Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam : Fitzgerald's

Page 1

^ 6513 1905

K a^^a lef

livi

Fil3geraLd*s

Translation

T.

13

<St

n. FOULiIS,

15 Fpederiek Street

AND

liOflDOri.

WDCCCCV.

M 'Lagan &

Cumming,

Chromo-Lithographers and Printers,

Edinburgh.

II

Dreaming when

was I

in

the

Hand

Dawn's Left

Sky

heard a Voice within

the

Tavern

cry,

"

Awake my the Cup

Little

Before Life's Liquor

ones,

in its

Cup

and

fill

be dry."

Ill

And,

as

the

Cock crew, those who

stood before

The Tavern the

Door

shouted

—

"

Open

then

!

You know how

little

while

we have

to stay.

And, once more."

departed,

may

return

no

IV

Now

the

New

Year

reviving

old

Desires,

The thoughtful Soul to Solitude retires, Where the White Hand of Moses on the Bough Puts out, and Jesus from the Ground suspires.

V Iram

indeed

is

gone

with

all

its

Rose,

And

Jamshyd's

Sev'n-ring*d

where no one knows But

still

the

Vine her

Cup

;

ancient

Ruby

yields,

And

still

blows.

a

Garden by the Water

VI

And

David*s Lips are

lock't

but in

;

divine

High -piping

with

Pehlevi,

Wine Wine Wine The !

Red

"Wine!

!

!

''

—

Nightingale cries

Rose

to the

That yellow Cheek

of

her's

incar-

t'

nadine.

VII

Come,

fill

the Cup,

and

in

the

Fire

of Spring

The Winter Garment fling

The

To

fly

of

Repentance

:

Bird of

—and

Wing.

Time

Lo

!

has but a

the Bird

little is

way

on the

VIII

And

look

a thousand Blossoms with

Day

the

Woke

—

— and

Clay

And

a thousand

:

this

Summer Month

first

brings the

Shall

scattered into

Rose

Jamshyd

take

that

Kaikobad

and

away.

IX But come with old

Khayyam and

leave

the Lot

Of Kaikobad and Kaikhosru Let Rustum

lay

about

forgot

him

as

:

he

will,

Or

Hatim them

Tai

not.

cry

Supper

— heed

— X With me

along some Strip of Herbage

strown

That

the desert from the

divides

just

sown,

Where name scarce

And

is

of

Sultan

pity

Slave and

Sultan

known,

Mahmud

on

his

Throne.

XI

Here with

a

Loaf

of

Bread beneath

the Bough,

A

Flask of Wine, a

Book

of

Verse

—and Beside

Thou me singing

in

the

Wilder-

ness

And

Wilderness

is

Paradise enow.

— XII

"How

sweet

think

some

"

How

— Others

come

Ah,

:

!

the

take

the

Paradise to

blest the

Cash

waive the Rest

Oh,

Sovranty "

mortal

is

brave

Drum

in

hand

and

;

Music

of

a

distant

!

XIII

Look

to

us

—

the '*

Rose

that

blows

Lo,

Laughing," she says, "into the I

At

blow

its

throw."

World

:

once the silken Tassel of

Tear, and

about

my

Purse

Treasure on the Garden

XIV The Worldly Hope men

their

set

Hearts upon

Ashes

Turns

—

or

prospers

it

;

and

anon,

Like

Snow upon

the Desert's dusty

Face Lighting a

little

Hour

or

two

—

is

gone.

XV And

those

who husbanded

the

Golden

Grain,

And

those like

who

flung

it

to the

Winds

Rain,

Alike to no such aureate Earth are turn'd

As, buried once. again.

Men

want dug up

— XVI Think,

in

batter'd Caravanserai

this

Whose Doorways

are alternate Night

and Day,

How

Sultan

after

Sultan with his

Pomp Abode

Hour

his

his

or

two,

went

and

way.

XVII

They

say

the

Lion

and

the

Lizard

Jamshyd

gloried

keep

The

Courts

where

and drank Deep

And the

Stamps fast

Bahram,

;

that great

Hunter

Wild Ass o'er

his

asleep.

Head,

and

he

lies

— XVIII I

sometimes think that never blows so red

The

Rose

where

as

Caesar bled

some

buried

;

That every Hyacinth the Garden wears

Dropt

in

its

lovely

Lap

from

some

once

Head.

XIX

And

this delightful

Herb whose

tender

Green Fledges the River's Lip on which

we

lean

Ah,

upon

lean

it

lightly

I

for

who

knows

From what once unseen

!

lovely Lip

it

springs

— XX Ah,

my

Beloved,

the

fill

cup

that

clears

To-DAY

of

Regrets, and

past

future

Fears

To-morrow ?

—Why,

To-morrow

I

may be Myself with Yesterday's Sev'n Thousand Years.

