Equal night

[pallas_athena]

Happy Equinox, everyone.

This balance point between the light and dark halves of the year finds me in reflective mood. The following quatrains from FitzGerald's Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam have been much in my mind:

Oh, my Belovéd, fill the Cup that clears
TO-DAY of past Regrets and future Fears -
To-morrow? - Why, To-morrow I may be
Myself with Yesterday's Sev'n Thousand Years.


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.


Then to this earthen Bowl did I adjourn
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."


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 take - and give!


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!


And if the Wine you drink, the Lip you press,
End in the Nothing all Things end in - Yes -
Then fancy while Thou art, Thou art but what
Thou shalt be - Nothing - Thou shalt not be less.


Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring
The Winter Garment of Repentance fling :
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To fly - and Lo! the Bird is on the Wing.

Happy Easter.

Comments

[badmagic.livejournal.com]

I am disturbed to realize that not just the spirit, but many of the concepts, in the Rubaiyat are duplicated by the words ("In heaven there is no beer/ That's why we drink it here") of the Beer Barrel Polka.

[velvetdahlia.livejournal.com]

This poem is really fitting for the gloomy day! Have a good time up north and hopefully I can see when you return to London, before you are off to America.

[justpolina.livejournal.com]

Lovely! Speak to you soon...

[laughingmagpie.livejournal.com]

It's Magpie season - equal mixes of light and dark :-)