An English Major’s Holy Grail
22/05/2007 06:37 PM
I have visited the Holy Land today. It
is called the Houghton Library at Harvard University. Words cannot
do justice to this place. Forget about the beautiful architecture
and the furnishings. The value of this building is in the
bookcases. The Houghton Library is home to original manuscripts of
some of the world’s greatest authors. In the foyer alone, I saw
first editions of Milton and Donne. And this Library is open to any
student of college age or higher who wishes to come and study. Our
entire group looked like catfish, our jaws about to hit the
ground.
We came to view American authors’ manuscripts. Our tour guide showed us the Emily Dickinson room first. In there, the library displayed her book collection, family portraits, the piano she played, and the chest of drawers where all of her poems where found. In a glass case, original, hand-written copies of three of her poems were displayed. One of these poems was “After Great Pain,” which I had never read before. It is now one of my favorite Dickenson poems.
Next, we were showed to a study room where several manuscripts were laid out on a table, including Longfellow’s notes, Melville’s journal, Bronson Alcott’s notes on Walden, and the original manuscript of Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables. It was amazing. We were able to gently flip through the pages and read the handwritten lines. (The handwriting was very elegant and beautiful to look at, but very hard to read.) It really brought history into focus. These men were no longer vague figures who once wrote something. We were able to read what they wrote in their private journals in their own script. It made them real.
We were all awestruck by this experience. But my favorite part was a copy of the Bible translated into Native American by John Eliot. I nearly cried as I thumbed through the pages. I couldn’t understand a word, but I knew what it was saying. It was a very personal experience for me. To be able to see the words I have studied my entire life in another language so that other people could receive the same message left me speechless. For me, the John Eliot Bible was evidence of the Great Commission.
We came to view American authors’ manuscripts. Our tour guide showed us the Emily Dickinson room first. In there, the library displayed her book collection, family portraits, the piano she played, and the chest of drawers where all of her poems where found. In a glass case, original, hand-written copies of three of her poems were displayed. One of these poems was “After Great Pain,” which I had never read before. It is now one of my favorite Dickenson poems.
Next, we were showed to a study room where several manuscripts were laid out on a table, including Longfellow’s notes, Melville’s journal, Bronson Alcott’s notes on Walden, and the original manuscript of Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables. It was amazing. We were able to gently flip through the pages and read the handwritten lines. (The handwriting was very elegant and beautiful to look at, but very hard to read.) It really brought history into focus. These men were no longer vague figures who once wrote something. We were able to read what they wrote in their private journals in their own script. It made them real.
We were all awestruck by this experience. But my favorite part was a copy of the Bible translated into Native American by John Eliot. I nearly cried as I thumbed through the pages. I couldn’t understand a word, but I knew what it was saying. It was a very personal experience for me. To be able to see the words I have studied my entire life in another language so that other people could receive the same message left me speechless. For me, the John Eliot Bible was evidence of the Great Commission.