QUATRAINS OF OMAR KHAYYAM (continued 2)
Edward FitzGerald translation
330. C. L. N. A. B. I. J.
331.
So far as this world's dealings I have traced, I find its favours shamefully misplaced; Allah be praised! I see myself debarred From all its boons, and wrongfully disgraced.
331. C. L. N. A. I. Alam hama, etc., «states entirely gratuitous.» Write baran without a madd. Bl., Prosody, p. 11. Compare Shakespeare, Sonnet 66.
332.
'Tis dawn! my heart with wine I will recruit, And dash to bits the glass of good repute; My long-extending hopes I will renounce, And grasp long tresses, and the charming lute.
332. L. N. B.
333.
Though I had sinned the sins of all mankind, I know Thou would'st to mercy be inclined; Thou sayest, «I will help in time of need» One needier than I where wilt Thou find?
333. C. L. N. A. I. J. The waw in 'afw is a consonant, and therefore takes kasra for the izafat, without the intervention of conjunctive ya.
334.
Am I a wine-bibber? What if I am? Gueber or infidel? Suppose I am? Each sect miscalls me, but I heed them not, I am my own, and, what I am, I am.
334. C. L. N. A. I. J. Zan i khud for azan i khud, «my own property.»
335.
All my life long from drink I have not ceased, And drink I will to-night on Kadr's feast; And throw my arms about the wine-jar's neck, And kiss its lip, and clasp it to my breast!
335. C. L. N. A. I. J. Kadr the night of power. Koran, xcvi. 1.
336.
I know what is, and what is not, I know The lore of things above, and things below; But all this lore will cheerfully renounce, If one a higher grade than drink can show.
336. L. N. B. Line 1, Being and Not-being, «Grade,» i.e., of learning.
337.
Though I drink wine, I am no libertine, Nor am I grasping, save of cups of wine; I scruple to adore myself, like you; For this cause to wine-worship I incline.
337. C. L. N. A. I. J. A hit at the vain and covetous Mollas. Also ascribed to Anwari.
338.
To confidants like you I dare to say What mankind really are—moulded of clay, Affliction's clay, and kneaded in distress, They taste the world awhile, then pass away.
338. C. L. N. A. I. J. Note the archaic form.
339.
We make the wine-jar's lip our place of prayer, And drink in lessons of true manhood there, And pass our lives in taverns, if perchance The time mis-spent in mosques we may repair.
339. L. N. This quatrain is probably Mystical.
340.
Man is the whole creation's summary, The precious apple of great wisdom's eye; The circle of existence is a ring, Whereof the signet is humanity.
340. C. L. N. A. I. Man is the microcosm. See Gulshan i Raz, p. 15. «The captain jewel of the carcanet.»
341.
With fancies, as with wine, our heads we turn, Aspire to heaven, and earth's low trammels spurn; But, when we drop this fleshly clog, 'tis seen From dust we came, and back to dust return.
341. L. N.
342.
If so it be that I did break the fast, Think not I meant it; no! I thought 'twas past;— That day more weary than a sleepless night,— And blesséd breakfast-time had come at last!
342. L. N. Roza khwardan, «to avoid fasting.» In line 2, for bekhabar read bakhabar.
343.
I never drank of joy's sweet cordial, But grief's fell hand infused a drop of gall; Nor dipped my bread in pleasure's piquant salt, But briny sorrow made me smart withal!
343. C. L. N. A. I. Line 4, literally, «eat a roast of my own liver.»
344.
At dawn to tavern haunts I wend my way, And with distraught Kalendars pass the day; O Thou! who know'st things secret, and things known, Grant me Thy grace, that I may learn to pray!
344. C. L. N. A. I. J. Khafiyyat means «manifest,» as well as «concealed.» Lucknow commentator.
345.
The world's annoys I rate not at one grain, So I eat once a day I don't complain; And, since earth's kitchen yields no solid food, I pester no man with petitions vain.
345. C. L. N. A. I. J. In line 3 the Alif in az is not treated as an Alif i wasl. Bl., Pros. 10.
346.
Never from worldly toils have I been free, Never for one short moment glad to be! I served a long apprenticeship to fate, But yet of fortune gained no mastery.
346. C. L. N. A. I. J. Ek dam zadan, «For one moment.»
347.
One hand with Koran, one with wine-cup dight, I half incline to wrong, and half to right; The azure-marbled sky looks down on me A sorry Moslem, yet not heathen quite.
347. C. L. N. A. I. J. Khayyam here describes himself as akrates rather than akolastos, «Video meliora proboque,» etc.
348.
Khayyam's respects to Mustafa convey, And with due reverence ask him to say, Why it has pleased him to forbid pure wine, When he allows his people acid whey?
348 and 349. L. These two quatrains are also found in Whalley's Morababad edition. Mustafa, i.e., Muhammad. So Avicenna. See Renan, Averroes, 171.
349.
Tell Khayyam, for a master of the schools, He strangely misinterprets my plain rules: Where have I said that wine is wrong for all? 'Tis lawful for the wise, but not for fools.
350.
My critics call me a philosopher, But Allah knows full well they greatly err; I know not even what I am, much less Why on this earth I am a sojourner!
