The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám · Chapter
VI explained
The chapter evokes the call of the nightingale for wine, urging the rose to redden its pale cheek, symbolizing a plea for vitality and indulgence.
What happens
The chapter evokes the call of the nightingale for wine, urging the rose to redden its pale cheek, symbolizing a plea for vitality and indulgence.
Themes in this chapter
Hedonism and Wine
The nightingale's cry for 'Wine! Wine! Wine! Red Wine!' embodies the hedonistic call to embrace pleasure and intoxication.
Carpe Diem
The urging of the rose to incarnadine its pale cheek reflects a carpe diem motif, seizing the moment to enliven and beautify.
Key passages
“And David’s lips are lockt; but in divine High-piping Pehleví, with “Wine! Wine! Wine! Red Wine!”—the Nightingale cries to the Rose That sallow cheek of hers t’ incarnadine.”
Though David's voice is silent, the nightingale sings in exalted Persian, calling for red wine to redden the rose's pale cheek.
The nightingale's song replaces David's, emphasizing a timeless call to wine and transformation.