# LXIII explained — The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

> Chapter companion for The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám by Omar Khayyám.

## What happens

The chapter dismisses religious threats of Hell and hopes of Paradise as uncertain, asserting that the only certainties are the fleeting nature of life and the finality of death, symbolized by a flower that blooms once and then dies forever.

## Themes in this chapter

### Mortality and Transience

The chapter emphasizes the certainty of life's fleeting nature and the finality of death, comparing life to a flower that blooms once and dies forever.

### Skepticism and Doubt

The chapter dismisses threats of Hell and hopes of Paradise as lies, expressing skepticism toward religious promises of an afterlife.

## Key lines

> Oh, threats of Hell and Hopes of Paradise! One thing at least is certain— This Life flies; One thing is certain and the rest is Lies; The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.

Despite religious warnings of punishment and promises of reward, only one thing is sure: life passes quickly. Everything else is false; once a flower has bloomed, it dies permanently.

_The stanza contrasts religious doctrines with the undeniable reality of mortality._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_rub_iy_t_of_omar_khayy_m_se/chapters/lxiii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_rub_iy_t_of_omar_khayy_m_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_rub_iy_t_of_omar_khayy_m_se/chapters