Quatrain 3
Quatrain 3 of 75
“And, as the Cock crew, those who stood before
The Tavern shouted—"Open then the Door.
You know how little while we have to stay,
And, once departed, may return no more."”
Reflection · Autumn
In autumn this verse lands with the full weight of its season. The cock crows in Mehr and the air is already different — cooler, the light lower, the mornings darker than they were. Those who stood before the Tavern have now been standing there for months. The door opened. Some went through. Some are still shouting.
Once departed, may return no more. This is autumn's central fact, delivered without decoration. The leaves do not return to the branch. The year flows in one direction only, and every Mehr this fact becomes undeniable in a way that spring and summer manage to obscure. Khayyam is not advocating nihilism. He is advocating presence. The reason you cannot return is also the reason this moment — this exact autumn morning, this particular slant of Mehri light through the window — is irreplaceable.