Omar Khayyam - The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam 1 - 250 (Whinfield Translation)Omar Khayyam - The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam 1 - 250 (Whinfield Translation)
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144.
To him who would his sins extenuate,
Let pious men this verse reiterate,
"To call God`s prescience the cause of sin
In wisdom`s purview is but folly`s prate. "
145.
He brought me hither, and I felt surprise,
From life I gather but a dark surmise,
I go against my will;—-thus, why I come,
Why live, why go, are all dark mysteries.
146.
When I recall my grievous sins to mind,
Fire burns my breast, and tears my vision blind;
Yet, when a slave repents, is it not meet
His lord should pardon, and again be kind?
147.
They at whose lore the whole world stands amazed,
Whose high thoughts, like Borak, to heaven are raised,
Strive to know Thee in vain, and like heaven`s wheel
Their heads are turning, and their brains are dazed.
148.
Allah hath promised wine in Paradise,
Why then should wine on earth be deemed a vice?
An Arab in his cups cut Hamzah`s girths—-
For that sole cause was drink declared a vice.
149.
Now of old joys naught but the name is left,
Of all old friends but wine we are bereft,
And that wine new, but still cleave to the cup,
For save the cup, what single joy is left?
150.
The world will last long after Khayyam`s fame
Has passed away, yea, and his very name;
Aforetime we were not, and none did heed.
When we are dead and gone, `twill be tie same.
151.
The sages who have compassed sea and land,
Their secret to search out, and understand—-
My mind misgives me if they ever solve
The scheme on which this universe is planned.
152.
Ah! wealth takes wings, and leaves our hands all bare,
And death`s rough hands delight our hearts to tear;
And from the nether world none e`er escapes,
To bring us news of the poor pilgrims there.
153.
`Tis passing strange, those titled noblemen
Find their own lives a burden sore, but when
They meet with poorer men, not slaves to sense,
They scarcely deign to reckon them as men.
154.
The wheel on high, still busied with despite,
Will ne`er unloose a wretch from his sad plight;
But when it lights upon a smitten heart,
Straightway essays another blow to smite.
155.
Now is the volume of my youth outworn,
And all my spring-tide blossoms rent and torn.
Ah, bird of youth! I marked not when you came
Nor when you fled, and left me thus forlorn.
156.
These fools, by dint of ignorance most crass,
Think they in wisdom all mankind surpass;
And glibly do they damn as infidel
Whoever is not, like themselves, an ass.
157.
Still be the wine-house thronged with its glad choir,
And Pharisaic skirts burnt up with fire;
Still be those tattered frocks and azure robes
Trod under feet of revelers in the mire.
158.
Why toil ye to ensure illusions vain,
And good or evil of the world attain?
Ye rise like Zamzam, or the fount of life,
And, like them, in earth`s bosom sink again.
159.
Till the Friend pours his wine to glad my heart,
No kisses to my face will heaven impart:
They say, "Repent in time "; but how repent,
Ere Allah`s grace hath softened my hard heart?
160.
When I am dead, take me and grind me small,
So that I be a caution unto all,
And knead me into clay with wine, and then
Use me to stop the wine-jar`s mouth withal.
161.
What though the sky with its blue canopy
Doth close us in so that we can not see,
In the etern Cupbearer`s wine methinks
There float a myriad bubbles like to me.
162.
Take heart! Long in the weary tomb you`ll lie,
While stars keep countless watches in the sky,
And see your ashes molded into bricks,
To build another`s house and turrets high.
163.
Glad hearts, who seek not notoriety,
Nor flaunt in gold and silken bravery,
Haunt not this ruined earth like gloomy owls,
But wing their way, Simurgh-like, to the sky.
164.
Wine`s power is known to wine-bibbers alone,
To narrow heads and hearts `tis never shown;
I blame not them who never felt its force,
For, till they feel it, how can it be known?
165.
Needs must the tavern-hunter bathe in wine,
For none can make a tarnished name to shine;
Go! bring me wine, for none can now restore
Its pristine sheen to this soiled veil of mine.
166.
I wasted life in hope, yet gathered not
In all my life of happiness one jot;
Now my fear is that life may not endure,
Till I have taken vengeance on my lot!
167.
Be very wary in the soul`s domain,
And on the world`s affairs your lips refrain;
Be, as it were, sans tongue, sans ear, sans eye,
While tongue, and ears, and eyes you still retain.
168.
Let him rejoice who has a loaf of bread,
A little nest wherein to lay his head,
Is slave to none, and no man slaves for him—-
In truth his lot is wondrous well bested.
169.
What adds my service to Thy majesty?
Or how can sin of mine dishonor Thee?
O pardon, then, and punish not, I know
Thou`rt slow to wrath, and prone to clemency.
170.
