Chapter 5

Perplext no more with Human or Divine,To-morrow's tangle to the winds resign,And lose your fingers in the tresses ofThe Cypress-slender Minister of Wine.

The sentiment of this quatrain is very recurrent. I think that FitzGerald's first inspiration comes from O. 73.

Set limits to thy desire for worldly things and live content,Sever the bonds of thy dependence upon the good and bad of life,Take wine in hand and (play with) the curls of a loved one; for quicklyAll passeth away—and these few days will not remain.

Ref.: O. 73, C. 179, L. 256, B. 253, S.P. 176.—W. 191, N. 176, V. 262.

Ll. 3 and 4 of O. 118 suggest the quatrain also.

Let us cease to strive after our long delaying hope[51]And play with long ringlets and the handle of the lute.

Ref.: O. 118, L. 571, B. 564, S.P. 293, B. ii. 391.—W. 332, N. 294, V. 611.

Ll. 1 and 2 of O. 131 are also in point:

Flee from the study of all sciences—'tis better thus,And twine thy fingers in the curly locks of a loved one—'tis better thus.

Ref.: O. 131, C. 443, L. 670, B. 662, S.P. 356, P. 296, B. ii. 480, T. 276, P. v. 158.—W. 426, N. 359, V. 719.

FitzGerald was probably «reminded of» these by Nicolas whose quatrains 48, 155, and 359 (C. 443) convey the same idea.

XLII.

And if the Wine you drink, the Lip you press,End in what All begins and ends in—Yes;Think then you areTo-daywhatYesterdayYou were—To-morrowyou shall not be less.

The inspiration for this quatrain is contained in the following, O. 102 and C. 412.

Khayyam, if thou art drunk with wine,[52]be happy,If thou reposest with one tulip-cheeked, be happy,Since the end of all things is that thou wilt be naught,Whilst thou art, imagine that thou art not—be happy!

Ref.: O. 102, C. 291, L. 454, B. 450, S.P. 241, P. 202, B. ii. 322, T. 192 and 296, P. iv. 26, P. v. 5.—W. 282, N. 242, V. 493.

Remember not the day that has passed away from thee,Be not hard upon the morrow that has not come,Think not about thine own coming or departure,Drink winenow, and fling not thy life to the winds.

Ref.: C. 412, L. 619, B. 611, P. 116, B. ii. 444, P. v. 121.—V. 666.

XLIII.

So when that Angel of the darker DrinkAt last shall find you by the river-brink,And, offering his Cup, invite your SoulForth to your Lips to quaff—you shall not shrink.

This quatrain owes its origin to C. 256.[53]

In the circle of the firmament, whose depths are invisible,There is a cup which, in due time, they will cause all to drink;When thy turn comes, do not utter lamentations,Drink wine gaily for it has come to be thy turn.

Ref.: C. 256, L. 408, B. 404, B. ii. 273.—W. 254, V. 431.

XLIV.

Why, if the Soul can fling the Dust aside,And naked on the Air of Heaven ride,Were't not a Shame—were't not a Shame for himIn this clay carcase crippled to abide?

This quatrain is translated from O. 145.

Oh Soul! if thou canst purify thyself from the dust of the body,Thou, naked spirit, canst soar in the heavens,The Empyrean is thy sphere—let it be thy shame,That thou comest and art a dweller within the confines of earth.[54]

Ref.: O. 145, C. 447, L. 707, B. 697, S.P. 389, P. 111, B. ii. 523.—W. 436, N. 394, E.C. 7, V. 759.

XLV.

'Tis but a Tent where takes his one day's restA Sultan to the realm of Death addrest;The Sultan rises, and the dark FerrashStrikes, and prepares it for another Guest.

This quatrain is translated from C. no. 110.

