Omar Khayyam (41)

Juan Cole 02/23/2012

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When I am sober,
I don’t feel lighthearted;
but when I’m drunk
my reason is defective.
There is a state
between being tipsy
and clearheaded.
I’m a slave to that state
because that is life.

Translated by Juan Cole
from Whinfield 41

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page