The Rubaiyat: Quatrain XI

This quatrain is probably the most often quoted, and also, the most often misquoted, quatrain in The Rubaiyat. FitzGerald, again, made some changes, but these apparently were for aesthetic reasons and not for thematic or philosophical issues.

This is the third quatrain of what I consider to be a unit of three quatrains that are closely tied together. In Quatrain IX, Khayyam tells us we should leave the philosophical musings that inevitably arise when one considers the now desolate glories of the past and, in Quatrain X, follow him to the borderland between the desert and the cultivated areas. Then in Quatrain XI, he tells us that there we will escape from the cares of everyday life in order to lose ourselves in the simple pleasures of life--wine and bread and verse and song.

First Edition: Quatrain XI

Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse--and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness--
And Wilderness is Paradise enow.



Second Edition: Quatrain XII

Here with a little Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse--and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness--
Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!



Fifth Edition: Quatrain XII

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!


As you can see, the First and the Second Editions are very similar. In the first line of the first version, we are given "a Loaf of Bread," which becomes "a little Bread" in the second version. I prefer "a Loaf" because it seems stronger, more definite, and fits in with the others--"a Flask," a Book," and "Thou." "Little" seems out of place with a Flask and a Book, whereas a Loaf is a single definite item, as are the others.

The second change--from "And Wilderness were Paradise enow" to "Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!"-- is one I like. The "and" makes it part of the stanza, something that flows naturally, while "Oh, Wilderness" changes it to a comment on the previous three lines. Old Khayyam looks back and exclaims that the Book, the Flask, and the bread creates "Paradise enow."

I'm still not clear as to the effect of the change from "is Paradise" in the first version to "were Paradise" in the second. Perhaps "were" fits in better with the idea that he's looking back and commenting on it since "were" is in the past tense.

The Fifth Edition version contains some interesting changes:

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.

FitzGerald rearranges the order of the first two lines and moves the Book to the first line and the Loaf to the second line. He also changes "a little Bread" back to "a Loaf of Bread" as it was in the first version. I think restoring the Loaf is a wise decision. And, "beneath" in the first and second versions now becomes "underneath," a minor change, probably for aesthetic reasons.

In addition, it is now a book of "Verses" (the plural form), rather than a book of "Verse" (either singular or plural) as it was in the first and second editions. Perhaps 'FitzGerald made the change because "Verse" sounds a bit choppy or abrupt in comparison to "Verses" which seems to lead more fluidly to the next word.

In the second line, the "Flask" now becomes a "Jug" which seems to substitute a short abrupt word for the longer sounding "Flask." Perhaps FitzGerald felt he needed a shorter sound here. One other possibility is that a flask suggests a small container suitable for carrying around on one's person, whereas a jug would be a much larger container with enough for several people, a size more logical for a picnic with bread, verse, and song.

FitzGerald keeps the third and fourth lines as they were in the second version.

My preference? I would choose either the first or the fifth versions, mainly because that "little" in the second version seems so wrong. Apparently FitzGerald did also since he changed it back to "Loaf." If forced to choose between the first and fifth, then I would go with the fifth. I like "a Jug of Wine" better than "a Flask of Wine." A jug sounds more informal than a flask, or so it seems to me, which would be more in harmony with a picnic on the edge of the Wilderness.

And your preference would be...?