17 Tir 1405
Quatrain 28 of 75
“With them the Seed of Wisdom did I sow,
And with my own hand labour'd it to grow:
And this was all the Harvest that I reap'd—
"I came like Water, and like Wind I go."”
Reflection · Summer 1405
In summer the seed of wisdom is in full growth — the long days of inquiry, of following the argument, of pressing on when the door seems close. The harvest Khayyam reaps: I came like Water, like Wind I go. The summer labor was real. The harvest is honest. Water in summer is precious — it must be found, conserved, brought to the field deliberately. Khayyam's wisdom is summer water — found through effort, not given freely.
The summer labor is not wasted by arriving at this harvest. The harvest is clear and portable and needs no granary. You can carry it anywhere.