The Sufistic Quatrains of Omar KhayyamOmar Khayyam
ReligionSufism
The Sufistic Quatrains of Omar Khayyam
Omar Khayyam
FitzGerald, Edward, 1809-1883; Sufi poetry
This is a very composite quatrain, which cannot be claimed as a
translation of all, or the main part of any, of the C. or O. quatrains.
All the texts, as indeed all Persian poetry, are filled with references
of which we find an echo here. In the authorities at our disposal,
Jamshyd is referred to in C. 254. The Ruby in the Wine occurs in O. 39,
87, 149, and in C. 296, 304, 413, and 460. The Garden by the Water
occurs in O. 151 (C. 415), and in C. 44 and 417. I have never found any
reference to the Garden of Iram in quatrains attributed to Omar
Khayyam.[23]
VI.
And David's lips are lockt; but in divine
High-piping Pehlevi, with «Wine! Wine! Wine!
Red Wine!»--the Nightingale cries to the Rose
That sallow cheek of hers to 'incarnadine.
This quatrain (eliminating the reference to David[24]) is translated
from O. 67.
It is a pleasant day, and the weather is neither hot nor cold;
The rain has washed the dust from the faces of the roses;
The nightingale in the Pehlevi tongue[25] to the yellow[26] rose
Cries ever: «Thou must drink wine!»
_Ref._: O. 67, L. 291, B. 287, S.P. 153, P. 230.--W. 174, N. 153, V.
294.
VII.
Come, fill the Cup, and in the fire of Spring
Your Winter-garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To flutter--and the Bird is on the Wing.
This is another composite quatrain, and the similarity of its sentiment
to that of No. 94 (_post_) makes it somewhat difficult to allocate the
parallels to it. The first two lines come from two quatrains in C. 431
and 460 (ll. 1 and 2).
Every day I resolve to repent in the evening,
Repenting of the brimful goblet, and the cup;
(But) now that the season of roses has come, I cannot grieve,
Give penitence for repentance[27] in the season of roses, O Lord!
_Ref._: C. 431, L. 655, B. 647, B. ii. 510.--W. 425, V. 704.
The flowers are blooming, bring wine, O Saki,
Abandon the practices of the zealot, O Saki.
_Ref._: C. 460, L. 684, B. 675, B. ii. 540.--V. 736.
The image of the flight of time permeates the whole of the quatrains.
The precise image that FitzGerald uses in ll. 3 and 4 I find in the 24th
distich of the Mantik ut-tair of Ferid ud din Attar.
The bird of the sky flutters along its appointed path.
VIII.*[28]
Whether at Naishapur or Babylon,
Whether the Cup with sweet or bitter run,
The Wine of Life keeps oozing drop by drop,
The Leaves of Life keep falling one by one.
This quatrain is taken mainly from O. 47 (C. 123). It does not occur in
the first edition, and FitzGerald was evidently «reminded of it» by
Nicolas, in whose reading of the text, alone, the town of Naishapur is
mentioned instead of Balkh. Balkh and Babylon are constantly
interchanged in Persian _belles lettres_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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