Usually when I tell people that I’m interested in poetry, I see a vacant look in their faces before they start talking about something else. Poetry interest is not very high among my technology friends. A couple of months ago though, I told a friend from Iran about my interest, and he started to tell me of poetry and his favorite Iranian poets. He urged me to check out the Rubáiyát by Omar Khayaam, and how he loved these poems. Probably for most of you this is a well-known book, and for a good reason, the interpretation by Edward Fitzgerald have had a tremendous influence on many poets. It had also meant a new interest in Iran about Omar Khayaam (1048-1131) as a poet. He was also a philosopher and a mathematician. There are many long and interesting articles and books both about Fitzgerald and Khayaam.
Today I want us to take a closer look on the ruba’i as a form, and focus on how Fitzgerald created it. First of all ruba’i means quatrain, and rubáyát is the plural. Let’s take a look on perhaps the most famous of these quatrains from Fitzgerald’s translation:
A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,
A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread–and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness–
Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!
So first of all, this is itself a short poem, the rhyme-scheme being AABA, furthermore it’s written in iambic pentamete. Also note that the last line, summarize and conclude the three preceding lines, often in a spiritual way. The quatrain can be also be used as a stanza in a longer poem, and many times as an extra challenge a nested rhyme-scheme can be used so that the non-rhymed word becomes the rhyme-word in the next stanza (AABA – BBCB – CCDC – ..). It can be used in a sonnet where a concluding couplet is added, or you can take a look at Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a snowy evening”, where he conclude with all lines having the same rhyme, if you are really up to the challenge, let the last unrhymed line pick up the rhyme from the first stanza.
So today I want you to write Ruba’i and Rubáiyát and focus on only three rules
– Rhyme-scheme AABA
– All lines approximately the same length
– The last line in the quatrain summarize the other three
If you want to write several nested ones why not try to follow the same rules. I think this form has some great potential for renewal and revitalization, maybe you can look at other rhythms, you can use all cool metaphors and techniques we have had before, here at the bar.
Also remember that this Saturday it’s time for Open Link Night. The bar opens 3 hours earlier than what we normally do. That means at noon EST or 6 PM CET, so if you miss the deadline for this prompt or any other prompt — please come around and have fun.
Another reminder, the new dVerse anthology deadline is getting close, check out the rules for entering here.
Here is how it works:
- Write a ruba’i or several and post it to your webpage.
- Enter a link directly to your poem and your name by clicking Mr Linky below
- There you will find links to other poets, and more will join
- Read and comment on other poet’s work, we all go here to have our poems read
- Promote your site and poetry you like on social media of your choice
And remember to have a lot of fun.
Mary said:
Ha, it looks like I am the first patron at the bar. Smiles. Great prompt, Bjorn. I look forward to seeing what everyone writes!
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Welcome Mary.. yes indeed you came before the host today 🙂
claudia said:
smiles… i’m here as well…. watching tv with my daughter but will be around as the entries pop in…
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Welcome everyone at the bar.. I hope you have had a nice week up till now.
Mary said:
A good week here so far, Bjorn. A little bit cooler than usual for this time of year, but good walking weather!
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
we have had real autumn here. but it seems to clear up for the weekend..
claudia said:
over here it was quite warm and being used to the scottish weather now i started sweating… ha
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
🙂 You can understand what struggles we northerners face
brian miller said:
yeah its a bit warm here today…i was frying with the sun coming in the car window on the way home…
Anthony Desmond said:
it’s been in the 80s this week so far… summer is holding on until the very end… smiles
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
I have to admit a slight conspiracy.. Together with my twitter friend we wrote a collaborative rubayiat.. 🙂
claudia said:
that is a very cool conspiracy….
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Maybe next time we will do a collaborative sestina 🙂
claudia said:
oh my goodness… sestina’s scare me a bit… they just seem too big and difficult…
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
🙂 They scare me a lot.. I have only tried my hands on them a few times…
Bryan Ens said:
I have, so far, attempted only one sestina. It was horrid. 😉 I might, perhaps, attempt one again…someday…
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
I would call it an ordeal…
Gay Reiser Cannon said:
Ah – it’s just the first one that’s daunting – after that easy peasy – have a thought that you’ve considered. Choose words that go with the thought and write to the end words. It’s not so difficult and it’s always a surprise when you’re finished. 😉
Gabriella said:
Hello, everyone. Thank you Björn for having pushed me out of my boundaries. Forms are always hard for me.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
I think that the thursday prompt is always a challenge.. for some it’s the form that’s the challenge. I think it’s good to stretch our poetic muscles.
Gabriella said:
Very good indeed!
Anthony Desmond said:
it’s difficult for me too… I actually had a lot of fun writing this; might inspire me to do form more often… it sure does tighten up my free-writing as well.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
I think that the thursday exercises should challenge us.. there are those that challenge me a lot.. 🙂
http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com said:
but challenges, and the discipline imposed by writing to form, are what makes us grow as poets.
MarinaSofia said:
I’ll have to give it a go. Headache tonight after a day at the pool (children still on holiday) but hopefully will get a quiet moment tomorrow to try. Form is always a challenge for me.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
I think you can use it as a basis to go very free too..
MarinaSofia said:
I might post one for Open Link Night, as I don’t think I’ll get round to it today.
