Omar Khayyam (2) “Who brought you here?”

Juan Cole 10/04/2012

Tonight, who brought you, drunk,
here to me?
From behind the curtain,
who brought you here?–
to someone who was on fire
because of your absence–
someone who, like the wind,
sought you everywhere!
Who brought you here?

Translated by Juan Cole
from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 2

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.