1145
To attain the secret rank someday,
Do not once crush the weak beneath your foot.
Do not call down misfortune; do not think of death:
They will find their way to you without that.
1146
Even if fate has granted you five centuries,
It is not longevity but deeds that will make you renowned.
Be wise! So that rumor does not curse you,
Become a good fairy tale, not a spawn of evil.
1147
Do not walk the road in such a way that everyone here and there,
Seeing you, leaps up and cries “salam!”,
Nor enter the mosque so that people part before you,
Respectfully whispering: “Surely, an imam!”
1148
Great shame and disgrace: to worship yourself,
To despise the people in your soul and enthrone yourself.
It would be useful to learn from the watchful pupil
Which, gazing at people, does not see itself at all.
1149
Have you thought that our ancestor was Adam?
Though centuries have separated us,
We seem foreign and alien to one another,
Our kinship—you and I—cannot be denied.
1150
Even if joyless days have worn you down,
Even if they are filled with heaven’s fury,
Even if you burn in fire—do not defile your lips
With a sip of cold water from a villain’s cup.
1151
Once you have found bread for a day or two,
And even if the pitcher is chipped, yet splashes with water—
Why remain a slave to a worthless person?
Or make your equal into your servant?
1152
It is nobler to gnaw a bone yet be a free eagle
Than to take a place at a worthless person’s table.
By God, to bite poor man’s bread is more honorable
Than to soil yourself with jelly among scoundrels.
1153
Enough fawning before every carcass,
Enough clinging soulfully to free scraps like a fly.
A flatbread for two days is more filling than any handout;
Better eat your own flesh than another’s rich pilaf.
1154
O young man! An old man gives you advice,
Fermented in the yeast of venerable, wise years:
Do not make friends with those you barely know,
Do not embark on ventures that bring no benefit.
1155
In communion with a sage, seek your shelter;
On spotting an ignorant man, go a hundred miles around.
If a sage offers it, drink even a cup of poison,
But if a fool treats you, spill out even the honey.
1156
“Evil comes from the kharabat,” they often say.
But evil lies within us. What has the kharabat to do with it?
Everything looks crooked when the eyes squint,
And only a straightened gaze sees crookedness.
1157
While it is difficult for me to befriend myself,
I have no right to judge anyone’s good or evil.
I must understand myself to the utmost
So that my heart may understand other people.
1158
To embrace a lovely, curly-haired woman—good!
To raise a sweet cup—good!
And if the hand of fate delays a little longer:
To take a little from fate—good!
1159
Here another one of your minutes will pass.
Will laughter and the gleam of wine adorn it?—Good!
The treasure of the universe has entrusted itself to you—
Life. Wherever you lead it, there it will go.
1160
If you do not let the tyrant Fate into your nocturnal repose,
Do not let sorrowful memory perish in grief,
Do not cast your love to the wind with your own hand,
Then you will not cast your earthly life to the wind either.
1161
Will you awaken in the morning, going to sleep tonight?
Then do not delay scattering seeds of goodness.
Surely this world will not be slow to take it away?
So hurry with your heart to recognize your friends!
1162
Is the world of troubles invisible even to a sage?
Yet look how cheerfully he goes!
Understand: the one who suits life well
Drinks the cup of life, but does not drink its bitterness.
1163
Lovingly indulge your heart’s desires,
Gathering the harvest of your days grain by grain.
From all the treasuries toward which your heart aspires,
Gather your harvest and distribute it anew.
1164
Here is a good deed. You admire it. Yet still,
Do not judge before turning it inside out.
Take tailors as your example: though they look at the right side
While stitching, the view from the reverse is what matters.
1165
Spend some of your spiritual strength, of course,
Searching for what truly exists and what is worth putting on.
The whole remaining heap of blessings is not worth a glance,
And to give your life to them… Why, that is to give life itself!
1166
Whom you envy, you will raise to kingship;
Whom you disdain, you will reduce to slavery.
But come to your senses while you can still help:
In the helpless, you will find a helper as well.
1167
One who knew neither illness nor hunger,
Who did not trade his roof for another’s palace,
Who kept no servants and was never a servant himself—
Envy him: he skimmed the cream from existence!