Hands, such as mine, that handle bowls of wine,
`Twere shame to book and pulpit to confine;
Zealot! thou`rt dry, and I am moist with drink,
Yea, far too moist to catch that fire of thine!
171.
Whoso aspires to gain a rose-cheeked fair,
Sharp pricks from fortune`s thorns must learn to bear.
See! till this comb was cleft by cruel cuts,
It never dared to touch my lady`s hair.
172.
Forever may my hands on wine be stayed,
And my heart pant for some fair Houri maid!
They say, "May Allah aid thee to repent!"
Repent I could not, e`en with Allah`s aid!
173.
Soon shall I go, by time and fate deplored,
Of all my precious pearls not one is bored;
Alas! there die with me a thousand truths
To which these fools fit audience ne`er accord.
174.
To-day how sweetly breathes the temperate air,
The rains have newly laved the parched parterre;
And Bulbuls cry in notes of ecstasy,
"Thou too, O pallid rose, our wine must share! "
175.
Ere you succumb to shocks of mortal pain,
The rosy grape-juice from your wine-cup drain.
You are not gold, that, hidden in the earth,
Your friends should care to dig you up again!
176.
My coming brought no profit to the sky,
Nor does my going swell its majesty;
Coming and going put me to a stand,
Ear never heard their wherefore nor their why.
177.
The heavenly Sage, whose wit exceeds compare,
Counteth each vein, and numbereth every hair;
Men you may cheat by hypocritic arts,
But how cheat Him to whom all hearts are bare?
178.
Ah! wine lends wings to many a weary wight,
And beauty spots to ladies` faces bright;
All Ramadan I have not drunk a drop,
Thrice welcome, then, O Bairam`s blessed night!
179.
All night in deep bewilderment I fret,
With tear-drops big as pearls my breast is wet;
I can not fill my cranium with wine;
How can it hold wine, when `tis thus upset?
180.
To prayer and fasting when my heart inclined,
All my desire I surely hoped to find;
Alas! my purity is stained with wine,
My prayers are wasted like a breath of wind.
181.
I worship rose-red cheeks with heart and soul,
I suffer not my hand to quit the bowl,
I make each part of me his function do,
Or e`er my parts be swallowed in the Whole.
182.
This worldly love of yours is counterfeit,
And, like a half-spent blaze, lacks light and heat;
True love is his, who for days, months, and years,
Rests not, nor sleeps, nor craves for drink or meat.
183.
Why spend life in vainglorious essay
All Being and Not-being to survey?
Since Death is ever pressing at your heels,
`Tis best to drink or dream your life away.
184.
Some hanker after that vain fantasy
Of Houris, feigned in Paradise to be;
But, when the veil is lifted, they will find
How far they are from Thee, how far from Thee.
185.
In Paradise, they tell us, Houris dwell,
And fountains run with wine and oxymel:
If these be lawful in the world to come,
Surely `tis right to love them here as well.
186.
A draught of wine would make a mountain dance,
Base is the churl who looks at wine askance;
Wine is a soul our bodies to inspire,
A truce to this vain talk of temperance!
187.
Oft doth my soul her prisoned state bemoan,
Eer earth-born co-mate she would fain disown,
And quit, did not the stirrup of the law
Upbear her foot from dashing on the stone.
188.
The moon of Ramadan is risen, see!
Alas, our wine must henceforth banished be;
Well! on Sha`ban`s last day I`ll drink enough
To keep me drunk till Bairam`s jubilee.
189.
From life we draw now wine, now dregs to drink,
Now flaunt in silk, and now in tatters shrink;
Such changes wisdom holds of slight account
To those who stand on death`s appalling drink!
190.
What sage tne eternal tangle e`er unraveled,
Or one short step beyond his nature traveled?
From pupils to the masters turn your eyes,
And see, each mother`s son alike is graveled.
191.
Crave not of worldly sweets to take your fill,
Nor wait on turn of fortune, good or ill;
Be of light heart, as are the skies above,
They roll a round or two, and then lie still.
192.
What eye can pierce the veil of God`s decrees,
Or read the riddle of earth`s destinies?
Pondered have I for years threescore and ten,
But still am baffled by these mysteries.
193.
They say, when the last trump shall sound its knell,
Our Friend will sternly judge, and doom to hell.
Can aught but good from perfect goodness come?
Compose your trembling hearts, `twill all be well.
194.
Drink wine to root up metaphysic weeds,
And tangle of the two-and-seventy creeds;
Do not forswear that wondrous alchemy,
`Twill turn to gold, and cure a thousand needs.
195.
Though drink is wrong, take care with whom you drink,
And who you are that drink, and what you drink;
And drink at will, for, these three points observed,
Who but the very wise can ever drink?
196.
To drain a gallon beaker I design,
Yea, two great beakers, brimmed with richest wine;
Old faith and reason thrice will I divorce,
Then take to wife the daughter of the vine.
