COVE

Dearest friend,

I am writing you this letter to accompany the copy of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyám that I have spoken to you about previously. This copy has served me well, and so now, as you leave Boston to venture west, I’d like to gift you it so that a piece of me may accompany you on your journey. 

As I’ve said time and time again, the illustrations by Elihu Vedder are what make this edition so tender to my heart. They are so incredibly detailed and intricate. I know that you appreciate an illustration, and so I hope that you enjoy them as much as I have. Often, I would spend hours sitting on my rocking chair in the front room, looking at the drawings. Every time, I feel I’d find some new detail that would leave me excited yet again. Only recently did I notice a figure in the sky on the page with stanzas 1-3. “Wake! for the Sun who scatter’d into flight” says the first line. The figure’s head looks like it is the sun that we see rise every day and set every night. 

Although the illustrations are what initially attracted me to purchasing it, the poem is also printed in regular font at the back of the book. I know that this is one that you have been meaning to read yourself, so I hope that you find joy in reading the wise words. The poem is also printed with the illustrations, but I sometimes find myself straining my eyes to make out the words. It is so special that the publisher chose to print the poem at the back without any distractions as well. How practical! I’ve just now remembered a quote from the poem that I think will serve you well, “The Bird of Time has but a little way / To flutter–and the Bird is on the Wing.” It is as if you are the bird! Even though you shall fly away from the city, the time that we’ve spent as friends will forever be held in my heart. 

Are you aware of who this Omar Khayyám is? Well, at the back of the book, there is a lovely biographical sketch of him and Edward FitzGerald. These sections gave me great knowledge of the two figures who created this masterpiece. I do wish that Omar Khayyám were recognized more wholeheartedly. Though many of us in the city know the name from the title, I don’t think enough of us know the person whose wise words influenced FitzGerald. I recommend giving the biographical sketches a read as you explore this edition. They are very insightful. 

My dearest friend, I do hope that you enjoy this gift. The gold-blocked binding shall go nicely with the rest of your library, and since the edition was published here in Boston, I hope that it will help remind you of our friendship and the city in which we live. I will miss you very dearly, but I look forward to receiving letters about all the adventures you will have. My name is etched in the front leaf, so I hope you shall never forget me. Your friendship is dearest to my heart. Wishing you safe travels!

Your closest friend,

Florence Fernald