The Sufistic Quatrains of Omar Khayyam

Then to the rolling Heav'n itself I cried,
Asking, «What Lamp had Destiny to guide
«Her little Children stumbling in the Dark?»
And—«A blind Understanding» Heav'n replied.

XLV.

But leave the Wise to wrangle, and with me
The quarrel of the Universe let be;
And, in some corner of the Hubbub coucht,
Make Game of that which makes as much of Thee.

XXXVII.

Ah! fill the Cup—what boots it to repeat
How Time is slipping underneath our Feet?
Unborn To-morrow and dead Yesterday.
Why fret about them if To-day be sweet?

In the first edition we find quatrain No. 33, which, like its distant cousin in the fourth edition (No. 34), appears to have no near parallel in the texts. No. 45 is a quatrain in a like predicament, and it may be for this reason that FitzGerald dropped it out of all subsequent editions.

The only other quatrain peculiar to the first edition is No. 37. This would appear to have been inspired by ll. 3 and 4 of O. 20, quoted in the parallels to quatrain No. 57 and by O. 17, ll. 3 and 4.

Nothing thou canst say of yesterday, that is past, is sweet;
Be happy and do not speak of yesterday, for to-day is sweet.

Ref.: O. 17, C. 84, L. 193, B. 190, P. 126, B. ii. 59, T. 65 and 352, P. iv. 68, P. v. 62.—W 112, E.C. 6, V. 189.

IN THE SECOND EDITION.

The quatrains peculiar to the second edition are as follows:

XIV.

Were it not Folly, Spider-like to spin
The Thread of present Life away to win—
What? for ourselves, who know not if we shall
Breathe out the very Breath we now breathe in!

This quatrain is inspired by O. 136.

How long shall I grieve about what I have or have not,
And whether I shall pass this life light-heartedly or not?
Fill up the wine-cup, for I do not know
That I shall breathe out the breath that I am drawing in.

Ref.: O. 136, C. 504 and 427, L. 740, B. 726, S.P. 362, P. 207, B. ii. 484, P. v. 64.—W. 411, N. 366, V. 730.

XXVIII.

This was replaced by No. 63 in the fourth and fifth editions, taken from the same original.

XLIV.

Do you, within your little hour of Grace,
The waving Cypress in your Arms enlace,
Before the Mother back into her arms
Fold, and dissolve you in a last embrace.

The sentiment of this quatrain is traceable in C. 189, ll. 1 and 2, and in C. 195.

Be happy! for the time will come
(When) all bodies will be hidden in the earth.

Ref.: C. 189, L. 393, B. 389, S.P. 160, B. ii. 203.—N. 160, V. 390.

My whole mood is in sympathy with rosy cheeks,
My hand is always grasping the wine cup;
I exact from every part (of me) its allotted function,
Ere that those parts (of me) be mingled with the all.

Ref.: C. 195, L. 349, B. 345, S.P. 163, P. 287, B. ii. 206, T. 122.—W. 181, N. 163, V. 349.

LXV.

If but the Vine and Love-abjuring Band
Are in the Prophet's Paradise to stand,
Alack, I doubt the Prophet's Paradise
Were empty as the hollow of one's Hand.

This quatrain is inspired by O. 127 and by C. 60.

To drink wine and consort with a company of the beautiful
Is better than practising the hypocrisy of the zealot;
If the lover and the drunkard are doomed to hell,
Then no one will see the face of heaven.

Ref.: O. 127, L. 608, B. 601, S.P. 339, P. 330, B. ii. 453, P. v. 151.—W. 381, N. 342, V. 655.

FitzGerald was evidently «reminded of» this by N. 64 which is C. 60.

They say that drunkards will go to hell,
It is a repugnant creed, the heart cannot believe it;
If drunken lovers are doomed to hell,
To-morrow heaven will be bare like the palm of one's hand.

Ref.: C. 60, L. 158, B. 155, S.P. 64, T. 308, P. v. 29.—W. 67, N 64, V. 156.

LXXVII.

For let Philosopher and Doctor preach
Of what they will, and what they will not,—each
Is but one Link in an eternal Chain
That none can slip, or break, or over-reach.

For this quatrain I can find neither authority nor inspiration.

LXXXVI.

