Part 17

Be on thy guard, my friend, for soon thou wilt be separate from thy soul; thou then shalt go behind the curtain of God's secrecy. Drink, for thou knowest not whence thou here hast come; make haste, for thou art ignorant where thou shalt go.

86.

Since we must die, why do we live? Why agonize to reach a problematic bliss? Since, for some unknown cause, we may not here remain, why not concern ourselves about the future pilgrimage? Why disregard our fate?

87.

Occasion makes me sing the praise of wine when I surround myself with men and things I love. O Devotee! canst thou be happy here below knowing that wisdom is your Lord? Then know, at least, that wisdom is my slave.

88.

The world will ever count me as depraved. Natheless I am not guilty, Men of Holiness! Look on yourselves and question what you are. Ye say I contravene the Koran's law. Yet I have only known the sins of drunkenness, debauchery and leasing.

89.

Free yourselves from your own passions and insatiate greed and lo! you shall go out poor as a mendicant. Look, rather, unto what you are, whence you have come, and learn what you are doing and where bound.

90.

The universe is but a point in our poor round of life; the Djeihoun [Oxus] but a feeble trace of tears and blood; Hell but a spark of useless worry which we give ourselves, and Paradise an instant of repose, which here below we rarely catch.

91.

A slave in dire revolt am I: where is Thy will? Black with all sin my heart: where is Thy light and Thy control? If Thou giv'st Paradise to our obedience alone [to Thy laws], it is a debt of which Thou quit'st Thyself and in such case we need Thy pity and benevolence.

92.

I know not at all whether He who created me belongs to a delicious Paradise or a detestable Hell. [But I do know] that a cup of wine, a charming girl and a zither at the edge of a green field are three things which I enjoy at present, and that you will find them in the promise that is made you of a future Paradise.

93.

I drink wine, and those who are opposed to it come from the left and from the right to ask me to abstain from it, because, say they, wine is an enemy of religion. But, for that very reason I would drink it, now that I hold myself an adversary of faith, because we are permitted by God to drink the blood of an enemy.

94.

The light of the moon has cut the black robe of night: drink then of wine, for one finds not often moments so precious. Yes, abandon thyself to joy, for this same moon will shine over the surface of the earth a long time [after our day].

95.

Impute not to the wheel of the heavens all the good and all the bad which are in man, all the joys and sorrows which come to us by destiny; for this wheel, friend, is a thousand times more embarrassed than thou, in the path of love [divine].

96.

There is no shield which is proof against an arrow hurled by Destiny. Grandeur, money, gold all go for nothing. The more I consider the things of this world, the more I see that the only good is good, all else is nothing.

97.

A heart which does not contain in itself complete abstinence [from things here below] is to be pitied, for it is at all times the prey of regret. It is only the heart free from care that can be joyous; all that exists beyond this is but a subject of torment.

98.

He who has had the intelligence to sow joy in his heart has not lost a single day in sorrow; he has employed his faculties in seeking the will of God, or has procured repose for his soul by taking a cup of wine.

99.

When God fashioned the clay of my body, he knew what would be the result of my acts. It is not without His orders that I have committed the sins of which I am guilty; in that case, why should I burn in hell-fire at the last day?

100.

If thou hast drunk wine every consecutive day of the week, take care not to deprive thyself of it on Wednesday, for, according to our religion, there is no difference between this day and Saturday. Be an adorer of the All-Powerful and not an adorer of days.

101.

O my God! Thou art merciful, and mercy is kindness. Why then has the first sinner been thrown out of the terrestrial Paradise? If Thou pardonest me when I obey Thee, it is not mercy. Mercy is present only when Thou pardonest me as the sinner that I am.

102.

Leave knowledge and take the cup in thy hand. Disturb thyself not about Paradise or Hell, but seek rather the _Koocer_ [the celestial river of wine]. Sell thy silken turban to buy wine and have no more fear. Rid thyself of that head-dress and envelop thy head in a simple woolen band [emblem of Sufism].

103.

Tell me, friend, have I acquired riches in this world? No. Have I given myself up to time as it was slipping away? No. I am the torch of joy; but that torch once extinguished, I am nothing. I am the cup of Djem [the royal cup], but that cup once broken, I am no longer anything.

104.

Where are the dancers? Where is the wine? Quick! that I may do honor to the gourd! Happy the heart who remembers his morning cup! Oh! there are three things in this world which are dear to me: a head lost in wine, an amorous girl, and the noise of the dawn.

105.

Since life so soon slips away, what matters it whether it be sweet or bitter? Since the soul must pass through the lips, what matters whether it be at Nishapur or at Balkh? Drink then of wine, for after thee and me, the moon will long pass on from its last quarter to its first, and from the first to last.

