And spin life's woof, but for the warp, where is it?
And many a righteous man has burned to dust
In heaven's blue rondure, but their smoke, where is it?
393. C. L. N. A. B. I. J. So Ecclesiastes, «There is no remembrance of
the wise, more than of the fool.» «Smoke,» _i.e._, trace.
394.
Life's well-spring lurks within that lip of thine!
Let not the cup's lip touch that lip of thine!
Beshrew me, if I fail to drink his blood,
For who is he, to touch that lip of thine?
394. C. L. N. A. I. J. To a sweetheart.
395.
Such as I am, Thy power created me,
Thy care hath kept me for a century!
Through all these years I make experiment,
If my sins or Thy mercy greater be.
395. C. L. N. A. I. J. God's long-suffering.
396.
«Take up thy cup and goblet, Love,» I said,
«Haunt purling river bank, and grassy glade;
Full many a moon-like form has heaven's weel
Oft into cup, oft into goblet, made!»
396. C. L. N. A. B. I. J.
397.
We buy new wine and old, our cups to fill,
And sell for two grains this world's good and ill;
Know you where you will go to after death?
Set wine before me, and go where you will!
397. L. N. and J. give lines 1 and 2 differently.
398.
Was e'er man born who never went astray?
Did ever mortal pass a sinless day?
If I do ill, do not requite with ill!
Evil for evil how can'st Thou repay?
398. L. N. Line 3 and 4 are paraphrased somewhat freely.
399.
Bring forth that ruby gem of Badakhshan,
That heart's delight, that balm of Turkistan;
They say 'tis wrong for Musulmen to drink,
But ah! where can we find a Musulman?
399. C. L. N. A. I. J.
400.
My body's life and strength proceed from Thee!
My soul within and spirit are of Thee!
My being is of Thee, and Thou art mine,
And I am Thine, since I am lost in Thee!
400. L. «In him we live and move, and have our being.»
401.
Man, like a ball, hither and thither goes,
As fate's resistless bat directs the blows;
But He, who gives thee up to this rude sport,
He knows what drives thee, yea, He knows, He knows!
401. C. L. A. I. J. Line 4 is in metre 22, consisting of ten syllables,
all long.
402.
O Thou who givest sight to emmet's eyes,
And strength to puny limbs of feeble flies,
To Thee we will ascribe Almighty power,
And not base, unbecoming qualities.
402. L. An echo of the Asharian's discussions on the Divine attributes.
403.
Let not base avarice enslave thy mind,
Nor vain ambition in its trammels bind;
Be sharp as fire, as running water swift,
Not, like earth's dust, the sport of every wind!
403. L. C. A. I. J.
404.
'Tis best all other blessings to forego
For wine, that charming Turki maids bestow;
Kalendars' raptures pass all things that are,
From moon on high down into fish below!
404. C. L. N. A. B. I. J. For _mah_ L. reads _hahk_ probably a Sufi
gloss. Kalendars, bibulous Sufis. Fish, that whereon the earth was said
to rest.
405.
Friend! trouble not yourself about your lot,
Let futile care and sorrow be forgot;
Since this life's vesture crumbles into dust,
What matters stain of word or deed, or blot?
405. L. N.
406.
O thou who hast done ill, and ill alone,
And thinkest to find mercy at the throne,
Hope not for mercy! for good left undone
Cannot be done, nor evil done undone!
406. N. A. I. This quatrain is by Abu Sa'id Abu'l Khair; and is an
answer to No. 420, which is attributed to Avicenna.
407.
Count not to live beyond your sixtieth year,
To walk in jovial courses persevere;
And ere your skull be turned into a cup,
Let wine-cups ever to your hand adhere!
407. L. N. B.
408.
These heavens resemble an inverted cup,
Whereto the wise with awe keep gazing up;
So stoops the bottle o'er his love, the cup,
Feigning to kiss, and gives her blood to sup!
408. C. L. N. A. B. I. Blood, an emblem of hate.
409.
I sweep the tavern threshold with my hair,
For both world's good and ill I take no care;
Should the two worlds roll to my house, like balls,
When drunk, for one small coin I'd sell the pair!
409. L. N. B.
410.
The drop wept for his severance from the sea,
But the sea smiled, for «I am all,» said he,
«The Truth is all, nothing exists beside,
That one point circling apes plurality.»
410. N. This is in Ramal metre, No. 50. Compare _Gulshan i Raz_, line
710.
411.
