the voice from the grave
“For the voice from the grave reverberates in others’ mouths, as the sails
Of the whitethorn hedge swell up in a little breeze, and tremble,
Like the spiral blossom of Andromeda: so suddenly are shrouds and branches
Hung with street-lights, celebrating all that’s lost, as fields are reclaimed
By the Starry Plough. So we name the constellations, to put a shape
On what was there; so, the storyteller picks his way between the isolated stars.”
—Ciaran Carson, from Hamlet. The Faber Book of Vernacular Verse, edited by Tom Paulin, 1988.
white sheep white sheep
“White sheep white sheep on a blue hill
when the wind stops you all stand still
when the wind blows you run away slow
white sheep white sheep where do you go?”
(To bed.)
—anonymous, a riddle from The Faber Book of Vernacular Verse, edited by Tom Paulin, 1988.
riddle me that
“The land was white
the seed was black
it’ll take a good scholar
to riddle me that”
(Paper and pen.)
—anonymous, another riddle, The Faber Book of Vernacular Verse, edited by Tom Paulin, 1988.
Gold paint
“She’s dead. Covered in paint. Gold paint.”
—Sean Connery as James Bond in Goldfinger, 1964.
the deeds of light
“Colors are the deeds of light, what it does and what it endures.”
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, from his Farbenlehre, or Theory of Color, 1808. Translated and edited Douglas Miller, 1988. Miller notes that “endures” could also be read in German as “suffers.” I love that. That is so German.
this inexpressible delight
“The eye needs color as it needs light. We may recall our feeling of refreshment when the sun breaks through the clouds to flood a part of the landscape with light and make its colors visible. The belief that colored jewels have healing powers may be a result of the deep feelings aroused by this inexpressible delight.”
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, from his Farbenlehre, or Theory of Color, 1808. Translated and edited Douglas Miller, 1988.
We see the heights of heaven
“We see the heights of heaven and the distant mountains as blue. Likewise, a blue surface seems to recede from us.
Just as we like to pursue a pleasant object retreating into the distance, we also like to look at blue—not because it attacks us but because it draws us along.”
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, from his Farbenlehre, or Theory of Color, 1808. Translated and edited Douglas Miller, 1988.
the color cast over heaven and earth on the day of judgement
“History provides many examples of how rulers have coveted purple. Surroundings in this color are always serious and magnificent.
Purple glass shows a well-lit landscape in an awe-inspiring and terrible light. This must be the color cast over heaven and earth on the day of judgement.”
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, from his Farbenlehre, or Theory of Color, 1808. Translated and edited Douglas Miller, 1988.
orange embroidered with purple
“In clothing we associate the character of the color with the character of the person. Thus we can observe how single colors and combinations of color are related to complexion, age, and social class. . . .
The Roman emperors were extremely jealous of their purple. The robe of the Chinese emperor is orange embroidered with purple. His servants and members of religious orders are allowed to wear lemon-yellow.”
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, from his Farbenlehre, or Theory of Color, 1808. Translated and edited Douglas Miller, 1988.
“fool’s colors”
“Yellow with green is always mundane but cheerful, while blue with green is always mundane but disagreeable; this is why our forebears called the latter “fool’s colors.””
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, from his Farbenlehre, or Theory of Color, 1808. Translated and edited Douglas Miller, 1988.