106.

This caravan of life passes in curious guise! Be on thy guard, my friend, for it is joy that thus escapes! Disturb not thyself with the sorrow which to-morrow waits our friends, and bring me my cup quickly, for the night fast slips away!

107.

He who has made the foundations of the world, the wheel of the heavens, how He has crucified the heart of man with affliction! How many ruby-colored lips has He buried in this little globe of earth! How many locks of hair perfumed with musk has He hidden in the bosom of the dust!

108.

O careless men! be not duped by this world, since you know its pursuits. Throw not to the wind your precious lives; hasten to seek a friend [God], and quickly drink of wine.

109.

O my companions! pour me some wine and thus change my face, from yellow as amber, to the color of the ruby. When I am dead, lave me in wine, and of the wood of the vine make my coffin and bier.

110.

The day when the celestial war-horse of the golden stars was saddled, when the planet Jupiter and the Pleiades were created, from that day the Divan [Chief Justice] of destiny fixed our lot. In what respect, then, are we guilty, since such is the part that was made for us?

111.

Oh! what damage may the vessels filled to flowing do, and how incomplete are they who possess riches! The eyes of beautiful Turkish women are a feast to the heart, yet they are simple learners from the slaves who own them.

112.

It is necessary that our existence be effaced from the book of life, that we expire in the arms of death. O charming cupbearer, go, gaily bring me wine since my poor earth to earth must come.

113.

At this moment, when my heart is not yet deprived of life, it seems to me that there are few problems that I have not solved. However, when I call intelligence to my aid, when I examine myself with care, I perceive that my existence has slipped away and that I have still defined nothing.

114.

Those who adore the _seddjadeh_ [prayer-rug] are asses, since they throw themselves, with full consent, into the charge of devotees and hypocrites. What is most singular about them is that they, under a mantle of piety, preach Islamism and are, in reality, worse than idolaters.

115.

When the tree of my existence shall be cut down, when my members shall be dispersed, let them make pitchers of my dust and fill these pitchers with wine; then shall my dust be revived [through the wine contained in them].

116.

O Thou, God, before whom sin is without consequence, tell him who possesses intelligence to proclaim this important point: that in the eyes of a philosopher it is an absolute absurdity to make divine fore-knowledge in league with sin.

117.

In the first place, my being was given me without my consent, which makes my own existence a lasting problem to me. Then, we leave this world with regret, and without having accomplished the aim of our coming, of our stay, or our departure.

118.

When my sins come back to mind, the fire which then burned in my heart makes my boldness stream forth; for everywhere is it established that when a slave repents, a generous master pardons him.

119.

These potters who constantly plunge their fingers into the clay, who employ all their mind, all their intelligence, all their faculties to mould it, even to the crushing of it with their feet and striking with their hands, of what think they? It is the same clay as the human body that they are treating thus.

120.

Those who, through knowledge, are the cream of the world; who, with intelligence scan the heights of the heavens, they also, like the firmament, have their heads turned in their search for divine knowledge, and are taken with vertigo and dimness of sight.

121.

God has promised us wine in Paradise. In that case why should He prohibit it in this world? One day an Arab in a state of drunkenness cut the hams of Hamzah's camel with his sword. It is only for him that our Prophet makes wine illicit.

122.

Since at this moment there only remains to you the memory of pleasure passed away; since for a perfect friend you have only a cup of wine; finally, since that is all you own, rejoice at least in this possession and let the cup not slip from your hands.

123.

Oh! for the time when we shall be no more and the world shall still be here! There will remain no fame or trace of us. The world was not unfinished when we came; naught will be changed when we have gone from it.

124.

Those whose feet have trodden the world, who have run over it for the sake of appropriating the riches of the two hemispheres to themselves, they are not the ones, I believe, who have ever been able to explain the true state, the real situation of things here below.

125.

O regret! The capital [of life] has slipped from our hands. Alas! many hearts have been through death drowned in blood, and no one returns from the other world that I may ask him news of the travelers who have gone.

126.

These numerous great lords, so proud of their titles, are so gnawed by cares and sorrows that existence to them is a burden. And most ridiculous it is that they deign not to call by the name of men those who, unlike to them, are not slaves to their passions.

127.

This lofty Wheel, whose trade it is to tyrannize, has never loosed for man the knot of any difficulty. Wherever it has seen an ulcerated heart, there has it come to add wound unto wound.

128.

Alas! the period of adolescence reaches home. The springtime of our pleasures slips away! That bird of gaiety which is called _youth_, alas! I know not when it came nor when it flew away!

129.

In the midst of this whirlpool of the world, hasten to gather some fruit. Seat thyself upon the throne of gaiety and bring the cup to thy lips. God is indifferent both to creed and sin; enjoy then here below, what pleases thee.

