Quatrain 48
Quatrain 48 of 75
“While the Rose blows along the River Brink,
With old Khayyam the Ruby Vintage drink:
And when the Angel with his darker Draught
Draws up to thee—take that, and do not shrink.”
Reflection · Spring
While the Rose blows — this exact moment, the rose in bloom along the river, the spring at its most extravagant. With old Khayyam: the company is important. Not alone with the beauty, not pretending the beauty is enough without someone to witness it with. Old Khayyam, with his equanimity and his willingness to tell you the truth — he is the right company for the rose's blooming.
And when the Angel with his darker Draught draws up to thee — the other angel, not the one who brought the grape through the summer dusk. This one comes in time, to everyone. Take that, and do not shrink. This is Khayyam's instruction for the whole of the Rubaiyat: drink what is offered, each cup as it is given. Do not shrink from either.