Omar Khayyam (135) “You … checkmated the king of Babylon”

Juan Cole 05/29/2012

Your cheek is fairer than
a wild white rose,
and your face outshines
those China dolls.
You flirted with your eyes
and checkmated the king
of Babylon,
after you took his pawns,
bishops and rooks away.

Translated by Juan Cole
from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 135

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page