# LXX explained — The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

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

## What happens

The chapter uses the metaphor of a ball game to illustrate the utter powerlessness of human beings in the face of divine will. The player (God) tosses the ball (the individual) into the field of life, and the ball has no say in where it lands or what happens. The repeated 'He knows' emphasizes God's absolute foreknowledge and control, leaving no room for human questioning or choice.

## Themes in this chapter

### Determinism and Fate

The ball makes no question of 'Ayes and Noes'—human beings have no agency or choice; all is determined by the Player who tosses them.

### Skepticism and Doubt

The repeated 'He knows' underscores the inscrutability of divine knowledge, leaving humans in a state of ignorance and doubt about their own fate.

## Character check-ins

### The Bonhomme

The 'you' addressed in the poem, representing every human being tossed into the field of life without choice.

## Key lines

> The Ball no question makes of Ayes and Noes, But Here or There as strikes the Player goes;

The ball does not ask whether it is hit or not, nor does it choose where it lands; it simply goes wherever the player strikes it.

_Illustrates the complete lack of human agency in the face of divine will._

> And He that toss’d you down into the Field, He knows about it all⁠— He knows⁠— He knows!

The one who threw you into the world knows everything about your fate—He knows, He knows, He knows.

_Emphasizes God's omniscience and the futility of human questioning._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_rub_iy_t_of_omar_khayy_m_se/chapters/lxx
- 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