The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: Quatrain LXXIII

This is the LXXIII quatrain, with only two more left in the first edition.  It's a bit different from the others in that it expresses very strongly the poet/narrator's unhappiness with life as it is here on earth.


First Edition:  Quatrain LXXIII

"Ah, Love! could thou and I with Fate conspire
 To grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire,
     Would not we shatter it  to bits--and then
  Re-mould it nearer to the Heart's Desire!



Second Edition: Quatrain CVIII

"Ah, Love! could you and I with Fate conspire
 To grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire,
  Would not we shatter it  to bits--and then
 Re-mould it nearer to the Heart's Desire!"



Fifth Edition:  Quatrain  XCIX


"Ah, Love! could you and I with Him conspire
 To grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire,
  Would not we shatter it  to bits--and then
 Re-mould it nearer to the Heart's Desire!"


The quatrain remains very stable throughout the five editions.  In the second edition,  the poetic "thou" becomes the more informal "you," which FitzGerald keeps through the succeeding editions.

The most significant change occurs in the first line of the fifth edition.  In the first and second editions, FitzGerald refers to Fate, a more generic term going back to classical times, and is frequently depicted as female.  It's a supernatural power that determines what happens to us in the future.  In the fifth edition, "Fate" becomes "Him," which clearly suggests the monotheistic deity of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.  All three religion portray God as male, as does the change from "Fate" to "Him."

What is most interesting is that God is now depicted as the supernatural power that decides what will happen to us, which, to me anyway, suggests predetermination or predestination--that God has already decided what our ultimate destiny will be, this logically happening even before our birth.  Is our future set even before we are born?   Are we just puppets jerking about as the puppetmaster determines?  This idea is also suggested in Quatrains XLIX, L, LI,  and LIII


The poet/narrator's evident displeasure with life here is evidenced by his characterization of life here as "this Sorry Scheme of Things"  and wishes he were able to "shatter it to bits" given the opportunity and to then "Re-mould it nearer to the Heart's Desire."

Of course, the believer's answer is that there is nothing wrong with this world.  It's just that we don't understand God who has made the universe as it is nor do we perceive the ultimate resolution of all that happens here. 

Does that work for you?