Translating From Ancient Greek Is A Type Of Escape

Dead Poets Society (1989)  dir. Peter Weir

elie saab | fall 2020

the history students

hanging photos of ancient monuments on your walls

memorizing dates, creating a timeline in your mind’s eye

slow violin music

browsing wikipedia late at night

learning the constellations and wondering how many people have looked at them before you

crumbling buildings and faded paper

adding detail in the margins of your textbooks for the stuff they left out

soft sweaters and messy hair

pages of notes, written and underlined and studied again and again

watching documentaries for fun

analyzing primary sources, picking apart biases from fact

a cup of herbal tea on the desk, keeping you grounded

a hunger to understand all that has gone before you

sunsets that turn the sky the golden color of aged parchment

collecting biographies of your favorite historical figures, piling them on your shelf

treasured family heirlooms

notes written in fountain pen, hands stained with ink

visiting the same museum exhibits over and over, knowing there’s always more to learn

studying by candlelight

thick textbooks spread out across your desk

treating history as a cautionary tale, turning pages of notes into lessons for the future

Started dancing in the mornings while I make coffee again. I’ll be alright

x, x, x, x

quick study break

green academia

-the end-

our lady of sorrows has seven swords peircing her heart signifying her seven earthy and heavenly sorrows

— Oscar Wilde, from The Picture Of Dorian Gray