Bryan Ens said:
Not sure if I quite followed the “4th line summarizes the 1st 3” rule, but this was a lot of fun!
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
That is really tricky.. I’m not sure I followed it either.. 🙂
Gay Reiser Cannon said:
Great challenge Bjorn. Not sure how successful my summations were nor how appropriate my subject matter is for a rubaiyat – (not anywhere near a love poem) but it was interesting to apply the form to this idea. Will appreciate all comments negative or positive. Thanks everyone. Glad I could join today! I haven’t been very available lately. Life keeps intervening upon my time to write and read. Looking forward to seeing these poems.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
I think that’s what great with forms.. we take something a 1000 years old and apply it today..
claudia said:
good to see you gay – and i always think that you’re doing excellent with form…
Gay Reiser Cannon said:
Thank you Claudia. Funny I never wrote in form until we all got started here. I thought of myself as a “beat” poet or an imagist. Amazing what form does to your poetic approach.
http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com said:
The Rubàyiat ofOmar Khayaam was given to me as a birthday present when I was about 12. I was too young to appreciate it, though I loved the sound of the words. Poetic Bloomings had us writing rubàyiats last year, and mine was a winter one http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/winter-rubiyt/ I suppose I must set to and try and repeat the feat with a summer one. I may be some time.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
I have understood that at one point it was almost overpopular.. but growing up in Sweden .. I had never heard about it before..
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Now it’s time for your host to go to bed.. I hope to find a lot of good ruba’i tomorrow morning
claudia said:
sleep well björn
bedtime over here as well… see ya all tomorrow morning…
brian miller said:
hey bjorn…sorry, busy after school…but got my reading in before leaving…just now stopping in here though…this was a fun form…thanks for being forgiving on the line length…ha….fun form though
wolfsrosebud said:
I wonder if any profession doesn’t stop in conversation regarding poetry. I get the same thing and I’m in education. That’s why there are places like dVerse!
brian miller said:
i got the coolest new student today…ha…he said he didnt care what i taught, he was there for 5 months and when he turned 18 he was leaving so he was not going to do any work…
we got to talking and he is a rapper…so we got to sharing some verse together…and what do you know…he did some math as well…smiles…
Grace said:
Well I am rusty with the form so only managed to write two after a while ~ I think we should do more form poems, smiles ~ Thanks for the lovely post Bjorn ~ Happy Thursday to all ~
brian miller said:
as much as i belly ache about them…i do think they stretch us a bit more…smiles….
Truedessa said:
Good Evening, Thanks for tending the bar Bjorn..I will give this a go not sure how it will go..
brian miller said:
it glows…smiles.
Ginny Brannan said:
Hi Björn, I found this Meeting the Bar fascinating. Hate to admit, haven’t read much of Omar Khayaam (definitely added to my reading list), but being from New England I am quite familiar with the Frost poem referenced. Have written poems in this style of quatrain before. Sorry I have nothing to share tonight, but will see if I might share something new in this format for OLN. Thanks for the inspiration!
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
It was the same for me.. Hope to see you for OLN.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
So I have made my rounds.. Will catch up later when more come in.. Have a glorious Friday everyone
claudia said:
good morning… catching up as well… it’s my mom’s (and psssshhhh… mary’s birthday…) today.. smiles
happy friday!!
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Ahh what a great secret revealed 🙂
brian miller said:
!!
happy birthday to mom…smiles.
Anthony Desmond said:
happy bday to mama 🙂
http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com said:
I have taken so long to write this that I’ve run out of time to read. I’ll come back tonight.
My nephew showed me a trick that no doubt everyone knew but me: he showed me how to work with B Rhimes and the Thesaurus side by side with the Word document. A great help with this kind of poem.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
I actually prefer to use google-docs to write.. it has what I need (including word-count).. then I can keep the online tools and the document within the browser..
Anthony Desmond said:
morning all… I’m caught up with rounds and about to get a few hours of sleep in… it’s early/late I know. hahah
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
A nice friday afternoon here… soon time to go home 🙂
Imelda said:
Finally, I got to join the party again. 🙂 Thanks for this form, Bjorn, and a chance to learn new thing.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Glad you could make it Imelda 😉
claudia said:
good to see you imelda
Lydia said:
Long one of my favorites, as my mother read it aloud to me as a child. After her death I allowed my sister to have the book and still fight against regret for that decision! I guess it is time for me to purchase my own copy…..and to consider trying this for OLN, as someone else suggested, because I am pulled away this day.
This prompt spoke to my heart, Bjorn.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
I hope you make it Lydia.. It’s truly a classic – actually it’s available on line.. So if you have an e- reader you can have it quickly
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Still some hours till the pub closes.. I’ll be by tomorrow morning and check out any late entries.. I hope you join us for OLN
Susan said:
Made it! This took hours, and I still am not sure it’s a poem and not just an exercise to make the form–exactly what the poem tells us not to do!! Ai, me! Life is such a paradox. Gotta love it, despite all. Of course, I’ll be back to read and read and delight and delight. It’s 10 pm; time to say goodnight!
brian miller said:
smiles…i caught you…just home from the football game…and my knees are aching…but i am reading….smiles….
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Wonderful to read, such a great poem Susan.