197.
True I drink wine, like every man of sense,
For I know Allah will not take offense;
Before time was, He know that I should drink,
And who am I to thwart His prescience?
198.
Rich men, who take to drink, the world defy
With shameless riot, and as beggars die;
Place in my ruby pipe some emerald hemp,
`Twill do as well to blind care`s serpent eye.
199.
These fools have never burnt the midnight oil
In deep research, nor do they ever toil
To step beyond themselves, but dress them fine,
And plot of credit others to despoil.
200.
When false dawn streaks the east with cold, gray line,
Pour in your cups the pure blood of the vine;
The truth, they say, tastes bitter in the mouth,
This is a token that the "Truth " is wine.
201.
Now is the time earth decks her greenest bowers,
And trees, like Musa`s hand, grow white with flowers!
As `twere at `Isa`s breath the plants revive,
While clouds brim o`er, like tearful eyes, with showers.
202.
Oh burden not thyself with drudgery,
Lord of white silver and red gold to be;
But feast with friends, ere this warm breath of thine
Be chilled in death, and earthworms feast on thee.
203.
The showers of grape juice, which cupbearers pour,
Quench fires of grief in many a sad heart`s core.
Praise be to Allah, who hath sent this balm
To heal sore hearts, and spirits` health restore!
204.
Can alien Pharisees Thy kindness tell,
Like us, Thy intimates, who nigh Thee dwell?
Thou say`st, "All sinners will I burn with fire."
Say that to strangers-we know Thee too well.
205.
O comrades dear, when hither ye repair
In times to come, communion sweet to share,
While the cupbearer pours your old Magh wine,
Call poor Khayyam to mind, and breathe a prayer.
206.
For me heaven`s sphere no music ever made,
Nor yet with soothing voice my fears allayed;
If e`er I found brief respite from my woes,
Back to woe`s thrall I was at once betrayed.
207.
Sooner with half a loaf contented be,
And water from a broken crock, like me,
Than lord it over one poor fellow man,
Or to another bow the vassal knee.
208.
While Moon and Venus in the sky shall dwell,
None shall see aught red grape-juice to excel:
O foolish publicans, what can you buy
One half so precious as the goods you sell?
209.
They who by genius, and by power of brain,
The rank of man`s enlighteners attain,
Not even they emerge from this dark night,
But tell their dreams, and fall asleep again.
210.
At dawn, when dews bedeck the tulip`s face,
And violets their heavy heads abase,
I love to see the roses` folded buds,
With petals closed against the wind`s disgrace.
211.
Like as the skies rain down sweet jessamine,
And sprinkle all the meads with eglantine,
Right so, from out this jug of violet hue,
I pour in lily cups this rosy wine.
212.
Ah! thou hast snared this head, though white as snow,
Which oft has vowed the wine-cup to forego;
And wrecked the mansion long resolve did build,
And rent the vesture penitence did sew!
213.
I am not one whom Death doth much dismay,
Life`s terrors all Death`s terrors far outweigh;
This life, that Heaven hath lent me for a while,
I will pay back, when it is time to pay.
214.
The stars, who dwell on heaven`s exalted stage,
Baffle the wise diviners of our age;
Take heed, hold fast the rope of mother wit.
These augurs all distrust their own presage.
215.
The people who the heavenly world adorn,
Who come each night, and go away each morn,
Now on Heaven`s skirt, and now in earth`s deep pouch,
While Allah lives, shall aye anew be born!
216.
Slaves of vain wisdom and philosophy,
Who toil at Being and Nonentity,
Parching your brains till they are like dry grapes,
Be wise in time, and drink grapejuice like me!
217.
Sense, seeking happiness, bids us pursue
All present joys, and present griefs eschew;
She says, we are not as the meadow grass,
Which, when they mow it down, springs up anew.
218.
Now Ramadan is past, Shawwal comes back,
And feast and song and joy no more we lack;
The wine-skin carriers throng the streets and cry,
"Here comes the porter with his precious pack. "
219.
My comrades are all gone; Death, deadly foe,
Has caught them one by one, and trampled low;
They shared life`s feast, and drank its wine with me,
But lost their heads, and dropped a while ago.
220.
Those hypocrites, all know so well, who lurk
In streets to beg their bread, and will not work,
Claim to be saints, like Shibli and Junaid,
No Shiblis are they, though well known in Karkh!
221.
When the great Founder molded me of old,
He mixed much baser metal with my gold;
Better or fairer I can never be
Than I first issued from his heavenly mold.
222.
The joyous souls who quaff potations deep,
And saints who in the mosques sad vigils keep,
Are lost at sea alike, and find no shore,
One only wakes, all others are asleep.
223.
