COVE

To my dear Allison,

First, I wish to apologize for not getting you a better gift, but this gift book was on sale, and after flipping through it, I thought you might fancy it. It’s a poem by a Persian named Omar Khayyám and translated by Edward FitzGerald. I thought you might like the introduction, it's by Laurence Housman, which details the creation of the poem and the effort FitzGerald took to translate it. There are illustrations by Marjorie Anderson, which are quite elegant but simple black and white drawings. I found the illustration that follows verse eleven, on page twenty-seven, to be my favorite so far. 

Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, A Book of Verse–and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness–
And Wilderness is Paradise enow.

I liked this verse, it’s the one I said had the illustration. I think it’s supposed to mean that we should enjoy simple things. I hope to enjoy more simple things in life with you, perhaps a glass of wine and fresh homemade bread in the backyard while we read this together? Although we should be careful, the book originally came with a cover or protector of sorts, but I’ve somehow misplaced it in the short time I’ve had it. So if you see a flower-designed book cover, please put it on!

Another quality that drew me to this particular book was the image on page eighty-nine, a man shaping or thumping clay. The artist took great care in his expression, and although I do not understand the stanza quite fully, I think you might have fun mulling over it. It reads,

For I remember stopping by the way
To watch a Potter thumping his wet Clay:
And with its all-obliterated Tongue
It murmur’d– “Gently, Brother, gently, pray!”

Now that I have written it out and mulled over it a bit, perhaps the potter is meant to be a god? Perhaps, maybe just some loose idea of god or something greater than us that we can’t control. Fate? And the clay is some facet of life. I suppose we’ll have a fiery chat over its meaning at some point. 

Also, don’t feel that you should keep this book at home, hidden in our bookshelves. I got you a smaller edition that could fit into your purse or be easy to carry around. The cover is some sort of leather, probably something fake, but it has a nice grip and feel to it. I hope you find this present satisfactory. Perhaps you’ll be able to draw some wisdom you didn’t have before from this book, and perhaps you’ll impart that wisdom onto me. 

Love,
-Your husband.