14 Khordad 1405
Quatrain 70 of 75
“Ah, Moon of my Delight who know'st no wane,
The Moon of Heav'n is rising once again:
How oft hereafter rising shall she look
Through this same Garden after me—in vain!”
Reflection · Spring 1405
Ah, Moon of my Delight who know'st no wane — this is the beloved, the human beloved, addressed with the full weight of what that love means. The moon of heaven rises and wanes; the moon of his delight knows no waning. This is a lie told in love, and Khayyam knows it even as he says it. In spring this verse is read against the backdrop of the new moon of Nowruz. How oft hereafter rising shall she look through this same garden after me — in spring this is future tense, distant, almost theoretical.
The garden is here. You are here. The moon is here.