Khayyam! thy body surely resembles a tent;The soul is a Sultan and the halting-place is the perishable world,The ferrash of fate, preparing for the next halting-place,Will overthrow this tent when the Sultan has arisen.[55]

Ref.: C. 110, L. 100, B. 96, S.P. 80, B. ii. 95, T. 86, P. v. 172.—W. 82, N. 80, V. 100.

XLVI.*

And fear not lest Existence closing yourAccount, and mine, should know the like no more;The Eternal Saki from that Bowl has pour'dMillions of Bubbles like us, and will pour.

FitzGerald was indebted for this quatrain to N. 137. The original ruba'i is not in O. or C.

Khayyam! although the pavilion of heavenHas spread its tent and closed the door upon all discussion,In the goblet of existence, like bubbles of wineThe Eternal Saki brings to light a thousand Khayyams.

Ref.: N. 137,[56]W. 161, V. 397.

XLVII.*

When You and I behind the Veil are past,Oh, but the long, long while the World shall last,Which of our Coming and Departure heedsAs the Sea's self should heed a pebble-cast.

In this quatrain FitzGerald is «reminded of» O. 26 and 51 by N. 123.

Know this—that from thy soul thou shalt be separated,Thou shalt pass behind the Curtain of the Secrets of God.

Ref.: O. 26, C. 83, L. 192, B. 189, S.P. 85, B. ii. 110, T. 64, P. v. J 34.—W. 87, N. 85, V. 188.

My coming was of no profit to the heavenly sphere,[57]And by my departure nothing will be added to its beauty and dignity.

Ref.: O. 51, C. 129, L. 232, B. 229, S.P. 157, P. 55, B. ii. 158, T. 104.—W. 176, N. 157, E.C. 17, V. 239.

Oh! how long we shall be no more, and the world will continue to exist,It will continue to exist without fame or sign of us,Long ago we existed not, and (the world) was none the worse for it,Afterwards, when we have ceased to exist, it will be all the same.

Ref.: N. 123, W. 150, V. 395.

XLVIII.

A Moment's Halt—a momentary tasteOfBeingfrom the Well amidst the waste—And Lo!—the phantom Caravan has reach'dTheNothingit set out from—Oh, make haste!

We must consider here the form in which this quatrain first made its appearance in the edition of 1859:

One Moment in Annihilation's Waste,One Moment, of the Well of Life to taste—The stars are setting, and the CaravanStarts for the Dawn of Nothing—Oh, make haste!

The inspiration for this richly varied quatrain comes from O. 60.

This caravan of life passes by mysteriously;Mayest thou seize the moment that passes happily!Cup-bearer, why grieve about the to-morrow of thy patrons?[58]Give us a cup of wine, for the night wanes.

Ref.: O. 60, C. 135, L. 245, B. 242, P. 223, S.P. 106, B. ii. 146, T. 139.—W. 136, N. 106, V. 251.

Ll. 3 and 4 of C. 368 may also be quoted:

(Man is) a toil-stricken being, fashioned in the clay of affliction,He tasted of Earth for a time and passed away.

Ref.: C. 368, L. 566, B. 559, S.P. 301, B. ii. 404, T. 242.—W. 338, N. 302, V. 606.

XLIX.*

Would you that spangle of Existence spendAboutthe Secret—quick about it, Friend!A Hair perhaps divides the False and True—And upon what, prithee, may life depend?

L.*

A Hair perhaps divides the False and True;Yes; and a single Alif were the clue—Could you but find it—to the Treasure-house,And peradventure toThe Mastertoo;

This pair of quatrains must also be considered together. The idea contained in them is, I think, collected from C. 482 and 19, and from O. 28.

Oh Boy! since thou art learned in all secrets,Why grieve so much after vain cares?If things will not shape themselves according to thy desire,At any rate be happy in this moment of thy existence.

Ref.: C. 482, L. 714, B. 703, S.P. 414, B. ii. 560.—W. 458, N. 419, V. 766.

From the state of infidelity to that of faith is but a breath,And from a state of doubt to that of certainty is but a breath,Hold thou dear this one precious moment,For of the outcome of our being there is but a moment.

