For in and out, above, about, below,
'Tis nothing but a Magic Shadow-show,
Play'd in a Box whose Candle is the Sun,
Round which we Phantom Figures come and go.
¶ (Attributed)
Quotations by ...
Omar Khayyám (1048-1122) Persian poet, scientist, philosopher
But helpless Pieces of the Game He plays
Upon this Checker-board of Nights and Days;
Hither and thither moves, and checks, and slays,
And one by one back in the Closet lays.
¶ (Attributed)
Drink! for you know not whence you came nor why:
Drink! for you know not why you go, nor where.
¶ The Rubáiyát, st. 74
trans. by Edward FitzGerald (1879)
A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,
A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread -- and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness --
Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!
¶ The Rubáiyát
trans. by Edward FitzGerald (1879)
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WIST is my collection of quotations I find meaningful, moving, amusing (intended or not), well-phrased, and/or to which I just say I "Wish I'd Said That." But just because I quote it here doesn't mean I actually agree with it. If you have any comments, corrections, or suggestions, please don't hesitate to
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