's word: vinipote (n.) wine-drinker.
Omar Khayyam (1048-1131) was a Persian polymath. He had a great grasp of mathematics, most noted for his work on the classification and solution of cubic equations. He was a skilled astronomer, having produced a calendar more accurate than the one produced five centuries later by Pope Gregory. But for me, it is his poetry that stands out. It is simply some of the best there is. Take, for example this, from his Rhubaiyat:
"And do you think that unto such as you
A maggot-minded, starved, fanatic crew
God gave a secret, and denied it me?
Well, well -- what matters it? Believe that, too!"
Many of his poems reflect his love for wine, for example:
Drink! for you know not whence you came nor why:
drink! for you know not why you go, nor where.
And this,
You know, my friends, with what a brave carouse
I made a Second Marriage in my house;
favored old barren reason from my bed,
and took the daughter of the vine to spouse.
Rene Descartes (1596-1650) was a French philosopher, mathematician and scientist. Much of present day western philosophy is based in his work, or in response to it. He is perhaps best known for his proof of his own existence: Cogito ergo sum - "I think, therefore I am."
Bacchant: another word for a lover of wine. Derived from Bacchus, the Greek god of wine and revelry.
Bon vivant: someone devoted to a sociable and luxurious lifestyle.
Thanks for reading.
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