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robāʿī
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robāʿī

Islamic literature
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Also known as: robāīyāt, rubāʿī, rubāʿīyat, rubaii
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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Article History
Persian:
“quatrain”
Plural:
robāʿiyyāt
Also spelled:
rubaiyat
Arabic:
rubāʿī
Plural:
rubāʿiyyat
See all related content

robāʿī, in Persian literature, genre of poetry consisting of a quatrain with the rhyme scheme aaba. Together with the mas̄navī (rhymed couplet), it is a purely Persian poetic genre and not a borrowing from the Arabic, as were the formal ode (qaṣīdah) and the love lyric (ghazal). It was adopted and used in other countries under Persian influence.

The examples of the robāʿī best known in the West are the robāʿiyyāt of Omar Khayyam, in the very free adaptation, selection, and translation by Edward FitzGerald, The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Zeidan.