Lxxviii.*

What! out of senseless Nothing to provoke A conscious Something to resent the yoke Of unpermitted Pleasure, under pain Of everlasting Penalties, if broke!

It is not easy to deal with this and the three following quatrains separately, the sentiments of all four being closely interchangeable and largely identical. To avoid confusion, however, I have attempted the task. There are some scores of ruba'iyat that may be said to have contributed their imageries to the quatrain. The main sources of the first of them seem to be C. 85 and N. 226:

God, when he fashioned the clay of my body, Knew by my making what would come of it; (Since) there is no sin of mine without his order Why should he seek to burn me at the Day of Resurrection?

Ref.: C. 85, L. 194, B. 191, S.P. 99, P. 18, T. 66.--W. 100, N. 99, V. 190.

Thou knowest that abstinence from that (sin) is impossible, Having (nevertheless) ordered and ordained abstinence from it; Thus between the order and the prohibition we stand helpless, We mortals are helpless at the permission to slant (the cup) but not to spill (its contents).

Ref.: N. 226, L. 442, B. 438, S.P. 225, P. 317, B. ii. 297, T. 180.--W. 265, V. 479.