rubaiyat of omar khayyam-第2节

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　　Hawkworthin　his　Second　Voyage　（i。　374）。　　When　leaving　Ulietea；

　　〃Oreo's　last　request　was　for　me　to　return。　　When　he　saw　he　could　not

　　obtain　that　promise；　he　asked　the　name　of　my　Marai　（burying…place）。

　　As　strange　a　question　as　this　was；　I　hesitated　not　a　moment　to　tell

　　him　'Stepney'；　the　parish　in　which　I　live　when　in　London。　　I　was

　　made　to　repeat　it　several　times　over　till　they　could　pronounce　it；

　　and　then　'Stepney　Marai　no　Toote'　was　echoed　through　an　hundred

　　mouths　at　once。　　I　afterwards　found　the　same　question　had　been　put

　　to　Mr。　Forster　by　a　man　on　shore；　but　he　gave　a　different；　and

　　indeed　more　proper　answer；　by　saying；　'No　man　who　used　the　sea　could

　　say　where　he　should　be　buried。'〃



Thus　farwithout　fear　of　Trespassfrom　the　Calcutta　Review。　　The

writer　of　it；　on　reading　in　India　this　story　of　Omar's　Grave；　was

reminded；　he　says；　of　Cicero's　Account　of　finding　Archimedes'　Tomb　at

Syracuse；　buried　in　grass　and　weeds。　　I　think　Thorwaldsen　desired　to

have　roses　grow　over　him；　a　wish　religiously　fulfilled　for　him　to　the

present　day；　I　believe。　　However；　to　return　to　Omar。



Though　the　Sultan　〃shower'd　Favors　upon　him；〃　Omar's　Epicurean

Audacity　of　Thought　and　Speech　caused　him　to　be　regarded　askance　in

his　own　Time　and　Country。　　He　is　said　to　have　been　especially　hated

and　dreaded　by　the　Sufis；　whose　Practise　he　ridiculed；　and　whose　Faith

amounts　to　little　more　than　his　own；　when　stript　of　the　Mysticism　and

formal　recognition　of　Islamism　under　which　Omar　would　not　hide。　　Their

Poets；　including　Hafiz；　who　are　（with　the　exception　of　Firdausi）　the

most　considerable　in　Persia；　borrowed　largely；　indeed；　of　Omar's

material；　but　turning　it　to　a　mystical　Use　more　convenient　to

Themselves　and　the　People　they　addressed；　a　People　quite　as　quick　of

Doubt　as　of　Belief；　as　keen　of　Bodily　sense　as　of　Intellectual；　and

delighting　in　a　cloudy　composition　of　both；　in　which　they　could　float

luxuriously　between　Heaven　and　Earth；　and　this　World　and　the　Next；　on

the　wings　of　a　poetical　expression；　that　might　serve　indifferently　for

either。　　Omar　was　too　honest　of　Heart　as　well　of　Head　for　this。

Having　failed　（however　mistakenly）　of　finding　any　Providence　but

Destiny；　and　any　World　but　This；　he　set　about　making　the　most　of　it；

preferring　rather　to　soothe　the　Soul　through　the　Senses　into

Acquiescence　with　Things　as　he　saw　them；　than　to　perplex　it　with　vain

disquietude　after　what　they　might　be。　　It　has　been　seen；　however；　that

his　Worldly　Ambition　was　not　exorbitant；　and　he　very　likely　takes　a

humorous　or　perverse　pleasure　in　exalting　the　gratification　of　Sense

above　that　of　the　Intellect；　in　which　he　must　have　taken　great

delight；　although　it　failed　to　answer　the　Questions　in　which　he；　in

common　with　all　men；　was　most　vitally　interested。



For　whatever　Reason；　however；　Omar　as　before　said；　has　never　been

popular　in　his　own　Country；　and　therefore　has　been　but　scantily

transmitted　abroad。　　The　MSS。　of　his　Poems；　mutilated　beyond　the

average　Casualties　of　Oriental　Transcription；　are　so　rare　in　the　East

as　scarce　to　have　reacht　Westward　at　all；　in　spite　of　all　the

acquisitions　of　Arms　and　Science。　　There　is　no　copy　at　the　India

House；　none　at　the　Bibliotheque　Nationale　of　Paris。　　We　know　but　of

one　in　England：　No。　140　of　the　Ouseley　MSS。　at　the　Bodleian；　written

at　Shiraz；　A。D。　1460。　　This　contains　but　158　Rubaiyat。　　One　in　the

Asiatic　Society's　Library　at　Calcutta　（of　which　we　have　a　Copy）；

contains　（and　yet　incomplete）　516；　though　swelled　to　that　by　all　kinds

of　Repetition　and　Corruption。　　So　Von　Hammer　speaks　of　his　Copy　as

containing　about　200；　while　Dr。　Sprenger　catalogues　the　Lucknow　MS。　at

double　that　number。　　The　Scribes；　too；　of　the　Oxford　and　Calcutta

MSS。　seem　to　do　their　Work　under　a　sort　of　Protest；　each　beginning

with　a　Tetrastich　（whether　genuine　or　not）；　taken　out　of　its

alphabetical　order；　the　Oxford　with　one　of　Apology；　the　Calcutta　with

one　of　Expostulation；　supposed　（says　a　Notice　prefixed　to　the　MS。）

to　have　arisen　from　a　Dream；　in　which　Omar's　mother　asked　about　his

future　fate。　　It　may　be　rendered　thus：



　〃O　Thou　who　burn'st　in　Heart　for　those　who　burn

　　In　Hell；　whose　fires　thyself　shall　feed　in　turn；

　　　　How　long　be　crying；　'Mercy　on　them；　God！'