Nay, but, for terror of his wrathful Face,
I swear I will not call Injustice Grace;
Not one Good Fellow of the Tavern but
Would kick so poor a Coward from the place.

I think the inspiration for this must have been C. 8.

No man is he whom his fellow men spurn,
And (at the same time) for fear of his malice number among the good;
If a drunkard shows reluctance in generosity,
All his fellow drunkards hold him to be a mean fellow.

Ref.: C. 8, L. 3, B. ii. 15, T. 9.—V. 416.

XC.

And once again there gather'd a scarce heard
Whisper among them; as it were, the stirr'd
Ashes of some all but extinguisht Tongue,
Which mine ear kindled into living Word.

This was a fourth quatrain evolved out of O. 103. Vide quatrains Nos. 82, 83, and 87 ante.

XCIX.

Whither resorting from the vernal Heat
Shall Old Acquaintance Old Acquaintance greet,
Under the Branch that leans above the Wall
To shed his Blossom over head and feet.

This quatrain, interpolated after No. 91 of the fourth edition (= No. 98 of the second edition), is an elaboration founded upon the story told by Nizam ul-Mulk and recorded by FitzGerald in his Introduction.

CVII.

Better, oh better, cancel from the Scroll
Of Universe one luckless Human Soul,
Than drop by drop enlarge the Flood that rolls
Hoarser with Anguish as the Ages roll.

This quatrain, interpolated after the quatrain which became No. XCVIII. in the fourth edition, was no doubt inspired by N. 457 (q.v. sub No. 98 ante) and by O. 54.

What the Pen has written never changes,
And grieving only results in deep affliction;
Even through all thy life thou weepest tears of blood,
Not one drop becomes increased beyond what it is.

Ref.: O. 54, B. ii. 144.

VARIATIONS
BETWEEN THE SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH EDITIONS OF FITZGERALD'S TRANSLATION OF
OMAR KHAYYAM

STANZA

I. In ed. 2:

Wake! For the Sun behind yon Eastern height
Has chased the Session of the Stars from Night;
And, to the field of Heav'n ascending, strikes
The Sultan's Turret with a Shaft of Light.

In the first draft of ed. 3 the first and second lines stood thus

Wake! For the Sun before him into Night
A Signal flung that put the Stars to flight.

II. In ed. 2:

Why lags the drowsy Worshipper outside?

V. In edd. 2 and 3:

But still a Ruby gushes from the Vine.

IX. In edd. 2 and 3:

Morning a thousand Roses brings, you say.

X. In ed. 2:

Let Rustum cry «To Battle!» as he likes,
Or Hatim Tai «To Supper!»—heed not you

In ed. 3:

Let Zal and Rustum thunder as they will.

STANZA

XII. In ed. 2:

Here with a little Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse—and Thou, etc.

XIII. In ed. 2:

Ah, take the Cash, and let the Promise go,
Nor heed the music of a distant Drum!

XX. In ed. 2:

And this delightful Herb whose living Green.

XXII. In edd. 2 and 3:

That from his Vintage rolling Time has prest.

XXVI. In edd. 2 and 3.

Of the Two Worlds so learnedly, are thrust.

XXVII. In ed. 2:

Came out by the same door as in I went.

XXVIII. In edd. 2 and 3.

And with my own hand wrought to make it grow.

XXX. In ed. 2.

Ah, contrite Heav'n endowed us with the Vine
To drug the memory of that insolence!

XXXI. In ed. 2:

And many Knots unravel'd by the Road.

XXXII. In edd. 2 and 3:

There was the Veil through which I could not see.

XXXIII. In ed. 2:

Nor Heav'n, with those eternal Signs reveal'd.

XXXIV. In ed. 2:

Then of the Thee in Me who works behind
The Veil of Universe I cried to find
A Lamp to guide me through the darkness; and
Something then said—«An Understanding blind.»

XXXV. In ed. 2:

I lean'd, the secret Well of Life to learn.

STANZA

XXXVI. In ed. 2:

And drink; and that impassive Lip I kiss'd.

XXXVIII. In ed. 2 the only difference is «For» instead of «And» in the first line; but in the first draft of ed. 3 the stanza appeared thus:

For, in your Ear a moment—of the same
Poor Earth from which that Human Whisper came,
The luckless Mould in which Mankind was cast
They did compose, and call'd him by the name.

