Omar Khayyam (149) “nothing left of good times but the name”

Juan Cole 06/21/2012

Now that nothing is left
of good times but the name;
and save for wine itself,
not a single
old drinking buddy
is around any more;
don’t decline the joy of
the vintage you’re offered,
since today your hand is empty
save for the glass.

Translated by Juan Cole
from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 149

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.