350. C. L. A. I. J. Filsafat meant the Greek philosophy as cultivated by Persian rationalists, in opposition to theology. Renan, Averroes, p. 91.
351.
The more I die to self, I live the more, The more abase myself, the higher soar; And, strange! the more I drink of Being's wine, More sane I grow and sober than before.
351. L. Clearly Mystical.
352.
Quoth rose, «I am the Yusuf flower, I swear, For in my mouth rich golden gems I bear»: I said, «Show me another proof.» Quoth she, «Behold this blood-stained vesture that I wear!»
352. B. L. Yusuf is the type of manly beauty. The yellow stamens are compared to his teeth. So Jami, in Yusuf wa Zulaikha.
353.
I studied with the masters long ago, And long ago did master all they know; Here now the end and issue of it all, From earth I came, and like the wind I go!
353. L. B. Mr. Fitzgerald compares the dying exclamation of Nizam ul-Mulk, «I am going in the hands of the wind!» Mantik ut Tair, 1. 4620.
354.
Death finds us soiled, though we were pure at birth, With grief we go, although we came with mirth; Watered with tears, and burned with fires of woe, And, casting life to winds, we rest in earth!
354. C. L. A. I. J.
355.
To find great Jamshid's world-reflecting bowl I compassed sea and land, and viewed the whole; But, when I asked the wary sage, I learned That bowl was my own body, and my soul!
355. L. King Jamshid's cup, which reflected the whole world, is the Holy Grail of Persian poetry. Meaning «man is the microcosm.» See note on No. 340. In line 2 scan naghnudem.
356.
Me, cruel Queen! you love to captivate, And from a knight to a poor pawn translate, You marshal all your force to tire me out, You take my rooks with yours, and then checkmate!
356. C. L. A. I. J. The pun on rukh, «cheek,» and rukh, «castle,» is untranslatable.
357.
If Allah wills me not to will aright, How can I frame my will to will aright? Each single act I will must needs be wrong, Since none but He has power to will aright.
357. C. L. A. I. J.
358.
«For once, while roses are in bloom,» I said, «I'll break the law, and please myself instead, With blooming youths, and maidens' tulip cheeks The plain shall blossom like a tulip-bed.»
358. L. N. Rozi, ya i batni, or tankir (?).
359.
Think not I am existent of myself, Or walk this blood-stained pathway of myself; This being is not I, it is of Him. Pray what, and where, and whence is this «myself»?
359. C. L. A. I. J. In line 3 I omit wa after Lu bud. Meaning, Man's real existence is not of himself, but of the «Truth,» the universal Noumenon.
360.
Endure this world without my wine I cannot! Drag on life's load without my cups I cannot! I am the slave of that sweet moment, when They say, «Take one more goblet,» and I cannot!
360. C. L. N. A. I. J.
361.
You, who both day and night the world pursue, And thoughts of that dread day of doom eschew, Bethink you of your latter end; be sure As time has treated others, so 'twill you!
361. C. L. N. A. I.
362.
O man, who art creation's summary, Getting and spending too much trouble thee! Arise, and quaff the Etern Cupbearer's wine, And so from troubles of both worlds be free!
362. C. L. N. A. I. J. So Wordsworth, «The world is too much with us,» etc. The Sufis rejected talab ud dunya, «worldliness,» and talab nl ukharat, «other-worldliness,» for talab nl maula, «disinterested godliness.» So Madame Guyon taught «Holy Indifference.»
363.
In this eternally revolving zone, Two lucky species of men are known; One knows all good and ill that are on earth, One neither earth's affairs, nor yet his own.
363. C. L. N. A. I. J. Taman, «entirely.» The two classes seem to be practical men and mystics.
364.
Make light to me the world's oppressive weight, And hide my failings from the people's hate, And grant me peace to-day, and on the morrow Deal with me as Thy mercy may dictate!
364. C. L. N A. I. J. In line 4 scan anchaz.
365.
Souls that are well informed of this world's state, Its weal and woe with equal mind await: For, be it weal we meet, or be it woe, The weal doth pass, and woe too hath its date.
365. C. L. N. A. B. I. J. 'Twill all be one a hundred years hence.
366.
Lament not fortune's want of constancy, But up! and seize her favours ere they flee; If fortune always cleaved to other men, How could a turn of luck have come to thee?
366. C. L. N. A. I. J. This was a saying of Kisra Parviz to his Sultana. Bicknell's Hafiz, p. 73.
367.
Chief of old friends! hearken to what I say, Let not heaven's treacherous wheel your heart dismay; But rest contented in your humble nook, And watch the games that wheel is wont to play.
367. C. L. N. A. I. J.
368.
Hear now Khayyam's advice, and bear in mind, Consort with revellers, though they be maligned, Cast down the gates of abstinence and prayer, Yea, drink, and even rob, but, oh! be kind!
368. C. L. N. A. B. I. J. A rather violent extension of the doctrine, Mercy is better than sacrifice.
369.
This world a body is, and God its soul, And angels are its senses, who control Its limbs—the creatures, elements, and spheres; The ONE is the sole basis of the whole.
369. L. N. So Pope, «All are but parts,» etc.
370.
Last night that idol who enchants my heart, With true desire to elevate my heart, Gave me his cup to drink; when I refused, He said, «Oh, drink to gratify my heart!»
