rubaiyat of omar khayyam-第2章

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the　wings　of　a　poetical　expression；　that　might　serve　indifferently　for

either。　　Omar　was　too　honest　of　Heart　as　well　of　Head　for　this。

Having　failed　（however　mistakenly）　of　finding　any　Providence　but

Destiny；　and　any　World　but　This；　he　set　about　making　the　most　of　it；

preferring　rather　to　soothe　the　Soul　through　the　Senses　into

Acquiescence　with　Things　as　he　saw　them；　than　to　perplex　it　with　vain

disquietude　after　what　they　might　be。　　It　has　been　seen；　however；　that

his　Worldly　Ambition　was　not　exorbitant；　and　he　very　likely　takes　a

humorous　or　perverse　pleasure　in　exalting　the　gratification　of　Sense

above　that　of　the　Intellect；　in　which　he　must　have　taken　great

delight；　although　it　failed　to　answer　the　Questions　in　which　he；　in

common　with　all　men；　was　most　vitally　interested。



For　whatever　Reason；　however；　Omar　as　before　said；　has　never　been

popular　in　his　own　Country；　and　therefore　has　been　but　scantily

transmitted　abroad。　　The　MSS。　of　his　Poems；　mutilated　beyond　the

average　Casualties　of　Oriental　Transcription；　are　so　rare　in　the　East

as　scarce　to　have　reacht　Westward　at　all；　in　spite　of　all　the

acquisitions　of　Arms　and　Science。　　There　is　no　copy　at　the　India

House；　none　at　the　Bibliotheque　Nationale　of　Paris。　　We　know　but　of

one　in　England：　No。　140　of　the　Ouseley　MSS。　at　the　Bodleian；　written

at　Shiraz；　A。D。　1460。　　This　contains　but　158　Rubaiyat。　　One　in　the

Asiatic　Society's　Library　at　Calcutta　（of　which　we　have　a　Copy）；

contains　（and　yet　incomplete）　516；　though　swelled　to　that　by　all　kinds

of　Repetition　and　Corruption。　　So　Von　Hammer　speaks　of　his　Copy　as

containing　about　200；　while　Dr。　Sprenger　catalogues　the　Lucknow　MS。　at

double　that　number。　　The　Scribes；　too；　of　the　Oxford　and　Calcutta

MSS。　seem　to　do　their　Work　under　a　sort　of　Protest；　each　beginning

with　a　Tetrastich　（whether　genuine　or　not）；　taken　out　of　its

alphabetical　order；　the　Oxford　with　one　of　Apology；　the　Calcutta　with

one　of　Expostulation；　supposed　（says　a　Notice　prefixed　to　the　MS。）

to　have　arisen　from　a　Dream；　in　which　Omar's　mother　asked　about　his

future　fate。　　It　may　be　rendered　thus：



　〃O　Thou　who　burn'st　in　Heart　for　those　who　burn

　　In　Hell；　whose　fires　thyself　shall　feed　in　turn；

　　　　How　long　be　crying；　'Mercy　on　them；　God！'