130.

Do you see those two or three imbeciles who hold the world in their hands, and who, in their candid ignorance, believe themselves the wisest in the universe? Do not disturb yourself for, in their high content, they deem all heretics who are not asses [like themselves].

131.

Would that the tavern could always be animated by the presence of drinkers, that fire would reach the hem of the holy robe of devotees, that their monk's frock might be torn to tatters and their blue woolen garment be trampled under the feet of the drinkers.

132.

How long wilt thou be a dupe to colors and perfumes? When wilt thou cease to seek out good and bad? Thou mightest be the source of Zemzem, thou mightest even be the water of life since thou wouldst not know how to escape entering the bosom of the earth.

133.

Renounce not the drinking of wine if you have any, for a hundred repentances follow one such resolution. The roses scatter their blossoms, the nightingales fill the air with their song, and would it be reasonable to renounce drinking in a moment like this?

134.

As long as the friend [God] will pour for me the wine which rejoices my soul, as long as the heavens have not deposited a hundred kisses upon my head and feet, whatever they may do, when the moment comes, to induce me to renounce drinking, how can I renounce it, God not having ordered me to?

135.

Whoever has constancy will not renounce drinking wine, for wine has within itself the virtue of the water of life. If any one renounce it during the month of Ramazan, let him at least abstain from engagement in prayer.

136.

When I am dead, smooth to the level of the soil the dust of my tomb, that I may thus be an example to other men. Then, mix with wine the earth of my body and make of it--a cover for a wine-jar.

137.

O Khayyam! although the Wheel of the Heavens has, in setting up his tent, closed the door to discussions, [it is evident, nevertheless,] that the cupbearer of eternity [God] has produced, in the form of globules of wine in the cup of creation, a thousand other Khayyams like thee.

138.

Give thyself to gaiety, for sorrow will be infinite. The stars will continue movement in the firmament, and the bricks which will be made of thy body will serve to construct palaces for others.

139.

Pass joyously thy life, for many other travelers will file through this world; the soul will cry after the body from which it will be separated, and the head, the seat of the passions, will be trampled under the potter's feet.

140.

Happy the heart of him who has passed unknown, who has not been clothed in a robe of ceremony, nor in luxurious garments, nor in stuffs of great price, who, like the _simourg_, is lifted into the skies to the place of his delight as the owl sits among the ruins of this world.

141.

Drinkers alone know how to appreciate the language of the roses and of wine, and not the feeble in heart or the poor in spirit. Those who have no idea of what is occult, to them ignorance is pardonable, for drunkards alone can understand what belongs to such an order of of things.

142.

Once in the tavern, one can make his ablutions only with wine. There, when a name is soiled, it cannot be restored. Bring, then, some wine, since the veil of our shame is torn in such a manner that it cannot be repaired.

143.

Pierced with a vain hope, I have thrown to the wind a part of my existence, and that without having known here below a day of happiness. That which I fear now is that time will prevent me from seizing the opportunity to make amends for the past.

144.

Alas! my heart has not been able to find any remedy [for its grief], my soul has arrived at the edge of my lips [death], without having attained the object of its love. Alas! my life has passed in ignorance, and the enigma of this love has not been explained.

145.

In the regions of the soul, it is necessary to walk with discernment; upon the things of this world, it is well to be silent. While we have our eyes, our tongues, and our ears, we should be without eyes, without tongues, and without ears.

146.

In this world, he who commands a loaf of bread and who can cover his body with any garment whatsoever, he who is neither master nor servant, tell him to live content, for he has a sweet existence.

147.

One should not plant in his heart the tree of sadness. On the contrary, he should ever peruse the book of joy. One should drink wine, and follow the trend of his own heart, for behold, the length of time remaining to you in this world is quickly measured.

148.

Has Thy empire gained in splendor by my obeisance, O God? Or have my sins retrenched in any degree Thy immensity? Pardon, O God, and do not punish, for I know well that Thou punishest late and pardonest early.

149.

It would be troublesome if my hand, accustomed to seize the cup, took the Koran and depended upon Mohammedan diet. With you it is different; you are a dry devotee, while I am a depraved one, moist [through drink], and the only fire I know is kindled by wine.

150.

Upon earth, no one presses to his heart a charmer with cheeks of the tints of a rose without the time comes that he feels the sting of the thorn. See the comb: before it could caress the perfumed hair of the beauty, it had to be cut into many teeth.

151.

Would that I had constantly in my hand the juice of the vine! Would that my love for these beautiful idols, that are like houris, might never leave my heart! They say to me: God has ordered you to renounce these things. Oh! should He give me such a command, I would not obey it. Far be the thought!

152.