370. N.
371.
Would'st thou have fortune bow her neck to thee, Make it thy care to feed thy soul with glee; And hold a creed like mine, which is to drain The cup of wine, not that of misery.
371. So the Ecclesiast, «There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat, and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labour.»
372.
Though you survey O my enlightened friend, This world of vanity from end to end, You will discover there no other good Than wine and rosy cheeks, you may depend!
372. N. Note izafat dropped after sahib. Bl., Prosody, p. 14.
373.
Last night upon the river bank we lay, I with my wine-cup, and a maiden gay, So bright it shone, like pearl within its shell, The watchman cried, «Behold the break of day!»
373. N. Nigare. Here ya may be ya i tankir, the izafat being dispensed with (Lumsden, ii. 269) [?], or perhaps ya i tausifi before the «sifat» marvzum.
374.
Have you no shame for all the sins you do, Sins of omission and commission too? Suppose you gain the world, you can but leave it, You cannot carry it away with you!
374. C. L. N. A. I. J.
375.
In a lone waste I saw a debauchee, He had no home, no faith, no heresy, No God, no truth, no law, no certitude; Where in this world is man so bold as he?
375. L. N. A beshara' or antinomian Sufi.
376.
Some look for truth in creeds, and forms, and rules; Some grope for doubts or dogmas in the schools; But from behind the veil a voice proclaims, «Your road lies neither here nor there, O fools.»
376. C. L. N. A. I. Truth, hidden from theologians and philosophers, is revealed to mystics. See Gulshan i Raz, p. 11.
377.
In heaven is seen the bull we name Parwin, Beneath the earth another lurks unseen; And thus to wisdom's eyes mankind appear A drove of asses, two great bulls between!
377. L. N. The bulls are the constellation Taurus, and that which supports the earth.
378.
The people say, «Why not drink somewhat less? What reasons have you for such great excess?» First, my Love's face, second, my morning draught; Can there be clearer reasons, now confess?
378. C. L. N. A. I. J.
379.
Had I the power great Allah to advise, I'd bid him sweep away this earth and skies, And build a better, where, unclogged and free, The clear soul might achieve her high emprise.
379. C. L. N. A. I. J. This recalls the celebrated speech of Alphonso X., king of Castile.
380.
This silly sorrow-laden heart of mine Is ever pining for that Love of mine; When the Cupbearer poured the wine of love, With my heart's blood he filled this cup of mine!
380. C. L. N. A. I. Meaning, «the wine of life, or existence, poured by the Deity into all beings at creation.» See Gulshan i Raz, p. 80.
381.
To drain the cup, to hover round the fair, Can hypocritic arts with these compare? If all who love and drink are going wrong, There's many a wight of heaven may well despair!
381. L. N. B.
382.
'Tis wrong with gloomy thoughts your mirth to drown,— To let grief's millstone weigh your spirits down; Since none can tell what is to be, 'tis best With wine and love your heart's desires to crown.
382. C. L. N. A. B. I. J.
383.
'Tis well in reputation to abide, 'Tis shameful against heaven to rail and chide; Still, head had better ache with over drink, Than be puffed up with Pharisaic pride!
383. C. L. N. A. I. J. Compare «Tartufe,» i. 6.
384.
O Lord! pity this prisoned heart, I pray, Pity this bosom stricken with dismay! Pardon these hands that ever grasp the cup, These feet that to the tavern ever stray!
384. N.
385.
O Lord! from self-conceit deliver me, Sever from self, and occupy with Thee! This self is captive to earth's good and ill, Make me beside myself, and set me free!
385. C. L. N. A. I. J. A Mystic's prayer.
386.
Behold the tricks this wheeling dome doth play, And earth laid bare of old friends torn away! O live this present moment, which is thine, Seek not a morrow, mourn not yesterday!
386. L. B. An odd expression.
387.
Since all man's business in this world of woe Is sorrow's pangs to feel, and grief to know, Happy are they that never come at all, And they that, having come, the soonest go!
387. C. L. A. B. I. J. Compare the chorus in the «Œdipus Coloneus.»
388.
By reason's dictates it is right to live, But of ourselves we know not how to live, So Fortune, like a master, rod in hand, Raps our pates well to teach us how to live!
388. L. Fortune's buffets.
389.
Nor you nor I can read the etern decree, To that enigma we can find no key; They talk of you and me behind the veil, But, if that veil be lifted, where are we?
389. C. L. A. I. J. Meaning, We are part of the «veil» of phenomena, which hides the Divine Noumenon. If that be swept away what becomes of us?
390.
O Love, for ever doth heaven's wheel design To take away thy precious life, and mine; Sit we upon this turf, 'twill not be long Ere turf shall grow upon my dust, and thine!
390. L. N. B.
391.
When life has fled, and we rest in the tomb, They'll place a pair of bricks to mark our tomb; And, a while after, mould our dust to bricks, To furnish forth some other person's tomb!
391. L. N. A. I.
392.
Yon palace, towering to the welkin blue, Where kings did bow them down, and homage do, I saw a ringdove on its arches perched, And thus she made complaint, «Coo, Coo, Coo, Coo!»
392. C. L. N. A. I. J. Mr. Binning found this quatrain inscribed on the ruins of Persepolis—Fitzgerald. Coo (Ku) means «Where are they?»