Not-being`s water served to mix my clay,
And on my heart grief`s fire doth ever prey,
And blown am I like wind about the world,
And last my crumbling earth is swept away.
224.
Small gains to learning on this earth accrue,
They pluck life`s fruitage, learning who eschew;
Take pattern by the fools who learning shun,
And then perchance shall fortune smile on you.
225.
When the fair soul this mansion doth vacate,
Each element assumes its primal state,
And all the silken furniture of life
Is then dismantled by the blows of fate.
226.
These people string their beads of learned lumber,
And tell of Allah stories without number;
Yet never solve the riddle of the skies,
But wag the chin, and get them back to slumber.
227.
These folk are asses, laden with conceit,
And glittering drums, that empty sounds repeat,
And humble slaves are they of name and fame,
Acquire a name, and, lo! they kiss thy feet.
228.
On the dread day of final scrutiny
Thou wilt be rated by thy quality;
Get wisdom and fair qualities to-day,
For, as thou art, requited wilt thou be.
229.
Many fine heads, like bowls, the Brazier made,
And thus his own similitude portrayed;
He sets one upside down above our heads,
Which keeps us all continually afraid.
230.
My true condition I may thus explain
In two short verses which the whole contain:
"From love to Thee I now lay down my life,
In hope Thy love will raise me up again.
231.
The heart, like tapers, takes at beauty`s eyes
A flame, and lives by that whereby it dies;
And beauty is a flame where hearts, like moths,
Offer themselves a burning sacrifice.
232.
To please the righteous life itself I sell,
And, though they tread me down, never rebel;
Men say, "Inform us what and where is hell?"
Ill company will make this earth a hell.
233.
The sun doth smite the roofs with Orient ray
And, Khosrau like, his wine-red sheen display;
Arise, and drink! the herald of the dawn
Uplifts his voice, and cries, "Oh, drink to-day!"
234.
Comrades! when e`er you meet together here,
Recall your friend to mind, and drop a tear;
And when the circling wine-cups reach his seat,
Pray turn one upside down his dust to cheer.
235.
That grace and favor at the first, what meant it?
That lavishing of joy and peace, what meant it?
But now thy purpose is to grieve my heart;
What did I do to cause this change? What meant it?
236.
These hypocrites who build on saintly show,
Treating the body as the spirit`s foe,
If they will shut their mouths with lime, like jars,
My jar of grape-juice I will then forego.
237.
Many have come, and run their eager race,
Striving for pleasures, luxuries, or place,
And quaffed their wine, and now all silent lie,
Enfolded in their parent earth`s embrace.
238.
Then, when the good reap fruits of labors past,
My hapless lot with drunkards will be cast;
If good, may I be numbered with the first,
If bad, find grace and mercy with the last.
239.
Of happy turns of fortune take your fill,
Seek pleasure`s couch, or wine-cup, as you will;
Allah regards not if you sin, or saint it,
So take your pleasure, be it good or ill.
240.
Heaven multiplies our sorrows day by day,
And grants no joys it does not take away;
If those unborn could know the ills we bear,
What think you, would they rather come or stay?
241.
Why ponder thus the future to foresee,
And jade thy brain to vain perplexity?
Cast off thy care, leave Allah`s plans to him—-
He formed them all without consulting thee.
242.
The tenants of the tombs to dust decay,
Nescient of self, and all beside are they;
Their sundered atoms float about the world,
Like mirage clouds, until the judgment-day.
243.
O soul! lay up all earthly goods in store,
Thy mead with pleasure`s flowerets spangled o`er;
And know `tis all as dew, that decks the flowers
For one short night, and then is seen no more!
244.
Heed not the Sunna, nor the law divine;
If to the poor his portion you assign,
And never injure one, nor yet abuse,
I guarantee you heaven, and now some wine!
245.
Vexed by this wheel of things, that pets the base,
My sorrow-laden life drags on apace;
Like rosebud, from the storm I wrap me close,
And blood-spots on my heart, like tulip, trace.
246.
Youth is the time to pay court to the vine,
To quaff the cup, with revelers to recline;
A flood of water once laid waste the earth,
Hence learn to lay you waste with floods of wine.
247.
The world is baffled in its search for Thee,
Wealth can not find Thee, no, nor poverty;
Thou`rt very near us, but our ears are deaf,
Our eyes are blinded that we may not see!
248.
Take care you never hold a drinking-bout
With an ill-tempered, ill-conditioned lout;
He`ll make a vile disturbance all night long,
And vile apologies next day, no doubt.
249.
The starry aspects are not all benign;
Why toil then after vain desires, and pine
To lade thyself with load of fortune`s boons,
Only to drop it with this life of thine?
250.
O comrades! here is filtered wine, come drink!
Pledge all your charming sweethearts as you drink;
`Tis the grape`s blood, and this is what it says,
"To you I dedicate my life-blood! drink! "
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