The Rubaiyat : Quatrain IX


But come with old Khayyam, and leave the Lot
Of Kaikobad and Kaikhosru forgot:
Let Rustum lay about him as he will,
Or Hatim Tai cry Supper--heed them not.

This is the ninth quatrain of the Fitzgerald's The Rubaiyat.The underlying theme being of mindful of the present. The poet says Come with me, come with Khayyam (who is old and frail now) and leave the old glories of Kaikobad and Kaikhosru. Leave those triumphs of the past, of mighty kings and of powerful empires. Let them go and live in the present. Those things are gone now. Do not keep yourself absorbed by the legacies of the past, be concerned about the present. Let Rustom (the brave king of Persia) lay alone ready for ambush. Do not join him. And don't let your self be disturbed by the cries of "Supper" by the benevolent Hatim Tai. You keep your way and do not let yourself be led astray by these for they are the stories of the past. Heed them not my friend!!

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