393.
We come and go, but for the gain, where is it? And spin life's woof, but for the warp, where is it? And many a righteous man has burned to dust In heaven's blue rondure, but their smoke, where is it?
393. C. L. N. A. B. I. J. So Ecclesiastes, «There is no remembrance of the wise, more than of the fool.» «Smoke,» i.e., trace.
394.
Life's well-spring lurks within that lip of thine! Let not the cup's lip touch that lip of thine! Beshrew me, if I fail to drink his blood, For who is he, to touch that lip of thine?
394. C. L. N. A. I. J. To a sweetheart.
395.
Such as I am, Thy power created me, Thy care hath kept me for a century! Through all these years I make experiment, If my sins or Thy mercy greater be.
395. C. L. N. A. I. J. God's long-suffering.
396.
«Take up thy cup and goblet, Love,» I said, «Haunt purling river bank, and grassy glade; Full many a moon-like form has heaven's weel Oft into cup, oft into goblet, made!»
396. C. L. N. A. B. I. J.
397.
We buy new wine and old, our cups to fill, And sell for two grains this world's good and ill; Know you where you will go to after death? Set wine before me, and go where you will!
397. L. N. and J. give lines 1 and 2 differently.
398.
Was e'er man born who never went astray? Did ever mortal pass a sinless day? If I do ill, do not requite with ill! Evil for evil how can'st Thou repay?
398. L. N. Line 3 and 4 are paraphrased somewhat freely.
399.
Bring forth that ruby gem of Badakhshan, That heart's delight, that balm of Turkistan; They say 'tis wrong for Musulmen to drink, But ah! where can we find a Musulman?
399. C. L. N. A. I. J.
400.
My body's life and strength proceed from Thee! My soul within and spirit are of Thee! My being is of Thee, and Thou art mine, And I am Thine, since I am lost in Thee!
400. L. «In him we live and move, and have our being.»
401.
Man, like a ball, hither and thither goes, As fate's resistless bat directs the blows; But He, who gives thee up to this rude sport, He knows what drives thee, yea, He knows, He knows!
401. C. L. A. I. J. Line 4 is in metre 22, consisting of ten syllables, all long.
402.
O Thou who givest sight to emmet's eyes, And strength to puny limbs of feeble flies, To Thee we will ascribe Almighty power, And not base, unbecoming qualities.
402. L. An echo of the Asharian's discussions on the Divine attributes.
403.
Let not base avarice enslave thy mind, Nor vain ambition in its trammels bind; Be sharp as fire, as running water swift, Not, like earth's dust, the sport of every wind!
403. L. C. A. I. J.
404.
'Tis best all other blessings to forego For wine, that charming Turki maids bestow; Kalendars' raptures pass all things that are, From moon on high down into fish below!
404. C. L. N. A. B. I. J. For mah L. reads hahk probably a Sufi gloss. Kalendars, bibulous Sufis. Fish, that whereon the earth was said to rest.
405.
Friend! trouble not yourself about your lot, Let futile care and sorrow be forgot; Since this life's vesture crumbles into dust, What matters stain of word or deed, or blot?
405. L. N.
406.
O thou who hast done ill, and ill alone, And thinkest to find mercy at the throne, Hope not for mercy! for good left undone Cannot be done, nor evil done undone!
406. N. A. I. This quatrain is by Abu Sa'id Abu'l Khair; and is an answer to No. 420, which is attributed to Avicenna.
407.
Count not to live beyond your sixtieth year, To walk in jovial courses persevere; And ere your skull be turned into a cup, Let wine-cups ever to your hand adhere!
407. L. N. B.
408.
These heavens resemble an inverted cup, Whereto the wise with awe keep gazing up; So stoops the bottle o'er his love, the cup, Feigning to kiss, and gives her blood to sup!
408. C. L. N. A. B. I. Blood, an emblem of hate.
409.
I sweep the tavern threshold with my hair, For both world's good and ill I take no care; Should the two worlds roll to my house, like balls, When drunk, for one small coin I'd sell the pair!
409. L. N. B.
410.
The drop wept for his severance from the sea, But the sea smiled, for «I am all,» said he, «The Truth is all, nothing exists beside, That one point circling apes plurality.»
410. N. This is in Ramal metre, No. 50. Compare Gulshan i Raz, line 710.
411.
Shall I still sigh for what I have not got, Or try with cheerfulness to bear my lot? Fill up my cup! I know not if the breath I now am drawing is my last, or not!
411. C. L. N. A. B. I. J. Some MSS. place this quatrain under Radif ya.
412.
Yield not to grief, though fortune prove unkind, Nor call sad thoughts of parted friends to mind; Devote thy heart to sugary lips, and wine, Cast not thy precious life unto the wind!
412. L. N. B.
413.
Of mosque and prayer and fast preach not to me, Rather go drink, were it on charity! Yea, drink, Khayyam, your dust will soon be made A jug, or pitcher, or a cup, may be!
413. N. «Imperial Cæsar, dead, and turned to clay Might stop a hole to keep the wind away.»
414.
Bulbuls, doting on roses, oft complain How forward breezes rend their veils in twain; Sit we beneath this rose, which many a time Has sunk to earth, and sprung from earth again.
