Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

The "breath of 'Isa," or Jesus, is again introduced in

the following Rubá'iy:

(39)

C'est l'effet de ton ivresse qui te fait craindre la Nicolas mort et abhorrer le néant, car il est évident que de ce néant germera une branche de l'immortalité. Depuis que mon âme est ravivée par le souffle de Jésus, la mort eternelle a fui loin de moi.

(101)

It is but thy drunkenness which makes thee dread McCarthy death and fear nothingness; for it is clear that from that nothingness the Tree of Immortality shall spring. Since my soul has been resuscitated by the breath of Jesus, eternal death has fled afar from me.

Death's terrors spring from baseless phantasy,
Death yields the tree of immortality;

Since 'Isa breathed new life into my soul,
Eternal death has washed its hands of me!

Whinfield, 23 (1882), has foolish fantasy, Isa, and the last line reads:

I wash my hands of fear and dare to die.

The fears of Death from your Illusions rise,
For Death is but the Door to Paradise,

The Breath of Jesus hath revived my Soul,
The Tales of Everlasting Death, are Lies.

Wie thöricht, dass Dich Todesbangen quäle !
Aus jedem Nichts, davor Dir graut, wächst Alles.

Seit Jesu Hauch belebt hat meine Seele,

Sind Tod und Nichts mir Worte leeren Schalles.

* Wörtlich: Deine Trunkenheit (Unverstand, Kopflosigkeit) macht Dich den Tod und das Nichts fürchten.

Whinfield (43)

Garner (I. 30)

Bodenstedt (I. 25)

Von Schack Blindheit ist's, ihr Menschen, dass ihr vor dem Tode

Denn erblüh'n wird aus dem Tode, glaubt mir, die

Unsterblichkeit !

Seit mit seinem Wunderhauche Jesus meinen Geist

belebt,

Ward ich von dem ew'gen Tode und der Furcht vor ihm befreit.

APPENDIX III.
RUBÁ'IY V.

Djem or Jám signifies king: shed (chid or shyd) signifies sun. Jamshed is supposed to have founded Persepolis, called in Persian Istakhr, or Tekhté-Djemshid, the Throne of Jamshed. He also instituted the nuruz (Naw Rooz), or new day, the first day of the solar year, as a festival. To him is attributed by some historians the glory of having discovered the virtues of wine.

The cup of Jamshed was the invention of the famous Kai-Kosru, third king of the Keyan or Kaianian dynasty, great-grandson of Kai-Kobad. It was made of metal, and bore the signs of the zodiac and cabalistic letters, whereby its possessor could read the future.

Jamshed and Alexander the Great are fabled to have in turn owned this treasure. Nicolas refers to Genesis xliv. 5, to prove that Joseph possessed a cup of similar power:

"Is not this [that is to say the silver-cup which Joseph caused to be hidden in Benjamin's sack] it in which my lord drinketh and whereby he indeed divineth?"

See Appendix XI, Nicolas, 103, etc.

Attár in the Bird-Parliament makes effective mention

of Joseph's Cup. FitzGerald's Translation runs :

Nor knew him, for a Veil before his Face,)
Struck on his Mystic Cup, which straightway then
Rung out their Story to those guilty Ten:
Nor to them only, but to every one;
Whatever he have said and thought and done,
Unburied with the Body shall fly up,

And gather into Heav'n's inverted Cup,
Which, stricken by God's Finger, shall tell all
The story whereby we must stand or fall."

The transitoriness of earthly power and magnificence expressed in the first two lines of FitzGerald, and mention of Jamshyd's cup, are found in the following:

(430)

En philosophie quand tu serais un Aristote, un Bou- Nicolas zourdjméhr; en puissance quand tu serais quelque empereur romain ou quelque potentat de Chine, bois toujours, bois du vin dans la coupe de Djém, car la fin de tout c'est la tombe; oh! quand tu serais Béhram lui-même, le cercueil est ton dernier séjour.

(329)

Wert thou as wise as Aristotle, wert thou as potent McCarthy as Roman Caesar, or monarch of Cathay, drink, drink, I say, in the cup of Djemshid, for the grave is the end of all, yea, wert thou Bahram himself, the tomb is thy final abode.

Whinfield

(465)

Garner

(VI. 3)

Bodenstedt (IX. 100)

Though you should sit in sage Aristo's room,
Or rival Cæsar on his throne of Rúm,

Drain Jamshed's goblet, for your end 's the tomb,
Yea, were you Bahram's self, your end 's the tomb!

In Whinfield, 239 (1882), wise Aristu's room, Bahrám, and your end is the tomb.

But still drink Wine from Jámshed's Cup
Though Bahrám's self, the Tomb would be your End.

Wärst Du wie Aristoteles ein Weiser,
An Macht wie Roma's oder China's Kaiser:
Trink Wein aus Dschem's Pokal; des Lebens Lauf
(Wärst Du selbst Behram!) hört im Grabe auf.

Nicolas
(237)

McCarthy (50)

Whinfield (277)

J'ai vu sur les murs de la ville de Thous un oiseau posé devant le crâne de Key-Kavous. L'oiseau disait à ce crâne: "Hélas! que sont donc devenus le bruit des anneaux de ta gloire et le son du clairon?"

I saw upon the walls of Thous a bird perched in frout of the skull of Kai Khosrou. The bird said unto the skull, "Alas, what has become of the clash of the gear of thy glory and the bruit of thy trumpets?"

I saw a bird perched on the walls of Tús,

Before him lay the skull of Kai Kawús,

And thus he made his moan, "Alas, poor king! Thy drums are hushed, thy 'larums have rung truce."

Whinfield, 153 (1882), Kai Kaiús; line 4, have sung truce.

A Bird upon the crumbling walls of Tús,
Addressed the grinning Skull of Kai-Kaiús :—
"The Rumbling of Thy Drums affright no Ears,
Thy Trumpets now are tarnished from Disuse."

Einen Vogel sah ich sitzen auf der Mauer von Thuss
Und hört' ihn sprechen zum Schädel des Key-Kawuss:
Ach, wo sind nun die Pauken und Zinken des Ruhms,
Wo der Lärm und Glanz Deines Herrschertums?

Zum Schädel des Kai Kawus auf dem Wall

Von Tus einst hört' ich sprechen einen Geier: "Ach! ach! wo ist nun deiner Feste Feier? Wo blieb nun deiner Kriegsdrommeten Schall?”

Tús was uncle of Kai-Kaiús; it is also the name of a town near Nishápúr. Kai-Kaiús was son and successor of KaiKobad, founder of the Kaianian dynasty which displaced the mythical Peshdadians.

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Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám: English, French, and German Translations ..., Том 2