28 Aban 1404
Quatrain 12 of 75
“"How sweet is mortal Sovranty!"—think some:
Others—"How blest the Paradise to come!"
Ah, take the Cash in hand and waive the Rest;
Oh, the brave Music of a distant Drum!”
Reflection · Autumn 1404
In autumn the distant drum has been beating all year, and many who followed it are arriving at what it promised — or not. The sovereignty is sweeter or sourer than expected. The paradise deferred is still deferred. And the cash that was in hand in spring — some of it was spent, some wasted, some transformed into the kind of autumn wealth that only comes from having actually lived the year.
What is the autumn cash? The amber light. The cool morning that follows the warm afternoon. The particular fruit of Aban, the specific conversation that belongs only to this season. These are real. The winter paradise or the next year's sovereignty — these are music, brave and distant. Khayyam's point holds most clearly in autumn: the cash in hand in this amber afternoon is the only currency you can actually spend.