COVE

In stanza II of Balfour’s illustrated edition of Edward FitzGerald’s The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám the imagery of dawn, the sky, and taverns work together to support the overall meaning of the book: Life is fleeting, seize the moment and take pleasure in what you can. Stanza II reads, “Dreaming when Dawn’s left / Hand was in the Sky / I heard a Voice within the Tavern cry, / ‘Awake, my little ones, and fill the / cup / Before Life’s Liquor in its Cup be dry”(II.) 

This stanza calls on the reader to wake up, not just from sleep, but from routine and hesitation. The first step to taking in the day before it passes is waking up. On another page in the book marked “E”, there is an image of a naked woman dancing. Though the image and the stanza are not placed directly next to each other and explicitly connected, they both support the overall theme of living in the moment. Together they show the beauty of living freely, fully, and now.

Stanza II begins with a dreamlike state of, “Dreaming when Dawn’s left Hand was in the Sky.” Dawn is described as a hand reaching across the sky, which could signal a new beginning. We begin in the sky, still half asleep, when something breaks the peace: a voice from the tavern. It cries out, “Awake, my little ones, and fill the cup.” The mood shifts from quiet to urgent. The tavern is a place of joy and celebration, and it serves as a symbol for these values throughout the poem. The voice in the tavern isn’t just telling people to wake up, it’s calling them to live and experience life before it slips away.

The last line of stanza II, “Before Life’s Liquor in its Cup be dry.” serves as a warning. Life is like a cup of wine, and one day it will be empty. This image expresses that time runs out, emphasizing the need to seize the moment. The speaker tells us not to waste the time we’re given. Don’t wait. Enjoy life while it’s full.

This idea is also shown in the image of the naked dancing woman. The woman’s dance is full of motion and energy, with a ribbon twirling around her. Her nakedness suggests openness and honesty, maybe even vulnerability. Her body moves freely without shame or fear, expressing joy in the moment. 

Although the stanza and image are on separate pages, they are having a conversation across the space of the book that supports the book's goal to spark joy in the present. It invites readers to connect ideas from all over the text to realize that there is pleasure in the now. The dancing woman brings the book's message into the visual world and serves as almost an example of a way to enjoy simple, present pleasures. The image helps the book by showing the present is not just about drinking, but about waking up to everything that makes life worth living, including sensuality and dancing and movement.

In both poem and image, the message is the same, don’t wait. Don’t sleep through your days. The dancing woman and the speaker in the tavern both urge us to say yes to life, now, before the cup runs dry. This warning and encouragement is directly supportive of the overall meaning of the book: Life is fleeting, seize the moment and take pleasure in what you can.