Informed Comment

A lover all his life is
frantic and intoxicated–
crazy, distracted and disgraced.
When we’re sober, everything annoys us;
but when we’re drunk,
whatever will be,
will be

trans. Juan Cole
from Whinfield 8

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§ 6 Responses to “Omar Khayyam (8)”

• Jahan says:

  

  02/08/2012 at 5:05 pm

  It is so true; ” … in soberness we worry about every little thing, but when we get stoned, anything goes”! Amazing that the concept has not changed in nearly a millennium.

  Thanks for reminding us! I feel like going for a glass of wine after work …
  • Q says:

    

    02/09/2012 at 2:24 pm

    Please don’t. Lover feels intoxicated (drunk) because his consciousness is accelerating and leaving behind his annoying dictates of his subconsciousness as love is the will to love even more.
    Drinking alcohol will disconnect your annoying subconsciousness too but also leaves you with weaker consciousness.
    • Jahan says:

      

      02/09/2012 at 5:52 pm

      There is certainly more than one way of reading Khayyam. It is called Īhām (artful punning) in Persian poetry and Khayyam was a master of it.
      As for reciters of beautiful Persian poetry, I know a few who cannot “accelerate” all through the evening without their dose of wine. Cheers to them!
      خيام اگر ز باده مستى خوش باش
      با ماه رخى اگر نشستى خوش باش
      چون عاقبت كار جهان نيستى است
      انگار كه نيستى، چو هستى خوش باش
      • Q says:

        

        02/10/2012 at 11:09 am

        Meditation also quiets down inhibiting impulses and let you let go. So we have at least three tools: love, drinking, and meditation.
• dan says:

  

  02/08/2012 at 5:06 pm

  I hope you are going to aggregate all these lovely bits (illustrated?) Sometime. They are terrific. Dan
• Daniel says:

  

  02/09/2012 at 2:09 am

  Hi Juan

  I have really enjoyed your translations of Omar Khayyam’s work.

  Thank you