Omar Khayyam (114)

Juan Cole 04/15/2012

At first I looked for
the pen of fate,
and the tablet on which it wrote,
and heaven and hell
in the skies above.
Then my teacher
guided me, saying that
all four lie within you.

Translated by Juan Cole
from [pdf] Whinfield 114

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.