Poems by Edward FitzGerald

Edward FitzGerald, born Edward Purcell on March 31, 1809, in Bredfield, Suffolk, England, was a Victorian-era poet and translator whose life and work continue to fascinate literary scholars and poetry enthusiasts alike. Though he is primarily remembered for a single masterpiece, his translation of "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam," FitzGerald's life was rich with intellectual pursuits, eccentric habits, and a deep engagement with literature that extended far beyond this singular achievement.

FitzGerald was born into a wealthy family, the seventh of eight children. His father, John Purcell, adopted his wife's surname, FitzGerald, in 1818, a change that reflected the family's aristocratic connections and substantial inheritance. This privileged background afforded young Edward a classical education at King Edward VI Grammar School in Bury St Edmunds, followed by Trinity College, Cambridge, where he matriculated in 1826.

At Cambridge, FitzGerald's intellectual curiosity flourished, though he was not known for academic distinction. Instead, he formed lasting friendships with figures who would go on to become some of the most prominent literary and scholarly voices of the Victorian era. Among these were William Makepeace Thackeray, the future novelist, and James Spedding, later a noted scholar of Francis Bacon. These connections would prove invaluable throughout FitzGerald's life, providing him with intellectual stimulation and a network of correspondents that sustained his literary interests.

After graduating from Cambridge in 1830, FitzGerald led a life of leisure, enabled by his family's wealth. He never pursued a profession, instead dedicating himself to his literary interests and cultivating a reputation as something of an eccentric recluse. FitzGerald settled in Woodbridge, Suffolk, where he lived for most of his adult life, occasionally traveling but always returning to the quiet countryside that suited his contemplative nature.

FitzGerald's early literary efforts were modest and largely private. He contributed anonymous essays to periodicals and engaged in amateur scholarship, particularly on Spanish drama. However, it was his correspondence that first revealed his literary gifts. FitzGerald was a prolific letter writer, and his missives to friends like Alfred Tennyson, Thomas Carlyle, and George Crabbe the Younger are now considered valuable literary documents in their own right, offering insights into Victorian intellectual life and FitzGerald's own evolving thoughts on literature and translation.

The turning point in FitzGerald's literary career came in the 1850s when he began to study Persian with Edward Byles Cowell, a scholar who would become a lifelong friend. This new interest led FitzGerald to the work of Omar Khayyam, an 11th-century Persian polymath and poet. Inspired by Khayyam's quatrains, known as rubaiyat, FitzGerald embarked on what would become his life's defining work: a loose translation and adaptation of these poems into English.

The first edition of FitzGerald's "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam" was published anonymously in 1859, and initially met with little success. However, the work gradually gained recognition, particularly after it was championed by the Pre-Raphaelite artists and writers. Subsequent editions, revised and expanded by FitzGerald, appeared in 1868, 1872, and 1879, each refining his interpretation of Khayyam's verses.

FitzGerald's "Rubaiyat" is notable not only for its poetic beauty but also for its philosophical content. The verses, as rendered by FitzGerald, express a mixture of hedonism, fatalism, and skepticism that resonated with Victorian readers grappling with religious doubt and the implications of scientific progress. Lines such as "The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, / Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit / Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, / Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it" became widely quoted and influenced subsequent generations of poets and thinkers.

While the "Rubaiyat" remains FitzGerald's most celebrated work, his literary output was diverse. He produced translations of Calderón de la Barca's Spanish dramas and Aeschylus's "Agamemnon," as well as adaptations of works by his friend George Crabbe. These efforts, though less known than the "Rubaiyat," demonstrate FitzGerald's wide-ranging literary interests and his skill in rendering foreign works into English verse.

FitzGerald's personal life was marked by complexity and, at times, controversy. In 1856, at the age of 47, he married Lucy Barton, the daughter of his friend Bernard Barton. The marriage was short-lived and unhappy, ending in separation after only a few months. This brief union has been the subject of much speculation by biographers, with some suggesting that FitzGerald's sexual orientation may have played a role in the marriage's failure. His close friendships with men, particularly his attachment to a Lowestoft fisherman named Joseph Fletcher, have led some scholars to consider the possibility that FitzGerald was homosexual, though this remains a matter of debate.

In his later years, FitzGerald became increasingly reclusive, dividing his time between Woodbridge and his yacht, the "Scandal," on which he spent many summer days sailing the Suffolk coast. He continued to correspond with friends and work on literary projects, including further revisions of the "Rubaiyat" and translations of Greek plays.

Edward FitzGerald died on June 14, 1883, while visiting a friend in Merton, Norfolk. At the time of his death, he was still relatively unknown to the general public, despite the growing popularity of the "Rubaiyat." It was only in the decades following his death that FitzGerald's reputation as a significant figure in Victorian literature was firmly established.

Today, Edward FitzGerald is remembered not only for his masterful rendering of Omar Khayyam's verses but also for his unique place in the landscape of Victorian literature. His life and work offer a fascinating study in the intersection of translation, poetry, and cultural exchange. The "Rubaiyat" continues to be read and studied, its haunting verses a testament to FitzGerald's skill in capturing the essence of Khayyam's philosophy while infusing it with his own poetic sensibility.

For scholars and students of literature, FitzGerald's legacy provides rich ground for exploration. His correspondence, his approach to translation, and the reception history of the "Rubaiyat" all offer insights into Victorian literary culture and the evolving relationship between Eastern and Western literatures. Moreover, FitzGerald's life story, with its blend of privilege, eccentricity, and literary devotion, continues to intrigue biographers and critics, making him a perennially fascinating figure in the annals of English literature.