VARIATIONS BETWEEN THE SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH EDITIONS OF FITZGERALD'S TRANSLATION OF OMAR KHAYYAM
Edward FitzGerald translation
STANZA
I. In ed. 2:
Wake! For the Sun behind yon Eastern height Has chased the Session of the Stars from Night; And, to the field of Heav'n ascending, strikes The Sultan's Turret with a Shaft of Light.
In the first draft of ed. 3 the first and second lines stood thus
Wake! For the Sun before him into Night A Signal flung that put the Stars to flight.
II. In ed. 2:
Why lags the drowsy Worshipper outside?
V. In edd. 2 and 3:
But still a Ruby gushes from the Vine.
IX. In edd. 2 and 3:
Morning a thousand Roses brings, you say.
X. In ed. 2:
Let Rustum cry «To Battle!» as he likes, Or Hatim Tai «To Supper!»—heed not you
In ed. 3:
Let Zal and Rustum thunder as they will.
STANZA
XII. In ed. 2:
Here with a little Bread beneath the Bough, A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse—and Thou, etc.
XIII. In ed. 2:
Ah, take the Cash, and let the Promise go, Nor heed the music of a distant Drum!
XX. In ed. 2:
And this delightful Herb whose living Green.
XXII. In edd. 2 and 3:
That from his Vintage rolling Time has prest.
XXVI. In edd. 2 and 3.
Of the Two Worlds so learnedly, are thrust.
XXVII. In ed. 2:
Came out by the same door as in I went.
XXVIII. In edd. 2 and 3.
And with my own hand wrought to make it grow.
XXX. In ed. 2.
Ah, contrite Heav'n endowed us with the Vine To drug the memory of that insolence!
XXXI. In ed. 2:
And many Knots unravel'd by the Road.
XXXII. In edd. 2 and 3:
There was the Veil through which I could not see.
XXXIII. In ed. 2:
Nor Heav'n, with those eternal Signs reveal'd.
XXXIV. In ed. 2:
Then of the Thee in Me who works behind The Veil of Universe I cried to find A Lamp to guide me through the darkness; and Something then said—«An Understanding blind.»
XXXV. In ed. 2:
I lean'd, the secret Well of Life to learn.
STANZA
XXXVI. In ed. 2:
And drink; and that impassive Lip I kiss'd.
XXXVIII. In ed. 2 the only difference is «For» instead of «And» in the first line; but in the first draft of ed. 3 the stanza appeared thus:
For, in your Ear a moment—of the same Poor Earth from which that Human Whisper came, The luckless Mould in which Mankind was cast They did compose, and call'd him by the name.
In ed. 3 the first line was altered to—
Listen—a moment listen!—Of the same, etc.
XXXIX. In ed. 2:
On the parcht herbage but may steal below.
XL. In ed. 2:
As then the Tulip for her wonted sup Of Heavenly Vintage lifts her chalice up, Do you, twin offspring of the soil, till Heav'n To Earth invert you like an empty Cup.
In the first draft of ed. 3 the stanza is the same as in edd. 3 and 4, except that the second line is—
Of Wine from Heav'n her little Tass lifts up.
XLI. In ed. 2 and the first draft of ed. 3:
Oh, plagued no more with Human or Divine To-morrow's tangle to itself resign.
XLII. In ed. 2:
And if the Cup you drink, the Lip you press, End in what All begins and ends in—Yes; Imagine then you are what heretofore You were—hereafter you shall not be less.
The first draft of ed. 3 agrees with edd. 3 and 4, except that the first line is—
And if the Cup, and if the Lip you press.
STANZA
XLIII. In ed. 2:
So when at last the Angel of the drink Of Darkness finds you by the river-brink, And, proffering his Cup, invites your Soul Forth to your Lips to quaff it—do not shrink.
In the first draft of ed. 3 the only change made was from «proffering» to «offering,» but in ed. 3 the stanza assumed the form in which it also appeared in ed. 4. The change from «the Angel» to «that Angel» was made in MS. by FitzGerald in a copy of ed. 4.
XLIV. In ed. 2:
Is't not a shame—is't not a shame for him So long in this Clay suburb to abide!
XLV. In ed. 2:
But that is but a Tent wherein may rest.
XLVI. In ed. 2:
And fear not lest Existence closing your Account, should lose, or know the type no more.
XLVII. In ed. 2:
As much as Ocean of a pebble-cast.
In ed. 3:
As the Sev'n Seas should heed a pebble-cast.
XLVIII. In ed. 2:
One Moment in Annihilation's Waste, One Moment, of the Well of Life to taste— The Stars are setting, and the Caravan Draws to the Dawn of Nothing—Oh make haste.
In the first draft of ed. 3 the third line originally stood:
Before the starting Caravan has reach'd
the rest of the stanza being as in edd. 3 and 4.
STANZA
XLIX. In ed. 2:
A Hair, they say, divides the False and True.
The change from «does» to «may» in the last line was made by FitzGerald in MS.
L. In ed. 2:
A Hair, they say, divides the False and True.
LII. In edd. 2 and 3:
He does Himself contrive, enact, behold.
LIII. In the first draft of ed. 3:
To-morrow, when You shall be You no more.
LIV. In ed. 2:
Better be merry with the fruitful Grape.
LV. In ed. 2:
You know, my Friends, how bravely in my House For a new Marriage I did make Carouse.
