rubaiyat of omar khayyam- 第8部分

the　Hebrew　Prophets　to　the　present；　when　it　may　finally　take　the　name

of　〃Pot　theism；〃　by　which　Mr。　Carlyle　ridiculed　Sterling's

〃Pantheism。〃　　My　Sheikh；　whose　knowledge　flows　in　from　all　quarters；

writes　to　me



〃Apropos　of　old　Omar's　Pots；　did　I　ever　tell　you　the　sentence　I　found

in　'Bishop　Pearson　on　the　Creed'？　　'Thus　are　we　wholly　at　the　disposal

of　His　will；　and　our　present　and　future　condition　framed　and　ordered

by　His　free；　but　wise　and　just；　decrees。　　Hath　not　the　potter　power

over　the　clay；　of　the　same　lump　to　make　one　vessel　unto　honour；　and

another　unto　dishonour？　　（Rom。　ix。　21。）　　And　can　that　earth…artificer

have　a　freer　power　over　his　brother　potsherd　（both　being　made　of　the

same　metal）；　than　God　hath　over　him；　who；　by　the　strange　fecundity　of

His　omnipotent　power；　first　made　the　clay　out　of　nothing；　and　then　him

out　of　that？'〃



And　againfrom　a　very　different　quarter〃I　had　to　refer　the　other

day　to　Aristophanes；　and　came　by　chance　on　a　curious　Speaking…pot

story　in　the　Vespae；　which　I　had　quite　forgotten。



＇Greek　text　deleted　from　etext。＇



〃The　Pot　calls　a　bystander　to　be　a　witness　to　his　bad　treatment。　　The

woman　says；　'If；　by　Proserpine；　instead　of　all　this　'testifying'

（comp。　Cuddie　and　his　mother　in　'Old　Mortality！'）　you　would　buy

yourself　a　rivet；　it　would　show　more　sense　in　you！'　　The　Scholiast

explains　echinus　as　＇Greek　phrase　deleted　from　etext＇。〃



One　more　illustration　for　the　oddity's　sake　from　the　〃Autobiography　of

a　Cornish　Rector；〃　by　the　late　James　Hamley　Tregenna。　　1871。



〃There　was　one　odd　Fellow　in　our　Companyhe　was　so　like　a　Figure　in

the　'Pilgrim's　Progress'　that　Richard　always　called　him　the

'ALLEGORY；'　with　a　long　white　bearda　rare　Appendage　in　those

daysand　a　Face　the　colour　of　which　seemed　to　have　been　baked　in；

like　the　Faces　one　used　to　see　on　Earthenware　Jugs。　　In　our　Country…

dialect　Earthenware　is　called　'Clome'；　so　the　Boys　of　the　Village　used

to　shout　out　after　him'Go　back　to　the　Potter；　Old　Clomeface；　and　get

baked　over　again。'　　For　the　'Allegory；'　though　shrewd　enough　in　most

things；　had　the　reputation　of　being　'saift…baked；'　i。e。；　of　weak

intellect。〃



（XC。）　At　the　Close　of　the　Fasting　Month；　Ramazan　（which　makes　the

Mussulman　unhealthy　and　unamiable）；　the　first　Glimpse　of　the　New　Moon

（who　rules　their　division　of　the　Year）　is　looked　for　with　the　utmost

Anxiety；　and　hailed　with　Acclamation。　　Then　it　is　that　the　Porter's

Knot　maybe　heardtoward　the　Cellar。　　Omar　has　elsewhere　a　pretty

Quatrain　about　the　same　Moon



　〃Be　of　Good　Cheerthe　sullen　Month　will　die；

　　And　a　young　Moon　requite　us　by　and　by：

　　　　Look　how　the　Old　one　meagre；　bent；　and　wan

　　With　Age　and　Fast；　is　fainting　from　the　Sky！〃









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