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!