Shall I still sigh for what I have not got,
Or try with cheerfulness to bear my lot?
Fill up my cup! I know not if the breath
I now am drawing is my last, or not!
411. C. L. N. A. B. I. J. Some MSS. place this quatrain under _Radif
ya_.
412.
Yield not to grief, though fortune prove unkind,
Nor call sad thoughts of parted friends to mind;
Devote thy heart to sugary lips, and wine,
Cast not thy precious life unto the wind!
412. L. N. B.
413.
Of mosque and prayer and fast preach not to me,
Rather go drink, were it on charity!
Yea, drink, Khayyam, your dust will soon be made
A jug, or pitcher, or a cup, may be!
413. N. «Imperial Cæsar, dead, and turned to clay Might stop a hole to
keep the wind away.»
414.
Bulbuls, doting on roses, oft complain
How forward breezes rend their veils in twain;
Sit we beneath this rose, which many a time
Has sunk to earth, and sprung from earth again.
414. L. N. B. So Moschus on the mallows.
415.
Suppose the world goes well with you, what then?
When life's last page is read and turned, what then?
Suppose you live a hundred years of bliss,
Yea, and a hundred years besides, what then?
415. C. L. N A. I. J. See Vullers, p. 100.
416.
How is it that of all the leafy tribe,
Cypress and lily men as «free» describe?
This has a dozen tongues, yet holds her peace,
That has a hundred hands which take no bribe.
416. L. N. Sa'di in the _Gulistan_, Book viii., gives another
explanation of this expression. «Tongues, stamens, and hands, branches.»
417.
Cupbearer, bring my wine-cup, let me grasp it!
Bring that delicious darling, let me grasp it!
That pleasing chain which tangles in its coils
Wise men and fools together, let me grasp it!
417. L. N. _Bipechand_ seems a plural of dignity.
418.
Alas! my wasted life has gone to wrack!
What with forbidden meats, and lusts, alack!
And leaving undone what 'twas right to do,
And doing wrong, my face is very black!
418. C. L. N. A. I. These whimsical outbursts of self-reproach in the
midst of antinomian utterances are characteristic of Khayyam.
419.
I could repent of all, but of wine, never!
I could dispense with all, but with wine, never!
If so be I became a Musulman,
Could I abjure my Magian wine? no, never!
419. L. N. The Magians sold wine.
420.
We rest our hopes on Thy free grace alone,
Nor seek by merits for our sins to atone;
Mercy drops where it lists, and estimates
Ill done as undone, good undone as done.
420. L. N. A. I. This quatrain is also ascribed to the celebrated
philosopher Avicenna. See No. 406.
421.
This is the form Thou gavest me of old,
Wherein Thou workest marvels manifold;
Can I aspire to be a better man,
Or other than I issued from Thy mould?
421. C. L. N. A. I. This is a variation of No. 221.
422.
O Lord! to Thee all creatures worship pay,
To Thee both small and great for ever pray,
Thou takest woe away, and givest weal,
Give then, or, if it please Thee, take away!
422. L. Scan _bandagita_, omitting _fatha_ before _te_. Vullers, p. 197.
423.
With going to and fro in this sad vale
Thou art grown double, and thy credit stale,
Thy nails are thickened like a horse's hoof,
Thy beard is ragged as an ass's tail.
423. C. L. A. I. J. A description of old age.
424.
O unenlightened race of humankind,
Ye are a nothing, built on empty wind!
Yea, a mere nothing, hovering in the abyss,
A void before you, and a void behind!
424. C. L. A. I. J. The technical name for existence between two
non-existences is _Takwin_. Bl. _Ain i Akbari_, p. 198. Compare the term
«_nunc stans_,» applied to Time by the Schoolmen.
425.
Each morn I say, «To-night I will repent
Of wine, and tavern haunts no more frequent»;
But while 'tis spring, and roses are in bloom,
To loose me from my promise, O consent!
425. C. L. A. I. J.
426.
Vain study of philosophy eschew!
Rather let tangled curls attract your view;
And shed the bottle's life-blood in your cup,
Or e'er death shed your blood, and feast on you.
426. C. L. N. A. B. I. J. _Bigorezi bi_, «better that you should
eschew.»
427.
O heart! can'st thou the darksome riddle read,
Where wisest men have failed, wilt thou succeed?
Quaff wine, and make thy heaven here below,
Who knows if heaven above will be thy meed?
427. C. L. N. A. B. I. J.
428.
