# XVI explained — The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

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

## What happens

The chapter reflects on the fleeting nature of worldly hopes, comparing them to snow on the desert that briefly shines before vanishing, suggesting that such aspirations either turn to ashes or quickly fade.

## Themes in this chapter

### Mortality and Transience

The imagery of hope turning to ashes and vanishing like snow emphasizes the transient nature of human aspirations and life itself.

## Key lines

> The Worldly Hope men set their Hearts upon Turns Ashes—or it prospers; and anon, Like Snow upon the Desert’s dusty Face, Lighting a little hour or two—is gone.

The worldly desires that people cherish either fail completely or succeed only briefly, then disappear as quickly as snow melting on a desert, lasting just a short while before vanishing.

_This quatrain uses the metaphor of snow on the desert to illustrate the ephemeral nature of worldly hopes._

## Links

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