The inspiration for this quatrain is found in C. 185.
All my sympathetic friends have left me,
One by one they have sunk low at the foot of Death.
In the fellowship of souls they were cup-companions,
A turn or two before me they became drunk.
Ref.: C. 185, L. 381, B. 377, P. ii. 4, B. ii. 141.—W. 219, V. 379.
And we, that now make merry in the Room
They left, and Summer dresses in new bloom,
Ourselves must we beneath the Couch of Earth
Descend—ourselves to make a Couch—for whom?
The main inspiration of this quatrain comes from C. 388.
Arise, and do not sorrow for this fleeting world,
Be at peace, and pass through the world with happiness.
If the nature of the world were constant
The turn of others would not have descended to you yourself.[42]
Ref.: C. 388, L. 585, B. 578, S.P. 322, P. 159 and 178, B. ii. 430, T. 264, P. iv. 29 and 62.—W. 366, N. 325, V. 632.
Combined with the suggestion contained in this ruba'i, we find the echo of a sentiment that recurs continually in the originals, e.g., C. 82 (ll. 3 and 4) and O. 129 (ll. 3 and 4).