Existence on this planet is inherently inequitable. We exert great effort and ultimately find moments to hold dear. This truth is echoed in the 12th Robaei by Khayyam, where he articulates the bittersweet nature of life. Here is the quatrain in its original Persian, followed by its English translation:
ای چرخ فلک خرابی از کینه توست
بیدادگری شیوهی دیرینه توست
ای خاک اگر سینه توبشکافند
بس گوهر قیمتی که در سینه توست
O wheel of fortune, your ruin is from your spite, Tyranny is your ancient way, your long-known rite.
O soil, if they split open your chest, Many precious gems are within you, hidden from sight.
It is a strange riddle, to be born into the world, to suffer, to reach enlightenment and relative perfection, and then to be buried, to become nothing. It is indeed a puzzle if the matter ends with this nothingness; such a movement would be entirely absurd and unjustifiable.
This world appears spiteful and profoundly corrupt, deceiving us with trickery and deceit for a long time. The way of this earthly realm is based on oppression and injustice.
If the chest of the earth were to be split open, many precious jewels, which represent valuable and knowledgeable humans, lie beneath the soil like slumbering gems.