Ref.: C. 19, L. 131, B. 127, S.P. 20, B. ii. 22, T. 20.—W. 24, N. 20, V. 130.

My Heart said to me: «I have a longing for inspired knowledge,Teach me if thou art able,»I said the Alif. My Heart said: «Say no more.If One is in the house, one letter is enough.»[59]

Ref.: O. 28.—W. 109.

LI.*

Whose secret Presence, through Creation's veinsRunning Quicksilver-like eludes your pains;Taking all shapes from Mah to Mahi; andThey change and perish all—but He remains;

In this quatrain FitzGerald has made a masterly conversion of C. 72.

That Moon which is by nature skilled in metamorphosisIs sometimes animal and sometimes vegetable,Do not imagine that it will become non-existent—away with thought!It is always possessed of its essence though its qualities cease to be.[60]

Ref.: C. 72, L. 179, B. 176, S.P. 73, B. ii. 31, T. 51.—W. 75, N. 73, V. 175.

C. 40 may also be cited.

Place wine in my hand for my heart is aglow,And this fleet-footed existence is like quicksilver.Arise! for the wakefulness of good fortune turns to slumber;Know thou that the fire of youth is (fugitive) like water.

Ref.: C. 40, L. 63, B. 60, S.P. 54, T. 45.—W. 57, N. 54, V. 62.

«From Mah to Mahi»—i.e., from Moon to Fish is a common Oriental metaphor for universality. See FitzGerald's note on this subject, and the Terminal Essay to my former volume, p. 309.

LII.*

A moment guess'd—then back behind the FoldImmerst of Darkness round the Drama roll'dWhich, for the Pastime of Eternity,He doth Himself contrive, enact, behold.

This quatrain is translated from C. 479.

Hidden sometimes thou shewest thy face to none,Sometimes thou appearest in the forms of created beings,Thou exhibitest this spectacle to thyself.Thou art thyself both the real thing seen and the spectator.

Ref.: C. 479, L. 705, B. 695, S.P. 437.—W. 475, N. 443, V. 757.

LIII.*

But if in vain, down on the stubborn floorOf Earth, and up to Heav'n's unopening Door,You gazeTo-day, while You are You—how thenTo-morrow, when You shall be You no more?

The original of this quatrain is C. 24.

If the heart understood the secret of existence as itis,In death it would know all the secrets of God:If to-day thou knowest nothing, beingwiththyself,What wilt thou know to-morrow when thou abandonest thyself?

Ref.: C. 24, L. 78, B. 74, S.P. 49, P. 85, B. ii. 106, T. 25.—W. 52, N. 49. V. 77.

LIV.

Waste not your Hour, nor in the vain pursuitOf this and That endeavour and dispute;Better be jocund with the fruitful GrapeThan sadden after none, or Bitter, Fruit.

The inspiration for this quatrain comes from O. 50 and O. 107:

Those who are the slaves of intellect and hair-splitting,[61]Have perished in bickerings about existence and non-existence;Go, thou dunce! and choose (rather) grape juice,For the ignorant from (eating) dry raisins, have become (like) unripe grapes (themselves).[62]

Ref.: O. 50, L. 262, T. 102, P. v. 164.—W. 216, V. 267.

How long this talk about the eternity to come, and the eternity past?[63]Now is the time of joy, there is no substitute for wine!Both theory and practice have passed beyond my ken,(But) Wine unties the knot of every difficulty.

Ref.: O. 107, C. 312, L. 489, B. 485, B. ii. 341, T. 213, P. v. 207.—W. 304, V. 259.

LV.

You know, my friends, with what a brave CarouseI made a Second Marriage in my house;Divorced old barren Reason from my Bed,And took the Daughter of the Vine to Spouse.

This quatrain is translated from C. 175.