　　Why；　who　art　Thou　to　teach；　and　He　to　learn？〃



The　Bodleian　Quatrain　pleads　Pantheism　by　way　of　Justification。



　〃If　I　myself　upon　a　looser　Creed

　　Have　loosely　strung　the　Jewel　of　Good　deed；

　　Let　this　one　thing　for　my　Atonement　plead：

　　That　One　for　Two　I　never　did　misread。〃



　　〃Since　this　paper　was　written〃　（adds　the　Reviewer　in　a　note）；　〃we

　　have　met　with　a　Copy　of　a　very　rare　Edition；　printed　at　Calcutta　in

　　1836。　　This　contains　438　Tetrastichs；　with　an　Appendix　containing　54

　　others　not　found　in　some　MSS。〃



The　Reviewer；　to　whom　I　owe　the　Particulars　of　Omar's　Life；

concludes　his　Review　by　comparing　him　with　Lucretius；　both　as　to

natural　Temper　and　Genius；　and　as　acted　upon　by　the　Circumstances　in

which　he　lived。　　Both　indeed　were　men　of　subtle；　strong；　and

cultivated　Intellect；　fine　Imagination；　and　Hearts　passionate　for

Truth　and　Justice；　who　justly　revolted　from　their　Country's　false

Religion；　and　false；　or　foolish；　Devotion　to　it；　but　who　fell　short　of

replacing　what　they　subverted　by　such　better　Hope　as　others；　with　no

better　Revelation　to　guide　them；　had　yet　made　a　Law　to　themselves。

Lucretius　indeed；　with　such　material　as　Epicurus　furnished；　satisfied

himself　with　the　theory　of　a　vast　machine　fortuitously　constructed；

and　acting　by　a　Law　that　implied　no　Legislator；　and　so　composing

himself　into　a　Stoical　rather　than　Epicurean　severity　of　Attitude；　sat

down　to　contemplate　the　mechanical　drama　of　the　Universe　which　he　was

part　Actor　in；　himself　and　all　about　him　（as　in　his　own　sublime

description　of　the　Roman　Theater）　discolored　with　the　lurid　reflex　of

the　Curtain　suspended　between　the　Spectator　and　the　Sun。　　Omar；　more

desperate；　or　more　careless　of　any　so　complicated　System　as　resulted

in　nothing　but　hopeless　Necessity；　flung　his　own　Genius　and　Learning

with　a　bitter　or　humorous　jest　into　the　general　Ruin　which　their

insufficient　glimpses　only　served　to　reveal；　and；　pretending　sensual

pleasure；　as　the　serious　purpose　of　Life；　only　diverted　himself　with

speculative　problems　of　Deity；　Destiny；　Matter　and　Spirit；　Good　and

Evil；　and　other　such　questions；　easier　to　start　than　to　run　down；　and

the　pursuit　of　which　becomes　a　very　weary　sport　at　last！



　　Professor　Cowell。



With　regard　to　the　present　Translation。　　The　original　Rubaiyat　（as；

missing　an　Arabic　Guttural；　these　Tetrastichs　are　more　musically

called）　are　independent　Stanzas；　consisting　each　of　four　Lines　of

equal；　though　varied；　Prosody；　sometimes　all　rhyming；　but　oftener　（as

here　imitated）　the　third　line　a　blank。　　Somewhat　as　in　the　Greek

Alcaic；　where　the　penultimate　line　seems　to　lift　and　suspend　the　Wave

that　falls　over　in　the　last。　　As　usual　with　such　kind　of　Oriental

Verse；　the　Rubaiyat　follow　one　another　according　to　Alphabetic

Rhymea　strange　succession　of　Grave　and　Gay。　　Those　here　selected　are

strung　into　something　of　an　Eclogue；　with　perhaps　a　less　than　equal

proportion　of　the　〃Drink　and　make…merry；〃　which　（genuine　or　not）

recurs　over…frequently　in　the　Original。　　Either　way；　the　Result　is　sad

enough：　saddest　perhaps　when　most　ostentatiously　merry：　more　apt　to

move　Sorrow　than　Anger　toward　the　old　Tentmaker；　who；　after　vainly

endeavoring　to　unshackle　his　Steps　from　Destiny；　and　to　catch　some

authentic　Glimpse　of　TO…MORROW；　fell　back　upon　TO…DAY　（which　has

outlasted　so　many　To…morrows！）　as　the　only　Ground　he　had　got　to　stand

upon；　however　momentarily　slipping　from　under　his　Feet。





＇From　the　Third　Edition。＇





While　the　second　Edition　of　this　version　of　Omar　was　preparing；

Monsieur　Nicolas；　French　Consul　at　Resht；　published　a　very　careful　and

very　good　Edition　of　the　Text；　from　a　lithograph　copy　at　Teheran；

comprising　464　Rubaiyat；　with　translation　and　notes　of　his　own。



Mons。　Nicolas；　whose　Edition　has　reminded　me　of　several　things；　and

instructed　me　in　others；　does　not　consider　Omar　to　be　the　material

Epicurean　that　I　have　literally　taken　him　for；　but　a　Mystic；　shadowing

the　Deity　under　the　figure　of　Wine；　Wine…bearer；　&c。；　as　Hafiz　is

supposed　to　do；　in　short；　a　Sufi　Poet　like　Hafiz　and　the　rest。



I　cannot　see　reason　to　alter　my　opinion；　formed　as　it　was　more　than　a

dozen　years　ago　when　Omar　was　first　shown　me　by　one　to　whom　I　am

indebted　for　all　I　know　of　Oriental；　and　very　much　of　other；

literature。　　He　admired　Omar's　Genius　so　much；　that　he　would　gladly

have　adopted　any　such　Interpretation　of　his　meaning　as　Mons。　Nicolas'