XXI Lo

!

some we loved, the

loveliest

and

the best

That

Time and Vintage

And

of

all

their

prest.

Have drunk two

Fate

their

Cup

a

Round

or

before,

one by one crept

silently to Rest.

— XXII

And

we,

in

Room

the

They

now make merry

that

Summer

and

left,

dresses

in

new Bloom,

we

must

Ourselves

Couch

of

beneath

the

Earth

Descend, ourselves to make a Couch

whom

for

?

XXIII

Ah, make

the most

may spend. Before we too into Dust to

Sans

into

of

what we

yet

the Dust descend

and under

Dust,

;

Dust,

lie.

Wine, and

—

sans

sans

Song,

End

!

sans

Singer,

"

XXIV who

Alike for those

And

for

To- DAY prepare,

those that after

To-MORROW

a

stare,

A

Muezzin Darkness

from

the

tower

of

cries

"Fools! your Reward nor There

is

neither

Here

!

XXV Why,

all

the

Saints

and

Sages

who

discuss'd

Of

the

Two

Worlds

so learnedly, are

thrust

Like

foolish

Words Are

to

scattered,

stopt with

Prophets

forth

;

their

Scorn

and

their

Dust.

Mouths

are

XXVI Oh, come with

To

talk

Life

One is

one

;

flies

thing

Lies

Khayyam, and

old

Wise

leave the

thing

that

certain,

is

;

is

certain,

and the Rest

;

The Flower

that once has

blown

for

ever dies.

XXVII Myself when young did eagerly frequent

Doctor and

Saint,

and

heard

great

but

ever-

Argument

About

it

and

about

:

more

Came

out

went.

by the same Door

as in

I

— XXVIII

With them

And

did

grow

it

:

was

this

labour'd

the Harvest that

all

reap'd

I

came

I

my own hand

with to

"

Wisdom

sow,

I

And

the Seed of

like

Water, and

like

Wind

go."

1

XXIX Into

this

Universe,

and

why

not

knowing.

Nor

whence, flowing

And

like

Water

willy-nilly

:

out of

it,

as

Wind

along the

Waste, I

know

not whither, willy-nilly blowing.

XXX What, without

asking,

hither

hurried

whence ?

And, without hence

asking,

whither hurried

!

Another

and

another

Cup

to

drown

The Memory

of this

Impertinence

!

XXXI

Up

from Earth's Centre through the

Seventh Gate I

rose,

and on the Throne

of Saturn

sate.

And many Road

Knots unraveFd by the

;

But not the Knot of

and Fate.

Human Death

XXXII There was a Door no

Key

to

which

:

There was a Veil past which not see

Some

found

I

I

could

:

Talk awhile

little

of

Me

and

Thee There seem'd

Thee

—and

then no more of

and Me.

XXXIII Then

to the rolling

Asking,

"

Heav'n

itself

What Lamp had

I

cried,

Destiny

to guide

Her little children Dark?"

And

— "A Heav'n

blind replied.

stumbling in the

Understanding!"

— XXXIV Then

to

Bowl

earthen

this

did

I

adjourn

My

Lip the secret Well of learn

And "

Drink

Lip

to

While you !

—

Life

to

:

for

Lip

it

murmur'd

live

dead

once

you

never

shall return."

XXXV I

think the Vessel, that with fugitive

Articulation

And

merry- make

Lip

How

I

many give

answered,

!

;

once

did

live,

and

the

cold

kiss'd

kisses

might

it

take

—and

XXXVI For

I

Market-place,

in

the

of

Day,

watch'd

the

wet Clay

And

It

with

Potter

Dusk

thumping

his

:

its

all

obliterated

— "Gently, murmur'd pray

one

Tongue

Brother, gently,

!

XXXVII Ah,

fill

the

Cup

:

—what

boots

it

to

repeat

How

Time Feet

is

slipping underneath our

:

To-MORROW

Unborn

and

dead

Yesterday,

Why

fret

sweet

about !

them

if

To-DAY

be

—

—

XXXVIII

One Moment in Annihilation's Waste, One Moment, of the Well of Life to taste

The

Stars

are

and

setting

the

Caravan Starts

the

for

Oh, make

Dawn haste

of

Nothing

!

XXXIX

How

long,

how

long,

in

definite

Pursuit

Of

and

This

That

endeavour

and

dispute ?

Better

be

merry

with

the

fruitful

Grape

Than

sadder

after

none,

or

bitter,

Fruit.

i

— XL You know, my Friends, how since in my House For

a

new

Carouse Divorced

my

And

Marriage

make

did

:

Reason from

barren

old

Bed,

Daughter

took the to

I

long

Vine

of the

Spouse.

