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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 to the Heart's Desire!
LXXIV。
Ah; Moon of my Delight who know'st no wane;
The Moon of Heav'n is rising once again:
How oft hereafter rising shall she look
Through this same Garden after mein vain!
LXXV。
And when Thyself with shining Foot shall pass
Among the Guests Star…scatter'd on The Grass;
And in Thy joyous Errand reach the Spot
Where I made oneturn down an empty Glass!
TAMAM SHUD。
Fifth Edition
I。
WAKE! For the Sun; who scatter'd into flight
The Stars before him from the Field of Night;
Drives Night along with them from Heav'n; and strikes
The Sultan's Turret with a Shaft of Light。
II。
Before the phantom of False morning died;
Methought a Voice within the Tavern cried;
〃When all the Temple is prepared within;
〃Why nods the drowsy Worshiper outside?〃
III。
And; as the Cock crew; those who stood before
The Tavern shouted〃Open then the Door!
〃You know how little while we have to stay;
And; once departed; may return no more。〃
IV。
Now the New Year reviving old Desires;
The thoughtful Soul to Solitude retires;
Where the WHITE HAND OF MOSES on the Bough
Puts out; and Jesus from the Ground suspires。
V。
Iram indeed is gone with all his Rose;
And Jamshyd's Sev'n…ring'd Cup where no one knows;
But still a Ruby kindles in the Vine;
And many a Garden by the Water blows。
VI。
And David's lips are lockt; but in divine
High…piping Pehlevi; with 〃Wine! Wine! Wine!
〃Red Wine!〃the Nightingale cries to the Rose
That sallow cheek of hers to' incarnadine。
VII。
Come; fill the Cup; and in the fire of Spring
Your Winter garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To flutterand the Bird is on the Wing。
VIII。
Whether at Naishapur or Babylon;
Whether the Cup with sweet or