Tribute to Bill Martin
The verses that follow were brought together by readers of the Rubáiyát blog, as a tribute to Bill Martin
Deep in the countryside you went to earth,
A city gent who valued wine and mirth:
The foxes, rabbits that then neighboured you
Now welcome you again: a second birth.
John Drew
Here with a loaf of home cooked bread,
A jug of self made wine, a white or maybe red,
And you, reciting verses from the rubáiyát …
Oh hon’, what a timeless paradise we’ve had.
Jos Coumans
I sometimes think that none lived so well
As Bill who in retirement cast his spell,
To unite a global band of Omarians,
Who, sadly, now bid him — a fond farewell.
Joe Howard
For Bill Martin 1927-2024
This spring equinox may we all venerate,
Those who were summoned by the workings of Fate
With words penned by belovèd Omar,
We honor our friend who came early, left late.
Barney Rickenbacker
Full many a time the lacking Rhyme
Hath brought the Poet’s song to naught,
Or changed, if found, for sake of sound
To feebleness his strongest thought.
Should Soul and Sound, together bound,
Reward the labor of his pen,
There is a chance – it seems to me,
His Song may reach the Hearts of Men.
Bob Forrest
Since neither truth nor certitude is at hand
Do not waste your life in doubt for a fairyland
O let us not refuse the goblet of wine
For, sober or drunk, in ignorance we stand
The desire for knowledge, I could not forego
Few secrets remained that I did not know
For seventy-two years, I thought night and day
Until I came to know, I had nothing to show.
Stardust evolves as self-aware matter,
then remakes itself searching for answers.
Half-aware it heads towards self-extinction.
Stars wonder, “Do humans really matter?”
Their looks, poses, greetings—always mine.
My most devoted friends, forever canine!
Stroking their soft coat soothes my anxious heart,
I taught them tricks—my furry Einsteins.
Thoughts too serious means too many pills.
Then I learned to laugh to survive my ills.
Shadows still fall, yet I remain upright,
as laughter heals—then fewer doctor bills.
Martin Kimeldorf
Omar Khayyam Rubaiyat 
I am speechless – or almost so, for some words must be found! What a wonderful series of tributes. Bill would be. perhaps is, so honoured to be the recipient of your splendid verses. He would have found the way to reply in like manner, but that is not my skill. All I can do is to say, thank you. Thank you not only for your quatrains and your kind thoughts, but also for your friendship and for sharing your enthusiasm for the great work of Khayyam and FitzGerald, and your scholarship and research findings. Together we have made something of value through this blog, and we hope this will be a basis on which to build for the future. Tomorrow we shall ‘turn down an empty glass’ in Bill’s memory, and then, I hope, move forward with our explorations. There is still much to be learned. Happy researching!
Sandra
I signed up for this email recently in order to get in touch with Bill and Sandra and find myself – sadly – too late for Bill. Does anyone have a contact for Sandra, as we would like to do an obituary.
Hello Liz. It’s lovely to hear from you. You can reach me on sandrabill@omarkhayyamrubaiyat.com. Sandra
“This Light is Love” Mother Julian of Norwich X
The above lines attributed to me are actually by Elihu Vedder, and I sent them to Jos as indicative of the problems faced by a non-versifier like myself. My own contribution was actually:
Bill Martin loved his Omar, / He heard the verses sing, / and when he’d had his fill of those / He turned to Wagner’s Ring.
Not great poetry, it is true, but in its defense it is based on a True Encounter of the Wagnerian Kind which took place when I visited Bill and Sandra at their home in the summer of 2014.
And yes, I too turned down an empty glass yesterday.
Bob Forrest
I have only just seen your comment, Bob. I love your own verse, and Bill would certainly have enjoyed it. Thank you. Sandra