Roses are red, that much is true, but violets are purple, not fucking blue.
I have been waiting for this post all my life.
They are indeed purple, But one thing youβve missed: The concept ofΒ βpurpleβ Didnβt always exist.
Some cultures lack names For a color, you see. Hence good old Homer And his βwine-dark sea.β
A usage so quaint, A phrasing so old, For verses of romance Is sheer fucking gold.
So roses are red. Violets once were called blue. Iβm hugely pedantic But what else is new?
My friend youβre not wrong About Homerβs wine-ey sea! Colours are a matter Of cultural contingency;
Words are in flux And meanings they drift But the word purple Youβve given short shrift.
The concept of purple, My friends, is old And refers to a pigment once precious as gold.
By crushing up molluscs From the wine-dark sea You make a dye: Imperial decree
Meant that in Rome, to wear purpura was a privilege reserved
For only the emperor!
The word βpurpleβ, for clothes so fancy, Entered English By the ninth century
.
Why then are voilets Not purple in song? The dye from this mollusc, known for so long
Is almost magenta; More red than blue. The concept of purple is old, and yet new.
The dye is red, So this might be true: Roses are purple And violets are blue
.
While this song makes me merry, Tyrian purple dyes many a hue From magenta to berry And a true purple too.
But fun as it is to watch this poetic race The answer is staring you right in the face: Roses are red and violets are blue Because nothing fucking rhymes with purple.
IT GOT SO MUCH BETTER.
My reaction, only with coffee.
Hang on, need to send this to my literature prof
Nothing rhymes with purple this much is true Neither with orange, the fruit or the hue But a good laugh you gave on this day Giving us a lot more with which to play Yes Roses are red, pink, yellow and white too And violets are purple but also blue From the bottom of my heart I want to cheer Its creative posts like this that make my year!
In the reblogs, I've found another! More fun history facts!
