Persian Poets

Persian Poets, edited by Peter Washington, 248 pages

     O come with old Khayyam, and leave the Wise

     To talk; one thing is certain, that Life flies;

          One thing is certain, and the Rest is Lies;

     The flower that once has blown for ever dies.

Persian Poets collects a wide array of poetry from seven medieval Persian authors, from the great epicure skeptic Omar to the great pantheist mystic Rumi.

     Love is for vanishing into the sky.  The mind,

     for learning what men have done and tried to do.

     Mysteries are not to be solved.  The eye goes blind

     when it only wants to see why.

The subjects of the poems vary accordingly, from love of God to romantic love, from high philosophy to hedonistic pleasure.

     Sweet maid, if thou would'st charm my sight,

     And bid these arms thy neck infold;

     That rosy cheek, that lily hand,

     Would give thy poet more delight

     Than all Bocara's vaunted gold,

     Than all the gems of Samarcand.

The selection of translators is nearly as diverse as the selection of poets, although the collection is bookended by the celebrated Edward Fitzgerald.  Anachronism is freely permitted, with references to a newspaper here and a psychiatrist there.  Unfortunately, this very variety makes it difficult to separate the poets from the translators, but this is a minor thing when weighed against the beauty, wit, and wisdom of the works themselves.

     Go to the librarian and ask for the book of this bird's songs, and

     Then go out into the desert.  Do you really need college to read this book?