　　Why；　who　art　Thou　to　teach；　and　He　to　learn？〃



The　Bodleian　Quatrain　pleads　Pantheism　by　way　of　Justification。



　〃If　I　myself　upon　a　looser　Creed

　　Have　loosely　strung　the　Jewel　of　Good　deed；

　　Let　this　one　thing　for　my　Atonement　plead：

　　That　One　for　Two　I　never　did　misread。〃



　　〃Since　this　paper　was　written〃　（adds　the　Reviewer　in　a　note）；　〃we

　　have　met　with　a　Copy　of　a　very　rare　Edition；　printed　at　Calcutta　in

　　1836。　　This　contains　438　Tetrastichs；　with　an　Appendix　containing　54

　　others　not　found　in　some　MSS。〃



The　Reviewer；　to　whom　I　owe　the　Particulars　of　Omar's　Life；

concludes　his　Review　by　comparing　him　with　Lucretius；　both　as　to

natural　Temper　and　Genius；　and　as　acted　upon　by　the　Circumstances　in

which　he　lived。　　Both　indeed　were　men　of　subtle；　strong；　and

cultivated　Intellect；　fine　Imagination；　and　Hearts　passionate　for

Truth　and　Justice；　who　justly　revolted　from　their　Country's　false

Religion；　and　false；　or　foolish；　Devotion　to　it；　but　who　fell　short　of

replacing　what　they　subverted　by　such　better　Hope　as　others；　with　no

better　Revelation　to　guide　them；　had　yet　made　a　Law　to　themselves。

Lucretius　indeed；　with　such　material　as　Epicurus　furnished；　satisfied

himself　with　the　theory　of　a　vast　machine　fortuitously　constructed；

and　acting　by　a　Law　that　implied　no　Legislator；　and　so　composing

himself　into　a　Stoical　rather　than　Epicurean　severity　of　Attitude；　sat

down　to　contemplate　the　mechanical　drama　of　the　Universe　which　he　was

part　Actor　in；　himself　and　all　about　him　（as　in　his　own　sublime

description　of　the　Roman　Theater）　discolored　with　the　lurid　reflex　of

the　Curtain　suspended　between　the　Spectator　and　the　Sun。　　Omar；　more

desperate；　or　more　careless　of　any　so　complicated　System　as　resulted

in　nothing　but　hopeless　Necessity；　flung　his　own　Genius　and　Learning

with　a　bitter　or　humorous　jest　into　the　general　Ruin　which　their

insufficient　glimpses　only　served　to　reveal；　and；　pretending　sensual

pleasure；　as　the　serious　purpose　of　Life；　only　diverted　himself　with

speculative　problems　of　Deity；　Destiny；　Matter　and　Spirit；　Good　and

Evil；　and　other　such　questions；　easier　to　start　than　to　run　down；　and

the　pursuit　of　which　becomes　a　very　weary　sport　at　last！



　　Professor　Cowell。



With　regard　to　the　present　Translation。　　The　original　Rubaiyat　（as；

