The Rubaiyat: Quatrain XXXIX

A familiar theme in this quatrain:


First Edition: Quatrain XXXIX

How long, how long in infinite Pursuit
Of This and That endeavour and dispute?
Better be merry with the fruitful Grape
Than sadden after none, or bitter, Fruit.



Second Edition: Quatrain LVI

Waste not your Hour, nor in the vain pursuit
Of This and That endeavour and dispute;
Better be merry with the fruitful Grape
Than sadden after none, or bitter, Fruit.


Fifth Edition: Quatrain LIV

Waste not your Hour, nor in the vain pursuit
Of This and That endeavour and dispute;
Better be jocund with the fruitful Grape
Than sadden after none, or bitter, Fruit.


The most significant changes occur between the first and second editions, especially in the first two lines of the quatrain. The fifth edition is identical to the second, except for one change in the third line.

The poet in the first and second editions advises us to be "merry with the fruitful grape," whereas, in the fifth edition, he suggests that we be "jocund." In my dictionary, "jocund" is defined as having a "cheerful disposition, or merry, gay." I see nothing to be gained by the substitution of jocund for merry and, in fact, find "merry" to flow much better than the abrupt "jocund." I think it''s a bad substitution: "merry" is superior.

The text I've been using has the following first line: "How long, how long, in definite pursuit." The word "definite" seemed wrong, so I checked with other versions. I discovered that all agreed that the first line should read "How long, how long, in infinite pursuit," which makes more sense than "indefinite." I therefore considered this to be a typographical error and made the change.

Again, in the first edition in my copy, the poet writes "Than sadder after none" in the fourth line while the second and fifth editions read "Than sadden after none." While checking on the problem of "indefinite," I discovered that, in all other copies, the first edition reads "Than sadden after none," just as do the second and the fifth editions. So, I have taken the liberty of assuming that's a typo and made the change.

In the first edition, the poet addresses us directly and asks us a rhetorical question: How long are we going to continue pursuing disputes and tasks that are infinite, and therefore unresolvable? The poet in the second and fifth editions, instead of asking us how long, now opens with an authoritative directive: that we cease wasting our time in those infinite endeavors and pursuits. Perhaps FitzGerald decided against asking that question for fear that his readers might come up with the wrong answer. By providing his readers with a directive, he gets his point across much more clearly and unambiguously.

In addition, the change also suggests a different assumption made by the Poet. In the first edition, the Poet assumes that the reader is engaged in these infinite disputes and endeavors when he asks how long the reader will continue with this fruitless behavior. In the second and succeeding editions, the Poet directly warns the reader against such behavior. In other words, he advises the reader to stop such behavior if already engaged in it or he warns those who aren't against beginning.

His recommendation is the same in all three editions: better be merry with the fruitful grape (a contrast to barren and fruitless disputes) and forget about wasting time over nothing or perhaps even bitter fruit. This refers us back to earlier quatrains about the endless disputes and studies of the wise and pious that go on eternally and whose only result frequently is anger and hatred among the disputants.