414. L. N. B. So Moschus on the mallows.
415.
Suppose the world goes well with you, what then? When life's last page is read and turned, what then? Suppose you live a hundred years of bliss, Yea, and a hundred years besides, what then?
415. C. L. N A. I. J. See Vullers, p. 100.
416.
How is it that of all the leafy tribe, Cypress and lily men as «free» describe? This has a dozen tongues, yet holds her peace, That has a hundred hands which take no bribe.
416. L. N. Sa'di in the Gulistan, Book viii., gives another explanation of this expression. «Tongues, stamens, and hands, branches.»
417.
Cupbearer, bring my wine-cup, let me grasp it! Bring that delicious darling, let me grasp it! That pleasing chain which tangles in its coils Wise men and fools together, let me grasp it!
417. L. N. Bipechand seems a plural of dignity.
418.
Alas! my wasted life has gone to wrack! What with forbidden meats, and lusts, alack! And leaving undone what 'twas right to do, And doing wrong, my face is very black!
418. C. L. N. A. I. These whimsical outbursts of self-reproach in the midst of antinomian utterances are characteristic of Khayyam.
419.
I could repent of all, but of wine, never! I could dispense with all, but with wine, never! If so be I became a Musulman, Could I abjure my Magian wine? no, never!
419. L. N. The Magians sold wine.
420.
We rest our hopes on Thy free grace alone, Nor seek by merits for our sins to atone; Mercy drops where it lists, and estimates Ill done as undone, good undone as done.
420. L. N. A. I. This quatrain is also ascribed to the celebrated philosopher Avicenna. See No. 406.
421.
This is the form Thou gavest me of old, Wherein Thou workest marvels manifold; Can I aspire to be a better man, Or other than I issued from Thy mould?
421. C. L. N. A. I. This is a variation of No. 221.
422.
O Lord! to Thee all creatures worship pay, To Thee both small and great for ever pray, Thou takest woe away, and givest weal, Give then, or, if it please Thee, take away!
422. L. Scan bandagita, omitting fatha before te. Vullers, p. 197.
423.
With going to and fro in this sad vale Thou art grown double, and thy credit stale, Thy nails are thickened like a horse's hoof, Thy beard is ragged as an ass's tail.
423. C. L. A. I. J. A description of old age.
424.
O unenlightened race of humankind, Ye are a nothing, built on empty wind! Yea, a mere nothing, hovering in the abyss, A void before you, and a void behind!
424. C. L. A. I. J. The technical name for existence between two non-existences is Takwin. Bl. Ain i Akbari, p. 198. Compare the term «nunc stans,» applied to Time by the Schoolmen.
425.
Each morn I say, «To-night I will repent Of wine, and tavern haunts no more frequent»; But while 'tis spring, and roses are in bloom, To loose me from my promise, O consent!
425. C. L. A. I. J.
426.
Vain study of philosophy eschew! Rather let tangled curls attract your view; And shed the bottle's life-blood in your cup, Or e'er death shed your blood, and feast on you.
426. C. L. N. A. B. I. J. Bigorezi bi, «better that you should eschew.»
427.
O heart! can'st thou the darksome riddle read, Where wisest men have failed, wilt thou succeed? Quaff wine, and make thy heaven here below, Who knows if heaven above will be thy meed?
427. C. L. N. A. B. I. J.
428.
They that have passed away, and gone before, Sleep in delusion's dust for evermore; Go, boy, and fetch some wine, this is the truth, Their dogmas were but air, and wind their lore!
428. C. L. N. A. B. I. J. So Ecclesiastes, «I gave my heart to know wisdom ... and perceived that this also is vanity.»
429.
O heart! when on the Loved One's sweets you feed, You lose yourself, but find your Self indeed; And, when you drink of His entrancing cup, You hasten your escape from quick and dead!
429. C. L. N. A. I. J. Die to self, to live in God, your true self. See Max Müller, Hibbert Lectures, p. 375.
430.
Though I am wont a wine-bibber to be, Why should the people rail and chide at me? Would that all evil actions made men drunk, For then no sober people should I see!
430. C. N. A. I. J.
431.
Child of four elements and sevenfold heaven, Who fume and sweat because of these eleven, Drink! I have told you seventy times and seven, Once gone, nor hell will send you back, nor heaven.
431. C. L. N. A. I. J.
432.
With many a snare Thou dost beset my way, And threatenest, if I fall therein, to slay; Thy rule resistless sways the world, yet Thou Imputest sin, when I do but obey!
432. B. N. Allah is the Fa'il i hakiki, the only real agent, according to the Sufi view, Hukmi tu Kuni, «Thou givest thy order.»
433.
To Thee, whose essence baffles human thought, Our sins and righteous deeds alike seem naught, May Thy grace sober me, though drunk with sins, And pardon all the ill that I have wrought!
433. L. N.
434.
If this life were indeed an empty play, Each day would be an 'lid of festal day, And men might conquer all their hearts' desire, Fearless of after penalties to pay!
434. N. N takes taklid in the sense of «authority,» but I think it alludes to Koran, xxix. 64. See Gulshan i Raz, p. 50.
435.
O wheel of heaven, you thwart my heart's desire, And rend to shreds my scanty joy's attire, The water that I drink you foul with earth, And turn the very air I breathe to fire!
