Omar Khayyam (114)

Juan Cole 04/15/2012

At first I looked for
the pen of fate,
and the tablet on which it wrote,
and heaven and hell
in the skies above.
Then my teacher
guided me, saying that
all four lie within you.

Translated by Juan Cole
from [pdf] Whinfield 114

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