The Sufistic Quatrains Of Omar Khayyam Part 9

_Ref._: O. 80, L. 272, B. 268, C. 204, S.P. 186, P. 157.--W. 201, N.

186, V. 276.

V.

Iram indeed is gone with all his Rose, And Jamshyd's Sev'n-ring'd Cup where no one knows; But still a Ruby kindles in the Vine, And many a Garden by the Water blows.

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_.

Since life pa.s.ses; what is Baghdad and what is Balkh?

When the cup is full, what matter if it be sweet or bitter?[29]

Drink wine, for often, after thee and me, this moon Will pa.s.s on from the last day of the month to the first, and from the first to the last.

_Ref._: O. 47, L. 299, B. 226, C. 123, S.P. 105, P. 51, T. 99.--W. 134, N. 105, E.C. 2, V. 236.

If closer reference for line 3 be required, it may be found in N. 18, ll. 3 and 4.

Whether our Saki holds the neck of the bottle in his hand, Or the soul of wine oozes over the rim of the cup.

_Ref._: L. 35, B. 32, S.P. 18.--W. 21, N. 18, V. 33.

The leaves of life recur constantly either as leaves of a tree, or of a book. FitzGerald's inspiration comes from C. 377, ll. 1 and 2. (_Vide_ also _sub._ No. 9.)

At the moment when I flee from destiny, And fall like the leaf of the vine, from the branch.

_Ref._: C. 377, L. 574, B. 567, S.P. 265, B. ii. 353, T. 249.--W. 309, N. 266, V. 614.

IX.

Each Morn a thousand Roses brings, you say; Yes, but where leaves the Rose of Yesterday?

And this first Summer month that brings the Rose Shall take Jamshyd and Kaikobad away.

This quatrain owes its origin to three separate ruba'iyat, viz.: O. 135 (ll. 3 and 4) C. 500 (ll. 1 and 2), C. 481 (ll. 3 and 4).

Sit in the shade of the rose, for, by the wind, many roses Have been scattered to earth and have become dust.

_Ref._: O. 135, L. 671, B. 663, S.P. 366, B. ii. 483, T. 277.--W. 414, N. 370, V. 720.

By the coming of Spring and the return of December[30]

The leaves of our life are continually folded.

_Ref._: C. 500, L. 745, B. 731, P. 242, S.P. 397, B. ii. 531.--W. 444, N. 402, V. 797.

For it has flung to earth a hundred thousand Jams and Kais,[31]

This coming of the first-summer-month and departing of the month December.

_Ref._: C. 481, L. 712, B. 701, S.P. 449, P. 216, B. ii. 603.--W. 484, N. 455, V. 764.

X.

Well, let it take them! What have we to do With Kaikobad the Great, or Kaikhosru?

Let Zal[32] and Rustum bl.u.s.ter as they will, Or Hatim call to supper--heed not you.

The first two lines of this quatrain echo two fragments from the MSS. O.

139 (ll. 3 and 4), and C. 57 (ll. 1 and 2).