Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Muslim / Sufi 11th Century	About Omar Khayyam Timeline (11th Century)
<<Previous Poem | View All Poems by Omar Khayyam | Next Poem >>
English version by Edward FitzGerald Original Language Persian/Farsi	[10] With me along the strip of Herbage strown
Commentary by Ivan M. Granger   Recommended Books The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, by Omar Khayyam / Translated by Edward FitzGerald The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, by Omar Khayyam / Translated by Peter Avery The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (Illustrated Edition), by Omar Khayyam / Translated by Edward FitzGerald The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam Explained, by Paramhansa Yogananda / Edited by J. Donald Walters (Kriyananda) The Sufism of the Rubaiyat or the Secret of the Great Paradox, by Norton F. W. Hazeldine More >>	With me along the strip of Herbage strown That just divides the desert from the sown,      Where name of Slave and Sultan is forgot -- And pity Sultan Mahmud on his Throne!     -- from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, by Omar Khayyam / Translated by Edward FitzGerald Amazon.com
<<Previous Poem | View More Poems by Omar Khayyam | Next Poem >>

Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

I've always liked this quatrain from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. With its lyric language, it beautifully evokes that mystic stillpoint in which all polarities are reconciled and balanced.

Khayyam invites us to walk with him "along the strip of Herbage strown" -- that slender path of life -- "That just divides the desert" -- the barren places of the untended soul -- "from the sown" -- those places of the mind so heavily cultivated and patterned that, though it contains life, it has become artificial. It is the wild place, the natural place, the place of uncontained life in between the two we must find.

In this place, the "name of Slave and Sultan is forgot." In this state of spiritual poise, all dichotomies, social divisions, mental dissections, and perceptual separations fall away. No one kneels below you and no one stands above you; everyone and everything profoundly IS, and it is all ONE.

"And Peace is Mahmud on his Golden Throne!" When this truth reveals itself to you, you find yourself at peace with all things and recognize that everything emerges from a majestic foundation of all-pervading golden-white light.

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2008 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers.