Libby Stott's Blog - Posts Tagged "omar"
A Jug of Wine
"A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,
A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread--and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness--
Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!"
from "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam"
The above quatrain, or "rubaiyat," is Edward FitzGerald's paraphrase of a stanza by Omar Khayyam, a fine Persian poet and scientist.
March 31st is FitzGerald's birthday.
"The Rubaiyat" is both philosophical and erotic, and "Dancing with a Baptist" refers to it many times, with the poet and her muse as variations of Omar and Saki.
For some allusions, see "First Lunch," "A Few Things," "Invitation," "Hell and Farewell" (empty cup), "Down by the Sandy Garden," "Offstage," and "Oklahoma."
For use of wine, tea, and picnics, see e.g. "Felix Culpa," "Brigid Urges," "Cupbearers," "The Poet."
The 31st is also the birthday of the 17th-century poet (and politician!) Andrew Marvell (also alluded to in "Dancing").
Rather than tweeting photos of his lady, Marvell wrote a marvelous poem to her ("To His Coy Mistress").
Too bad he's not running this year!
Celebrate these poets--Omar, FitzGerald, and Marvell--as we head into National Poetry Month, which begins April 1st.
And if weather permits, enjoy a picnic or two. : )
A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread--and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness--
Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!"
from "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam"
The above quatrain, or "rubaiyat," is Edward FitzGerald's paraphrase of a stanza by Omar Khayyam, a fine Persian poet and scientist.
March 31st is FitzGerald's birthday.
"The Rubaiyat" is both philosophical and erotic, and "Dancing with a Baptist" refers to it many times, with the poet and her muse as variations of Omar and Saki.
For some allusions, see "First Lunch," "A Few Things," "Invitation," "Hell and Farewell" (empty cup), "Down by the Sandy Garden," "Offstage," and "Oklahoma."
For use of wine, tea, and picnics, see e.g. "Felix Culpa," "Brigid Urges," "Cupbearers," "The Poet."
The 31st is also the birthday of the 17th-century poet (and politician!) Andrew Marvell (also alluded to in "Dancing").
Rather than tweeting photos of his lady, Marvell wrote a marvelous poem to her ("To His Coy Mistress").
Too bad he's not running this year!
Celebrate these poets--Omar, FitzGerald, and Marvell--as we head into National Poetry Month, which begins April 1st.
And if weather permits, enjoy a picnic or two. : )
