Ref.: N. 123, W. 150, V. 395.
A Moment's Halt—a momentary taste
Of Being from the Well amidst the waste—
And Lo!—the phantom Caravan has reach'd
The Nothing it set out from—Oh, make haste!
We must consider here the form in which this quatrain first made its appearance in the edition of 1859:
One Moment in Annihilation's Waste,
One Moment, of the Well of Life to taste—
The stars are setting, and the Caravan
Starts for the Dawn of Nothing—Oh, make haste!
The inspiration for this richly varied quatrain comes from O. 60.
This caravan of life passes by mysteriously;
Mayest thou seize the moment that passes happily!
Cup-bearer, why grieve about the to-morrow of thy patrons?[58]
Give us a cup of wine, for the night wanes.
Ref.: O. 60, C. 135, L. 245, B. 242, P. 223, S.P. 106, B. ii. 146, T. 139.—W. 136, N. 106, V. 251.
Ll. 3 and 4 of C. 368 may also be quoted: