Omar Khayyam (138) “Don’t throw your precious lives to the wind…”

Juan Cole 06/18/2012

Don’t fall for this world’s
enticements, you amateurs!
You know all about its tricks.
Don’t throw your precious lives
to the wind.
Get yourself a lover
and open a bottle of wine.

Translated by Juan Cole
from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 138

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