"The Muse of Atlantis" by Clark Ashton Smith

1 year ago
12

For such a short piece, there's a ton of really obscure vocabulary packed into it!

orichalch: a yellow metallic substance considered precious by the ancient Greeks; a brass rich in zinc

sendal: a fine, rich silk material, chiefly used to make ceremonial robes and banners

glaucous: of a dull grayish-green or blue color

halcyon: characterized by happiness, great success, and prosperity; often used to describe an idyllic time in the past that is remembered as better than today

amaranthine: undying, or possibly of a pinkish or rosy red color. Or maybe both?

sanguine: as a color, blood-red

Cathay: among Europeans, a historical name for China. In particular, the northern part of China.

damascened: in this context, inlaid with gold or silver decoration

vermillion: a brilliant red pigment made from cinnabar

samite: a rich silk fabric interwoven with gold and silver threads, used for dressmaking and decoration in the Middle Ages

philtre: a drink supposed to arouse love and desire for a particular person in the drinker; a love potion

The picture used is "Lost City of Atlantis" by George Grie, used here under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en).

To follow along: http://www.eldritchdark.com/writings/prose-poetry-plays/32/the-muse-of-atlantis

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