435. C. L. N. A. I.
436.
O soul! could you but doff this flesh and bone, You'd soar a sprite about the heavenly throne; Had you no shame to leave your starry home, And dwell an alien on this earthly zone?
436. C. L. N. B. A. I.
437.
Ah, potter, stay thine hand' with ruthless art Put not to such base use man's mortal part! See, thou art mangling on thy cruel wheel Faridun's fingers, and Kai Khosrau's heart!
437. C. L. N. A. I. Faridun and Kai Khosrau were ancient kings of Persia. Kai Khosrau is usually identified with Cyrus.
438.
O rose! all beauties' charms thou dost excel, As wine excels the pearl within its shell; O fortune! thou dost ever show thyself More strange, although I seem to know thee well!
438. N. Mimani, You resemble.
439.
From this world's kitchen crave not to obtain Those dainties, seeming real, but really vain, Which greedy worldlings gorge to their own loss; Renounce that loss, so loss shall prove thy gain!
439. L. N. B.
440.
Plot not of nights, thy fellows' peace to blight, So that they cry to God the live-long night; Nor plume thee on thy wealth and might, which thieves May steal by night, or death, or fortune's might.
440. N. Ta bar nikashand, «Let us abstain from oppressing people, so that they may not heave a sigh, saying, O Lord.»
441.
This soul of mine was once Thy cherished bride, What caused Thee to divorce her from Thy side? Thou didst not use to treat her thus of yore, Why then now doom her in the world to abide?
441. L. N.
442.
Ah! would there were a place of rest from pain, Which we, poor pilgrims, might at last attain, And after many thousand wintry years, Renew our life, like flowers, and bloom again!
442. C. N. A. I. J.
443.
While in love's book I sought an augury; An ardent youth cried out in ecstasy, «Who owns a sweetheart beauteous as the moon, Might wish his moments long as years to be!»
443. C. L. N. A. I. Compare the «sortes Virgilianæ.» Line 4 is freely paraphrased.
444.
Winter is past, and spring-tide has begun, Soon will the pages of life's book be done! Well saith the sage, «Life is a poison rank, And antidote, save grape-juice, there is none.»
444. C. L. N. A. I. J.
445.
Beloved, if thou a reverend Molla be, Quit saintly show, and feigned austerity, And quaff the wine that Murtaza purveys, And sport with Houris 'neath some shady tree!
445. N. Note the change from the imperative to the aorist. In line 4 scan Murtazasha. Murtaza (Ali) is the celestial cupbearer.
446.
Last night I dashed my cup against a stone, In a mad drunken freak, as I must own, And lo! the cup cries out in agony, «You too, like me, shall soon be overthrown.»
446. C. L. N. A. B. I. Saboyiy, ya i batni, joined to the noun by euphonic or conjunctive ya.
447.
My heart is weary of hypocrisy, Cupbearer, bring some wine, I beg of thee! This hooded cowl and prayer-mat pawn for wine, Then will I boast me in security.
447. N.
448.
Audit yourself, your truce account to frame, See! you go empty, as you empty came; You say, «I will not drink and peril life,» But, drink or no, you must die all the same!
448. C. L. N. A. I.
449.
Open the door! O entrance who procurest, And guide the way, O Thou of guides the surest! Directors born of men shall not direct me, Their counsel comes to naught, but Thou endurest!
450.
In slandering and reviling you persist, Calling me infidel and atheist: My errors I will not deny, but yet Does foul abuse become a moralist?
450. C. L. N. A. I. In line 1 scan goyi-yaz, Bl., Prosody, p. 10. The tashdid of mukin is dropped.
451.
To find a remedy, put up with pain, Chafe not at woe, and healing thou wilt gain; Though poor, be ever of a thankful mind, 'Tis the sure method riches to obtain.
451. L. N. Dawayiy. The first ya is the conjunctive ya (Vullers, p. 16), the second ya i tankir.
452.
Give me a skin of wine, a crust of bread A pittance bare, a book of verse to read; With thee, O love, to share my lowly roof, I would not take the Sultan's realm instead!
452. N. B. Tange, the izafat is displaced by ya i tankir, according to Lumsden, ii. 269.
453.
Reason not of the five, nor of the four, Be their dark problems one, or many score; We are but earth, go, minstrel, bring the lute, We are but air, bring wine, I ask no more!
453. N. C. L. A. I. J. give only the first line of this. Five senses, four elements.
454.
Why argue on Yasin and on Barat? Write me the draft for wine they call Barat! The day my weariness is drowned in wine Will seem to me as the great night Barat!
454. C. L. N. A. I. J. Yasin is the 64th, and Barat the 9th, chapter of the Koran. Barat, the «night of power.»
455.
Whilst thou dost wear this fleshy livery, Step not beyond the bounds of destiny; Bear up, though very Rustums be thy foes, And crave no boon from friends like Hatim Tai!
455. C. L. N. A. I. J.
456.
These ruby lips, and wine, and minstrel boys, And lute, and harp, your dearly cherished toys, Are mere redundancies, and you are naught, Till you renounce the world's delusive joys.
456. L. N. Hashw, mere «stuffing,» leather and prunella.
457.
