Quatrain 75 from Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Quatrain 75 from Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
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حیی که به قدرت سر و رو میسازد
همواره همو کار عدو میسازد
گویند قرابهگر مسلمان نبود
او را تو چه گویی که کدو میسازد
Description:
A Note About This Quatrain
This particular rubai of Omar Khayyam is rich in philosophical and existential undertones, making a direct, literal translation quite challenging. The imagery of the potter creating and destroying, the question of the potter's faith, and the metaphor of the gourd contribute to the poem's depth and complexity.
English Translation
A more literal translation
The potter who shapes and forms,
Always also shapes the work of the enemy.
They say the potter is not a Muslim,
What do you say of him who creates a gourd?
A more poetic and interpretive translation
The Potter, shaping lives with deftest hand,
Can mold creation, or at His command,
Shape what the foe desires, a cruel art,
They say He’s not a Muslim, what’s in His heart?
A contemporary and informal translation
The guy who makes pots, He's got the power,
To create or destroy, hour by hour.
They say He’s not religious, it’s a sin,
But what about creating something thin, like a gourd?
"حیی که به قدرت سر و رو میسازد": This line refers to God as the potter, shaping creation.
"همواره همو کار عدو میسازد": This line suggests that God also creates evil and suffering.
"گویند قرابهگر مسلمان نبود": This line presents a common theological question about the nature of evil and God's role in it.
"او را تو چه گویی که کدو میسازد": This line asks a rhetorical question, inviting the reader to ponder the nature of creation and the existence of evil.
Themes and Interpretations
The nature of God:
The poem raises questions about the nature of God and His relationship to creation.
The problem of evil: The rubai tackles the age-old philosophical problem of why evil exists in a world created by a benevolent God.
Free will and determinism: The poem implies a tension between human free will and divine determinism.
This rubai is a profound meditation on the human condition. The imagery of the potter and the gourd create a powerful visual representation of the complexities of existence and the relationship between humans and a higher power.