XLI For 'Ms" and "Is-NOt" though

iuith

Rule and Line,

And "UP-AND-DOWN

"

without,

I

could define, I

Was

yet in

never

Wine.

all

I

deep

only cared to know, in

anything

but

— XLII

And

lately,

Came

by the Tavern Door agape, through

stealing

the

Dusk an

Angel Shape Bearing a Vessel on

his

Shoulder

;

and

He

bid

me

the

Grape

taste of

it

and *twas

;

!

XLIII

The

Grape

that

with

Logic

jarring

Sects

can

absolute

The Two-and-Seventy confute

The

:

subtle

Alchemist

that

in

a

Trice Life's

leaden

mute.

Metal

into

Gold

trans-

XLIV The mighty Mahmud,

the

victorious

Lord,

That

the

all

misbelieving

and

black

that

infest

Horde

Of

Fears and

Sorrows

the Soul Scatters

and

slays

with

his

enchanted

Sword.

XLV But leave the Wise with

The

to

wrangle,

me

Quarrel of the Universe

And,

in

and

some corner

of the

let

be

:

Hubbub

coucht.

Make Game much

of

of

that

Thee.

which makes

as

— XLVI For

and

in

nothing

*Tis

above, about, below,

out,

but

Shadow-

Magic

a

show,

Box whose Candle

Play'd in a

is

the Sun,

Round which we come and

Phantom

Figures

go.

XLVII

And

if

you

End

in

in

Wine you

drink,

the Lip

press.

Nothing

the

all

Things

end

—Yes

Then art

Thou

the

fancy while

Thou

art,

Thou

but what

shalt

not be

be

— Nothing—Thou

less.

shalt

XLVIII While

Rose

the

blows

along

the

River Brink,

With

Khayyam

old

drink

the

Ruby Vintage

:

And when

Angel

the

with

his

darker Draught

Draws up

to

do not

Thee

—

take

that,

and

shrink.

XLIX 'Tis

Chequer-board

a

all

of

Nights

for

Pieces

and Days

Where

Men

Destiny with

plays

Hither

:

and

thither

moves,

and

mates, and slays.

And

one by one back

in the Closet lays.

— L The

Ball no Question

makes

Ayes

of

and Noes, But

Right

or

Left

Player goes

And He

the

Thee down

toss'd

Field,

He knows about

HE

strikes

;

that

into the

as

knows

all

it

— He

knows

!

LI

The Moving

Finger writes

;

and, having

writ,

Moves on

:

nor

Shall lure

it

all

thy Piety nor

Wit

back to cancel half a

Line,

Nor

all

of

Thy it.

Tears wash out a

Word

— UI

And

that inverted

Bowl we

call

The

Sky,

Whereunder crawling and

thy hands to

Lift not for

coop't

we

live

die, It

for

help

It

Rolls impotently on as

Thou

or

I.

LIII

With

Earth's last

And

first

Clay They did the

Man's knead,

then of the Last Harvest sow'd the Seed

Yea, the

:

first

Morning

of Creation

wrote

What

the

shall

Last read.

Dawn

of

Reckoning

;

Liy I

tell

Thee

this

—When,

starting

from

the Goal,

Over

the

shoulders

of

flaming

the

Foal

Of Heav'n Parwm and Mushtara they flung, In

my

predestined

Plot

of

Dust and

Soul.

LV The Vine had

struck a Fibre

;

which

about

—

my Being let the Of my Base Metal may

If clings

Siifi flout

be

filed

a

Key,

That

shall

unlock the

without,

Door he howls

LVI

And

this

know

I

whether the one

:

True

Light,

Kindle to

Love,

or

me quite, One Glimpse

of

Wrath consume within

It

the

Tavern caught Better than in the

Temple

lost

out-

right.

LVII

Oh, Thou, who

did'st

with

Pitfall

and

with Gin Beset the

Thou

Road

wilt

not

I

was with

to

wander

in,

Predestination

round

Enmesh me, and impute my Sin?

Fall

to

— LVIII

Man

Oh, Thou, who with

Snake For of Is

all

Earth

make.

did'st

And who

of baser

Eden

did'st devise the

;

the Sin wherewith the Face

Man

blackened,

Man's Forgiveness

and take

!

give

— KUZA— NAMA LIX Listen again.

One Evening

at the

Of Ramazan,

ere the better

Moon arose,

old

In that

Shop

Potter's

Close

stood

I

alone

With

the

clay

Population

round

in

Rows.

LX And,

strange

to

tell,

among

the

Earthen Lot

Some

could not

And

articulate,

while

others

:

suddenly one more impatient

cried *'

Who the

is

the Potter,

Pot?"

pray,

and

who

"

LXI

Then

My

said another

— "Surely

substance from the

was

subtly

wrought

me

Shape

into

Should

common Earth

ta'en,

He who

That

not in vain

me back

stamp

to

common

Earth again."

