rubaiyat of omar khayyam-第5章
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My Lip the secret Well of Life to learn:
And Lip to Lip it murmur'd〃While you live;
Drink!for once dead you never shall return。〃
XXXV。
I think the Vessel; that with fugitive
Articulation answer'd; once did live;
And merry…make; and the cold Lip I kiss'd
How many Kisses might it takeand give。
XXXVI。
For in the Market…place; one Dusk of Day;
I watch'd the Potter thumping his wet Clay:
And with its all obliterated Tongue
It murmur'd〃Gently; Brother; gently; pray!〃
XXXVII。
Ah; fill the Cup:what boots it to repeat
How Time is slipping underneath our Feet:
Unborn TO…MORROW and dead YESTERDAY;
Why fret about them if TO…DAY be sweet!
XXXVIII。
One Moment in Annihilation's Waste;
One moment; of the Well of Life to taste
The Stars are setting; and the Caravan
Starts for the dawn of NothingOh; make haste!
XXXIX。
How long; how long; in infinite Pursuit
Of This and That endeavour and dispute?
Better be merry with the fruitful Grape
Than sadden after none; or bitter; Fruit。
XL。
You know; my Friends; how long since in my House
For a new Marriage I did make Carouse:
Divorced old barren Reason from my Bed;
And took the Daughter of the Vine to Spouse。
XLI。
For 〃IS〃 and 〃IS…NOT〃 though with Rule and Line;
And; 〃UP…AND…DOWN〃 without; I could define;
I yet in all I only cared to know;
Was never deep in anything butWine。
XLII。
And lately; by the Tavern Door agape;
Came stealing through the Dusk an Angel Shape;
Bearing a vessel on his Shoulder; and
He bid me taste of it; and 'twasthe Grape!
XLIII。
The Grape that can with Logic absolute
The Two…and…Seventy jarring Sects confute:
The subtle Alchemist that in a Trice
Life's leaden Metal into Gold transmute。
XLIV。
The mighty Mahmud; the victorious Lord;
That all the misbelieving and black Horde
Of Fears and Sorrows that infest the Soul
Scatters and slays with his enchanted Sword。
XLV。
But leave the Wise to wrangle; and with me
The Quarrel of the Universe let be:
And; in some corner of the Hubbub coucht;
Make Game of that which makes as much of Thee。
XLVI。
For in and out; above; about; below;
'Tis nothing but a Magic Shadow…show;
Play'd in a Box whose Candle is the Sun;
Round which we Phantom Figures come and go。
XLVII。
And if the Wine you drink; the Lip you press;
End in the Nothing all Things end inYes…
Then fancy while Thou art; Thou art but what
Thou shalt beNothingThou shalt not be less。
XLVIII。
While the Rose blows along the River Brink;
With old Khayyam the Ruby Vintage drink:
And when the Angel with his darker Draught
Draws up to theetake that; and do not shrink。
XLVIX。
'Tis all a Chequer…board of Nights and Days
Where Destiny with Men for Pieces plays:
Hither and thither moves; and mates; and slays;
And one by one back in the Closet lays。
L。
The Ball no Question makes of Ayes and Noes;
But Right or Left as strikes the Player goes;
And He that toss'd Thee down into the Field;
He knows about it allHE knowsHE knows!
LI。
The Moving Finger writes; and; having writ;
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line;
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it。
LII。
And that inverted Bowl we call The Sky;
Whereunder crawling coop't we live and die;
Lift not thy hands to IT for helpfor It
Rolls impotently on as Thou or I。
LIII。
With Earth's first Clay They did the Last Man's knead;
And then of the Last Harvest sow'd the Seed:
Yea; the first Morning of Creation wrote
What the Last Dawn of Reckoning shall read。
LIV。
I tell Thee thisWhen; starting from the Goal;
Over the shoulders of the flaming Foal
Of Heav'n Parwin and Mushtari they flung;
In my predestin'd Plot of Dust and Soul
LV。
The Vine had struck a Fibre; which about
It clings my Beinglet the Sufi flout;
Of my Base Metal may be filed a Key;
That shall unlock the Door he howls without。
LVI。
And this I know: whether the one True Light;
Kindle to Love; or Wrath consume me quite;
One Glimpse of It within the Tavern caught
Better than in the Temple lost outright。
LVII。
Oh Thou who didst with Pitfall and with Gin
Beset the Road I was to wander in;
Thou wilt not with Predestination round
Enmesh me; and impute my Fall to Sin?
LVIII。
Oh Thou; who Man of baser Earth didst make;
And who with Eden didst devise the Snake;
For all the Sin wherewith the Face of Man
Is blacken'd; Man's Forgiveness giveand take!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
KUZANAMA。 (〃Book of Pots〃)
LIX。
Listen again。 One Evening at the Close
Of Ramazan; ere the better Moon arose;
In that old Potter's Shop I stood alone
With the clay Population round in Rows。
LX。
And strange to tell; among that Earthen Lot
Some could articulate; while others not:
And suddenly one more impatient cried
〃Who is the Potter; pray; and who the Pot?〃
LXI。
Then said another〃Surely not in vain
My substance from the common Earth was ta'en;
That He who subtly wrought me into Shape
Should stamp me back to common Earth again。〃
LXII。
Another said〃Why; ne'er a peevish Boy
Would break the Bowl from which he drank in Joy;
Shall He that made the Vessel in pure Love
And Fansy; in an after Rage destroy!〃
LXIII。
None answer'd this; but after Silence spake
A Vessel of a more ungainly Make:
〃They sneer at me for leaning all awry;
What? did the Hand then of the Potter shake?〃
LXIV。
Said one〃Folks of a surly Tapster tell;
And daub his Visage with the Smoke of Hell;
They talk of some strict Testing of usPish!
He's a Good Fellow; and 'twill all be well。〃
LXV。
Then said another with a long…drawn Sigh;
〃My Clay with long oblivion is gone dry:
But; fill me with the old familiar Juice;
Methinks I might recover by…and…bye!〃
LXVI。
So; while the Vessels one by one were speaking;
One spied the little Crescent all were seeking:
And then they jogg'd each other; 〃Brother! Brother!
Hark to the Porter's Shoulder…knot a…creaking!〃
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
LXVII。
Ah; with the Grape my fading Life provide;
And wash my Body whence the life has died;
And in a Windingsheet of Vineleaf wrapt;
So bury me by some sweet Gardenside。
LXVIII。
That ev'n my buried Ashes such a Snare
Of Perfume shall fling up into the Air;
As not a True Believer passing by
But shall be overtaken unaware。
LXIX。
Indeed; the Idols I have loved so long
Have done my Credit in Men's Eye much wrong:
Have drown'd my Honour in a shallow Cup;
And sold my Reputation for a Song。
LXX。
Indeed; indeed; Repentance oft before
I sworebut was I sober when I swore?
And then and then came Spring; and Rose…in…hand
My thread…bare Penitence a…pieces tore。
LXXI。
And much as Wine has play'd the Infidel;
And robb'd me of my Robe of Honourwell;
I often wonder what the Vintners buy
One half so precious as the Goods they sell。
LXXII。
Alas; that Spring should vanish with the Rose!
That Youth's sweet…scented Manuscript should close!
The Nightingale that in the Branches sang;
Ah; whence; and whither flown again; who knows!
LXXIII。
Ah; Love! could thou and I with Fate conspire
To grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire;
Would not we shatter it to bitsand then
Re…mould it nearer