I will fill a one-maund goblet with wine,I will enrich myself with two half-maunds of wine:First I will thrice pronounce the divorce from learning and faith,[64]And then I will take the daughter of the vine[65]to spouse.

Ref.: C. 175, L. 267, B. 263, P. 288, P. v. 209.—V. 271.

LVI.

For «Is» and «Is-not» though with Rule and LineAnd «Up-and-down» by Logic I define,Of all that one should care to fathom, IWas never deep in anything but—Wine.

This quatrain is translated from O. 120:

I know the outwardness of existence and non-existence,[66]I know the inwardness of all that is high and low;Nevertheless let me be ashamed of[67]my own knowledgeIf I recognise any degree higher than drunkenness.

Ref.: O. 120, L. 523, B. 518, S.P. 299, P. 265, B. ii. 409, P. v. 38.—W. 336, N. 300, V. 563.

LVII.*

Ah, but my Computations, People say,Reduced the Year to better reckoning?—Nay,'Twas only striking from the CalendarUnborn To-morrow and dead Yesterday.

This quatrain owes its inspiration to C. 381 and O. 20, ll. 3 and 4:

My enemies erroneously have called me a philosopher,[68]God knows I am not what they have called me;But, as I have come into this nesting place of sorrow,In the end I am in a still worse plight, for I know not who I am.

Ref.: C. 381, L. 580, B. 573, B. ii. 383, T. 259.—W. 350, V. 619.

Never has grief lingered in my mind concerning two days,[69]The day that has not yet come, and the day that is past.

Ref.: O. 20, C. 23 and 55, L. 84, S.P. 22, B. 80, P. 162, B. ii. 24 and 88, P. ii. 2, T. 22 and 305, P. v. 140 and 186.—W. 26, N. 22 and 42, V. 83.

LVIII.

And lately, by the Tavern Door agape,Came shining through the Dusk an Angel ShapeBearing a vessel on his Shoulder; andHe bid me taste of it; and 'twas—the Grape!

This quatrain is a refined version of C. 297.

Yesterday, whilst drunk, I was passing a tavern,I saw a drunken old man bearing a vessel on his shoulder.I said, «Old man, does not God make thee ashamed?»He replied, «God is merciful, go, drink wine!»

Ref.: C. 297, L. 462, B. 458, S.P. 243, P. 278, T. 197.—W. 284, N. 244, V. 501.

LIX.

The Grape that can with Logic absoluteThe Two-and-Seventy jarring Sects confute;The sovereign Alchemist that in a triceLife's leaden metal into Gold transmute;

This quatrain is translated from O. 77.

Drink wine, that will banish thine abundant woes.And will banish thought of the Seventy-two Sects;Avoid not the Alchemist,[70]from whomThou takest one draught, and he banishes a thousand calamities.

Ref.: O. 77, C. 165, L. 305, B. 301, S.P. 179, P. 283, T. 112, P. v. 152.—W. 194, V. 308.

LX.

The mighty Mahmud, Allah-breathing Lord,That all the misbelieving and black HordeOf Fears and Sorrows that infest the SoulScatters before him with his whirlwind Sword.

This reference to Mahmoud the Ghasnavide, who made war upon the black infidels of Hindostan, comes from an apologue in the Mantik ut-tair of Ferid ud din Attar, (beginning at distich 3117). The last two lines come from O. 81, ll. 3 and 4.

Praise be to God! thou realizest that wineIs a juice that frees thy heart from a hundred pains.

Ref.: O. 81, C. 180, L. 367, B. 363, S.P. 188, P. 231, B. ii. 241, P. v. 187.—W. 203, N. 188, V. 366.

LXI.*

Why, be this Juice the growth of God, who dareBlaspheme the twisted tendril as a Snare?A Blessing, we should use it, should we not?And if a Curse—Why, then, Who set it there?

The inspiration for this quatrain is contained in O. 75.

