The Colour of Life.docx
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The Colour of Life.docx
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TheColourofLife
TheColourofLifebyAliceMeynellContents:
TheColourofLifeAPointOfBiographyCloudWindsoftheWorldTheHonoursofMortalityAtMonasteryGatesRushesandReedsEleonoraDuseDonkeyRacesGrassAWomaninGreySymmetryandIncidentTheIllusionofHistoricTimeEyesTHECOLOUROFLIFE
Redhasbeenpraisedforitsnobilityasthecolouroflife.Butthetruecolouroflifeisnotred.Redisthecolourofviolence,oroflifebrokenopen,edited,andpublished.Orifredisindeedthecolouroflife,itissoonlyonconditionthatitisnotseen.
Oncefullyvisible,redisthecolouroflifeviolated,andintheactofbetrayalandofwaste.Redisthesecretoflife,andnotthemanifestationthereof.Itisoneofthethingsthevalueofwhichissecrecy,oneofthetalentsthataretobehiddeninanapkin.Thetruecolouroflifeisthecolourofthebody,thecolourofthecoveredred,theimplicitandnotexplicitredofthelivingheartandthepulses.Itisthemodestcolouroftheunpublishedblood.
Sobright,solight,sosoft,somingled,thegentlecolouroflifeisoutdonebyallthecoloursoftheworld.Itsverybeautyisthatitiswhite,butlesswhitethanmilk;brown,butlessbrownthanearth;red,butlessredthansunsetordawn.Itislucid,butlesslucidthanthecolouroflilies.Ithasthehintofgoldthatisinallfinecolour;butinourlatitudesthehintisalmostelusive.
UnderSicilianskies,indeed,itisdeeperthanoldivory;butunderthemistyblueoftheEnglishzenith,andthewarmgreyoftheLondonhorizon,itisasdelicatelyflushedasthepalerwildroses,outtotheirutmost,flatasstars,inthehedgesoftheendofJune.
FormonthstogetherLondondoesnotseethecolouroflifeinanymass.Thehumanfacedoesnotgivemuchofit,whatwithfeatures,andbeards,andtheshadowofthetop-hatandchapeaumelonofman,andoftheveilsofwoman.Besides,thecolourofthefaceissubjecttoathousandinjuriesandaccidents.ThepopularfaceoftheLondonerhassoonlostitsgold,itswhite,andthedelicacyofitsredandbrown.Wemisslittlebeautybythefactthatitisneverseenfreelyingreatnumbersout-of-doors.Yougetitinsomequantitywhenalltheheadsofagreatindoormeetingareturnedatonceuponaspeaker;butitisonlyintheopenair,needlesstosay,thatthecolouroflifeisinperfection,intheopenair,"clothedwiththesun,"whetherthesunshinebegoldenanddirect,ordazzlinglydiffusedingrey.
ThelittlefigureoftheLondonboyitisthathasrestoredtothelandscapethehumancolouroflife.Heisallowedtocomeoutofallhisignominies,andtotakethelatecolourofthemidsummernorth-westevening,onthebordersoftheSerpentine.Atthestrokeofeightheshedsthesloughofnamelesscolours-allalliedtothehuesofdust,soot,andfog,whicharethecolourstheworldhaschosenforitsboys-andhemakes,inhishundreds,abrightanddelicateflushbetweenthegrey-bluewaterandthegrey-bluesky.
Clothednowwiththesun,heiscrownedby-and-bywithtwelvestarsashegoestobathe,andthereflectionofanearlymoonisunderhisfeet.
SolittlestandsbetweenagaminandallthedignitiesofNature.
Theyaresoquicklyrestored.Thereseemstobenothingtodo,butonlyalittlethingtoundo.ItisliketheartofEleonoraDuse.
Thelastandmostfinishedactionofherintellect,passion,andknowledgeis,asitwere,theflickingawayofsomeinsignificantthingmistakenforartbyotheractors,somelittleobstacletothewayandlibertyofNature.
Allthesqualorisgoneinamoment,kickedoffwiththesecondboot,andthechildgoesshoutingtocompletethelandscapewiththelackingcolouroflife.Youareinclinedtowonderthat,evenundressed,hestillshoutswithaCockneyaccent.Youhalfexpectpurevowelsandelasticsyllablesfromhisrestoration,hisspring,hisslenderness,hisbrightness,andhisglow.Oldivoryandwildroseinthedeepeningmidsummersun,hegiveshiscolourstohisworldagain.
Itiseasytoreplaceman,anditwilltakenogreattime,whereNaturehaslapsed,toreplaceNature.Itisalwaystodo,bythehappilyeasywayofdoingnothing.Thegrassisalwaysreadytogrowinthestreets-andnostreetscouldaskforamorecharmingfinishthanyourgreengrass.Thegasometerevenmustfalltopiecesunlessitisrenewed;butthegrassrenewsitself.Thereisnothingsoremediableastheworkofmodernman-"athoughtwhichisalso,"asMrPecksniffsaid,"verysoothing."AndbyremediableImean,ofcourse,destructible.Asthebathingchildshufflesoffhisgarments-theyarefew,andonebracesufficeshim-sothelandmightalways,inreasonabletime,shuffleoffitsyellowbrickandpurpleslate,andallthethingsthatcollectaboutrailwaystations.AsinglenightalmostclearstheairofLondon.
