Sunday, October 28, 2007

Islam, Marxism, and who reads this website?

Thomas Riggins

This is a question. This quote is from a famous Muslim. I ask readers of our website two questions-- 1. who was he, and 2 is this view compatible with Marxism-Leninism? The number of comments will tell me if anyone cares about what the PA editors think, and we will have to reflect upon this one way or the other.

The moving finger writes,
And having writ moves on.
Nor all your piety or wit
Can call it back, to cancel
Half a line, nor all your
Tears wash out a word
of it.

And just what does that mean?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, the writer of the poem was Omar Khayyam. What exactly it means is beyond me. I can make out the first few lines, but the ending doesn't make any sense to me.

And yes I do care about what the PA editors think.

Anonymous said...

historical materialism, in verse? but reminds me of dylan thomas's "The hand that signed the paper"

and i too love you cats

Doug said...

Don't know who wrote it.

Anonymous said...

Nothing to do with marxism. It's the hand of God. And our "historical hand" are people.

martypantsROK said...

It means "the pen is mightier than the sword."

Having been written, it cannot be taken back. Not with piety, wit or tears.

Anonymous said...

Omar Khayyam. I remember Martin Luther King quoting that line in one of his speeches.

I've always interpreted it to mean that we cannot undo that which has been done. I don't see how that would be incompatible with Marxism.