Quatrain 49 from Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
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7
در هر دشتی که لالهزاری بودهستاز سرخی خون شهریاری بودهست
هر شاخ بنفشه کز زمین میرویدخالیست که بر رخ نگاری بودهست
Description:
A Note on this Rubai
This rubai by Omar Khayyam is rich in symbolism and historical allusion, making it a particularly challenging one to translate. The imagery of flowers, especially tulips (لاله), often carries connotations of blood and sacrifice in Persian poetry. The phrase "شهریاری" (monarchy, kingship) can also refer to a beloved or a lost loved one.
English Translation
A more literal translation
In every field where there has been a tulip garden,
It has been from the redness of a king’s blood,
Every violet sprout that grows from the earth,
Is empty, having been on a beautiful face.
A more poetic and interpretive translation
Where tulips bloom in fields so red,
A king's lifeblood often has been shed.
Each violet, so sweet and fair,
Once graced a beauty's cheek, now bare.
A contemporary and informal translation
Every field of tulips, red as blood,
Tells a tale of a king's tragic flood.
Each violet, once a lover's dream,
Now just a flower, a fading gleam.
"در هر دشتی که لالهزاری بودهست": The tulip, often associated with blood and sacrifice, suggests that the beauty of nature comes at a cost.
"از سرخی خون شهریاری بودهست": This line implies that the rich color of the tulips is a result of bloodshed, perhaps alluding to historical battles or personal tragedies.
"هر شاخ بنفشه کز زمین میروید": The violet, another symbol of beauty, is linked to the idea of a lost loved one.
"خالیست که بر رخ نگاری بودهست": This suggests that the violet was once part of a beautiful person, but is now empty and lifeless.
Themes and Interpretations
The transience of beauty: The beauty of flowers, like human beauty, is fleeting and subject to decay.
The cost of beauty: The connection between blood and flowers suggests that beauty often comes at a high cost.
Mortality and loss: The rubai hints at themes of mortality and loss, suggesting that all beauty is ultimately fleeting.
This rubai is a meditation on the cyclical nature of life and death, the beauty and fragility of existence, and the interconnectedness of all things. The imagery of flowers, blood, and kings creates a rich tapestry of meaning that invites multiple interpretations.