batch.motif.sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg-l2730-l2771
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg-l2730-l2771
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
passage_locator:
label: XXIV. / XXVI. / XXVII. / XXVIII.; lines 2730-2771
start: '2730'
end: '2771'
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: I came like Water, and like Wind I go.
summary: Two FitzGerald quatrains describe a youthful seeker frequenting learned
and holy figures, hearing arguments, sowing the seed of Wisdom, and concluding
that he came like water and goes like wind. The accompanying notes connect these
quatrains with Persian source quatrains about study with teachers, a falcon flying
from the World of mystery toward heights above and returning by the same door,
and the inability of anyone to solve the secrets of eternity.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The speaker says that when young he eagerly frequented Doctor and Saint and
listened to extended argument.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The speaker says he came out by the same door through which he entered.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The speaker says he sowed the seed of Wisdom with others and worked by his
own hand to make it grow.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The stated harvest of the speaker's effort is the saying that he came like
Water and goes like Wind.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The editorial note says the two quatrains should be considered together and
are inspired by O. 121, C. 281, and O. 72.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: One cited source quatrain says the speakers frequented a teacher when young,
were content with their proficiency for a while, and ended with the statement
that they came like water and went like wind.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: One cited source quatrain presents the speaker as a falcon who flew from the
World of mystery in order to soar from below to heights above, but returned by
the same door after finding no intimate friend.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: One cited source quatrain says no one has solved the tangled secrets of eternity
or set foot beyond the orbit of human understanding.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The same cited source quatrain says that, from tyro to teacher, the hands
of all people born of women are impotent.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: first-person speaker
description: The speaker who remembers youth, study, argument, sowing Wisdom, and
coming and going like water and wind.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Doctor and Saint
description: Learned and holy figures whom the young speaker frequented and from
whom he heard argument.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: teacher
description: A teacher frequented by the speakers in one cited source quatrain.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: falcon-speaker
description: A first-person figure described as a falcon flying from the World of
mystery toward heights above.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: tyro to teacher
description: A range of human figures named in the source quatrain as unable to
solve or pass beyond the limits described.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: seeker of knowledge or ascent
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:4
basis: The first-person figures pursue argument, Wisdom, or flight from the World
of mystery toward heights above.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: religious or learned instructor
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:3
basis: The Doctor, Saint, and teacher are figures frequented during the speaker's
or speakers' youth in contexts of argument or proficiency.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: limited human knower
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The source quatrain says that from tyro to teacher no one has solved the
secrets or gone beyond the orbit of human understanding.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: same door
literal_form: door of entry and exit
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: seed of Wisdom
literal_form: seed
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: harvest
literal_form: Harvest reaped from the cultivation of Wisdom
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: water
literal_form: Water in the phrase came like Water
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: wind
literal_form: Wind in the phrase go like Wind
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: falcon
literal_form: falcon
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:7
label: World of mystery
literal_form: World of mystery
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:8
label: heights above
literal_form: heights above
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:9
label: tangled secrets of eternity
literal_form: tangled secrets of eternity
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:10
label: orbit of human understanding
literal_form: orbit of human understanding
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Youthful attendance on Doctor and Saint
summary: The speaker recalls frequenting Doctor and Saint in youth, hearing arguments,
and leaving by the same door through which he entered.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Cultivation and harvest of Wisdom
summary: The speaker says he sowed the seed of Wisdom, worked to make it grow, and
reaped the conclusion that he came like water and goes like wind.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Source quatrain on teacher and outcome
summary: A cited source quatrain describes youthful attendance on a teacher, temporary
satisfaction with proficiency, and an ending expressed as coming like water and
going like wind.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Falcon ascent and return
summary: A cited source quatrain describes a falcon-speaker flying from the World
of mystery toward the heights above, failing to find an intimate friend, and returning
by the same door.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:6
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Unsolved secrets and human limitation
summary: A cited source quatrain states that no one has solved eternity's secrets
or gone beyond human understanding, and that all humans from tyro to teacher are
powerless in this respect.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:9
- sym:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: quest for wisdom ending in unresolved return
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
- mystical_quest
basis: The speaker seeks instruction and Wisdom through Doctor, Saint, and cultivation,
but the result is a return by the same door and an unresolved conclusion of coming
and going.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: This is a motif-level description of the passage's stated actions and
outcome, not a claim about a specific traditional tale type.
- id: motif:2
label: life or passage figured as water and wind
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Both FitzGerald's quatrain and a cited source quatrain express coming like
water and going like wind.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy reference directly names wind or transience; only
water is available as a symbol reference.
- id: motif:3
label: failed ascent from mystery to higher realm
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
- mystical_quest
basis: The falcon-speaker flies from the World of mystery toward heights above,
but does not find an intimate friend and returns by the same door.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The ascent motif is present in the source quatrain quoted in the note,
not in the two FitzGerald quatrains alone.
- id: motif:4
label: limits of human understanding before eternity
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The cited source quatrain says no one has solved the secrets of eternity
or passed beyond the orbit of human understanding, and that all from tyro to teacher
are impotent.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage states epistemic limitation rather than narrating a full mythic
episode.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The editorial note explicitly links FitzGerald's two quatrains with O. 121,
C. 281, and O. 72 as inspirations, supporting a comparison between the English
quatrains and those cited Persian-source quatrains.
claim_level: linguistic_similarity
target: O. 121, C. 281, and O. 72 as cited in the note
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage provides translated excerpts and references but does not
supply the original-language texts or a detailed philological argument within
this extract.
- id: claim:2
claim: The repeated wording about coming like water and going like wind supports
comparison of FitzGerald's quatrain with the cited source quatrain O. 121 at the
level of shared image and function.
claim_level: same_function
target: O. 121 source quatrain as quoted in the note
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The claim is limited to the imagery and conclusion quoted in this passage.
- id: claim:3
claim: The return through the same door in FitzGerald's quatrain can be compared
with the falcon source quatrain's return through the same door.
claim_level: same_motif
target: C. 281 source quatrain as quoted in the note
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: 'The surrounding imagery differs: one scene concerns attending Doctor
and Saint, while the source quatrain uses a falcon''s ascent from the World of
mystery.'
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 2730-2735; XXVII
quote_or_summary: "“Myself when young did eagerly frequent / Doctor and Saint...
/ Came out by the same door wherein I went.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 2737-2742; XXVIII
quote_or_summary: "“With them the seed of Wisdom did I sow... / ‘I came like Water,
and like Wind I go.’”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2744-2745
quote_or_summary: The note says these two quatrains must be considered together
and are inspired by O. 121, C. 281, and O. 72.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for evidence.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 2747-2753; O. 121 note
quote_or_summary: A cited quatrain says that when young the speakers frequented
a teacher, were content with proficiency for a while, and ended with the statement
that they came like water and went like wind.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for evidence.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 2756-2764; C. 281 note
quote_or_summary: A cited quatrain says the speaker, as a falcon, flew from the
World of mystery to soar upward, found no intimate friend, and came out by the
same door by which he went in.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for evidence.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 2766-2771; O. 72 note
quote_or_summary: A cited quatrain says no one has solved eternity's tangled secrets
or gone beyond the orbit of human understanding, and that all from tyro to teacher
are powerless.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for evidence.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward from the English passage and notes.
Motif labels are candidate abstractions and require review, especially where they
are drawn from source quatrains embedded in 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: |-
Used only the supplied passage text and metadata. Taxonomy references are limited to supplied motif families and symbols.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg__l2730-l2771
passage_sha256=f7d7956cf204da66120640081a53f928eb4e458cccc92820f93123678f2b0901