The bird is on the wing

Come, fill the Cup, and in the fire of Spring
Your Winter-garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To flutter—and the Bird is on the Wing.

VII, The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, translated by Edward Fitzgerald

Edmund J Sullivan Illustrations to The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

I got really into the story of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám as translated by Edward Fitzgerald when I read about it in Emma Park’s article in issue 80 of Idler.

Two¹ people united across time and language by out-of-steppishness, love of a good book, a good sit down, and a bottle of wine within arm’s reach.

Both the article and the Rubáiyát are well worth reading. There are some beautifully bound editions of the Rubáiyát available (I guess they know their target audience) but you can grab a well-presented e-book edition for free at Standard Ebooks.

1. I say two, but when people keep publishing things anonymously it’s hard to guarantee attribution. ↩

  Apr 9, 2025

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