Page 7 - Omar!

These religious fanatics think you’re blaspheming their sacred
Christian beliefs.”
“No word from the Orthodox Jews?” asked Fey, straight-faced.
“Omar is introducing here the theme of organic growth, decay, and
recycling. He names several great and famous men who lived and
died—and whose physical components have scattered, but live again
as part of some later life-form. I suppose he was not alone among
Moslems of his time in supposing Jesus to have been buried like
other men; Mohammed is not listed here, only the major figures in
the two preceding monotheistic faiths.”
Baron shook his head emphatically.
“That sort of explanation will not mollify these good God-fearing
people. I guarantee you they will turn out in good numbers and try to
close the show. Well, back to the story: the Bird of Time crosses the
stage on some sort of trapeze, and Omar exhorts the assemblage to
burn their clothes and go into the bar.”
“No, no. It’s an old custom in the Middle East, to start the New
Year with new clothes; perhaps our ‘spring cleaning’ is a vestige of
that practice, Mr. Baron. The original quatrain ties up the themes of
new beginning and quickly approaching end very neatly:

Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring
The Winter Garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To Fly—and Lo! the Bird is on the Wing.

As for ‘repentance’, I can see that might rub some people the wrong
way, if they were teetotalers.”
“I’m sure some of these people belong to more than one protest
group.” Baron compared two letterheads. “That could mean there
really aren’t as many as we thought. Hmm. But seeing a bunch of
irreverent drunks going into a tavern at six in the morning is more
than some of our citizens can bear. This is a petition from members
and supporters of SATED: Spouses Against Theatrical Exhibitions
of Drunkenness. All eighty-three of them are convinced that Omar!
will weaken the moral fiber of our fair city. I’m sure they would have
been appeased if the opera had ended with some repudiation of
alcoholic beverages, but there appears to be none.”

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