15 Dey 1404
Quatrain 58 of 75
“Oh Thou, who Man of baser Earth didst make,
And who with Eden didst devise the Snake;
For all the Sin wherewith the Face of Man
Is blacken'd, Man's Forgiveness give—and take!”
Reflection · Winter 1404
In winter the Face of Man is most blackened by the year's full record. And Khayyam's request is simple and enormous: for all of this — give forgiveness and take it. Both. The forgiveness that flows from the Creator to the created for the design of base earth and devised snake. The forgiveness that flows from the created to the Creator for the terms of the arrangement.
In winter, standing in the full account of the year, this mutual forgiveness is the most honest prayer available. Not that the snake will be removed from Eden. Not that the base earth will be refined. Just: given and taken, both ways, fully.