batch.motif.sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg-l11155-l11347
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg-l11155-l11347
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
passage_locator:
label: QUATRAINS OF OMAR KHAYYAM / MONSIEUR J.B. NICOLAS / THE QUATRAINS OF KHAYYAM
/ THE QUATRAINS OF OMAR KHAYYAM; lines 11155-11347
start: '11155'
end: '11347'
translation: The Sufistic Quatrains of Omar Khayyam
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: A sequence of quatrains presents the speaker among wine, tavern, cup, beloved,
mortality, and unanswered cosmic questions. Wine and the cup recur in scenes of
summons, burial wishes, criticism of religious censure, illumination, sacrifice,
and freedom from fear. The passage contrasts heart and Kaaba, faith and unbelief,
doubt and certainty, life and death, and closes with the destructive Wheel of
Destiny and treasure-bearing Earth.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A voice from the tavern calls joyous drinkers to arise and fill a cup of wine
before Fate fills the cup of existence.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The speaker addresses a beloved or idol as the chosen object of the heart
and more precious than life.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The speaker asks who raised the veil that hid the addressed figure and brought
that figure rapidly as wind fans fire.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The world is described as a temporary tent where creation's problem remains
unsolved and people leave with regret.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The speaker asks Khadja to lead them in the way of God while also telling
him to heal his own eyes and leave them in peace.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The speaker asks for a pitcher of wine before bodies are made into pitchers
from dust.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The speaker requests that, after death, the body be washed with vine juice
and that the speaker be sought in the dust of the tavern floor on the day of doom.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The Koran is said to be read only sometimes, while a luminous verse is found
on the brim of the cup and can be read always and everywhere.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: The speaker says a perfect friend and one heart are worth more than a hundred
Kaabas made of earth and water.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: When holding a cup and becoming intoxicated, the speaker sees miracles become
real and hears clear words explaining the mystery of all things.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: The wine-drinkers offer their souls in holocaust to the juice divine, while
a cup-bearer holds a flask and an overflowing cup.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: The group has pawned soul, heart, goods, and everything except the cup, and
says it is freed from hope of pardon and fear of punishment.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: Incredulity and faith, doubt and certainty, and life and death are each separated
by a breath.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:14
text: The Wheel of Destiny is accused of destructive hate, and Earth is said to
contain inappreciable treasures in its bosom.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Poetic speaker and wine-drinking group
description: The first-person speaker and the collective 'we' who drink wine, address
interlocutors, contemplate death, and describe intoxication.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Voice from the tavern
description: A voice heard by the speaker one morning, calling drinkers to arise
and fill a cup.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Beloved or idol
description: An addressed figure called the chosen object of the heart, more precious
than life, and hidden by a veil before being led to the speaker.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Khadja
description: An addressed figure asked to grant a desire, reserve his breath, lead
the speakers in the way of God, and heal his eyes.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Cup-bearer
description: A figure holding the neck of the flask in one hand and the overflowing
cup in the other.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Fate and Wheel of Destiny
description: Personified forces associated with filling the cup of existence and
with destructive hate.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:14
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Earth
description: Personified Earth, whose bosom is said to contain treasures and to
receive human dust.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:14
roles:
- id: role:1
label: wine-drinker
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The speaker and group repeatedly drink or call for wine and describe their
lives around the cup and tavern.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:10
- ev:12
- id: role:2
label: mortality contemplator
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The speaker reflects on bodies returning to dust, burial, the day of doom,
and life separated from death by a breath.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:13
- id: role:3
label: summoner to drinking
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The tavern voice commands drinkers to arise and fill a cup of wine.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: beloved addressee
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The addressed figure is named the chosen object of the heart and more precious
than the speaker's life.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: religious or guiding interlocutor
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Khadja is asked to lead the speakers into the way of God and is also challenged
for seeing crosswise.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: seeker of insight
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: In intoxication the speaker sees miracles and receives words that explain
the mystery of all things.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:7
label: server of wine
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The cup-bearer holds the flask and cup as if inviting the group to receive
the blood-like drink.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:8
label: destructive cosmic force