Bow down, heaven's tyranny to undergo, Quaff wine to face the world, and all its woe; Your origin and end are both in earth, But now you are above earth, not below!
457. C. L. N. A. I. J.
458.
You know all secrets of this earthly sphere, Why then remain a prey to empty fear? You cannot bend things to your will, but yet Cheer up for the few moments you are here!
458. C. L. N. A. I. J. Scan chim wakifiyay.
459.
Behold, where'er we turn our ravished eyes, Sweet verdure springs, and crystal Kausars rise; And plains, once bare as hell, now smile as heaven: Enjoy this heaven with maids of Paradise!
459. C. L. N. A. B. I. J.
460.
Never in this false world on friends rely (I give this counsel confidentially), Put up with pain, and seek no antidote, Endure your grief, and ask no sympathy!
460. N.
461.
Of wisdom's dictates two are principal, Surpassing all your lore traditional; Better to fast than eat of every meat, Better to live alone than mate with all!
461. N. Hadis i na goyayiy. The unwritten revelations, or traditions, opposed to Qur'an (Koran), the «reading.» So sruti is opposed to smriti.
462.
Why unripe grapes are sharp, prithee explain, And then grow sweet, while wine is sharp again? When one has carved a block into a lute, Can he from that same block a pipe obtain?
462. L. N.
463.
When dawn doth silver the dark firmament, Why shrills the bird of dawning his lament? It is to show in dawn's bright looking-glass How of thy careless life a night is spent.
463. C. L. N. A. I. J. So Job, «Hast spread the sky as a molten looking-glass.»
464.
Cupbearer, come! from thy full-throated ewer Pour blood-red wine, the world's despite to cure! Where can I find another friend like wine, So genuine, so solacing, so pure?
464. C. L. N. A. I. J.
465.
Though you should sit in sage Aristo's room, Or rival Cæsar on his throne of Rūm, Drain Jemshid's goblet, for your end's the tomb, Yea, were you Bahram's self, your end's the tomb!
465. N. Jamhur, a name of Buzurjimihr, Wazir of Nushirwan. Faghfur, the Chinese emperor.
466.
It chanced into a potter's shop I strayed, He turned his wheel and deftly plied his trade, And out of monarchs' heads, and beggars' feet, Fair heads and handles for his pitchers made!
466. C. N. L. A. I. J. Paya, «the treadle.»
467.
If you have sense, true senselessness attain, And the Etern Cupbearer's goblet drain, If not, true senselessness is not for you, Not every fool true senselessness can gain!
467. L. N. Meaning, the «truly Mystical darkness of ignorance.» See Gulshan i Raz, p. 13.
468.
O Love! before you pass death's portal through, And potters make their jugs of me and you, Pour from this jug some wine, of headache void, And fill your cup, and fill my goblet too!
468. C. L. N. A. I. J. Headache, in allusion to the wine of Paradise, Koran, lvi. 17.
469.
O Love! while yet you can, with tender art, Lift sorrow's burden from your lover's heart; Your wealth of graces will not always last, But slip from your possession, and depart!
469. C. L. N. A. I. J. Some MSS. read zinhar for zihar, either will scan.
470.
Bestir thee, ere death's cup for thee shall flow, And blows of ruthless fortune lay thee low; Acquire some substance here, there is none there, For those who thither empty-handed go!
470. L. N. Line 2 is in metre 4. Meaning, «Work while it is day.»
471.
Who framed the lots of quick and dead but Thou? Who turns the troublous wheel of heaven but Thou? Though we are sinful slaves, is it for Thee To blame us? Who created us but Thou?
471. L. N. A. I.
472.
O wine, most limpid, pure, and crystalline, Would I could drench this silly frame of mine With thee, that passers by might think 'twas thou, And cry, «Whence comest thou, fair master wine?»
472. L. N.
473.
A Shaikh beheld a harlot, and quoth he, «You seem a slave to drink and lechery»; And she made answer, «What I seem I am, But, Master, are you all you seem to be?»
473. L. N. The technical name of quatrains like this is suwal o jawab, or muraja'at. Gladwin, Persian Rhetoric, p. 40.
474.
If, like a ball, earth to my house were borne, When drunk, I'd rate it at a barley-corn; Last night they offered me in pawn for wine, But the rude vintner laughed that pledge to scorn.
474. C. L. N. A. I. J. Note the yas i tankir in Kuye, juye, and giraye.
475.
Now in thick clouds Thy face Thou dost immerse, And now display it in this universe; Thou the spectator, Thou the spectacle, Sole to Thyself Thy glories dost rehearse.
475. C. L. N. A. I. J. Compare the Vulgate, «ludens in orbe terrarum,» and Gulshan i Raz, p. 14.
476.
Better to make one soul rejoice with glee, Than plant a desert with a colony; Rather one freeman bind with chains of love, Than set a thousand prisoned captives free!
476. L.N.
477.
O thou who for thy pleasure dost impart A pang of sorrow to thy fellow's heart, Go! mourn thy perished wit, and peace of mind, Thyself hast slain them, like the fool thou art!
477. C. L. N A. I. J.
478.
Wherever you can get two maunds of wine, Set to, and drink it like a libertine; Whoso acts thus will set his spirit free From saintly airs like yours, and grief like mine.
