Quatrain 35 from Rubaiyat of Saadi Shirazi

Analysis:

This quatrain by Saadi Shirazi is a beautiful, yet poignant, reflection on the transient nature of beauty and life. The poet uses the imagery of a rose, a nightingale, and a water carrier to convey the inevitability of change and loss.

Line 1: گر باد ز گل حسن شبابش ببرد

"If the wind steals the rose's youthful beauty,"
The first line introduces the image of a rose, symbolizing beauty and youth. The wind, a powerful and uncontrollable force, represents the passage of time and the inevitable fading of beauty.

Line 2: بلبل نه حریفست که خوابش ببرد

"The nightingale cannot fight it off to stay awake."
The nightingale, a symbol of love and longing, is unable to stop the wind from stealing the rose's beauty. This suggests that even the most passionate love cannot halt the passage of time.

Line 3: گل وقت رسیدن آب عطار ببرد

"The rose, when growing obtained water from perfumerو"
This line shifts the focus to the life-giving waters brought by the water carrier (attar). The rose eagerly drinks the water, symbolizing the embrace of life.

Line 4: عطار به وقت رفتن آبش ببرد

"But at the end perfumer obtained the rosewater from the rose."
The final line introduces a sense of inevitability. Even as the rose drinks the water of life, it knows that it will eventually be taken away. This suggests that life and death are intertwined.

Themes explored in the quatrain:

The transience of beauty: The fading of the rose's beauty symbolizes the impermanence of all things, including beauty and youth.
The inevitability of death: The image of the water carrier taking away the water suggests the inevitability of death.
The beauty of life: Despite the inevitability of death, the rose's eagerness to drink the water of life celebrates the beauty and joy of existence.

This quatrain is a meditation on the cycle of life and death. While it acknowledges the inevitability of loss, it also celebrates the beauty and joy that can be found in the present moment.