Empty and Free

Among all the great quatrains of Khayyam, I love this one the most. It may not be the deepest, or the most beautiful, but it’s the one for me:

  ماييم و مِي و مطرب و اين کنج خراب  
جان و دل و جام و جامه در رهن شراب
فارغ ز اميد رحمت و بيم عذاب
آزاد ز خاک و باد و از آتش و آب

Unfortunately, I’m too lazy to go and locate the Fitzgerald translation! I may do so one day. I guess I should thank a couple of my friends in junior high that sparked my interest in Khayyam poetry: Afshin Izanloo and Saeed Soheili. I still hear from them from time to time. Also, I have an interest in detective stories and crime fiction thanks to Afshin. Thank you guys!

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