batch.motif.sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg-l13103-l13293
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg-l13103-l13293
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 13103-13293
start: '13103'
end: '13293'
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 addresses God or a beloved figure, praises wine
and the tavern, gives moral counsel about wisdom and ignorance, emphasizes mortality
and the lack of return from death, depicts humans as puppets of the Wheel of Heaven,
describes worldly forms as emerging from and returning to a vast sea, and includes
a memento mori scene of a bird addressing the skull of Kai-Kawous.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The speaker asks the ruler of the universe which days wine rejoices the soul
and answers with every day of the week.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The speaker says it is better to be with the addressed Thou in the tavern
than to pray without Thou in the mosque.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The speaker advises associating with honest and intelligent men and fleeing
from the ignorant.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Clouds cover roses like a veil, the sun remains on the horizon, and the speaker
urges the soul to drink wine rather than rest.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The speaker compares himself to a sparrow-hawk flying away from this world
of mysteries in hope of reaching a higher world.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The speaker says those who have gone have not returned to tell the secrets
behind the curtain.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The speaker says humans are puppets or playthings on a human checkerboard
and finally enter the coffin of annihilation one by one.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The speaker describes the phantasmagoria of worldly things as an image emerging
from a vast sea and later re-entering that sea.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: The speaker says that in the temple of idols, separated from their being,
they shall attain the step of the eternal throne.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: The speaker asks God, who knows hidden secrets and raises the fallen, for
renunciation and acceptance of excuses.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: A bird hovers before the skull of Kai-Kawous on the city walls of Thous and
asks what became of the noise of his glory and clarion.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: The speaker counsels attention to the present moment rather than anxiety over
past, future, or future things.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: The speaker warns not to put on the mantle of hypocrisy and not to sell the
empire of eternity for an instant.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: speaker
description: The first-person voice addressing God, the beloved, the soul, devotees,
and listeners throughout the quatrains.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:10
- ev:12
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Thou / Creator / God
description: An addressed divine figure described as ruler of the universe, Creator
of all that was and is, knower of hidden secrets, raiser of the fallen, and accepter
of excuses.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:10
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: beloved
description: A well-beloved figure who becomes amiable again, casts a sweet furtive
look, and disappears.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: honest and intelligent men
description: People with whom the addressee is advised to consort.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: ignorant person
description: A person from whom the addressee is advised to flee; even an antidote
from such a person should be poured on the ground.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: those who have gone
description: The dead or departed, described as not returning to reveal concealed
secrets.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:15
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Wheel of Heaven
description: A cosmic wheel said to be amused by human puppets and playthings.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: bird
description: A bird hovering before the skull of Kai-Kawous and speaking to it.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: skull of Kai-Kawous
description: The skull of Kai-Kawous, addressed by the bird on the walls of Thous.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
roles:
- id: role:1
label: first-person seeker and counselor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The speaker asks questions, gives counsel, prays, describes his own state,
and urges drinking or present attention.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:10
- ev:12
- id: role:2
label: divine addressee and creator
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The addressed Thou is named as ruler of the universe, Creator, God, knower
of secrets, and raiser of the fallen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:10
- id: role:3
label: beloved who appears and withdraws
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The beloved casts a look and disappears after becoming amiable again.
