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The wise argue about heaven and hell. The cup in your hand asks a simpler question: are you awake to this moment?

Modern verse inspired by the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam

Religion & BeliefLiteraturePhilosophy

The story behind the card

A modern verse inspired by the Rubáiyát, the four-line poems credited to the Persian poet Omar Khayyam (1048–1131), not a translation. Its contrast between learned debate and the cup in hand runs through Edward FitzGerald's English version. In one quatrain the young poet eagerly hears scholars and holy men argue, “but evermore / Came out by the same door where in I went”. In another he sends his soul to bring back news of the afterlife, and it answers: “I Myself am Heav'n and Hell.”

Türkçe oku
Bilgeler cenneti, cehennemi tartışıp duruyor. Elindeki kadehin sorusu ise daha basit: Bu anın farkında mısın?
Ömer Hayyam'ın rubailerinden esinlenen çağdaş dizeler

Bu dizeler, İranlı şair Ömer Hayyam'a (1048-1131) mal edilen dört dizelik şiirlerin, yani rubailerin havasında yazılmış çağdaş bir şiirdir; çeviri değildir. Bilginlerin tartışmasıyla eldeki kadeh arasındaki karşıtlık, Edward FitzGerald'ın İngilizce çevirisinde sık sık karşımıza çıkar. Bir dörtlükte genç şair, bilginlerin ve ermişlerin tartışmalarını hevesle dinler, ama her seferinde girdiği kapıdan girdiği gibi çıkar. Bir başkasında ruhunu öbür dünyadan haber getirsin diye gönderir; ruhu dönüp cennetin de cehennemin de kendisi olduğunu söyler.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Omar Khayyam
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