batch.motif.sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg-l5114-l5258
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg-l5114-l5258
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
passage_locator:
label: STANZA / STANZA / STANZAS WHICH APPEAR IN THE SECOND EDITION ONLY / QUATRAINS
OF OMAR KHAYYAM; lines 5114-5258
start: '5114'
end: '5258'
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: The passage gives a comparative table of stanza numbering across FitzGerald’s
first, second, third, and fourth editions of the Rubáiyát, followed by a note
on FitzGerald’s liberties with the original, including use of lines from Attar
and a disputed line about a snake. The note quotes a quatrain addressing God as
knower of secrets, helper in weakness, and giver and accepter of repentance and
excuses.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A comparative table aligns stanza numbers across FitzGerald’s first, second,
third, and fourth editions.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The note states that FitzGerald took great liberties with the original in
his version of Omar Khayyam.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The note states that the first stanza is entirely FitzGerald’s own.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The note states that FitzGerald introduced two lines from Attar into stanza
XXXI of the fourth edition, numbered XXXVI in the second edition.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Professor Cowell states that he found no original for a line about a snake
in stanza LXXXI of the fourth edition.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The quoted quatrain addresses God as one who knows the secrets of every mind
and grasps every hand in weakness.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The quoted quatrain asks God to give repentance and accept excuses.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: Cowell says FitzGerald mistook the meaning of giving and accepting and invented
his last line from that mistake.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: FitzGerald
description: Translator or adapter whose editions are compared and whose liberties
with the original are discussed.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Omar Khayyam
description: Named as the author associated with the quatrains and the original
adapted by FitzGerald.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Attar
description: Named as the source of two lines introduced into one FitzGerald stanza.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Professor Cowell
description: Named commentator who reports finding no original for a line about
the snake and explains FitzGerald’s mistake.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: God
description: Addressed in the quoted quatrain as knower of secrets, helper in weakness,
giver of repentance, and accepter of excuses.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: translator-adapter
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The note discusses FitzGerald’s version and says he took liberties with the
original.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: attributed poet-source figure
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The passage names Omar Khayyam in relation to the quatrains and the original
behind FitzGerald’s version.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: borrowed poetic source
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The note says two lines from Attar were introduced into a stanza.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: scholarly commentator
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Professor Cowell is quoted as evaluating the lack of an original for the
snake line and explaining a mistranslation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: divine addressee
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The quoted quatrain directly addresses God and asks for repentance and accepted
excuses.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: snake
literal_form: A line about a snake, reported by Cowell as lacking an original source
in Nicolas.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: grasped hand in weakness
literal_form: God grasping every hand in the hour of weakness.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: repentance and excuses
literal_form: A prayer that God give repentance and accept excuses.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Editorial comparison of editions
summary: The passage presents a table aligning stanza numbers across four editions
of FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Note on textual liberties and sources
summary: The note states that FitzGerald took liberties with the original, made
the first stanza his own, and included two lines from Attar in one stanza.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Cowell on the snake line and mistranslation
summary: Professor Cowell says there is no original for FitzGerald’s line about
the snake and links the mistaken line to a Nicolas quatrain about God giving repentance
and accepting excuses.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:4
label: Prayer to God in quoted quatrain
summary: The quoted quatrain addresses God as knower of minds and helper in weakness,
and asks for repentance and acceptance of excuses.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: divine knowledge of hidden thoughts
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The quoted quatrain addresses God as knowing the secrets of every mind.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is an editorial note quoting a quatrain, not an extended mythic
narrative.
- id: motif:2
label: divine mercy through repentance
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The quoted quatrain asks God to give repentance and accept excuses.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: No explicit taxonomy reference is available for repentance; the motif
label is descriptive.
- id: motif:3
label: serpent or snake image in disputed textual line
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
basis: The note reports a line about a snake, but also states that Cowell found
no original for it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: low
cautions: The passage specifically marks the snake line as textually unsupported
in the cited original, so this is a weak motif candidate for the underlying quatrain
tradition.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage supports a textual comparison between FitzGerald’s stanza XXXI
in the fourth edition and lines attributed to Attar, because it states that two
lines from Attar were introduced there.
claim_level: linguistic_similarity
target: Attar lines in FitzGerald stanza XXXI of the fourth edition / XXXVI of the
second edition
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage does not quote the Attar lines or describe their motifs,
so only a source relationship is supported.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage supports a textual comparison between FitzGerald’s disputed snake
line and Nicolas quatrain 236, but Cowell presents the relationship as a mistaken
version rather than a secure original.
claim_level: linguistic_similarity
target: Nicolas quatrain 236 and FitzGerald’s stanza LXXXI snake line
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: low
limitations: The passage explicitly says no original for the snake line was found
and attributes the line to FitzGerald’s misunderstanding.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 5114-5212
quote_or_summary: Comparative table of stanzas in four editions of FitzGerald, listing
corresponding stanza numbers across Ed. 1, Ed. 2, and Edd. 3 and 4.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary provided.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 5214-5218
quote_or_summary: "“FitzGerald took great liberties with the original in his version
of Omar Khayyam. The first stanza is entirely his own”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 5216-5219
quote_or_summary: The note says stanza XXXI of the fourth edition, numbered XXXVI
in the second, includes two lines from Attar.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary provided.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: lines 5219-5223
quote_or_summary: "“There is no original for the line about the snake: I have looked
for it in vain in Nicolas”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt.
- id: ev:5
type: quote
locator: lines 5225-5227
quote_or_summary: "“O thou who knowest the secrets of every one's mind, / Who graspest
every one's hand in the hour of weakness”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: lines 5228-5229
quote_or_summary: "“O God, give me repentance and accept my excuses”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 5231-5235
quote_or_summary: Cowell says FitzGerald mistook the meaning of giving and accepting
and invented his last line from that mistake, despite Cowell writing to him about
it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/sufistic-quatrains-omar-khayyam.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary provided.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: low
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is mainly editorial apparatus rather than mythic narration. Motif
extraction is therefore limited to the quoted prayer and the reported snake image.
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 taxonomy IDs beyond supplied motif family and symbol labels were inferred. The snake/serpent symbol is included with caution because the note says the line lacks an original source.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-omar-khayyam-sufistic-quatrains-gutenberg__l5114-l5258
passage_sha256=3154da625ab8f68642d957d00159815b02a834c5411a3d3a9a4e177b4250b5fd