1168
Do not climb toward the heights; do not knock others down while striving forward.
Casting aside poison, offer the balm of your soul.
So that evil does not strike you on this evil earth,
Do not learn evil, do not teach evil, do not cherish evil!
1169
Just wish it, and without trouble you will achieve
The respect of the noble and the love of ordinary people.
Whether a Christian, Jew, or Muslim has passed by,
Do not slander them afterward—and you will gain respect.
1170
Guard your words more securely than coins:
Listen to the end, then give your answer.
You were given one tongue and two ears
So that you may hear two, but offer one piece of advice.
1171
Hey, traveler! Do not sleep through or miss your path;
Do not be an arrow fluttering pointlessly,
Nor that student of the rope-maker:
Do not forget his story on the road!
1172
On the paths of wisdom, do not tire your mind
And do not grow angry with a harmless fellow traveler.
If you dream of making people fall in love with you, then strive:
Fall in love with people (but do not fall in love with yourself!).
1173
Blessed is the one who was not captivated by human fame,
Who did not pay for silk and brocade with himself,
Who rose like the Simurgh above this world and that,
Who did not sit like a blind owl among the ruins.
1174
Seeker of pearls, resolve upon the difficult path;
Resolve to dive yourself into the depths, toward the pearl.
Let a friend hold the rope, his life in your hands…
Do not fear the abyss; resolve to step down into it.
1175
Create the world as you see it,
Rise above death through living movement.
You said: “If only I could move my hand myself…”
No, you will not dare; but if you dare, then do it!
1176
Dawns and flowers for wine worshipers.
Treasures are in their hearts, while their purses are empty.
It is not knowledge that saves us from ignorance,
But the comprehension of universal beauty.
1177
The purpose of life is joy. One cannot live by misfortune,
Or live beneath foul weather without secret warmth.
So as not to suffer over what you will lose tomorrow,
Cut it away today! Learn to live in freedom.
1178
Do not call down misfortune by making your heart tremble;
Forget your sorrows, and the world will become good.
Invite friends to drink away your last penny,
Which you cannot take with you into the next world.
1179
Do not crush anyone with your mighty hand,
Do not scorch anyone with burning offense!
If you are weary of longing for eternal rest—
While enduring torment yourself, torment no one.
1180
Whoever inscribes wise words upon his heart
Will make full use of every moment:
Either earnestly seeking God’s mercy,
Or finding peace above a cup of wine.
1181
Bring the elements under your command, if only for a brief breath,
And take Fate by surprise with the joy of your soul.
Make peace with wisdom, though at our foundation lie only
A speck of dust, a spark, a drop of blood, and a breath.
1182
Whoever scorned the bustle and lived in perfect peace,
Followed nature and lived by her law,
Considered it good fortune simply to have been given life,
And calmly drank wine… He truly lived worthily.
1182
Whoever scorned the bustle and lived in perfect peace,
Followed nature and lived by her law,
Considered it good fortune simply to have been given life,
And calmly drank wine… He truly lived worthily.
1183
The crowd in its judgments is like every wind.
Give joy to your heart; build it like a temple,
Do not chill it by believing chatterers!..
The world remembers those who were like us.
1184
We are the sun’s sprout—the keys in the roots are black;
Born free—condemned to oppression;
Dark—enlightened; mighty—exhausted;
We are rust upon the mirror, and Jam’s cup.
1185
We are ancient wisdom, nourished by the universe,
And we ourselves have become its foaming leaven.
We are the framework of Being and the strength of its particles.
The universe is but a shadow; we are its immortal spirit.
1186
From my flesh comes the world’s flesh, the earthly sphere.
But the heart is the dwelling of the Spirit, another world.
The elements, heavens, animals, and plants—
In darkness, reflections of a bonfire before me.
1187
All creation is flesh; we are the soul of the universe;
We bind together its essence and manifested form.
Only we can know them; this means
We are the one, imperishable center of both worlds.
1188
To be the purpose of Being and creation is ours,
To be the all-seeing mind, the ray of knowledge, is ours.
Understand, human, that the circle of the universe is a ring
Where we are destined to flash as its diamond facet!
Omar Khayyam Rubai