I drink wine, and everyone drinks who, like me, is worthy of it;My wine-drinking is but a small thing to Him;God knew on the Day of Creation, that I should drink wine;If I do not drink wine God's knowledge would be ignorance.

Ref.: O. 75, C. 202, L. 356, B. 352, S.P. 182, P. 324, B. ii. 234, T. 129, P. v. 181.—W. 197, N. 182, V. 355.

LXII.*

I must abjure the Balm of Life, I must,Scared by some After-reckoning ta'en on trust,Or lured with Hope of some Diviner Drink,To fill the Cup—when crumbled into Dust!

This quatrain is taken from C. 505 and O. 143, ll. 3 and 4.

They say, «Do not drink wine for thou wilt suffer for it,On the Day of Rewards thou wilt be cast into the fire.»That is so; but what is worth both the worldsIs the moment when thou art elated with wine.

Ref.: C. 505, L. 748, B. 734, P. 250, B. ii. 587.—V. 800.

Make thyself a heaven here with wine and cup,For at that place where heaven is, thou mayst arrive, or mayst not.

Ref.: O. 143, C. 495. L. 733, B. 721, S.P. 379, P. 209, B. ii. 529, P. v. 129.—W. 427, N. 383, V. 786.

LXIII.

Oh threats of Hell and Hopes of Paradise!One thing at least is certain—ThisLife flies;One thing is certain and the rest is Lies;The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.

The inspiration for this quatrain comes from O. 35 of which ll. 1 and 2 are quoted as parallel to quatrain No. 24ante.

Take care that thou tellest not this hidden secret to anyoneThe tulips that are withered will never bloom again.

Ref.: O. 35, C. 80, L. 188, B. 185, P. 284, T. 60.—W. 107, V. 184.

LXIV.*

Strange, is it not? that of the myriads whoBefore us pass'd the door of Darkness through,Not one returns to tell us of the Road,Which to discover we must travel too.

This is a constantly recurring image in the ruba'iyat. C. 36 and 270 may be cited:

I have travelled far in a wandering by valley and desert,It came to pass I wandered in all quarters of the world,I have not heard from anyone who came from that road,The road he has travelled, no traveller travels again.

Ref.: C. 36, L. 57, B. 54. T. 39.—W. 129, V. 56.

Of all the travellers upon this long road,Where is he that has returned, that he may tell us the secret?Take heed that in this mansion (by way of metaphor)Thou leavest nothing, for thou wilt not come back.

Ref.: C. 270, L. 424, B. 420, S.P. 216, P. 121, B. ii. 286, P. v. 9.—W. 258, N. 217, V. 462.

C. 211 and 277 contain the same image.

LXV.*

The Revelations of Devout and Learn'dWho rose before us, and as Prophets burn'd,Are all but Stories, which, awoke from Sleep,They told their comrades, and to Sleep return'd.

This quatrain is translated from C. 127.

Those who have become oceans of excellence and cultivation,And from the collection of their perfections have become lights of their fellows,Have not made a road out of this dark night,They have told a fable and have gone to sleep.

Ref.: C. 127, L. 261, B. 258, P. 86, T. 101.—W. 209, N. 464, V. 266.

LXVI.*

I sent my Soul through the Invisible,Some letter of that After-life to spell:And by and by my Soul return'd to me,And answer'd, «I myself am Heav'n and Hell»:

This quatrain is inspired by O. 15.

Already on the Day of Creation, beyond the heavens, my soulSearched for the Tablet and Pen, and for heaven and hell,At last the Teacher said to me with His enlightened judgment,«Tablet and Pen, and heaven and hell, are within thyself.»[71]

Ref.: O. 15, L. 59, B. 56, P. 114, B. ii. 69, P. v. 79—W. 114, V. 58.

LXVII.*

Heav'n but the Vision of fulfill'd Desire,And Hell the Shadow from a Soul on fire,Cast on the Darkness into which Ourselves,So late emerged from, shall so soon expire.

The inspiration for this verse comes from O. 33.

