10 Mehr 1405
Quatrain 39 of 75
“How long, how long, in infinite Pursuit
Of This and That endeavour and dispute?
Better be merry with the fruitful Grape
Than sadden after none, or bitter, Fruit.”
Reflection · Autumn 1405
In autumn the grape is being harvested — fruitful, heavy, actual. How long, how long in the pursuit of This and That — and here is the autumn accounting: which pursuits bore fruit and which bore nothing. Better be merry with the fruitful grape is autumn's specific wisdom. The grape is here. It is in the hand. The press is running.
Khayyam is not saying stop pursuing. He is saying notice when the pursuit is the fruitful grape — notice when you are actually holding the thing you went after, and be merry with it, and don't immediately reach for the next This and That while this one is ripe in your hand.