Omar Khayyam (86)

Juan Cole 04/04/2012

The life of this world
without wine and bartender is not happy;
without the airs of the Iraqi flute,
it is not happy;
Whenever I look at the world’s condition,
its fruits are joy;
and the rest is not happy.

Translated by Juan Cole
from [pdf] Whinfield 86

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