Omar Khayyam: [42 - later edition] Waste not your Hour, nor in the vain pursuit Waste not your Hour, nor in the vain pursuit

<<Previous Poem | View All Poems by Omar Khayyam | Next Poem >>

[42 - later edition] Waste not your Hour, nor in the vain pursuit Waste not your Hour, nor in the vain pursuit

Omar Khayyam, Omar Khayyam poetry, Muslim / Sufi, Muslim / Sufi poetry, poetry, [TRADITION SUB2] poetry, poetry

by Omar Khayyam
(11th Century) Timeline

English version by
Edward FitzGerald

Original Language
Persian/Farsi

Waste not your Hour, nor in the vain pursuit
Of This and That endeavor and dispute;
Better be merry with the fruitful Grape
Than sadden after none, or bitter, fruit.

-- from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, by Omar Khayyam / Translated by Edward FitzGerald

Amazon.com

Themes

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 >>

<<Previous Poem | More Poems by Omar Khayyam | Next Poem >>

Another verse by Omar Khayyam that can easily be misunderstood as praise of drunkenness and lethargy.

But remember that Omar Khayyam was a Sufi initiate. The wine or "Grape" he refers to is the celestial drink of mystics that makes one "merry" with the bliss of ecstatic union.

Better to be lost in holy bliss than to waste your limited time on Earth in debates and controversy, whether spiritual or political. The intellect alone cannot perceive its own origin or its aim, or even truly grasp knowledge. Use the intellect; don't let it use you.

It is only through divine union, the drinking of "the fruitful Grape," that reality is clearly perceived and understood. Every other effort, without that organizing clarity and joy, ultimately leads to disappointment, "bitter fruit."

Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World