Full Description
A rich collection of poems inspired by the Persian lyric tradition.
In The Khayyam Suite, acclaimed poet Charles Martin explores both the profound and the personal in verse that celebrates the spectrum of human experience.
At the heart of this collection is a study of the Rubaiyat, the renowned poem cycle attributed to the Persian poet Omar Khayyam. Martin pays homage to Khayyam's classical Persian poetic form—the ghazal—by infusing it with contemporary sensibilities, creating a rich tapestry of contemplation and artistry. By seamlessly blending Eastern and Western poetic traditions, Martin offers a unique and thought-provoking perspective on timeless questions that have captivated philosophers and poets throughout the ages. Each long poem consists of forty quatrains mirroring those of Khayyam's.
Martin's verses reflect on modern existential dilemmas, environmental crises, and the intricacies of personal relationships. From the haunting feeling of "On the Coming Extinctions" to the stark socioeconomic commentary in "On Capital," each poem invites the reader into a contemplative dialogue with the self. Martin's poems are both a mirror and a window to the soul, reflecting personal histories and illuminating the universal human condition. This collection, imbued with the lyrical charm and intellectual depth of Martin's writing, is a profound commentary on love, loss, and the fleeting nature of life.
Contents
To Leuconoe
I: New Poems
On the Coming Extinctions
On Capital
On the Gift of the Cyclops
On an Infant's Feet
For Jennifer in Her Illness
To Lucius Sestius
On the Afterlife
Contrapasso
On the Problems of Bears
Madame Sosostris Strikes Out
Ballade of a New Golden Age
Tarzan to his Secret Sharer
Three from Sappho
Poem Begun from Marginalia Found in a Copy of Donald
Justice's Platonic Scripts
A Man of 1974
Random Sestina
The Housatonic at Falls Village
Days of 1968 in the Northeast Kingdom
East Albany Alcaics
II: The Khayyam Suite
Ghazal on Setting Out
You Summon Me
So Many Hiding
Ghazel of the Journey Itself
Windows and Mirrors
The Time Machine
Ghazal on Coming to Conclusions
Acknowledgements
The Khayyam Suite
