What it means
رباعی (robâ’i) is the Persian quatrain, a four-line poem in AABA rhyme with a fixed meter. The plural رباعیات (robâ’iyât) names a collection. Borrowed from Arabic root r-b-‘ meaning “four.”
How to use it
- یک رباعی از خیام (yek robâ’i az Khayyâm) “a quatrain by Khayyam”
- رباعیات خیام (robâ’iyât-e Khayyâm) “the Quatrains of Khayyam”
- رباعی گفتن (robâ’i goftan) “to compose a quatrain”
Form and structure
Four lines (mesrâ’), AABA rhyme scheme. The third line is unrhymed and traditionally turns the thought, the fourth lands the conclusion. Meter is hazaj, a specific quantitative pattern of long and short syllables. Compactness is the point: a complete philosophical argument in 4 lines.
Cultural note
Khayyam made the form world-famous through Edward FitzGerald’s 1859 translation. Inside Iran, every high schooler memorizes Khayyam quatrains alongside Hafez ghazals. The form is still alive: modern poets like Sohrab Sepehri have written robâ’i, and casual versifiers post them on Instagram.
References
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