if　he　could。　　That　he　could　not；　appears　by　his　Paper　in　the

Calcutta　Review　already　so　largely　quoted；　in　which　he　argues　from　the

Poems　themselves；　as　well　as　from　what　records　remain　of　the　Poet's

Life。



　　　Perhaps　would　have　edited　the　Poems　himself　some　years　ago。　　He

　　may　now　as　little　approve　of　my　Version　on　one　side；　as　of　Mons。

　　Nicolas'　Theory　on　the　other。



And　if　more　were　needed　to　disprove　Mons。　Nicolas'　Theory；　there　is

the　Biographical　Notice　which　he　himself　has　drawn　up　in　direct

contradiction　to　the　Interpretation　of　the　Poems　given　in　his　Notes。

（See　pp。　13…14　of　his　Preface。）　　Indeed　I　hardly　knew　poor　Omar　was　so

far　gone　till　his　Apologist　informed　me。　　For　here　we　see　that；

whatever　were　the　Wine　that　Hafiz　drank　and　sang；　the　veritable　Juice

of　the　Grape　it　was　which　Omar　used；　not　only　when　carousing　with　his

friends；　but　（says　Mons。　Nicolas）　in　order　to　excite　himself　to　that

pitch　of　Devotion　which　others　reached　by　cries　and　〃hurlemens。〃　　And

yet；　whenever　Wine；　Wine…bearer；　&c。；　occur　in　the　Textwhich　is

often　enoughMons。　Nicolas　carefully　annotates　〃Dieu；〃　〃La　Divinite；〃

&c。：　so　carefully　indeed　that　one　is　tempted　to　think　that　he　was

indoctrinated　by　the　Sufi　with　whom　he　read　the　Poems。　　（Note　to　Rub。

ii。　p。　8。）　　A　Persian　would　naturally　wish　to　vindicate　a

distinguished　Countryman；　and　a　Sufi　to　enroll　him　in　his　own　sect；

which　already　comprises　all　the　chief　Poets　of　Persia。



What　historical　Authority　has　Mons。　Nicolas　to　show　that　Omar　gave

himself　up　〃avec　passion　a　l'etude　de　la　philosophie　des　Soufis〃？

（Preface；　p。　xiii。）　　The　Doctrines　of　Pantheism；　Materialism；

Necessity；　&c。；　were　not　peculiar　to　the　Sufi；　nor　to　Lucretius　before

them；　nor　to　Epicurus　before　him；　probably　the　very　original

Irreligion　of　Thinking　men　from　the　first；　and　very　likely　to　be　the

spontaneous　growth　of　a　Philosopher　living　in　an　Age　of　social　and

political　barbarism；　under　shadow　of　one　of　the　Two　and　Seventy

Religions　supposed　to　divide　the　world。　　Von　Hammer　（according　to

Sprenger's　Oriental　Catalogue）　speaks　of　Omar　as　〃a　Free…thinker；　and

a　great　opponent　of　Sufism；〃　perhaps　because；　while　holding　much　of

their　Doctrine；　he　would　not　pretend　to　any　inconsistent　severity　of

morals。　　Sir　W。　Ouseley　has　written　a　note　to　something　of　the　same

effect　on　the　fly…leaf　of　the　Bodleian　MS。　　And　in　two　Rubaiyat　of

Mons。　Nicolas'　own　Edition　Suf　and　Sufi　are　both　disparagingly　named。



No　doubt　many　of　these　Quatrains　seem　unaccountable　unless　mystically

interpreted；　but　many　more　as　unaccountable　unless　literally。　　Were

the　Wine　spiritual；　for　instance；　how　wash　the　Body　with　it　when　dead？

Why　make　cups　of　the　dead　clay　to　be　filled　with〃La　Divinite；〃　by

some　succeeding　Mystic？　　Mons。　Nicolas　himself　is　puzzled　by　some

〃bizarres〃　and　〃trop　Orientales〃　allusions　and　images〃d'une

sensualite　quelquefois　revoltante〃　indeedwhich　〃les　convenances〃　do

not　permit　him　to　translate；　but　still　which　the　reader　cannot　but

refer　to　〃La　Divinite。〃　　No　doubt　also　many　of　the　Quatrains　in　the

Teheran；　as　in　the　Calcutta；　Copies；　are　spurious；　such　Rubaiyat　being

the　common　form　of　Epigram　in　Persia。　　But　this；　at　best；　tells　as

much　one　way　as　another；　nay；　the　Sufi；　who　may　be　considered　the

Scholar　and　Man　of　Letters　in　Persia；　would　be　far　more　likely　than

the　careless　Epicure　to　interpolate　what　favours　his　own　view　of　the

Poet。　　I　observed　that　very　few　of　the　more　mystical　Quatrains　are　in

the　Bodleian　MS。；　which　must　be　one　of　the　oldest；　as　dated　at　Shiraz；

A。H。　865；　A。D。　1460。　　And　this；　I　think；　especially　distinguishes　Omar

（I　cannot　help　calling　him　by　hisno；　not　Christianfamiliar　name）

from　all　other　Persian　Poets：　That；　whereas　with　them　the　Poet　is　lost

in　his　Song；　the　Man　in　Allegory　and　Abstraction；　we　seem　to　have　the

Manthe　Bon…hommeOmar　himself；　with　all　his　Humours　and　Passions；

as　frankly　before　us　as　if　we　were　really　at　Table　with　him；　after　the

Wine　had　gone　round。



　　　A　note　to　Quatrain　234　admits　that；　however　clear　the　mystical

　　meaning　of　such　Images　must　be　to　Europeans；　they　are　not　quoted

　　without　〃rougissant〃　even　by　laymen　in　Persia