They that have passed away, and gone before,
Sleep in delusion's dust for evermore;
Go, boy, and fetch some wine, this is the truth,
Their dogmas were but air, and wind their lore!
428. C. L. N. A. B. I. J. So Ecclesiastes, «I gave my heart to know
wisdom ... and perceived that this also is vanity.»
429.
O heart! when on the Loved One's sweets you feed,
You lose yourself, but find your Self indeed;
And, when you drink of His entrancing cup,
You hasten your escape from quick and dead!
429. C. L. N. A. I. J. Die to self, to live in God, your true self. See
Max Müller, Hibbert Lectures, p. 375.
430.
Though I am wont a wine-bibber to be,
Why should the people rail and chide at me?
Would that all evil actions made men drunk,
For then no sober people should I see!
430. C. N. A. I. J.
431.
Child of four elements and sevenfold heaven,
Who fume and sweat because of these eleven,
Drink! I have told you seventy times and seven,
Once gone, nor hell will send you back, nor heaven.
431. C. L. N. A. I. J.
432.
With many a snare Thou dost beset my way,
And threatenest, if I fall therein, to slay;
Thy rule resistless sways the world, yet Thou
Imputest sin, when I do but obey!
432. B. N. Allah is the _Fa'il i hakiki_, the only real agent, according
to the Sufi view, _Hukmi tu Kuni_, «Thou givest thy order.»
433.
To Thee, whose essence baffles human thought,
Our sins and righteous deeds alike seem naught,
May Thy grace sober me, though drunk with sins,
And pardon all the ill that I have wrought!
433. L. N.
434.
If this life were indeed an empty play,
Each day would be an _'lid_ of festal day,
And men might conquer all their hearts' desire,
Fearless of after penalties to pay!
434. N. N takes _taklid_ in the sense of «authority,» but I think it
alludes to Koran, xxix. 64. See _Gulshan i Raz_, p. 50.
435.
O wheel of heaven, you thwart my heart's desire,
And rend to shreds my scanty joy's attire,
The water that I drink you foul with earth,
And turn the very air I breathe to fire!
435. C. L. N. A. I.
436.
O soul! could you but doff this flesh and bone,
You'd soar a sprite about the heavenly throne;
Had you no shame to leave your starry home,
And dwell an alien on this earthly zone?
436. C. L. N. B. A. I.
437.
Ah, potter, stay thine hand' with ruthless art
Put not to such base use man's mortal part!
See, thou art mangling on thy cruel wheel
Faridun's fingers, and Kai Khosrau's heart!
437. C. L. N. A. I. Faridun and Kai Khosrau were ancient kings of
Persia. Kai Khosrau is usually identified with Cyrus.
438.
O rose! all beauties' charms thou dost excel,
As wine excels the pearl within its shell;
O fortune! thou dost ever show thyself
More strange, although I seem to know thee well!
438. N. _Mimani_, You resemble.
439.
From this world's kitchen crave not to obtain
Those dainties, seeming real, but really vain,
Which greedy worldlings gorge to their own loss;
Renounce that loss, so loss shall prove thy gain!
439. L. N. B.
440.
Plot not of nights, thy fellows' peace to blight,
So that they cry to God the live-long night;
Nor plume thee on thy wealth and might, which thieves
May steal by night, or death, or fortune's might.
440. N. _Ta bar nikashand_, «Let us abstain from oppressing people, so
that they may not heave a sigh, saying, O Lord.»
441.
This soul of mine was once Thy cherished bride,
What caused Thee to divorce her from Thy side?
Thou didst not use to treat her thus of yore,
Why then now doom her in the world to abide?
441. L. N.
442.
Ah! would there were a place of rest from pain,
Which we, poor pilgrims, might at last attain,
And after many thousand wintry years,
Renew our life, like flowers, and bloom again!
442. C. N. A. I. J.
443.
While in love's book I sought an augury;
An ardent youth cried out in ecstasy,
«Who owns a sweetheart beauteous as the moon,
Might wish his moments long as years to be!»
443. C. L. N. A. I. Compare the «_sortes Virgilianæ._» Line 4 is freely
paraphrased.
444.
Winter is past, and spring-tide has begun,
Soon will the pages of life's book be done!
Well saith the sage, «Life is a poison rank,
And antidote, save grape-juice, there is none.»
444. C. L. N. A. I. J.
445.
Beloved, if thou a reverend Molla be,
Quit saintly show, and feigned austerity,
And quaff the wine that Murtaza purveys,
And sport with Houris 'neath some shady tree!