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Fate is linked with the cup of existence, and the Wheel of Destiny is accused
of implacable hate and destruction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:14
- id: role:9
label: receiver and container
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Earth receives human dust and is said to contain treasures in its bosom.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:14
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: wine and cup
literal_form: Cup of wine, juice of the vine, brim of the cup, overflowing cup
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: sym:2
label: tavern and tavern floor
literal_form: Tavern, dust of the tavern floor
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: veil
literal_form: Veil hiding the addressed figure
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: world as temporary shelter and ruined palace
literal_form: World as tent; palace of misfortune; treasure in ruins
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:12
- id: sym:5
label: dust, pitcher, and tomb
literal_form: Dust made into pitchers; tomb; dust of tavern floor
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: heart
literal_form: Heart, chosen object of the heart, one heart worth more than Kaabas
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:9
- ev:12
- id: sym:7
label: fire
literal_form: Fire fanned by wind; state of fire that devours the speaker
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:10
- id: sym:8
label: water
literal_form: Kaabas made of earth and water; words clear as limpid water; elements
including water
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:12
- id: sym:9
label: breath
literal_form: Breath separating faith from incredulity, doubt from certainty, and
life from death
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:13
- id: sym:10
label: Wheel of Destiny
literal_form: Wheel of Destiny
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: sym:11
label: Koran and cup-verse contrast
literal_form: Koran as Sublime Word; luminous verse on the cup's brim
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Tavern summons before Fate
summary: The speaker hears a tavern voice calling drinkers to arise and fill a cup
before Fate fills the cup of existence.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Address to the veiled beloved
summary: The speaker praises the beloved as dearer than life and asks who lifted
the veil and brought the beloved back.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Unsolved world and contested guidance
summary: The world is described as a temporary tent where creation remains unexplained,
and Khadja is asked to guide the speakers while also being rebuked.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Wine, death, and tavern dust
summary: The speaker asks for wine before the body's dust becomes pitchers and requests
vine-washing, wine-praise, and rediscovery in tavern-floor dust after death.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Cup as readable luminous verse
summary: The passage contrasts intermittent reading of the Koran with a verse of
light found on the cup's brim.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:6
label: Heart above Kaaba
summary: The speaker advises forming friends and seeking one heart rather than a
hundred Kaabas made of earth and water.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: scene:7
label: Intoxicated revelation and offering
summary: With cup in hand, intoxication brings miracles and explanatory words; the
group offers souls to the divine juice while the cup-bearer presents flask and
cup.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: scene:8
label: Pawned self and elemental transcendence
summary: The group pawns soul, heart, goods, and all but the cup, claims freedom
from pardon and punishment, and says it is beyond air, earth, fire, and water.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
- sym:6
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: scene:9
label: Breath boundaries and hostile destiny
summary: The passage states that faith, doubt, certainty, life, and death are separated
by a breath, then addresses the Wheel of Destiny and Earth.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:9
- sym:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- ev:14
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Wine-tavern quest for insight
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
- wisdom
basis: Wine, tavern, cup, and cup-bearer frame scenes of summons, practice, and
illumination, including the claim that intoxication brings miracles and words
explaining the mystery of all things.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The passage itself uses wine imagery repeatedly; any specifically doctrinal
Sufi interpretation requires external commentary not supplied here.
- id: motif:2
label: Beloved as supreme object of devotion
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_beloved
basis: The addressed beloved is called the chosen object of the heart and more precious
than life; a veil hides and then reveals the figure.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage calls the figure 'Idol' and beloved-like, but does not explicitly
identify the figure as divine in these lines.
- id: motif:3
label: Death, dust, and hoped-for rediscovery
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The speaker imagines death, burial, bodily return to dust, the day of doom,
and being found in the dust of the tavern floor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage invokes judgment-time language but does not narrate an afterlife
journey or resurrection event.
- id: motif:4
label: Sacrificial offering of self to the drink
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
- annihilation_union
basis: The group offers souls in holocaust to the juice divine and pawns soul, heart,
goods, and everything except the cup.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
confidence: medium
cautions: The word 'holocaust' supports sacrificial language; union or annihilation
is only implied by self-offering and transcendence, not narrated explicitly.
- id: motif:5
label: Breath as liminal boundary of opposites
taxonomy_refs:
- duality
basis: Faith and incredulity, doubt and certainty, and life and death are each said
to be separated by a breath.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: This is a brief aphoristic contrast rather than an extended mythic narrative.
