Introduction to Khayyām and his rubā‘iyyāt: Learning Persian through Masterpieces

February 6th - March 13th

Languages: English, Persian
Duration: 6 weeks (12 hours)
Frequency: 1 class per week (Thursday)
Duration of Sessions: 2 hours
Participation Fee: 190 USD

Deadline for Applications: February 3rd

Classes Start: February 6th (9pm Yerevan Time)

Location: Online (Zoom)
Required level of Persian: Intermediate

Text Edition: Seyyed ‘Ali Mirafżalī, Robā‘iyyāt-e Khayyām va Khayyāmāne-hā-ye pārsī. Tehran. 1399 AH (= 2021).

Registration: To apply, please click the “Apply” button above. Complete all required fields and submit. Accepted applicants will receive further instructions on participation.

Note: All materials will be provided by the instructor

This course introduces participants to the authentic quatrains of Omar Khayyam, focusing on both their literary beauty and linguistic intricacies. Participants will gain insight into the philosophical and cultural aspects of Khayyam’s poetry, uncovering the depths of Iranian wisdom traditions contained within his verses. Each session will balance close readings of selected quatrains with discussions on their broader historical and philosophical relevance. The course is also designed to provide a space for practicing Persian conversational skills, making it ideal for those who wish to deepen their understanding of Persian literature and enhance their language proficiency.

Course Overview

During this 6-week introductory course, we will study the quatrains of ‘Omar ibn Ibrahim Khayyāmi al-Neyshābūrī (1048–1131 AD), one of the most prominent and influential figures in Persian and World literature. Designed for learners with an intermediate level of Persian, this course introduces participants to Khayyam’s authentic quatrains while exploring their linguistic, cultural, and philosophical dimensions.

Each week, we will spend two hours delving into Khayyam’s poetry, focusing on identifying and understanding the quatrains that are considered authentic by the current scholarship. We will discuss their language, meaning, and historical context, as well as the reasons why many quatrains are not considered authentic or of doubtful origin. Participants will also gain hands-on experience with manuscripts, and familiarize with the history of scholarship around his figure and his quatrains.

In addition to literary analysis, the course emphasizes active participation, including speaking and discussion in Persian, to deepen comprehension and engagement. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped to read, interpret, and appreciate Khayyam’s poetry with confidence.

By participating in this course, students will:

Gain a deeper understanding of Omar Khayyam’s authentic quatrains and their literary significance.
Learn around 150-200 new words and phrases in Persian.
Develop skills to analyze Persian poetry, focusing on grammar, syntax, and vocabulary.
Enhance their Persian speaking abilities through structured discussions and conversations.
Explore the cultural and historical context of Khayyam’s work.
Discuss and reflect on the philosophical relevance of Khayyam’s ideas.
Build a foundation for further independent study of Persian literature.

Course Structure

The course consists of weekly classes of focused study, with two-hour sessions held once a week. Below is a breakdown of the main activities during each class:

Discussion of questions: Reviewing and reflecting on homework passages (20 minutes)
Reading and analysis: Close reading of selected quatrains with linguistic and literary commentary (40 minutes)
Break: Short pause to refresh (10 minutes)
Reading and analysis (40 minutes)
Q&A and wrap-up: Open discussion and addressing participants’ questions (10 minutes)

Students are encouraged to actively participate and share their perspectives, creating a collaborative learning environment.

Methodology

In my courses, I use a straightforward yet highly effective method that combines literary, historical-linguistic, and philological approaches to clarify even the most obscure passages and words in a text.

For this course, I will draw on my expertise in pre-Islamic (Middle) Persian language and literature, my knowledge of Iranian and non-Iranian languages, and a broad understanding of historical, geographical, and literary contexts. This interdisciplinary approach will shed light on the meanings of words, expressions, and ideas within the text.

Over the course of six weeks, we will thoroughly analyze Khayyam’s quatrains using a multidisciplinary approach. The course will:

Provide detailed explanations of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary.
Explore the historical and cultural context of Khayyam’s philosophy.
Facilitate discussions on the philosophical and literary aspects of the quatrains.
Encourage students to engage with the text critically and independently.

