ABSTRACT
They brought the turquoise throne at his command, And set it ’neath a blossom-shedding tree, They brought forth wine and cups, and minstrels went Toward the pleasance with the chiefs. The king Said to his counsellors : “ This is the time Of jollity for men. We all must couch ; Death treadeth under foot the rolls of fame, The hall and palace. We shall have enough Of our own company within the charnel, Men both of mien and stature though we be. The king and beggar carry when they die Naught but their good and ill away with them. What toil soe’er men bear is only loss, For, when they perish, that will perish too. That praise of us remaineth is enough, For crown and girdle are another’s share. Thou needest innocence and uprightness That thine enjoyments prove not scath to thee. My years exceed already eight and thirty, And many a day hath fleeted in delight, But, after two score years, grief for the day Of death is instant with us. If one hair Turn white upon our heads we must forgo All hope of joy ; when musk becometh camphor ’Tis ruined ; camphor suiteth not the crown. Two years more will I spend in feast and sport, Then, when my strength is somewhat broken, go Before God’s presence, don the woollen robe, And be not thankless for His mercies to me, For I have passed my days in joy and had My share of royal crown. Now for the rose, The apple, the pomegranate, and the quince ! Let not the golden goblet fail of wine ! 1
But when I see the apples amber-cheeked, The heavens dappled like a leopard’s back, The fragrant camomile producing seed, And wine as ruddy as the reveller, When air is pleasant, neither hot nor cold, Earth fresh and water blue, what time we don Our autumn furs, I must to Jaz to hunt,
C. 1536 And hold a hunting-bout upon that plain To make me a memorial in the world. Meanwhile the onager will grow plump-necked, And compass lion’s heart and tiger’s strength, We must take dogs and cheetahs, hawks and falcons,1 For that far faring since it is the spot For onager and archery, and there No moment will we rest from chevying. The plain that I have set mine eyes upon Is lower Jaz. There tamarisks are tall As spear-shafts, there too we shall find the lion, And have a hunting if we bide our time.”
