no flowers

Tags

flora, Hegel, logic, metaphysics

And so, when such metaphysical shadows, and such colourless self-concentration of the introspective spirit, had been brushed aside, existence seemed to be transformed into the sunny land of flowers―and, as we know, no flowers are black.

(Hegel, Science of Logic, preface to the first edition, tr. W. H. Johnston & L. G. Struthers)

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the plant, light purified from the dark

Tags

flora, Hegel

The plant brings forth its light as its own self in the blossom, in which the neutral colour green is determined as a specific coloration, or, too, light is produced as a white colour, purified from the dark.

(Hegel, Philosophy of Nature III, §270)

la feuille

Tags

années 1970, Bergson, flore, Hegel

L’énorme énergie solaire ne fait rien de vivant sur la terre sans la feuille verte.

(Jean Theau, « Le rapport quantité–qualité chez Hegel et chez Bergson », Philosophiques 2(1):3–21)

covers of ICASE reports in fluid mechanics, applied and numerical mathematics, and computer science

Tags

1990s, applied mathematics, bookbinding, computer science, fluid mechanics, ICASE, NASA, numerical analysis

Due to increasing research being conducted at ICASE in the field of fluid mechanics, future ICASE reports in this area of research will be printed with a green cover.  Applied and numerical mathematics reports will have the familiar blue cover, while computer science reports will have yellow covers.

(note inside ICASE Report No. 93-73)

the oceans, the countries

Tags

Carmel Bird, cartography, Second World War

The oceans were a dreaming egg-shell blue, the countries watery pastel shades of biscuit and eau de nil and faint peach blush

(Carmel Bird, ‘Tasmanian memoir of WW2’)

a little piece of slate, a sliver of glass, a stump of crayon

Tags

Carmel Bird, death, gold rush, Victorian

As I walked away I picked from the flurry of dried gum leaves on the cemetery floor a little piece of dark grey slate, a sliver of green glass, and a stump of bright orange crayon, and took them home.

(Carmel Bird, ‘Pennyweight Flat Children’s Cemetary’)

the dark sky, the slopes of the mountain, flowers’ little cups, delicate primroses, the gleam of the lovely gentian, cistus

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Belle Époque, flora, Heidi, sky

During the night the wind had blown away all the clouds; the dark blue sky was spreading overhead, and in its midst was the bright sun shining down on the green slopes of the mountain, where the flowers opened their little blue and yellow cups, and looked up to him smiling. Heidi went running hither and thither and shouting with delight, for here were whole patches of delicate red primroses, and there the blue gleam of the lovely gentian, while above them all laughed and nodded the tender-leaved golden cistus.

(Johanna Spyri, Heidi, ch. 3)

each side of the Alm-Uncle’s toasted cheese

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Belle Époque, Heidi, the table

The kettle soon began to boil, and meanwhile the old man held a large piece of cheese on a long iron fork over the fire, turning it round and round till it was toasted a nice golden yellow color on each side.

(Johanna Spyri, Heidi, ch. 2)

feuilles

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automne, flore, La Femelle du Raquin, le présent

Je cueille des feuilles, je les essore pour tacher et parfumer mes paumes. Je collectionne des camaïeux de verts, d’oranges et de rouges.

(Aurélia Bécuwe, « L’adventice », La Femelle du Raquin 48)

la chair brillante qui constituera bientôt son nouveau genou

Tags

chair, La Femelle du Raquin, le présent

Timidement je les soulève pour entrevoir la chair rose et brillante qui constituera bientôt mon nouveau genou que j’écorcherai à son tour parce que c’est mon rapport à la terre que de m’y agenouiller brutalement.

(Aurélia Bécuwe, « L’adventice »)