That Spring Should Vanish with the Rose, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam 

Edmund Dulac created this illustration for "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam" using watercolour and ink, conjuring a scene that balances ethereal beauty with earthly toil. The composition divides the pictorial space, placing a lithe, divine figure amidst a web of branches at the top, contrasted with the stooped, earth-bound figure of an old woman burdened with sticks at the bottom. Dulac employs line and form to create a visual dichotomy between the ephemeral and the tangible. The delicate lines defining the fairy-like figure and intricate branches contrast with the heavier, textured lines of the old woman's form. The limited palette of muted greens, reds, and browns enriches this symbolic division. The fairy’s association with the natural world introduces a semiotic play, suggesting the transient nature of beauty and the inevitable decay of time. This contrast invites us to question fixed meanings, reflecting on mortality and the cyclical nature of life.