Wine
Wine is a recurrent motif throughout the poem. It has been lauded for various reasons by Omar Khayyam. The poet says, ‘Ah, my Beloved, fill the Cup that clears, TO-DAY of past Regrets and future Fears.’ The wine is praised as a source of wisdom and it is believed that it takes all the grief and sorrows away. After drinking, a man becomes oblivious of his past as well as his future. The regrets of the past and the fears of future do not disturb a drunkard. He lives in the present moment and think only about the time in which he lives. The wine has also been celebrated because the poet thinks that it connects a man with the divine. Humanity can find the purpose of life through drinking the wine.
Shadow Show
The shadow show in the poem symbolizes the reflection of God. The poet conveys the idea of Wahdat-u-shahood, according to which everything in this universe is the reflection of God. The poet says, ‘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.’ According to the narrator, this world is nothing but a mere shadow of God in which people are constantly born and die. The old ones are replaced by their next generations and this cycle has been continued since the beginning of the universe. The world has been symbolized by the box which is being lighted by the sun. According to Omar Khayyam, there are signs of God in the whole universe and it is up to the humans whether they focus on them or remain indulged in useless activities.
Symbols of Learning
The poet has used the doctors and saints as a symbol of learning and dogmatic beliefs. He criticizes the individuals who seek knowledge and get indulge in various arguments. They waste a lot of their time in proving others wrong and in demonstrating their learning. The poet says that when he was young, he witnessed the learned individuals bragging about their scholarship, but despite of their erudite education, they all passed through the same phases from which the poet had to pass. Their philosophical thoughts about past and future ended in smoke because they all had to die. Death does not distinguish between anyone so instead of thinking about past or future, a man should live the present moment.