In ed. 3 the first line was altered to—

Listen—a moment listen!—Of the same, etc.

XXXIX. In ed. 2:

On the parcht herbage but may steal below.

XL. In ed. 2:

As then the Tulip for her wonted sup
Of Heavenly Vintage lifts her chalice up,
Do you, twin offspring of the soil, till Heav'n
To Earth invert you like an empty Cup.

In the first draft of ed. 3 the stanza is the same as in edd. 3 and 4, except that the second line is—

Of Wine from Heav'n her little Tass lifts up.

XLI. In ed. 2 and the first draft of ed. 3:

Oh, plagued no more with Human or Divine
To-morrow's tangle to itself resign.

XLII. In ed. 2:

And if the Cup you drink, the Lip you press,
End in what All begins and ends in—Yes;
Imagine then you are what heretofore
You were—hereafter you shall not be less.

The first draft of ed. 3 agrees with edd. 3 and 4, except that the first line is—

And if the Cup, and if the Lip you press.

STANZA

XLIII. In ed. 2:

So when at last the Angel of the drink
Of Darkness finds you by the river-brink,
And, proffering his Cup, invites your Soul
Forth to your Lips to quaff it—do not shrink.

In the first draft of ed. 3 the only change made was from «proffering» to «offering,» but in ed. 3 the stanza assumed the form in which it also appeared in ed. 4. The change from «the Angel» to «that Angel» was made in MS. by FitzGerald in a copy of ed. 4.

XLIV. In ed. 2:

Is't not a shame—is't not a shame for him
So long in this Clay suburb to abide!

XLV. In ed. 2:

But that is but a Tent wherein may rest.

XLVI. In ed. 2:

And fear not lest Existence closing your
Account, should lose, or know the type no more.

XLVII. In ed. 2:

As much as Ocean of a pebble-cast.

In ed. 3:

As the Sev'n Seas should heed a pebble-cast.

XLVIII. In ed. 2:

One Moment in Annihilation's Waste,
One Moment, of the Well of Life to taste—
The Stars are setting, and the Caravan
Draws to the Dawn of Nothing—Oh make haste.

In the first draft of ed. 3 the third line originally stood:

Before the starting Caravan has reach'd

the rest of the stanza being as in edd. 3 and 4.

STANZA

XLIX. In ed. 2:

A Hair, they say, divides the False and True.

The change from «does» to «may» in the last line was made by FitzGerald in MS.

L. In ed. 2:

A Hair, they say, divides the False and True.

LII. In edd. 2 and 3:

He does Himself contrive, enact, behold.

LIII. In the first draft of ed. 3:

To-morrow, when You shall be You no more.

LIV. In ed. 2:

Better be merry with the fruitful Grape.

LV. In ed. 2:

You know, my Friends, how bravely in my House
For a new Marriage I did make Carouse.

LVII. In ed. 2:

Have squared the Year to Human Compass, eh?
If so, by striking from the Calendar.

LXII. In ed. 2

When the frail Cup is crumbled into Dust!

LXIII. In ed. 2:

The Flower that once is blown for ever dies.

LXV. In edd. 2 and 3:

They told their fellows, and to Sleep return'd.

LXVI. In ed. 2:

And after many days my Soul return'd
And said, «Behold, Myself am Heav'n and Hell.»

LXVII. In ed. 2:

And Hell the Shadow of a Soul on fire.

LXVIII. In ed. 2:

Of visionary Shapes that come and go
Round with this Sun-illumin'd Lantern held.

LXIX. In ed. 2:

Impotent Pieces of the Game He plays.

LXX. In ed. 2:

But Right or Left as strikes the Player goes.

STANZA

LXXII. In ed. 2 and the first draft of ed. 3:

And that inverted Bowl we call The Sky.

In edd. 2 and 3:

As impotently rolls as you or I.

LXXIX. In ed. 2:

Pure Gold for what he lent us dross-allay'd.

LXXXI. In ed. 2:

For all the Sin the Face of wretched Man
Is black with—Man's Forgiveness give—and take!

LXXXIII. In ed. 2:

And once again there gather'd a scarce heard
Whisper among them; as it were, the stirr'd
Ashes of some all but extinguisht Tongue
Which mine ear kindled into living Word.

LXXXIV. In ed. 2:

My Substance from the common Earth was ta'en,
That He who subtly wrought me into Shape
Should stamp me back to shapeless Earth again?