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: role:4
label: wise companions
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The passage explicitly advises consorting with honest and intelligent men.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: untrustworthy ignorant giver
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The passage says to flee the ignorant and reject an antidote if presented
by an ignorant one.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: non-returning departed
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The departed are repeatedly said not to return and not to disclose hidden
secrets.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:15
- id: role:7
label: cosmic mover or player
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The Wheel of Heaven is said to be amused by human puppets and playthings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:8
label: memento mori speaker
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The bird addresses the skull about lost glory.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:9
label: dead royal remnant
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The skull of Kai-Kawous is the remnant addressed about vanished glory and
clarion sound.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: wine
literal_form: wine drunk or desired across the days, in the tavern, at dawn, and
in the temple of idols
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:9
- id: sym:2
label: cup and flask
literal_form: cup, flask, and the act of inclining or stretching toward the cup
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:16
- ev:17
- id: sym:3
label: tavern and mosque
literal_form: tavern contrasted with mosque prayer
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: fire of torments
literal_form: fire of a thousand torments
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:16
- id: sym:5
label: curtain concealing secrets
literal_form: curtain behind which secrets are concealed
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: Wheel of Heaven and checkerboard
literal_form: Wheel of Heaven, puppets, playthings, and human checkerboard
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:7
label: coffin of annihilation
literal_form: coffin of annihilation entered one by one
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:8
label: vast sea
literal_form: vast sea from which a fantastic image emerges and into which it re-enters
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:9
label: eternal throne
literal_form: step or sill of the eternal throne or throne of pity
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:18
- id: sym:10
label: bird and skull
literal_form: bird hovering before a royal skull on city walls
associated_figures:
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:11
label: waters
literal_form: waters on which good is cast
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: sym:12
label: mantle of hypocrisy
literal_form: mantle of hypocrisy
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: sym:13
label: sparrow-hawk ascent
literal_form: sparrow-hawk flying from this world toward a higher world
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Wine and divine address
summary: The speaker addresses the ruler or Creator and praises wine, the cup, and
the tavern as the setting for secret speech with Thou.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:16
- id: scene:2
label: Counsel about wisdom and ignorance
summary: The speaker advises seeking honest intelligent companions and fleeing ignorant
ones, even preferring poison from the wise to an antidote from the ignorant.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Dawn or daylight drinking
summary: The speaker describes roses, clouds, the sun still on the horizon, and
urges the soul to drink wine before rest.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Attempted ascent from the world of mysteries
summary: The speaker compares himself to a sparrow-hawk trying to fly from the world
of mysteries to a higher world, but returns through the same door by which he
entered.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Departed do not return
summary: The speaker states that those who have gone have not returned to reveal
hidden secrets and questions the use of prayer without sincerity and humility.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Humans as playthings of heaven
summary: Human beings are described as puppets on a checkerboard under the Wheel
of Heaven, eventually entering the coffin of annihilation.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:7
label: Worldly image from the sea
summary: The speaker says worldly phantasmagoria is a fantastic image that emerges
from a vast sea and returns to it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:8
label: Inebriation and the eternal throne
summary: The speaker says that in love and inebriation within the temple of idols,
separated from being, they will reach the step of the eternal throne.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: scene:9
label: Prayer to God who raises the fallen
summary: The speaker asks God, who knows hidden secrets and raises those who fall
in distress, to grant renunciation and accept excuses.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: scene:10
label: Bird before the skull of Kai-Kawous
summary: On the walls of Thous, a bird hovers before the skull of Kai-Kawous and
asks what became of his glory and clarion.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: scene:11
label: Counsel on present and eternity
summary: The speaker counsels not to fear future things, to value the present portion
of pleasure, and not to exchange eternity for a worldly instant.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: wine as privileged devotional or revelatory setting
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_beloved
- mystical_quest
basis: The speaker prefers being with Thou in the tavern to prayer without Thou
in the mosque and repeatedly links wine with secret speech, delight, and attainment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents wine literally in English translation; any specifically
Sufi symbolic reading requires review against the broader text and translation
notes.
- id: motif:2
label: divine beloved addressed through longing and paradox
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_beloved
basis: The addressed Thou is linked with enticing charm, prohibition against looking,
tavern companionship, divine creation, burning, favor, and hidden knowledge.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:10
- ev:16
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage alternates between a divine addressee and a beloved figure;
the extraction does not assume they are always identical.
- id: motif:3
label: quest for higher world and secret knowledge
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
- ascent
basis: The speaker likens himself to a sparrow-hawk attempting to fly from this
world of mysteries to a higher world while carrying secret thoughts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The quatrain ends with the speaker going out by the same door, so the
ascent is not described as completed.
- id: motif:4
label: annihilation and dissolution of worldly being
taxonomy_refs:
- annihilation_union
basis: The passage describes entering the coffin of annihilation, becoming separate
from being, and worldly images emerging from and returning to a vast sea.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: Union is only indirectly suggested by dissolution and the eternal throne;
the passage does not explicitly state union.
- id: motif:5
label: non-return from death and hidden afterlife secrets
taxonomy_refs:
- afterlife_journey_map
- departure
basis: The departed are said not to return to disclose secrets behind the curtain,
and the lives of sleepers and the dead are contrasted with those who no longer
return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:15
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage stresses ignorance of what lies beyond death rather than giving
a detailed afterlife map.
