Omar Khayyam: the man who changed the way of measuring time | Science

Thanks to the translation of Rubaiyat What Edward Fitzgerald did in the mid-nineteenth century began to be known as a poet in Europe and America.

From his life, we know that he was born in Nishapur (Iran) on May 18 of the year 1048 and that he died at the same place on December 4, 1131. His name was Omar ibn Ibrahimal -Khayyami and he then used Khayyam to give his poems (in Arabic means store manufacturer).

The province where Omar lived was a prosperous place (with fertile land) and was located on the trade route between China and the Mediterranean, which made it possible to live in a place open to the world, where merchants came from many places. of the earth and that in addition to bringing goods exchanged ideas, ways of seeing life and sharing their culture, this has allowed Khayyam to have an open mind and a very great knowledge of many topics.

Before devoting himself to literature, he devoted his life to astronomy and mathematics. For many years, he has done a lot of research and made many discoveries. It is in these disciplines that we are most surprised. For example, in mathematics, we use a term to erase the equations that are x, because he called it shay (something, something), when it is pbaded in Spanish it would be pronounced xay, and from that sound to the initial x. Another example of skill in mathematics is that although this is only shown later Kayyam He argued that the equations of the third degree with ruler and compbad could not be realized and that it would be necessary to wait until Descartes in the seventeenth century to demonstrate the theory of the equations of the third degree. He has also been a pioneer in the field of fractions and pairs and has left us many treaties and studies.

With regard to astronomy, we have already mentioned his participation in the modification of the Persian calendar based on the lunar calendar and the research he has done, which allowed him to calculate the exact duration of the astronomy. 39, year without errors, denying the theory that the year had 365 days, which was not correct, his calculation was much more accurate than that of the Gregorian calendar. He was also commissioned to lead an astronomical observatory in the city of Isfahan and did so for many years, but upon the death of his mentor, he was attacked by Orthodox Muslims.

We also know that a pilgrim of his life in Mecca was, among other things, a professor of mathematics, history, medicine, philosophy and a judge in his hometown.

As for poetry, many works are attributed to him (between five and a thousand), but it is certain that about two hundred really belong to him. His poems speak about the good things of life, love, earthly pleasures, wine, but if you dig a little deeper, you will find a deep reflection on human existence, on religion, on the universe and about nature. and behind all this, a pessimistic view of the world. He took the opportunity in his writings to make a critique of the society of the moment, of religion and of education. It used stanzas formed of four verses dodecasílabos with a schema of rhymes A-A-B-A written in fari language. His verses always used a funny and funny vocabulary and a sarcastic tone.

The way in which the work of KhayyamIt's very curious, Cowell, a Persian-speaking Englishman, discovered one of Omar's manuscripts in a library (Bodleian) and Fitzgerald began working on it and making it known. And such was its spread, we can say that there is a lunar crater called Omar Khayyam, and that writers of the stature of Borges, Wilde, Juan Ramón Jiménez, refer in their works to the Persian author.

Without a doubt Omar Khayyam He was ahead of the Renaissance, he was a complete man in every sense of the word, with a thorough training, but especially with a great interest in revealing the mysteries of the world, to give answers. What was in him was a desire to know the why of things, but above all a search for the meaning of life. His words and verses speak of the human being in all its dimensions and from the depths of his being. We know him as a poet, but his legacy is so immense that since we were little and when we started our studies, his discoveries are part of our learning and will accompany us throughout our lives.