- id: motif:6
label: Heart valued above sacred structure
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The speaker says a hundred Kaabas of earth and water are not worth one heart
and advises seeking a heart.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives a moral or mystical valuation; broader ritual or theological
implications are not supplied.
- id: motif:7
label: Personified destructive destiny
taxonomy_refs:
- chaos
basis: Fate and the Wheel of Destiny are personified as forces associated with the
cup of existence, destruction, hate, and ancient tyranny.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:14
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage personifies destiny but does not depict a full cosmogonic
chaos narrative.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage aligns with a wine-tavern pattern in which drinking imagery functions
as a vehicle for seeking insight, illumination, and release from ordinary fear.
claim_level: same_function
target: mystical_quest and wisdom motif families in Sufi wine-tavern imagery
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The claim is limited to the supplied passage and source metadata; no
external Sufi texts or commentaries are used here.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage's contrasts of faith and unbelief, doubt and certainty, and life
and death support comparison to a duality motif organized around a minimal liminal
boundary.
claim_level: same_motif
target: duality motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The comparison rests on one quatrain and should not be expanded into
a full dualistic cosmology without additional evidence.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 11155-11347; quatrain 1
quote_or_summary: A tavern voice calls joyous drinkers to arise and fill a cup of
wine before Fate fills the cup of existence.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; concise summary.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 11155-11347; quatrain 2
quote_or_summary: '"O Thou who in the universe art the object chosen of my heart!"'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; short excerpt.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 11155-11347; quatrain 3
quote_or_summary: The speaker asks who lifted the veil hiding the addressee and
brought the figure as rapidly as wind fanning fire.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; concise summary.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 11155-11347; quatrain 4
quote_or_summary: The world is a temporary tent; creation's problem is unsolved,
and people leave with regret at not knowing it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; concise summary.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 11155-11347; quatrain 5
quote_or_summary: Khadja is asked to grant a desire, lead the speakers in God's
way, heal his eyes, and leave them in peace.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; concise summary.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 11155-11347; quatrain 6
quote_or_summary: The speaker asks for a pitcher of wine before others make pitchers
from the speakers' dust.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; concise summary.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 11155-11347; quatrain 7
quote_or_summary: After death the speaker wants vine-juice washing, praise of cup
and wine at the tomb, and discovery in tavern-floor dust on the day of doom.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; concise summary.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 11155-11347; quatrain 11
quote_or_summary: The Koran is read only sometimes, but a luminous verse is always
found on the cup's brim.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; concise summary.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 11155-11347; quatrain 15
quote_or_summary: The speaker says a hundred Kaabas of earth and water are not worth
one heart and advises seeking a heart.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; concise summary.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 11155-11347; quatrain 16
quote_or_summary: With a cup of wine and intoxication, the speaker enters a devouring
fire, sees miracles, and hears words clear as limpid water explaining all mysteries.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; concise summary.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 11155-11347; quatrain 18
quote_or_summary: The wine-drinkers joyfully offer souls in holocaust to the juice
divine; the cup-bearer holds a flask and overflowing cup.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; concise summary.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 11155-11347; quatrain 19
quote_or_summary: Seated amid ruins with wine and dancers, the group pawns soul,
heart, goods, and all but the cup, becoming free of pardon and punishment and
beyond the elements.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; concise summary.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 11155-11347; quatrain 20
quote_or_summary: Incredulity and faith, doubt and certainty, and life and death
are each separated by the space of a breath.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; concise summary.
- id: ev:14
type: summary
locator: lines 11155-11347; quatrain 21
quote_or_summary: The Wheel of Destiny is addressed as destructive and hateful;
Earth is said to contain great treasures in its bosom.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source text; concise summary.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal extraction is strong because the passage is explicit and repetitive.
Motif assignment is more cautious where Sufi or mystical interpretation would
normally depend on wider context or commentary.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Quatrain number 22 appears in the supplied range without accompanying verse text, so no extraction was made from it.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg__l11155-l11347
passage_sha256=c56cdb055d5149bb9cf441710788075d1a489fad19084cf4104b4ccfbfbc85af