The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám · Chapter
XX explained
The poet reflects on the transient nature of life, suggesting that the grass growing along the riverbank may have sprung from the lips of a once-beautiful person now long gone, urging a gentle touch in acknowledgment of mortality.
What happens
The poet reflects on the transient nature of life, suggesting that the grass growing along the riverbank may have sprung from the lips of a once-beautiful person now long gone, urging a gentle touch in acknowledgment of mortality.
Themes in this chapter
Mortality and Transience
The imagery of the herb springing from a 'once lovely Lip' underscores the decay of beauty and the cycle of life and death.
Key passages
“And this reviving Herb whose tender Green Fledges the River-Lip on which we lean— Ah, lean upon it lightly! for who knows From what once lovely Lip it springs unseen!”
This fresh green grass growing along the riverbank where we rest—be careful not to press too hard, for it may have grown from the lips of a beautiful person who died long ago.
The poet uses the herb as a symbol of life emerging from death, cautioning against careless disregard for the past.