This methodology ensures that participants not only understand the quatrains covered in class but also gain the tools to explore Persian literature independently.

Testimonials

Learning Persian literature with Ruben was a fantastic experience. I started learning Persian out of necessity, but thanks to Ruben, I began to understand the beauty of its language and literature, and now I am enjoying learning Persian. I took the Classical Persian course and Shahnameh course, which allowed me to understand the necessary grammar and sentence structures to read classical Persian literature. Most of all, Ruben did his best to enhance my reading ability by letting me read and translate each line of Persian text by myself. I first thought my Persian skills were not good enough to read those texts and stumbled a lot when I read them, but Ruben always waited until I made enough effort to think about the text and then gave a practical guideline based on my level. I think learning Persian literature with Ruben also helped my overall Persian skills, as he introduced a lot of words and expressions (both classical and modern) and made me listen to colloquial and literary Persian. Learning Persian literature can be one of the best ways to understand the Iranian and Persianate culture's profound historical heritage, about which Ruben offers insightful explanations and perspectives.

So Jeong Lee

MA Student in Art History, Seoul National University, South Korea

This was the second course that I have taken with Ruben and I cannot recommend studying with him highly enough! He is an incredibly engaging teacher who really makes the course material come to life. I have studied Persian for many years but my courses with Ruben have been on a whole other level. I love his method of using classical texts to teach Persian. It is so rewarding to complete a course feeling both the satisfaction of having learned to better understand the language and also the pleasure of having read another major classic of Persian literature. Not only did I learn a lot during these two courses, I also had a lot of fun! Ruben was always available to clarify questions about grammar and vocabulary and was very responsive to questions that I sent him between classes. I especially appreciated how he used his deep knowledge of Middle Persian to explain questions that came up about the numerous peculiarities of early classical Persian. After taking these two courses with Ruben, I've noticed a significant improvement in my ability to grasp the subtleties of classical Persian texts, nuances that previously eluded me. I sincerely appreciate his exceptional courses; they have renewed my love for classical Persian literature.

Ali Hassan

Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley, USA

If you are struggling with reading Classical Persian or Persian paleography, Ferdowsi School is the go-to place! Ruben is very knowledgeable, patient, and encouraging. While the texts were daunting initially, Ruben always encouraged us to think by connecting what we had learned from the previous sessions, so we both refreshed our memories and also applied what I have learned to the new text. In the “Classical Persian through Historical Texts” class, we worked on major Persian historiographical texts by not only translating but also discussing historical background and scholarly discussions on the texts. Ruben also discussed with us the grammatical, phonetical, and etymological aspects of the texts and the conventional use of certain words and expressions particularly in Classical Persian which differs from modern Persian. In “Classical Persian through Living Books,” we worked on deciphering handwritten Classical Persian texts in Naskh and Nastaliq scripts. By the end of the class, I felt much more confident in dealing with the sources I use for my dissertation research.

Di Wang

PhD Student, Department of History, The Ohio State University

Thanks to his vast and deep familiarity with several religious, historical and literary texts written in Middle and Classical Persian, Ruben’s well-structured courses have always been intellectually stimulating and inspiring. In addition to his knowledge of secondary literature in Russian, French, German, Armenian, Persian and English, Ruben often draws on riches of the Persian literary canon to explain linguistic features. As an experienced language teacher and researcher in Iranian studies, his teaching style is an amalgam of historical linguistics and detailed philological analysis. Thanks to his helpfulness, modesty, flexibility and characteristic humor, his lessons are always engaging and entertaining. Over the years, we’ve worked together on several texts, and his intellectual impact on my own research has been truly transformative.

Kristof Szitar

PhD candidate, Université de Lausanne

Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature

Introduction to Khayyām and his rubā‘iyyāt: Learning Persian through Masterpieces

February 6th - March 13th

Course Overview

Course Structure

Methodology

Testimonials

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CONTACT

Ruben S. Nikoghosyan (Yerevan, Armenia)

Email: nikoghosyanruben@gmail.com