II.

Before the phantom of False morning died, Methought a Voice within the Tavern cried, «When all the Temple is prepared within, «Why nods the drowsy Worshipper outside?»

The inspiration for this quatrain is to be found in C. 5:

There came one morning a cry from our tavern: «Ho! our crazy, tavern-haunting profligate[16] «Arise! that we may fill the measure with wine, «Ere they fill up our measure (of life).»

_Ref._: L. 1, B. 1, C. 5, B. ii. 1, T. 3.--W. 1, N. 1, V. 1.

In FitzGerald's quatrain there is traceable the influence of one of the odes of Hafiz, translated by Prof. Cowell (in «Fraser's Magazine,» September, 1854), which he greatly admired. The lines in question run:

The morning dawns and the cloud has woven a canopy, The morning draught, my friends, the morning draught! It is strange that at such a season They shut up the wine tavern! Oh, hasten! Have they still shut up the door of the tavern? Open, oh thou Keeper of the Gates![17]

The influence of these lines is carried on into the next quatrain.