Another

said

—

LXI

I

Why,

"

ne'er a peevish

Boy,

Would

break

he drank Shall

He

Bowl from which

the in

Joy

that

;

made the Vessel

in

pure Love

And

Fancy, destroy

!

in

an

after

Rage

LXIII

None

answer'd

this

;

but after Silence

spake

A

Vessel of a more ungainly "

They awry

What

for

leaning

:

all

;

did

!

me

sneer at

Make

the

Hand

then

of

the

"

Potter shake

Said one

—

?

LXIV *'

Folks of a surly Tapster

tell,

And

daub of

They

Hell

;

talk of

us— Pish He's

a

Visage with the Smoke

his

Good

be well."

some

strict

Testmg

of

!

Fellow,

and

'twill

all

LXV Then

said another with a long

drawn

Sigh,

"

My

Clay with long oblivion

dry But,

is

gone

:

fill

me

with the old familiar Juice, '*

Methinks

I

might recover by- and -bye

!

LXVI So while the Vessels one by one were speaking,

One

spied the seeking

And

Crescent

all

were

:

then they jogg'd each other,

" Brother,

Hark

little

Brother

!

to the Porter's Shoulder-knot a"

creaking

!

LXVII Ah, with

Grape my fading

the

Life

provide,

And wash my Body whence

the Life

has died.

And

in

leaf

a

Windingsheet

Vine-

of

wrapt.

So bury me by some sweet Gardenside.

LXVII That

ev'n

my

buried

I

Ashes such a

Snare

Of Perfume

shall

fling

up

into

the

Air,

As

not

a

True

Believer

passing

by But

shall

be overtaken unaware.

LXIX Indeed

the

Idols

have

I

loved

so

long

Have done my

Credit in Men's

much wrong

Eye

:

Have drown'd my Honour

in

a

shallow Cup,

And

sold

my

Reputation for a Song.

LXX Indeed, indeed, Rfepentance oft before I

swore

—

swore

And

but

was

I

sober

when

I

}

then,

and then came Spring,

and Rose-in-hand

My

thread -bare tore,

Penitence

a -pieces

LXXI

And much

Wine

as

has

play'd

the

Infidel,

And

Honour I

often

One

me

robb'd

—

my

of

Robe

of

well,

wonder what the Vintners buy so

half

they

precious

as

the

Goods

sell.

LXXII Alas, that Spring should the

That

Rose

Youth's script

The

vanish with

!

sweet-scented

should close

Manu-

!

Nightingale that in the Branches

sang,

Ah, whence, and whither flown

who knows

!

again,

— LXXIII

Ah

Love

and

thou

could

!

I

with

Fate conspire

To

grasp this sorry

Scheme

of

Things

entire,

Would

not

we

shatter

to bits

it

and then

Re-mould

nearer

it

to

the

Heart's

who

know'st

Desire.

LXXIV Ah, Moon

of

my

Delight

no wane,

The moon again

of

Heav'n

is

rising

once

:

How oft hereafter rising shall she look Through

same Garden

this

in vain

!

after

me

LXXV And when shall

Among

Thyself with shining Foot

pass

the Guests

Star - scattered

on

the Grass,

And

in

thy

joyous

Errand

reach

the Spot

Where

I

made one

empty Glass

—

turn

down an

!

TAMAM

SHUD.

NOTE. Of life

information regarding the actual

Omar Khayyam,

of

poet

of

was born,

1018, and died of

we have

Persia,

He

none.

first

English

quatrains, from

which

was written by lished

in

the

about

said,

is

at

the age

five.

version this

is

of

his

reprinted,

and

pub-

1859, and, nine years

later,

reissued to a

with

it

practically

1123,

in

one hundred and

The

the astronomer

still

Fitzgerald,

unappreciative public,

stanzas

increased

to

one

and

hundred versions

the

reduced

to

Edward

ten.

In

number

of

one

was

one.

unrewarded by

Fitzgerald,

admirers

of

verses

hundred and

the gratitude of a circle

subsequent

now of

ever-widening

this

Epicurean

philosophical poem, died in 1883, leaving

this

his

genius.

little

classic

a

monument

to

— THE PERSIAN POETS' The

object of these

SERIES.

books

little

is

to bring

within reach of lovers of poetry translations of

the

The

and most famous verse written

best

by poets

Persia.

of

decorations

used

for

have been designed specially

these

volumes

for the publisher

by native Persian artists and are reproduced by means of lithography. The first two volumes are now ready, and others are in preparation

I.

RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM, Fitzgerald's Translation.

II.

HAFIZ

:

The

Prince of

Persian Lyric Poets.

CENTRAL

^'^^

University

UC SOU^HEPM nEG'ONAL LlBOARv PACiiJTY IIIIIP

mail "

m

mill!!

!1!I1|!IIIIIIIII!I1

Hill

I

3

i

B

000 019 293

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