Excerpt from Trans-Styx and Other Strains

Is it any wonder then, that he, a philosopher in the broadest sense (even though he caught an occasional glimpse of the one and only True Light amidst the many others), did not turn and follow it with that simple faith which is the key to its precious secrets, and all these lead to? The religion of our Lord, as we all know, is one more particularly adapted to the humble and simple hearted, as a rule, than to the arrogant andphilosophically endowed - especially in that day, ere the full effulgence of its glory had burst upon the world.

Were not ninety and nine out of every hundred of its first converts from that class whose erudition did not extend beyond the mending and casting of nets, tread ing the wine press, or sitting at the receipt of customs? Aside from Saul of Tarsus (who, notwithstanding all he had seen and heard of this religion, was converted to it only by means of a miracle), scarcely one of great learning could be numbered with the early followers of Christ. At least not until the persistent preaching and teaching of this same miracle-made convert had thoroughly impressed the glories of Christianity upon all within the scope of his mission, the sage and scholar with the rest.

My reasons for submitting Tetrastichs? Well, first of all I consider this particular form of verse one of greater compass than any to be had, and therefore better adapted to epigrammatical productions, to say nothing of its beautiful construction, which makes the second and the fourth lines rhyme with the first, while the penultimate is a blank, usually ending in a word of but one syllable, and seems to play the part of a slight obstruction to the rhythmical flow of the little current of thought up to this point, coming to which it appears to rise gracefully, curve over and glide down onto the final line, giving it a pleasant, rhythmical end ing not to be found, we believe, in any other form of verse.

Again: It has ever been a matter of wonder to me why one of Khayyam's deep and extensive learning did not include in his contribution to posterity bits of the folk lore of his own and adjacent countries, embracing some of those innumerable legends and myths which constitute the only available history of humanity'schildhood, with many, if not most of which he must have been familiar, and it occurred to me to avail myself of the opportunity which he and others seem to have neglected, and hence I have taken the liberty of mak ing his style of verse the vehicle for sending out a few epigrams embracing some of those old myths still trail ing along in the wake of the centuries.

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