The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám · Theme
Determinism and Fate
How The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám develops Determinism and Fate.
The poems portray humans as helpless pieces in a cosmic game, with the 'Moving Finger' of fate writing an unchangeable destiny, and the Potter shaping clay without regard for its will.
Where it surfaces
- VIII
The inevitability of life's decline, whether in Naishápúr or Babylon, suggests a predetermined and universal fate.
- XI
The fixed boundary between desert and sown suggests an inescapable division, reflecting a deterministic view of life's path.
- XXIX
Life is depicted as flowing and blowing without will, suggesting a deterministic or fated journey.
- XXXI
The central mystery of human destiny is acknowledged as an unsolvable knot, highlighting the limits of free will and understanding.
- XXXIII
The imagery of rolling Heaven with signs revealed and hidden suggests a predetermined order that remains partially obscured.
- XLVI
The Eternal Sákí's act of pouring millions of bubbles suggests a predetermined cycle of life and death beyond individual control.
- LII
The divine being 'doth Himself contrive, enact, behold' the drama, implying a predetermined cosmic script.
- LXVIII
The 'Master of the Show' suggests a predetermined cosmic order controlling human existence.
- LXIX
Humans are depicted as powerless pieces in a game controlled by a higher force, emphasizing a deterministic view of life.
- LXX
The ball makes no question of 'Ayes and Noes'—human beings have no agency or choice; all is determined by the Player who tosses them.
- LXXI
The Moving Finger writes and cannot be altered, underscoring the deterministic nature of existence.
- LXXII
The sky's impotence suggests a deterministic universe where appeals for change are futile.
- LXXIII
The imagery of the first clay and last man being kneaded together implies a predetermined cycle of creation and judgment.
- LXXV
The mention of a 'predestined Plot of Dust and Soul' underscores the theme of fate and predetermined existence.
- LXXVIII
The imagery of 'unpermitted Pleasure' under 'Everlasting Penalties' suggests a predetermined system where humans are trapped by divine rules they did not choose.
- LXXX
The quatrain directly addresses the concept of predestined evil and the entrapment of human beings by divine will.
- LXXXI
The poem questions divine creation and the predetermined role of humanity, implying a struggle with fate and responsibility.
- XCVIII
The chapter directly addresses the unrolling of Fate and the desire to alter the predetermined record.