Behold, I must go, and life is saddened by my going; for, out of a hundred precious pearls but one have I pierced. Alas! thanks to the ignorance of men, a hundred thousand things of deepest import yet remain unheard.

153.

To-day the season smiles; 'tis neither hot nor cold. The clouds have washed away the dust which dimmed the roses; and nightingales seem whispering to the yellow flowers that wine is balm for all.

154.

The day when I shall know myself no more, and when they will speak of me as of a fable, then I desire [do I dare say it?] that my clay be made into a jar for wine and destined to service at the tavern.

155.

Drink thou of wine before thy name shall vanish from this world, for, when this nectar enters thy heart, sorrow disappears. Unbind strand by strand the hair of thy charming idol, before the jointure of thy frame itself is loosed.

156.

O idol! ere sorrow comes to assail thee, order rose-colored wine. Thou art not gold, O imbecile! to believe that after burial in the earth, you can be drawn from it again.

157.

This world has not derived any advantage from my coming here below. Its glory and its dignity are equally unaffected by my departure. My two ears have never heard any one say why I have come, or why I am forced to go again.

158.

All thy secrets are known to the wisdom of Heaven [God]· He knows them hair by hair and vein by vein. I admit that by power of hypocrisy you may be able to deceive men, but what will you do before Him who knows your misdeeds one by one in every detail?

159.

Wine gives wings to those attacked by melancholy; wine is a mole of beauty upon the cheek of intelligence, we have not drunk of it during the Ramazan which has passed, but now the eve of [the month of] Burak hath arrived and we shall make amends.

160.

Live in joy, for the time is coming when all the creatures that you see will disappear under the earth; drink, drink of wine, and never abandon yourself to the sorrow of this world. Those who come after you only too soon become a prey to it.

161.

There is not a night when my mind is not in a state of stupefaction. There is not one when my breast is not inundated with pearls that flow from my eyes. The disquiet which possesses me keeps the bowl of my head from filling itself with wine, can a bowl overturned ever be filled?

162.

When my nature has seemed disposed to fasting and prayer, I have a moment's hope that I am going to attain the aim of my desires; but alas! a breath of wind has sufficed to destroy the efficacy of my ablutions, and a mouthful of wine has annihilated my fast.

163.

All my being is attracted by the sight of beautiful, rose-colored faces; my hand is aye ready to seize a cup of wine. Oh, I wish to enjoy for its part what belongs to each of my members, ere these same members are lost in the Whole.

164.

A worldly love knows not how to produce reflection. It is like a fire half extinguished which no longer gives heat. A true love should know neither tranquillity, nor repose, nor nourishment, nor sleep for months and years, day nor night.

165.

How long wilt thou pass thy life in adoring thyself, and seeking the cause of annihilation of thy being? Drink wine, for a life that is followed by death is better spent in sleep or drunkenness.

166.

To-morrow I shall have surmounted the mountain which separates us, and with indescribable happiness take the cup in my hand. My mistress longs for me, the day is bright; if I do not hasten to enjoy myself in such a moment, when shall I find enjoyment?

167.

There are people who through outrageous presumption are sunk in pride; and others who abandon themselves to the houris of celestial palaces. When the curtain is raised, we shall see that they have fallen far, far, far, from Thee [O God]!

168.

We are assured that there is a Paradise for us peopled with houris, and that we shall find there limpid wine and honey. It must then be permitted us to love women and wine here below, for is not this our end and aim?

169.

They pretend that there exists a Paradise where there are houris, where the _Koocer_ flows, where there is limpid wine, honey and sugar. Oh! fill quickly a cup of wine and put it in my hand, for one present joy is worth more than a thousand promised for the future.

170.

Even a mountain would dance for joy if you soaked it in wine. Poor is the fool who scorns the cup. You dare order me to renounce the juice of the vine! Know then that wine is a soul which helps to bring man to perfection.

171.

From time to time my heart finds itself much straitened in its cage. Shameful is it to be mixed with water and clay. I have often thought of destroying this prison, but my foot would come in contact with a stone and slip on the stirrup of the Koran's law.

172.

They say that the moon of Ramazan [month of fasting] is about to appear and that wine must no longer be thought of. It is well; but let me during the remainder of Cheeban [the month preceding] drink such a quantity of it that I may remain drunk up to the day of the fast.

173.

Cease, if ye are my friends, all vain discourse, and, to relieve my mental pains pour out the wine. And when to dust my frame returns, the self-same dust collect and make it brick to stop some crevice in the tavern wall.

174.

The beverage of our existence is sometimes limpid, sometimes muddy. Our garments are at one time of coarse wool, at another of finest fabric. All this is insignificant to a clear mind; but is it insignificant to die?

175.