Page:Quatrains of Omar Khayyam (tr. Whinfield, 1883).djvu/220

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THE QUATRAINS OF

243.

O soul! lay up all earthly goods in store,
Thy mead with pleasure's flowerets spangle o'er;
    And know 'tis all as dew, that decks the flowers
For one short night, and then is seen no more!


244.

Heed not the Sunna, nor the law divine;
If to the poor his portion you assign,
    And never injure one, nor yet abuse,
I guarantee you heaven, and now some wine!


245.

Vexed by this wheel of things, that pets the base.
My sorrow-laden life drags on apace;
    Like rosebud, from the storm I wrap me close,
And blood-spots on my heart, like tulip, trace.


243.   C. L. N. A. I. J.   There are several variations of this.


244.   C. L. N. A. B. I. J.   See Koran, ii. 172: "There is no piety in turning your faces to the east or west, but he is pious who believeth in God .... and disburseth his wealth to the needy," etc.