The heavenly vault is a girdle (cast) from my weary body.Jihun[72]is a water-course worn by my filtered tears,Hell is a spark from my useless worries,Paradise is a moment of time when I am tranquil.

Ref.: O. 33, C. 90, L. 199, B. 196, S.P. 90, P. 148, T. 70, P. v. 183.—W. 92, N. 90, V. 195.

FitzGerald's verse was evidently also influenced by distich 1866 of the Mantik ut-tair.

Heaven and hell are reflections, the one of thy goodness, and the other of thy wrath.

LXVIII.

We are no other than a moving rowOf Magic Shadow-shapes that come and goRound with the Sun-illumined Lantern heldIn Midnight by the Master of the Show;

This quatrain is translated from O. 108.

This vault of heaven beneath which we stand bewildered,We know to be a sort of magic-lantern:[73]Know thou that the sun is the flame and the universe is the lamp,We are like figures that revolve in it.

Ref.: O. 108, C. 332, L. 505, B. 501, S.P. 266, P. 40, B. ii. 356, P. iv. 34.—W. 310, N. 267, E.C. 28, de T. 10, V. 545.

LXIX.

But helpless Pieces of the Game He playsUpon this Chequer-board of Nights and Days;Hither and thither moves, and checks, and slays,And one by one back in the Closet lays.

This quatrain is translated from O. 94.

To speak plain language, and not in parables,We are the pieces and heaven plays the game,We are played together in a baby-game upon the chess-board of existence,And one by one we return to the box of non-existence.

Ref.: O. 94, C. 280, L. 443, B. 439, S.P. 230, P. 31, B. ii. 291, T. 183, P. v. 10.—W. 270, N. 231, E.C. 27, V. 480.

LXX.

The Ball no question makes of Ayes and NoesBut Here or There as strikes the Player goes;And He that toss'd you down into the Field,Heknows about it all—HEknows—HE knows!

This quatrain is translated from C. 422.

O thou who art driven like a ball by the mallet of Fate,Go to the right or take the left, but say nothing;[74]For He who set thee running and gallopingHe knows, he knows, he knows, he——.

Ref.: C. 422, L. 633, B. 625, P. 167, B. ii. 462, T. 274.—W. 401, V. 682.

LXXI.

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,Moves on: nor all your Piety nor WitShall lure it back to cancel half a Line,Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.

The origin of this quatrain is to be found in O. 31

From the beginning[75]was written what shall be;Unhaltingly the Pen (writes) and is heedless of good and bad;On the First Day He appointed everything that must be—Our grief and our efforts are vain.

Ref.: O. 31, C. 87, L. 195, B. 192, S.P. 31, B. ii. 60, T. 67, P. v. 211.—W. 35, N. 31, V. 191.

LXXII.

And that inverted Bowl they call the Sky,Whereunder crawling coop'd we live and die,Lift not your hands toItfor help—for ItAs Impotently moves as you or I.

The inspiration for this quatrain comes from O. 134, ll. 1 and 2, and O. 41.

This heavenly vault is like a bowl fallen upside down,Under which all the wise have fallen helpless.

Ref.: O. 134, C. 435, L. 657, B. 649, S.P. 360, P. 34, B. ii. 481, P. v. 154.—W. 408, N. 363, V. 706.

The good and the bad that are in man's nature,The happiness and misery that are predestined for us,Do not impute them to the heavens, for, in the way of Wisdom,Those heavens are a thousandfold more helpless than thou art.

Ref.: O. 41, C. 62, L. 80, B. 76, S.P. 95, P. 45.—W. 96, N. 95, V. 79.

LXXIII.

With Earth's first Clay They did the Last Man knead,And there of the Last Harvest sow'd the Seed:And the first Morning of Creation wroteWhat the Last Dawn of Reckoning shall read.

In this quatrain we trace the influence of O. 31 (quoted in the parallel to quatrain No. 71,ante) and of O. 95.

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