445. N. Note the change from the imperative to the aorist. In line 4
scan _Murtazasha_. _Murtaza_ (Ali) is the celestial cupbearer.
446.
Last night I dashed my cup against a stone,
In a mad drunken freak, as I must own,
And lo! the cup cries out in agony,
«You too, like me, shall soon be overthrown.»
446. C. L. N. A. B. I. _Saboyiy, ya i batni_, joined to the noun by
euphonic or conjunctive _ya_.
447.
My heart is weary of hypocrisy,
Cupbearer, bring some wine, I beg of thee!
This hooded cowl and prayer-mat pawn for wine,
Then will I boast me in security.
447. N.
448.
Audit yourself, your truce account to frame,
See! you go empty, as you empty came;
You say, «I will not drink and peril life,»
But, drink or no, you must die all the same!
448. C. L. N. A. I.
449.
Open the door! O entrance who procurest,
And guide the way, O Thou of guides the surest!
Directors born of men shall not direct me,
Their counsel comes to naught, but Thou endurest!
450.
In slandering and reviling you persist,
Calling me infidel and atheist:
My errors I will not deny, but yet
Does foul abuse become a moralist?
450. C. L. N. A. I. In line 1 scan _goyi-yaz_, Bl., Prosody, p. 10. The
_tashdid_ of _mukin_ is dropped.
451.
To find a remedy, put up with pain,
Chafe not at woe, and healing thou wilt gain;
Though poor, be ever of a thankful mind,
'Tis the sure method riches to obtain.
451. L. N. _Dawayiy_. The first _ya_ is the conjunctive _ya_ (Vullers,
p. 16), the second _ya i tankir_.
452.
Give me a skin of wine, a crust of bread
A pittance bare, a book of verse to read;
With thee, O love, to share my lowly roof,
I would not take the Sultan's realm instead!
452. N. B. _Tange_, the _izafat_ is displaced by _ya i tankir_,
according to Lumsden, ii. 269.
453.
Reason not of the five, nor of the four,
Be their dark problems one, or many score;
We are but earth, go, minstrel, bring the lute,
We are but air, bring wine, I ask no more!
453. N. C. L. A. I. J. give only the first line of this. Five senses,
four elements.
454.
Why argue on Yasin and on Barat?
Write me the draft for wine they call Barat!
The day my weariness is drowned in wine
Will seem to me as the great night Barat!
454. C. L. N. A. I. J. _Yasin_ is the 64th, and Barat the 9th, chapter
of the Koran. _Barat_, the «night of power.»
455.
Whilst thou dost wear this fleshy livery,
Step not beyond the bounds of destiny;
Bear up, though very Rustums be thy foes,
And crave no boon from friends like Hatim Tai!
455. C. L. N. A. I. J.
456.
These ruby lips, and wine, and minstrel boys,
And lute, and harp, your dearly cherished toys,
Are mere redundancies, and you are naught,
Till you renounce the world's delusive joys.
456. L. N. _Hashw_, mere «stuffing,» leather and prunella.
457.
Bow down, heaven's tyranny to undergo,
Quaff wine to face the world, and all its woe;
Your origin and end are both in earth,
But now you are _above_ earth, not _below_!
457. C. L. N. A. I. J.
458.
You know all secrets of this earthly sphere,
Why then remain a prey to empty fear?
You cannot bend things to your will, but yet
Cheer up for the few moments you are here!
458. C. L. N. A. I. J. Scan _chim wakifiyay_.
459.
Behold, where'er we turn our ravished eyes,
Sweet verdure springs, and crystal Kausars rise;
And plains, once bare as hell, now smile as heaven:
Enjoy this heaven with maids of Paradise!
459. C. L. N. A. B. I. J.
460.
Never in this false world on friends rely
(I give this counsel confidentially),
Put up with pain, and seek no antidote,
Endure your grief, and ask no sympathy!
460. N.
461.
Of wisdom's dictates two are principal,
Surpassing all your lore traditional;
Better to fast than eat of every meat,
Better to live alone than mate with all!
461. N. _Hadis i na goyayiy._ The unwritten revelations, or traditions,
opposed to _Qur'an_ (Koran), the «reading.» So _sruti_ is opposed to
_smriti_.
462.
Why unripe grapes are sharp, prithee explain,
And then grow sweet, while wine is sharp again?