ButifthecolouroflifelookssowellintherathershamsceneryofHydePark,itlooksbrilliantandgraveindeedonarealsea-
coast.Tohaveonceseenitthereshouldbeenoughtomakeacolourist.Omemorablelittlepicture!
Thesunwasgainingcolourasitnearedsetting,anditsetnotoverthesea,butovertheland.Theseahadthedarkandratherstern,butnotcold,blueofthataspect-thedarkandnottheopaltints.Theskywasalsodeep.Everythingwasverydefinite,withoutmystery,andexceedinglysimple.Themostluminousthingwastheshiningwhiteofanedgeoffoam,whichdidnotceasetobewhitebecauseitwasalittlegoldenandalittlerosyinthesunshine.Itwasstillthewhitestthingimaginable.Andthenextmostluminousthingwasthelittlechild,alsoinvestedwiththesunandthecolouroflife.
Inthecaseofwomen,itisofthelivingandunpublishedbloodthattheviolentworldhasprofessedtobedelicateandashamed.SeethecurioushistoryofthepoliticalrightsofwomanundertheRevolution.Onthescaffoldsheenjoyedanungrudgedshareinthefortunesofparty.Politicallifemightbedeniedher,butthatseemsatriflewhenyouconsiderhowgenerouslyshewaspermittedpoliticaldeath.Shewastospinandcookforhercitizenintheobscurityofherlivinghours;buttothehourofherdeathwasgrantedapartinthelargestinterests,social,national,international.Thebloodwherewithsheshould,accordingtoRobespierre,haveblushedtobeseenorheardinthetribune,wasexposedinthepublicsightunshelteredbyherveins.
Againstthistherewasnomodesty.Ofallprivacies,thelastandtheinnermost-theprivacyofdeath-wasneverallowedtoputobstaclesinthewayofpublicactionforapubliccause.Womenmightbe,andwere,dulysuppressedwhen,bythemouthofOlympedeGouges,theyclaimeda"righttoconcurinthechoiceofrepresentativesfortheformationofthelaws";butinherperson,too,theywereliberallyallowedtobearpoliticalresponsibilitytotheRepublic.OlympedeGougeswasguillotined.Robespierrethusmadeherpublicandcompleteamends.
APOINTOFBIOGRAPHY
Thereishardlyawriternow-ofthethirdclassprobablynotone-
whohasnotsomethingsharpandsadtosayaboutthecrueltyofNature;notonewhoisabletoattemptMayinthewoodswithoutamodernreferencetothemanifolddeathanddestructionwithwhichtheair,thebranches,themossesaresaidtobefull.
Butnoonehaspausedinthecourseofthesephrasestotakenoticeofthecuriousandconspicuousfactofthesuppressionofdeathandofthedeadthroughoutthislandscapeofmanifestlife.Wherearethey-allthedying,allthedead,ofthepopulouswoods?
Wheredotheyhidetheirlittlelasthours,wherearetheyburied?
Whereistheviolenceconcealed?
Underwhatgaycustomanddecenthabit?
Youmaysee,itistrue,anearth-worminarobin'sbeak,andmayhearathrushbreakingasnail'sshell;buttheselittlethingsare,asitwere,passedbywithakindoftwinkleforapology,asbyawell-bredmanwhodoesopenlysomelittlesolecismwhichistooslightfordirectmention,andwhichameanermanmighthideoravoid.Unlessyouareverymodernindeed,youtwinklebackatthebird.
Butotherwisethereisnothingvisibleofthehavocandthepreyandplunder.Itiscertainthatmuchofthevisiblelifepassesviolentlyintootherforms,flasheswithoutpauseintoanotherflame;butnotall.Amidallthekillingtheremustbemuchdying.
Thereare,forinstance,fewbirdsofpreyleftinourmoreaccessiblecountiesnow,andmanythousandsofbirdsmustdieuncaughtbyahawkandunpierced.Butiftheirkillingisdonesomodestly,sothenistheirdyingalso.Shortliveshaveallthesewildthings,butthereareinnumerableflocksofthemalwaysalive;
theymustdie,then,ininnumerableflocks.Andyettheykeepthemillionsofthedeadoutofsight.
Nowandthen,indeed,theymaybebetrayed.Ithappenedinacoldwinter.Thelatefrostsweresosudden,andthefaminewassocomplete,thatthebirdsweretakenunawares.TheskyandtheearthconspiredthatFebruarytomakeknownallthesecrets;everythingwaspublished.Deathwasmanifest.Editors,whenagreatmandies,arenotmoreresolutethanwasthefrostof`95.
Thebirdswereobligedtodieinpublic.Theyweresurprisedandforcedtodothus.TheybecamelikeShelleyinthemonumentwhichtheartandimaginationofEnglandcombinedtoraisetohismemoryatOxford.
Frostwassurelyatworkinbothcases,andinbothitwroughtwrong.ThereisasimilarityofunreasoninbetrayingthedeathofabirdandinexhibitingthedeathofShelley.Thedeathofasoldier-passeencore.ButthedeathofShelleywasnothisgoal.
Andthedeathofthebirdsissolittlecharacteristicofthemthat,ashasjustbeensaid,nooneintheworldisawareoftheirdying,exceptonlyinthecaseofbi
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