LXXXV. In ed. 2

Another said—«Why, ne'er a peevish Boy
Would break the Cup from which he drank in Joy;
Shall He that of His own free Fancy made
The Vessel, in an after-rage destroy!»

LXXXVI. In ed. 2:

None answer'd this, but after silence spake.

LXXXVII. In ed. 2:

Thus with the Dead as with the Living, What?
And Why? so ready, but the Wherefor not,
One on a sudden peevishly exclaim'd,
«Which is the Potter, pray, and which the Pot?»

STANZA

LXXXVIII. In ed. 2:

Said one—«Folks of a surly Master tell,
And daub his Visage with the Smoke of Hell;
They talk of some sharp Trial of us—Pish!
He's a Good Fellow, and 'twill all be well.»

In the first draft of ed. 3. the stanza begins:

«Why,» said another, «Dismal people tell
Of an old Savage who will toss to Hell
The luckless Pots,» etc.

LXXXIX. In ed. 2:

«Well,» said another, «Whoso will, let try.»

XC. In ed. 2:

One spied the little Crescent all were seeking.

XCI. In ed. 2:

And wash my Body whence the Life has died.

XCIII. In ed. 2:

Have done my credit in Men's eye much wrong.

XCV. In ed. 2:

One half so precious as the ware they sell.

XCVII. In ed. 2:

Toward which the fainting Traveller might spring.

XCVIII. In ed. 2:

Oh if the World were but to re-create,
That we might catch ere closed the Book of Fate,
And make The Writer on a fairer leaf
Inscribe our names, or quite obliterate!

XCIX. In ed. 2:

Ah Love! could you and I with Fate conspire.

C. In ed. 2:

But see! The rising Moon of Heav'n again
Looks for us, Sweet-heart, through the quivering Plane:
How oft hereafter rising will she look
Among those leaves—for one of us in vain!

STANZA

CI. In ed. 2:

And when Yourself with silver Foot shall pass.

In the first draft of ed. 3 «Foot» is changed to «step.»

In ed. 3:

And in your blissful errand reach the spot.

STANZAS WHICH APPEAR IN THE SECOND EDITION ONLY

XIV. Were it not Folly, Spider-like to spin
The Thread of present Life away to win—
What? for ourselves, who know not if we shall
Breathe out the very Breath we now breathe in!

XX. (This stanza is quoted in the note to stanza XVIII.
in the third and fourth editions.)

XXVIII. Another Voice, when I am sleeping, cries,
«The Flower should open with the Morning skies.»
And a retreating Whisper, as I wake—
«The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.»

XLIV. Do you, within your little hour of Grace,
The waving Cypress in your Arms enlace,
Before the Mother back into her arms
Fold, and dissolve you in a last embrace.

LXV. If but the Vine and Love-abjuring Band
Are in the Prophet's Paradise to stand,
Alack, I doubt the Prophet's Paradise
Were empty as the hollow of one's Hand.

LXXVII. For let Philosopher and Doctor preach
Of what they will, and what they will not—each
Is but one Link in an eternal Chain
That none can slip, or break, or over-reach.

LXXXVI. Nay, but, for terror of his wrathful Face,
I swear I will not call Injustice Grace,
Not one Good Fellow of the Tavern but
Would kick so poor a Coward from the place.

XC. And once again there gather'd a scarce heard
Whisper among them; as it were, the stirr'd
Ashes of some all but extinguisht Tongue,
Which mine ear kindled into living Word.

(In the third and fourth editions stanza LXXXIII. takes the place of this.)

XCIX. Whither resorting from the vernal Heat
Shall Old Acquaintance Old Acquaintance greet,
Under the Branch that leans above the Wall
To shed his Blossom over head and feet.

(This was retained in the first draft of ed. 3.)

CVII. Better, oh better, cancel from the Scroll
Of Universe one luckless Human Soul,
Than drop by drop enlarge the Flood that rolls
Hoarser with Anguish as the Ages Roll.

