The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám · Chapter
XCIX explained
A passionate appeal to Love, imagining a conspiracy with the divine to shatter and remake the flawed scheme of existence according to the heart's true desire.
What happens
A passionate appeal to Love, imagining a conspiracy with the divine to shatter and remake the flawed scheme of existence according to the heart's true desire.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Themes in this chapter
- Skepticism and Doubt
The poem questions the inherent order of the world, suggesting it is a 'sorry Scheme' that needs remaking.
- The Quest for Meaning
The desire to grasp and re-mold existence reflects a search for a more perfect, meaningful reality.
Characters to notice
- Omar Khayyám
Speaker of the quatrain, expressing a desire to reshape reality with Love.
Key passages
“Ah, Love! could you and I with Him conspire To grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire, Would not we shatter it to bits—and then Re-mould it nearer to the Heart’s Desire!”
Oh, beloved, if you and I could join forces with God to take hold of this flawed universe completely, wouldn't we break it apart and reshape it to match what our hearts truly long for?
A call to cosmic rebellion, seeking to perfect creation through love and will.
