Omar Khayyam (172) “A passion for heavenly goddesses”

Juan Cole 09/08/2012

I hope my mind will always be consumed
by a passion for heavenly goddesses,
and that my hand will always
cradle the juice of the grape.
They tell me they hope that God
will lead me to repent!
But if he did that, and I didn’t respond,
I’d be farther away than ever.

Translated by Juan Cole
from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 172

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