Omar Khayyam (107) “Not every withered Tulip is going to bloom Again”

Juan Cole 04/27/2012

Have some wine,
since you’ll be sleeping
for a long time underground,
lacking a best buddy,
or a fast friend or lover.
Be careful to tell no one
this hidden secret:
not every withered tulip
is going to bloom again.

Translated by Juan Cole
from [pdf] Whinfield 107

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