SummerRubaiyat · 72 of 75
Quatrain 72
Quatrain 72 of 75
“Why, if the Soul can fling the Dust aside,
And naked on the Air of Heaven ride,
Wer't not a Shame—wer't not a Shame for him
In this clay carcass crippled to abide?”
Omar Khayyamtr. Edward FitzGerald, 1859
Reflection · Summer
Wer't not a Shame — not just a logical puzzle but a mild embarrassment: if the soul could fly, staying caged in clay seems like a waste. If the Soul can fling the Dust aside and naked on the Air of Heaven ride — in summer the image is most vivid. The naked soul on the summer air: the freedom that summer offers from the confinements of winter.
And Khayyam asks: if the actual freedom is available, why settle for the summer metaphor? The clay carcass in summer is warm and functional and full of pleasure. Perhaps that is why the soul stays.