Perplext no more with Human or Divine,
To-morrow's tangle to the winds resign,
And lose your fingers in the tresses of
The Cypress-slender Minister of Wine.
The sentiment of this quatrain is very recurrent. I think that FitzGerald's first inspiration comes from O. 73.
Set limits to thy desire for worldly things and live content,
Sever the bonds of thy dependence upon the good and bad of life,
Take wine in hand and (play with) the curls of a loved one; for quickly
All passeth away—and these few days will not remain.
Ref.: O. 73, C. 179, L. 256, B. 253, S.P. 176.—W. 191, N. 176, V. 262.
Ll. 3 and 4 of O. 118 suggest the quatrain also.
Let us cease to strive after our long delaying hope[51]
And play with long ringlets and the handle of the lute.
Ref.: O. 118, L. 571, B. 564, S.P. 293, B. ii. 391.—W. 332, N. 294, V. 611.
Ll. 1 and 2 of O. 131 are also in point:
Flee from the study of all sciences—'tis better thus,
And twine thy fingers in the curly locks of a loved one—'tis better thus.
Ref.: O. 131, C. 443, L. 670, B. 662, S.P. 356, P. 296, B. ii. 480, T. 276, P. v. 158.—W. 426, N. 359, V. 719.