When one has carved a block into a lute,
Can he from that same block a pipe obtain?
462. L. N.
463.
When dawn doth silver the dark firmament,
Why shrills the bird of dawning his lament?
It is to show in dawn's bright looking-glass
How of thy careless life a night is spent.
463. C. L. N. A. I. J. So Job, «Hast spread the sky as a molten
looking-glass.»
464.
Cupbearer, come! from thy full-throated ewer
Pour blood-red wine, the world's despite to cure!
Where can I find another friend like wine,
So genuine, so solacing, so pure?
464. C. L. N. A. I. J.
465.
Though you should sit in sage Aristo's room,
Or rival Cæsar on his throne of Rum,
Drain Jemshid's goblet, for your end's the tomb,
Yea, were you Bahram's self, your end's the tomb!
465. N. _Jamhur_, a name of Buzurjimihr, _Wazir_ of Nushirwan.
_Faghfur_, the Chinese emperor.
466.
It chanced into a potter's shop I strayed,
He turned his wheel and deftly plied his trade,
And out of monarchs' heads, and beggars' feet,
Fair heads and handles for his pitchers made!
466. C. N. L. A. I. J. _Paya_, «the treadle.»
467.
If you have sense, true senselessness attain,
And the Etern Cupbearer's goblet drain,
If not, true senselessness is not for you,
Not every fool true senselessness can gain!
467. L. N. Meaning, the «truly Mystical darkness of ignorance.» See
_Gulshan i Raz_, p. 13.
468.
O Love! before you pass death's portal through,
And potters make their jugs of me and you,
Pour from this jug some wine, of headache void,
And fill your cup, and fill my goblet too!
468. C. L. N. A. I. J. Headache, in allusion to the wine of Paradise,
Koran, lvi. 17.
469.
O Love! while yet you can, with tender art,
Lift sorrow's burden from your lover's heart;
Your wealth of graces will not always last,
But slip from your possession, and depart!
469. C. L. N. A. I. J. Some MSS. read _zinhar_ for _zihar_, either will
scan.
470.
Bestir thee, ere death's cup for thee shall flow,
And blows of ruthless fortune lay thee low;
Acquire some substance _here_, there is none _there_,
For those who thither empty-handed go!
470. L. N. Line 2 is in metre 4. Meaning, «Work while it is day.»
471.
Who framed the lots of quick and dead but Thou?
Who turns the troublous wheel of heaven but Thou?
Though we are sinful slaves, is it for Thee
To blame us? Who created us but Thou?
471. L. N. A. I.
472.
O wine, most limpid, pure, and crystalline,
Would I could drench this silly frame of mine
With thee, that passers by might think 'twas thou,
And cry, «Whence comest thou, fair master wine?»
472. L. N.
473.
A Shaikh beheld a harlot, and quoth he,
«You seem a slave to drink and lechery»;
And she made answer, «What I seem I am,
But, Master, are you all you seem to be?»
473. L. N. The technical name of quatrains like this is _suwal o jawab_,
or _muraja'at_. Gladwin, Persian Rhetoric, p. 40.
474.
If, like a ball, earth to my house were borne,
When drunk, I'd rate it at a barley-corn;
Last night they offered me in pawn for wine,
But the rude vintner laughed that pledge to scorn.
474. C. L. N. A. I. J. Note the _yas i tankir_ in _Kuye_, _juye_, and
_giraye_.
475.
Now in thick clouds Thy face Thou dost immerse,
And now display it in this universe;
Thou the spectator, Thou the spectacle,
Sole to Thyself Thy glories dost rehearse.
475. C. L. N. A. I. J. Compare the Vulgate, «_ludens in orbe terrarum_,»
and _Gulshan i Raz_, p. 14.
476.
Better to make one soul rejoice with glee,
Than plant a desert with a colony;
Rather one freeman bind with chains of love,
Than set a thousand prisoned captives free!
476. L.N.
477.
O thou who for thy pleasure dost impart
A pang of sorrow to thy fellow's heart,
Go! mourn thy perished wit, and peace of mind,
Thyself hast slain them, like the fool thou art!
477. C. L. N A. I. J.
478.
Wherever you can get two maunds of wine,
Set to, and drink it like a libertine;
Whoso acts thus will set his spirit free
From saintly airs like yours, and grief like mine.
478. C. L. N. A. B. I. J. _Chu mane_, «of one like me.» So in No. 170
(the note which is wrong). Vullers, p. 254. Literally, «mustaches and
beards.»
