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[11] Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough by Omar Khayyam (11th Century) Timeline English version by Edward FitzGerald Original Language Persian/Farsi Muslim / Sufi 11th Century Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough, A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse -- and Thou      Beside me singing in the Wilderness -- And Wilderness is Paradise enow.     -- from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, by Omar Khayyam / Translated by Edward FitzGerald Amazon.com   / Photo by kochtopf /	Themes   Bread   Food   Wine     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 >>
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

This is the classic verse that most people think of first from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. That alternate translation still hovers in the air: "A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and Thou..."

These lines can be read on so many different levels. At first glance, Khayyam seems to be giving us a picture of a garden dalliance -- bread, wine, love poetry, and an enticing, unnamed "Thou." A lovers' tryst in the wilderness.

But, of course, in the Sufi tradition, these seemingly earthy images are transformed into the most sublime of meanings.

Khayyam's mysterious beloved is God. This is the sacred meeting of soul with the Eternal.

And what about the bread and wine, the book and the wilderness?

Bread is, in many cultures, the fundamental food, the symbol of all food. And food is communion. Think of it this way: The food we eat is the most tangible exchange we make with our environment. Our food is what most immediately connects us with the reality we inhabit. When you take in food, you temporarily negate the illusion of separation between your body and the rest of existence. Food is a breach of the boundary where we normally perceive separation to begin.

So it is really true, food is communion. It is an affirmation of interconnection and unity with our environment. What we take in becomes, in a very visceral way, a part of us. And we increasingly become composed of it. Remember the common saying, You are what you eat.

And the wine is the blissful drink of selflessness and divine ecstasy. The book of verse could be a reference to the Quran or, more broadly, any sacred writings -- or perhaps the profound recognition of how all of creation is written with subtle, poetic meaning.

And the wilderness? Our meeting place? Well, that is the heart, the space of awareness at one's core. It is "wild" because it is undefined by concepts and mental labels. The wilderness of the heart is expansive, with reaching tendrils that climb over stone walls until everything is lost in its rich verdure.

Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough...

Let's join with Khayyam and sing of our secret love affair with the Divine. Eating our fill of the bread of union, drinking the wine of bliss, we come into the presence the Beloved.

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2011 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers.