Omar Khayyam (493) “I passed a potter at his wheel”

Juan Cole 07/17/2012

The other day I passed a potter at
his wheel, displaying every moment a
new skill; and it occurred to me, though one
less clear-eyed wouldn’t see it: It is
our ancestors’ clay in a potter’s hands!

Translated by Juan Cole
from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 493

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