478. C. L. N. A. B. I. J. Chu mane, «of one like me.» So in No. 170 (the note which is wrong). Vullers, p. 254. Literally, «mustaches and beards.»
479.
So long as I possess two maunds of wine, Bread of the flower of wheat, and mutton chine, And you, O Tulip cheek, to share my hut, Not every Sultan's lot can vie with mine.
479. C. L. N. A. B. I.
480.
They call you wicked, if to fame you're known, And an intriguer, if you live alone, Trust me, though you were Khizr or Elias, 'Tis best to know none, and of none be known.
480. C. N. I.
481.
Yes! here am I with wine and feres again! I did repent, but, ah! 'twas all in vain; Preach not to me of Noah and his flood, But pour a flood of wine to drown my pain!
481. C. L. N. A. I. J. Tauba i Nassuh, a repentance not to be repented of. Nicolas. In line 2 note the izafat dropped after silent he.
482.
For union with my love I sigh in vain, The pangs of absence I can scarce sustain, My grief I dare not tell to any friend; O trouble strange, sweet passion, bitter pain!
482. N. These quatrains are called firakiya, and are rare in Khayyam.
483.
'Tis dawn! I hear the loud Muezzin's call, And here am I before the vintner's hall; This is no time of piety. Be still! And drop your talk and airs devotional!
483. C. L. N. A. I. J.
484.
Angel of joyful foot! the dawn is nigh; Pour wine, and lift your tuneful voice on high, Sing how Jemshids and Khosraus bit the dust, Whelmed by the rolling months, from Tir to Dai!
484. C. L. N. A. I. Tir and Dai, April and December.
485.
Frown not at revellers, I beg of thee, For all thou keepest righteous company; But drink, for, drink or no, 'tis all the same, If doomed to hell, no heaven thou'lt ever see.
485. C. L. N. A. I. J. Koran, xvi. 38: «Some of them there were, whom Allah guided, and there were others doomed to err.»
486.
I wish that Allah would rebuild these skies, And earth, and that at once, before my eyes, And either raze my name from off his roll, Or else relieve my dire necessities!
486. N. This rather sins against Horace's canon, «Nec Deus intersit,» etc.
487.
Lord! make thy bounty's cup for me to flow, And bread unbegged for day by day bestow; Yea, with thy wine make me beside myself. No more to feel the headache of my woe!
487. C. L. N. A. I. J.
488.
Omar! of burning heart, perchance to burn In hell, and feed its bale-fires in thy turn, Presume not to teach Allah clemency, For who art thou to teach, or He to learn?
488. C. L. N. A. I. J. The Persian preface states that, after his death, Omar appeared to his mother in a dream, and repeated this quatrain to her. For the last line I am indebted to Mr. Fitzgerald.
489.
Cheer up! your lot was settled yesterday! Heedless of all that you might do or say, Without so much as «By your leave» they fixed Your lot for all the morrows yesterday!
489. C. L. A. B. I. Predestination.
490.
I never would have come, had I been asked, I would as lief not go, if I were asked, And, to be short, I would annihilate All coming, being, going, were I asked!
490. C. L. N. (in part) A. B. I. J. So the Ecclesiast, «Therefore I hated life,» etc.
491.
Man is a cup, his soul the wine therein, Flesh is a pipe, spirit the voice within; O Khayyam, have you fathomed what man is? A magic lantern with a light therein!
492.
O skyey wheel, all base men you supply With baths, mills, and canals that run not dry, While good men have to pawn their goods for bread: Pray, who would give a fig for such a sky?
492. B. L. In line 3 I read nih and for nihand, which will not scan. Line 4 is slightly paraphrased.
493.
A potter at his work I chanced to see, Pounding some earth and shreds of pottery; I looked with eyes of insight, and methought 'Twas Adam's dust with which he made so free!
493. C. L. A. I. J. Note the arrangement of the prepositions bar . . bazer. Bl., Prosody, xiii.
494.
The Saki knows my genus properly, To all woe's species he holds a key, Whene'er my mood is sad, he brings me wine, And that makes all the difference to me!
494. C. L. A. I. A play on terms of Logic.
495.
Dame Fortune! all your acts and deeds confess That you are foul oppression's votaress; You cherish bad men, and annoy the good; Is this from dotage, or sheer foolishness?
495. C. L. A. I. J. Mu'takif, a devotee.
496.
You, who in carnal lusts your time employ, Wearing your precious spirit with annoy, Know that these things you set your heart upon Sooner or later must the soul destroy!
497.
Hear from the spirit world this mystery: Creation is summed up, O man, in thee; Angel and demon, man and beast art thou, Yea, thou art all thou dost appear to be!
497. L. Man, the microcosm. Line 2 is one syllable short.
498.
If popularity you would ensue, Speak well of Moslem, Christian, and Jew; So shall you be esteemed of great and small, And none will venture to speak ill of you.
498. L.
499.
O wheel of heaven, what have I done to you, That you should thus annoy me? Tell me true; To get a drink I have to cringe and stoop, And for my bread you make me beg and sue.
499. L. Abruy, «honour.»
500.
No longer hug your grief and vain despair, But in this unjust world be just and fair; And since the issue of the world is naught, Think you are naught, and so shake off dull care!
500. L. B. In line 3 scan nesatiyast.