486. N. This rather sins against Horace's canon, «_Nec Deus intersit_,» etc.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
You, who in carnal lusts your time employ, Wearing your precious spirit with annoy, Know that these things you set your heart upon Sooner or later must the soul destroy!