The Sufistic Quatrains Of Omar Khayyam Part 47

When the fair soul this mansion doth vacate, Each element a.s.sumes its primal state, And all the silken furniture of life Is then dismantled by the blows of fate.

225. C. L. A. I. _Abresham tab'_, like _Hatim tab'_.

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.

226. Possibly a hit at the _Mutakallamin_, or scholastic theologians.

227.

These folk are a.s.ses, 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.

227. C. L. A. I. _Ba afsos_ is an epithet, like _ba khabar_, and hence _kharan_, the noun qualified by it, takes the _izafat_. Lumsden, ii.

259. _Pur mash'ala_, full of glitter; compare _pur mae_ in No. 179.

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.

228. C. L. A. I.

229.

Many fine heads, like bowls, the Brazier made, And thus his own similitude portrayed; He set one upside down above our heads, Which keeps us all continually afraid.

229. C. L. A. I. One upside down, _i.e._, the sky. _Kansa_ is also spelled _kasa_.

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.

230. C. L. A. I. Scan _wakiayi_. Here _hamza_ stands for _ya i tankir_.

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.

231. L. Metre Ramal, No. 50. In line 3 the first syllable is short. See Bl., Prosody, p. 43. In this form the metre is like Horace's _Miserarum est_, etc.

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 h.e.l.l?

Ill company will make this earth a h.e.l.l.

232. C. L. A. I. Also ascribed to Hafiz.

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!

233. C. L. A. I. J.

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.

234. B. A variation of No. 205.

235.

That grace and favour at the first, what meant it?

That lavis.h.i.+ng 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?

235. B. So Job, He multiplieth my wounds without cause.

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.

236. L. B. B. reads _arra_, of which I can make no sense. _Bar fark niham_, I will put aside; _bar fark_ (line 4), on their mouths.

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.

237. C. L. A. I.

238.

Then, when the good reap fruits of labours 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.

238. C. L. A. I.