Small sunset spires that drowse and dream,
Thin bells that ring to evening prayer,
Red willow-roots along the stream,
And perilous grey streets, that teem
With light feel wandering unaware,
And winter nights with lamps agleam,
Globed golden in the violet air.
From "Lay" (1916), Dorothy L. Sayers
Okay, so I don't have moonlight over Radcliffe Square in a photo, but I have the poem to imagine it. Sayers' imagery is so lovely and mysterious, moody, and accurate. Thin bells are always chiming around the square, echoing off the stone, globed lamps rest on the steps of the Radcliffe Camera. Spires dream and drowse, to borrow from poet Matthew Arnold (Oxford's dreaming spires comes from him- "And that sweet city with her dreaming spires, She needs not June for beauty's heightening,") and I certainly felt drowsy leaving the Bodleian library after working hard all day. I've had the immense joy and privilege of spending most of my March days researching in the Bodleian Libraries each day.
Sharing about a time that was like a dream (the best kind of dream) is more difficult than if I was just sharing a quick weekend away visiting some interesting site. I can state facts and details of this and that, but to invoke the feelings and joy (the inner longing always there gets these glimpses that glow like warm lamps but move by too quickly) is much more challenging for how can I put those experiences into words that are worthy of expression?
We shall start with the basics - stepping into Radcliffe Square.
Depending on the time of day you come into the square, you will either be greeted with a quiet hush (early morning and later evening) or the chatter and clamor of tourists if during the day. Big tour groups, small tour groups, and perhaps a whole class of youth could be passing through, stopping for photos, and some guide telling them about the Bodleian Library. The guide probably says how it now has almost 14 million volumes in its collection, with a huge offsite facility in Swindon that holds more than $8-9 Million out there, and readers can request delivery of books from offsite to have delivered to a library to read there. Maybe they talk about how the Bodleian Library is not a lending library, so readers can only read books there in the reading rooms, they cannot leave the buildings. Or that the Bodleian is a legal deposit library, meaning, they have the right to have a copy of every book published in the UK, which is now up to around 1,000 new books everyday.
The Radcliffe Camera is always a favourite site to admire, with the Old Bodleian squarely rising up behind it with those dreaming spires lofty above.
I've visited Oxford many times, over 10 now, and my question has always been around - how can I study there? How can I spend time finding and reading books there? Well, this time I got to do just that, to fulfill my greatest desire for getting to know Oxford even better. Come along with me in that great and inspiring adventure.