missing　an　Arabic　Guttural；　these　Tetrastichs　are　more　musically

called）　are　independent　Stanzas；　consisting　each　of　four　Lines　of

equal；　though　varied；　Prosody；　sometimes　all　rhyming；　but　oftener　（as

here　imitated）　the　third　line　a　blank。　　Somewhat　as　in　the　Greek

Alcaic；　where　the　penultimate　line　seems　to　lift　and　suspend　the　Wave

that　falls　over　in　the　last。　　As　usual　with　such　kind　of　Oriental

Verse；　the　Rubaiyat　follow　one　another　according　to　Alphabetic

Rhymea　strange　succession　of　Grave　and　Gay。　　Those　here　selected　are

strung　into　something　of　an　Eclogue；　with　perhaps　a　less　than　equal

proportion　of　the　〃Drink　and　make…merry；〃　which　（genuine　or　not）

recurs　over…frequently　in　the　Original。　　Either　way；　the　Result　is　sad

enough：　saddest　perhaps　when　most　ostentatiously　merry：　more　apt　to

move　Sorrow　than　Anger　toward　the　old　Tentmaker；　who；　after　vainly

endeavoring　to　unshackle　his　Steps　from　Destiny；　and　to　catch　some

authentic　Glimpse　of　TO…MORROW；　fell　back　upon　TO…DAY　（which　has

outlasted　so　many　To…morrows！）　as　the　only　Ground　he　had　got　to　stand

upon；　however　momentarily　slipping　from　under　his　Feet。





＇From　the　Third　Edition。＇





While　the　second　Edition　of　this　version　of　Omar　was　preparing；

Monsieur　Nicolas；　French　Consul　at　Resht；　published　a　very　careful　and

very　good　Edition　of　the　Text；　from　a　lithograph　copy　at　Teheran；

comprising　464　Rubaiyat；　with　translation　and　notes　of　his　own。



Mons。　Nicolas；　whose　Edition　has　reminded　me　of　several　things；　and

instructed　me　in　others；　does　not　consider　Omar　to　be　the　material

Epicurean　that　I　have　literally　taken　him　for；　but　a　Mystic；　shadowing

the　Deity　under　the　figure　of　Wine；　Wine…bearer；　&c。；　as　Hafiz　is

supposed　to　do；　in　short；　a　Sufi　Poet　like　Hafiz　and　the　rest。



I　cannot　see　reason　to　alter　my　opinion；　formed　as　it　was　more　than　a

dozen　years　ago　when　Omar　was　first　shown　me　by　one　to　whom　I　am

indebted　for　all　I　know　of　Oriental；　and　very　much　of　other；

literature。　　He　admired　Omar's　Genius　so　much；　that　he　would　gladly

have　adopted　any　such　Interpretation　of　his　meaning　as　Mons。　Nicolas'

if　he　could。　　That　he　could　not；　appears　by　his　Paper　in　the

Calcutta　Review　already　so　largely　quoted；　in　which　he　argues　from　the

Poems　themselves；　as　well　as　from　what　records　remain　of　the　Poet's

Life。