479.
So long as I possess two maunds of wine,
Bread of the flower of wheat, and mutton chine,
And you, O Tulip cheek, to share my hut,
Not every Sultan's lot can vie with mine.
479. C. L. N. A. B. I.
480.
They call you wicked, if to fame you're known,
And an intriguer, if you live alone,
Trust me, though you were Khizr or Elias,
'Tis best to know none, and of none be known.
480. C. N. I.
481.
Yes! here am I with wine and feres again!
I did repent, but, ah! 'twas all in vain;
Preach not to me of Noah and his flood,
But pour a flood of wine to drown my pain!
481. C. L. N. A. I. J. _Tauba i Nassuh_, a repentance not to be repented
of. Nicolas. In line 2 note the _izafat_ dropped after silent _he_.
482.
For union with my love I sigh in vain,
The pangs of absence I can scarce sustain,
My grief I dare not tell to any friend;
O trouble strange, sweet passion, bitter pain!
482. N. These quatrains are called _firakiya_, and are rare in Khayyam.
483.
'Tis dawn! I hear the loud Muezzin's call,
And here am I before the vintner's hall;
This is no time of piety. Be still!
And drop your talk and airs devotional!
483. C. L. N. A. I. J.
484.
Angel of joyful foot! the dawn is nigh;
Pour wine, and lift your tuneful voice on high,
Sing how Jemshids and Khosraus bit the dust,
Whelmed by the rolling months, from Tir to Dai!
484. C. L. N. A. I. _Tir_ and _Dai_, April and December.
485.
Frown not at revellers, I beg of thee,
For all thou keepest righteous company;
But drink, for, drink or no, 'tis all the same,
If doomed to hell, no heaven thou'lt ever see.
485. C. L. N. A. I. J. Koran, xvi. 38: «Some of them there were, whom
Allah guided, and there were others doomed to err.»
486.
I wish that Allah would rebuild these skies,
And earth, and that at once, before my eyes,
And either raze my name from off his roll,
Or else relieve my dire necessities!
486. N. This rather sins against Horace's canon, «_Nec Deus intersit_,»
etc.
487.
Lord! make thy bounty's cup for me to flow,
And bread unbegged for day by day bestow;
Yea, with thy wine make me beside myself.
No more to feel the headache of my woe!
487. C. L. N. A. I. J.
488.
Omar! of burning heart, perchance to burn
In hell, and feed its bale-fires in thy turn,
Presume not to teach Allah clemency,
For who art thou to teach, or He to learn?
488. C. L. N. A. I. J. The Persian preface states that, after his death,
Omar appeared to his mother in a dream, and repeated this quatrain to
her. For the last line I am indebted to Mr. Fitzgerald.
489.
Cheer up! your lot was settled yesterday!
Heedless of all that you might do or say,
Without so much as «By your leave» they fixed
Your lot for all the morrows yesterday!
489. C. L. A. B. I. Predestination.
490.
I never would have come, had I been asked,
I would as lief not go, if I were asked,
And, to be short, I would annihilate
All coming, being, going, were I asked!
490. C. L. N. (in part) A. B. I. J. So the Ecclesiast, «Therefore I
hated life,» etc.
491.
Man is a cup, his soul the wine therein,
Flesh is a pipe, spirit the voice within;
O Khayyam, have you fathomed what man is?
A magic lantern with a light therein!
492.
O skyey wheel, all base men you supply
With baths, mills, and canals that run not dry,
While good men have to pawn their goods for bread:
Pray, who would give a fig for such a sky?
492. B. L. In line 3 I read _nih and_ for _nihand_, which will not scan.
Line 4 is slightly paraphrased.
493.
A potter at his work I chanced to see,
Pounding some earth and shreds of pottery;
I looked with eyes of insight, and methought
'Twas Adam's dust with which he made so free!
493. C. L. A. I. J. Note the arrangement of the prepositions _bar_ . .
_bazer_. Bl., Prosody, xiii.
494.
The Saki knows my _genus properly_,
To all woe's _species_ he holds a key,
Whene'er my _mood_ is sad, he brings me wine,
And that makes all the _difference_ to me!
494. C. L. A. I. A play on terms of Logic.
495.
Dame Fortune! all your acts and deeds confess
That you are foul oppression's votaress;
You cherish bad men, and annoy the good;
Is this from dotage, or sheer foolishness?
495. C. L. A. I. J. _Mu'takif_, a devotee.
496.