The Sufistic Quatrains of Omar KhayyamOmar Khayyam
ReligionSufism
The Sufistic Quatrains of Omar Khayyam
Omar Khayyam
FitzGerald, Edward, 1809-1883; Sufi poetry
They say that the moon of Ramazan[83] shines out again
Henceforth one cannot linger over the wine;
At the end of Sha'ban I will drink so much wine
That during Ramazan I may be found drunk until the festival (arrives).
_Ref._: C. 198, L. 352, B. 348, S.P. 172, P. 347, B. ii. 216, T.
125.--W. 188, N. 172, V. 351. See also the quatrain from the «Notes,» p.
155.
LXXXIV.
Said one among them--«Surely not in vain
My substance of the common Earth was ta'en
And to this Figure moulded, to be broke,
Or trampled back to shapeless Earth again.»
The sentiment of this quatrain is traceable in C. 293.
There is a cup which wisdom loud acclaims,
And for its beauty gives it a hundred kisses on the brow,
Such a sweet cup, this Potter of the World
Makes, and then shatters it upon the ground.
_Ref._: C. 293, L. 456, B. 452, B. ii. 321, T. 194.--W. 290, V. 495.
LXXXV.
Then said a Second--«Ne'er a peevish Boy
Would break the Bowl from which he drank in joy;
And he that with his hand the Vessel made
Will surely not in after Wrath destroy.»
The inspiration for this quatrain comes from O. 19.
The elements of a cup which he has put together,
Their breaking up a drinker cannot approve;[84]
All these heads and feet--with his finger-tips,
For love of whom did he make them?--for hate of whom did he break them?
_Ref._: O. 19, C. 64, L. 40, S.P. 37, P. ii. 7, P. 95, B. ii. 77, T.
309.--W. 42, N. 38, V. 220.
LXXXVI.
After a momentary silence spake
Some Vessel of a more ungainly make;
«They sneer at me for leaning all awry:
What! did the Hand then of the Potter shake?»
This quatrain is a perfect reflection and companion of all these Kuza
Nama quatrains, but I have not found a ruba'i in O. or C. which can be
pointed out as having directly inspired[85] it. It must, I think, be
considered together with No. 88.
LXXXVII.
Whereat some one of the loquacious Lot--
I think a Sufi pipkin--waxing hot--
«All this of Pot and Potter--Tell me, then,
Who is the Potter pray, and who the Pot?»
LXXXVII. _Ante sub_ LXXXIII.
LXXXVIII.
«Why,» said another, «Some there are who tell
Of one who threatens he will toss to Hell
The luckless Pots he marr'd in making--Pish!
He's a Good Fellow, and 'twill all be well.»
The inspiration for this quatrain, and I think for No. 86, comes from C.
69 and C. 159:
Since the Director set in order the elements of natures,
For what cause does He again disperse them into loss and deficiency?
If they are good, why should He break them?
And if they turn out bad, well, why is there any blame to these forms?
_Ref._: C. 69, L. 103, B. 99, P. 94, B. ii. 107.--W. 126, V. 103.
They say that at the resurrection there will be much searching,
And that that excellent Friend will be hasty;
Nothing but good ever came from the Unalloyed Goodness,
Be happy! for the upshot will be all right!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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