Omar Khayyam (41)

Juan Cole 02/23/2012

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 and 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. Follow him at @jricole.