LVII. In ed. 2:
Have squared the Year to Human Compass, eh? If so, by striking from the Calendar.
LXII. In ed. 2
When the frail Cup is crumbled into Dust!
LXIII. In ed. 2:
The Flower that once is blown for ever dies.
LXV. In edd. 2 and 3:
They told their fellows, and to Sleep return'd.
LXVI. In ed. 2:
And after many days my Soul return'd And said, «Behold, Myself am Heav'n and Hell.»
LXVII. In ed. 2:
And Hell the Shadow of a Soul on fire.
LXVIII. In ed. 2:
Of visionary Shapes that come and go Round with this Sun-illumin'd Lantern held.
LXIX. In ed. 2:
Impotent Pieces of the Game He plays.
LXX. In ed. 2:
But Right or Left as strikes the Player goes.
STANZA
LXXII. In ed. 2 and the first draft of ed. 3:
And that inverted Bowl we call The Sky.
In edd. 2 and 3:
As impotently rolls as you or I.
LXXIX. In ed. 2:
Pure Gold for what he lent us dross-allay'd.
LXXXI. In ed. 2:
For all the Sin the Face of wretched Man Is black with—Man's Forgiveness give—and take!
LXXXIII. In ed. 2:
And once again there gather'd a scarce heard Whisper among them; as it were, the stirr'd Ashes of some all but extinguisht Tongue Which mine ear kindled into living Word.
LXXXIV. In ed. 2:
My Substance from the common Earth was ta'en, That He who subtly wrought me into Shape Should stamp me back to shapeless Earth again?
LXXXV. In ed. 2
Another said—«Why, ne'er a peevish Boy Would break the Cup from which he drank in Joy; Shall He that of His own free Fancy made The Vessel, in an after-rage destroy!»
LXXXVI. In ed. 2:
None answer'd this, but after silence spake.
LXXXVII. In ed. 2:
Thus with the Dead as with the Living, What? And Why? so ready, but the Wherefor not, One on a sudden peevishly exclaim'd, «Which is the Potter, pray, and which the Pot?»
STANZA
LXXXVIII. In ed. 2:
Said one—«Folks of a surly Master tell, And daub his Visage with the Smoke of Hell; They talk of some sharp Trial of us—Pish! He's a Good Fellow, and 'twill all be well.»
In the first draft of ed. 3. the stanza begins:
«Why,» said another, «Dismal people tell Of an old Savage who will toss to Hell The luckless Pots,» etc.
LXXXIX. In ed. 2:
«Well,» said another, «Whoso will, let try.»
XC. In ed. 2:
One spied the little Crescent all were seeking.
XCI. In ed. 2:
And wash my Body whence the Life has died.
XCIII. In ed. 2:
Have done my credit in Men's eye much wrong.
XCV. In ed. 2:
One half so precious as the ware they sell.
XCVII. In ed. 2:
Toward which the fainting Traveller might spring.
XCVIII. In ed. 2:
Oh if the World were but to re-create, That we might catch ere closed the Book of Fate, And make The Writer on a fairer leaf Inscribe our names, or quite obliterate!
XCIX. In ed. 2:
Ah Love! could you and I with Fate conspire.
C. In ed. 2:
But see! The rising Moon of Heav'n again Looks for us, Sweet-heart, through the quivering Plane: How oft hereafter rising will she look Among those leaves—for one of us in vain!
STANZA
CI. In ed. 2:
And when Yourself with silver Foot shall pass.
In the first draft of ed. 3 «Foot» is changed to «step.»
In ed. 3:
And in your blissful errand reach the spot.
STANZAS WHICH APPEAR IN THE SECOND EDITION ONLY
XIV. Were it not Folly, Spider-like to spin The Thread of present Life away to win— What? for ourselves, who know not if we shall Breathe out the very Breath we now breathe in! XX. (This stanza is quoted in the note to stanza XVIII. in the third and fourth editions.) XXVIII. Another Voice, when I am sleeping, cries, «The Flower should open with the Morning skies.» And a retreating Whisper, as I wake— «The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.» XLIV. Do you, within your little hour of Grace, The waving Cypress in your Arms enlace, Before the Mother back into her arms Fold, and dissolve you in a last embrace. LXV. If but the Vine and Love-abjuring Band Are in the Prophet's Paradise to stand, Alack, I doubt the Prophet's Paradise Were empty as the hollow of one's Hand. LXXVII. For let Philosopher and Doctor preach Of what they will, and what they will not—each Is but one Link in an eternal Chain That none can slip, or break, or over-reach. LXXXVI. Nay, but, for terror of his wrathful Face, I swear I will not call Injustice Grace, Not one Good Fellow of the Tavern but Would kick so poor a Coward from the place. XC. And once again there gather'd a scarce heard Whisper among them; as it were, the stirr'd Ashes of some all but extinguisht Tongue, Which mine ear kindled into living Word.
(In the third and fourth editions stanza LXXXIII. takes the place of this.)
XCIX. Whither resorting from the vernal Heat Shall Old Acquaintance Old Acquaintance greet, Under the Branch that leans above the Wall To shed his Blossom over head and feet.
(This was retained in the first draft of ed. 3.)
CVII. Better, oh better, cancel from the Scroll Of Universe one luckless Human Soul, Than drop by drop enlarge the Flood that rolls Hoarser with Anguish as the Ages Roll.