The Rubaiyat: Quatrain LIX

This quatrain brings back a theme that was first introduced in quatrains XXXIV-XXXVII  (34-37)  and LIII (53).  The motif is that of the Creator, potter, clay, earth, and humanity.  And, this theme is dominant from this quatrain through quatrain 66.


First Edition:  Quatrain LIX

Listen again.  One evening at the Close
Of Ramazan, ere the better Moon arose,
    In that old Potter's Shop I stood alone
With the clay Population round in Rows.



Second Edition:  Quatrain LXXXIX

As under cover of departing Day
Slunk hunger-stricken Ramazan away,
   Once more within the Potter's house alone
I stood, surrounded by the Shapes of Clay.



Fifth Edition:  Quatrain LXXXII
 
As under cover of departing Day
Slunk hunger-stricken Ramazan away,
   Once more within the Potter's house alone
I stood, surrounded by the Shapes of Clay.


As you can see, FitzGerald made considerable changes between the first and second editions, while the fifth is identical to the second.  There is also a marked change in the tone, as well as the language, between the first and second editions.  In the first version, the poet just refers to the ending of Ramazan with the coming of the new moon. I guess it is "better" because it is new and not tired and worn out as the old moon was.  "Ramazan" is a variant spelling for "Ramadan," the term which we are probably most familiar with.  Ramadan is the monthly fast that occurs once a year which all followers of Islam must partake in, except for certain exceptions--those who would find fasting a hardship or dangerous to their health or those  who are traveling.

While the reference in the first two lines of the first edition seems fairly objective, the tone in the second and succeeding editions is quite different.  We no longer read about the appearance of the new moon, but "under cover of departing day,"  which sounds as though someone or something is sneaking off in the dark.  In the second line, Ramazan doesn't just "Close," but it "slunk" away, suggesting something guilty or perhaps evil, or something unwelcome.  The language implies a thief sneaking off, unseen in the dark.

The ending of Ramazan now has a much more unpleasant feel to it than it does in the first edition.  Does the Poet find the daily routine of fasting during the daylight hours and then feasting after sunset unpleasant for some reason?  Just why the Poet decided to change the tone escapes me. 


The most significant change in the third line is the suggestion--"once more"--in the second and fifth editions that the Poet has been in the Potter's shop before, something that doesn't appear in the first edition.  In the fourth line, "clay Population" in the first version is replaced by "Shapes of Clay" in the second and fifth versions.  Perhaps the Poet felt that "clay Population" is too vague while "Shapes of Clay" is more specific.


This quatrain doesn't seem to put forth any particular idea and seems to be an introductory quatrain, just telling us where the Poet is and what is about him.   Now that the setting has been identified, the following quatrains should present the Poet's point.