QUATRAINS OF OMAR KHAYYAM

COMPARATIVE TABLE OF STANZAS IN THE
FOUR [100] EDITIONS OF FITZGERALD

Ed. 1	Ed. 2	Edd. 3 and 4
I	I	I
II	II	II
III	III	III
IV	IV	IV
V	V	V
VI	VI	VI
VII	VII	VII
VIII	IX	IX
IX	X	X
X	XI	XI
XI	XII	XII
XII	XIII	XIII
XIII	XV	XIV
XIV	XVII	XVI
XV	XVI	XV
XVI	XVIII	XVII
XVII	XIX	XVIII
XVIII	XXIV	XIX
XIX	XXV	XX
XX	XXI	XXI
XXI	XXII	XXII
XXII	XXIII	XXIII
XXIII	XXVI	XXIV
XXIV	XXVII	XXV
XXV	XXIX	XXVI
XXVI	LXVI	LXIII
XXVII	XXX	XXVII
XXVIII	XXXI	XXVIII
XXIX	XXXII	XXIX
XXX	XXXIII	XXX
XXXI	XXXIV	XXXI
XXXII	XXXV	XXXII
XXXIII	XXXVII	XXXIV
XXXIV	XXXVIII	XXXV
XXXV	XXXIX	XXXVI
XXXVI	XL	XXXVII
XXXVII
XXXVIII	XLIX	XLVIII
XXXIX	LVI	LIV
XL	LVII	LV
XLI	LVIII	LVI
XLII	LX	LVIII
XLIII	LXI	LIX
XLIV	LXII	LX
XLV
XLVI	LXXIII	LXVIII
XLVII	XLV	XLII
XLVIII	XLVI	XLIII
XLIX	LXXIV	LXIX
L	LXXV	LXX
LI	LXXVI	LXXI
LII	LXXVIII	LXXII
LIII	LXXIX	LXXIII
LIV	LXXXI	LXXV
LV	LXXXII	LXXVI
LVI	LXXXIII	LXXVII
LVII	LXXXVII	LXXX
LVIII	LXXXVIII	LXXXI
LIX	LXXXIX	LXXXII
LX	XCIV	LXXXVII
LXI	XCI	LXXXIV
LXII	XCII	LXXXV
LXIII	XCIII	LXXXVI
LXIV	XCV	LXXXVIII
LXV	XCVI	LXXXIX
LXVI	XCVII	XC
LXVII	XCVIII	XCI
LXVIII	C	XCII
LXIX	CI	XCIII
LXX	CII	XCIV
LXXI	CIII	XCV
LXXII	CIV	XCVI
LXXIII	CVIII	XCIX
LXXIV	CIX	C
LXXV	CX	CI
	VIII	VIII
	XIV
		Note on
	XX	XVIII
	XXVIII
	XXXVI	XXXIII
	XLI	XXXVIII
	XLII	XXXIX
	XLIII	XL
	XLIV
	XLVII	XLVI
	XLVIII	XLVII
	L	XLIX
	LI	L
	LII	LI
	LIII	LII
	LIV	LIII
	LV	XLI
	LIX	LVII
	LXIII	LXI
	LXIV	LXII
	LXV
	LXVII	LXIV
	LXVIII	LXV
	LXIX	XLIV
	LXX	XLV
	LXXI	LXVI
	LXXII	LXVII
	LXXVII
	LXXX	LXXIV
	LXXXIV	LXXVIII
	LXXXV	LXXIX
	LXXXVI
	XC	LXXXIII
	XCIX
	CV	XCVII
	CVI	XCVIII
	CVII

NOTE

It must be admitted that FitzGerald took great liberties with the original in his version of Omar Khayyam. The first stanza is entirely his own, and in stanza XXXI. of the fourth edition (XXXVI. in the second) he has introduced two lines from Attar. (See «Letters,» p. 251.) In stanza LXXXI. (fourth edition), writes Professor Cowell, «There is no original for the line about the snake: I have looked for it in vain in Nicolas; but I have always supposed that the last line is FitzGerald's mistaken version of Quatr. 236 in Nicolas's ed. which runs thus:

The Sufistic Quatrains of Omar Khayyam

About This Book

IN THE SECOND EDITION.

VARIATIONS BETWEEN THE SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH EDITIONS OF FITZGERALD'S TRANSLATION OF OMAR KHAYYAM

QUATRAINS OF OMAR KHAYYAM

NOTE

VARIATIONS
BETWEEN THE SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH EDITIONS OF FITZGERALD'S TRANSLATION OF
OMAR KHAYYAM