batch.motif.sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg-l3655-l3670
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg-l3655-l3670
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
passage_locator:
label: XLVIII. / LVIII. / LXIII. / LXVIII.; lines 3655-3670
start: '3655'
end: '3670'
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: "“We are no other than a moving row / Of Magic Shadow-shapes...”"
summary: 'A quatrain and accompanying translation compare human beings and the universe
to figures revolving in a magic lantern: the vault of heaven is the lantern, the
sun is its flame, the universe is its lamp, and a Master holds the show in midnight.'
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The speaker identifies “we” as a moving row of magic shadow-shapes that come
and go.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The shadow-shapes move round with a sun-illumined lantern held in midnight
by the Master of the Show.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The accompanying translation says the vault of heaven is understood as a kind
of magic-lantern.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The accompanying translation says the sun is the flame and the universe is
the lamp.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The accompanying translation says human beings are like figures that revolve
in the lamp.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: we / human beings
description: The collective human speaker is described as magic shadow-shapes or
figures revolving in the lamp.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Master of the Show
description: A figure who holds the sun-illumined lantern in midnight.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
roles:
- id: role:1
label: shadow-figures in the cosmic lantern
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage says “we” are magic shadow-shapes and like figures that revolve
in the lamp.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: holder or operator of the show
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The quatrain names the Master of the Show as holding the sun-illumined lantern
in midnight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: magic lantern
literal_form: Sun-illumined lantern / magic-lantern
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: sun as flame
literal_form: sun / flame
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: universe as lamp
literal_form: universe / lamp
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: vault of heaven
literal_form: vault of heaven
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:5
label: midnight
literal_form: Midnight
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Cosmic magic-lantern show
summary: Human beings are described as shadow-like figures moving or revolving within
a cosmic lamp or lantern, with the sun as the flame and the Master of the Show
holding the lantern in midnight.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Human life as shadow-play or magic-lantern projection
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage repeatedly describes human beings as magic shadow-shapes or figures
revolving in a magic-lantern-like cosmos.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives an image rather than an explicit doctrinal explanation
of its meaning.
- id: motif:2
label: Cosmos as divine or master-held apparatus
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The vault of heaven, sun, universe, and human figures are arranged as parts
of a lantern show held by the Master of the Show.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The identity and theological status of the Master are not explained in
the passage.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: 3655-3660
quote_or_summary: "“We are no other than a moving row / Of Magic Shadow-shapes...”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: after quatrain, translation from O. 108
quote_or_summary: The prose translation says the vault of heaven is a magic-lantern,
the sun is the flame, the universe is the lamp, and humans are figures revolving
in it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: citation
locator: reference line following O. 108 translation
quote_or_summary: Reference list for O. 108 and related editions is supplied in
the passage.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; citation summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The image is explicit, but broader motif classification is limited because
the passage itself does not explain doctrinal or comparative 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 supplied passage does not itself support a specific cross-textual comparison.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg__l3655-l3670
passage_sha256=b2946cc3e414f0e1c3201873c8a4de633627b1e6cc1476e729a2c4a350828cf0