Omar Khayyam 16

Juan Cole 02/07/2012

Before time ever was,
You fashioned
the divine handiwork
of heaven and hell–
out of compassion and rage.
Your banquet is in heaven,
and I am empty-handed,
since I have no path to paradise.

trans. Juan Cole
From Whinfield 16.

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page