- id: motif:6
label: humans as cosmic playthings
taxonomy_refs:
- duality
basis: Humans are called puppets and playthings on a checkerboard, while the Wheel
of Heaven is amused by them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy has no exact fate or cosmic-game category; duality
is only approximate and should be reviewed.
- id: motif:7
label: memento mori of royal glory
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: A bird addresses the skull of Kai-Kawous and asks what became of his glory
and clarion, highlighting the disappearance of worldly power.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives a single emblematic scene and no extended narrative
about Kai-Kawous.
- id: motif:8
label: wisdom counsel against hypocrisy and future anxiety
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Several quatrains offer direct counsel about wise companions, ignorance,
humility, sincerity, fear of the future, present pleasure, hypocrisy, and eternity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:12
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: The counsel is aphoristic rather than narrative.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 220
quote_or_summary: The speaker addresses the ruler of the universe and says wine
rejoices the soul on every day of the week.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 222
quote_or_summary: The speaker says it is better to be with Thou in the tavern and
tell secret thoughts than to pray without Thou in the mosque; the addressee is
called Creator of all that was and is.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 223
quote_or_summary: The speaker counsels consorting with honest intelligent men and
fleeing the ignorant; poison from a man of mind is preferable to an antidote from
an ignorant person.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 224
quote_or_summary: Clouds lie over roses like a veil; the speaker says the heart
still desires wine and urges the soul to drink while the sun is on the horizon.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 225
quote_or_summary: The speaker compares himself to a sparrow-hawk flying from this
world of mysteries toward a higher world, but finds no worthy sharer of secret
thoughts and goes out by the door he entered.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 227
quote_or_summary: The departed have not returned to tell the secrets hidden behind
the curtain; the speaker praises humility over prayer without sincerity.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 231
quote_or_summary: Humans are described as puppets with which the Wheel of Heaven
is amused, playthings on a checkerboard, and finally entrants one by one into
the coffin of annihilation.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 232
quote_or_summary: The phantasmagoria of things below is described as a fantastic
image coming out of a vast sea and later re-entering that same sea.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 233
quote_or_summary: The speaker says they are lost in love, distressed, inebriate
in the temple of idols, rendering due to wine, separate from being, and attaining
the step of the eternal throne.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 236
quote_or_summary: The speaker addresses God as knower of hidden heart-secrets and
raiser of the fallen, asking for renunciation and acceptance of excuses.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 237
quote_or_summary: On the walls of Thous, a bird hovers before the skull of Kai-Kawous
and asks what became of the noise of his glory and the sound of the clarion.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrains 238-239
quote_or_summary: The speaker advises not questioning past or future, valuing the
present moment, not fearing future things, and rejoicing in one's portion of pleasure
in a world of annihilation.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 240
quote_or_summary: The speaker advises not putting on the mantle of hypocrisy and
not selling the empire of eternity for the instant of this world.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:14
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 234
quote_or_summary: The well-beloved becomes amiable again, casts a sweet furtive
look into the speaker's eyes, disappears, and is associated with the saying about
doing good and casting it on the waters.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:15
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrains 228 and 235
quote_or_summary: The speaker says none of those who have gone away has returned;
at dawn the addressee is told to rise, drink wine, hear the harp, and remember
that none of those who are no more will return.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:16
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 221
quote_or_summary: The speaker addresses a charming being, asks that the fire of
a thousand torments be appeased, and compares a ban on looking to ordering the
cup inclined while forbidding the contents to spill.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:17
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 230
quote_or_summary: The speaker says to recommence pleasures, say farewell to the
five prayers, and stretch necks toward the cup wherever the flask is present.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
- id: ev:18
type: summary
locator: lines 13103-13293; quatrain 229
quote_or_summary: The speaker says he has not fulfilled submission or swept dust
from the divine steps, yet has not despaired of reaching the sill of the throne
of pity.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized rather than quoted.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Extraction is based only on the supplied English passage. Wine, beloved,
and annihilation imagery may have specialized Sufi readings, but these require
human review and broader textual context.
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: |-
No comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not explicitly compare its imagery with another text, tradition, or motif family beyond the supplied taxonomy context.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg__l13103-l13293
passage_sha256=635f6dfc65f927ca7ea224bd26dd4c5fe66ad8c6497a963268018336bca09122