COLOURS OF SPRING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 919, 12 September 1910, Page 7

COLOURS OF SPRING.

LEAF AND FLOWER, '■:'.:.",• IN PRAISE OF YELLOW. >; ; ;<By J.Q.X.) : > ;v \ ;v.V.-_ Yellow, rather than green, is ; thft ■; colour 1 of spring in this corner, of New Zealand. Only a, sparse minority of our trees dress themselves- anew for : the season. The grass, is :but,a- few shades- greener th'an.'iri the' winteri; : Wellington and its suburbs and • the " r neighbouring slopes 'and valleys do", not celebrate the spring with any,far- : spread greenness of ; . reawakened. woods ' or tinting of broad iarable lands, "with;: tender groivth -of ; : corn.'Nature,; ; in painting the season! upon .these,; land-. Scapes, uses her. green; in :spots ,and; washes; it is with her. yellow that she: is.lavish. -She began, weeks ago, even in midwinter,: with." her wattle,, and . now, she .is casting upon whatever hillside she. may her unconsidered gold of broom'and gorse;:.'':'''-. ■-:•:">' : ' ; -/';:' I have often : wondered ;;why ::the; praise of yellow is ; so rarely. iSoundedi. There has. been much 'aesthetic ;•. and['. poetical laudation of blue, of i: white, even-.of red and purple,.: but': the; colour of the dandelion, the crocus, and the primrose : haß had. few outspbkenl admirers.. ■_Its..' name.". is. against -it.': "Yellow'/ is-an ugly word,: and . iin-' fortunately it has no exact synonym. It is only to be avoided by borrowing the names of ; yellow : things, such as gold; orange, crocus, saffron;; lemon.'' Thus■■-" Wordsworth,., celebrating:;'.the daffodils, ; had; to call y ; them*• golden. Yet there is'nothing metallic: -about themj and .the poet probably valued the ton thousand that danced. beside '■.' '.'.the; lake a_t aYhigher rate-th(ui so? many, sovereigns. ; ~.• - : .'.-■;' '■'■'■l\k/:

Bright yellow; is - the. colour: of- joy. •'■■. These tapestries of ..'■: flowering;':'broom '-X and .gorso tha't hang;upon"the,natural'-;; walls-} of Wellington /are signals'- ; that : Vthe halls are glad., But'all other such '■ banners of. rejoicing: are,'excelled/';by '% those,,which were:, at- brightest,..three,; weeks...jago' on the wattle , trees'.' No'-.: forms, and . colours > in-vegetation', 1 ; I •'}/ think,- ever made: such "clear ,proolania-:■/.;' tion of; happiness. -A: grove 'of.wattlea; : / on a hillside, .with bloom, piled .on'; . bloom; 'foaming .up : against }the, sunny};}: sky, .profuse;: '.prolific; , prodigal—tnat..: : . was: a : sight which';'no normal humaii '. i creature-, could look -upon.', .unmoved;--;-; In me it wrought?a : vague':;sense:;'of,':';;' well-being'-... and.-., goodwill,'".... such ;: as;':,/ perhaps, .'that ''.philosophic ,; friend;■<■": or-, // Job: had in-,mind:wben; : he: said:— / ':

"Thou shalt; be iii : league with' ■. the : ;.stones ( of : the l held;;-'/:'v!.;-. : '^- '■■'■:■ And the beasts of the field:shall":be ':' at thee;/;.;/.;?.; : ,'.j'shalt;know thatithy tent

.-;■ ;-is in peace; ,/-;;>," :■ : < : /:i' !:• .;;•'-;': ;..r; 'And; thou "shalt;: visit: thyVfold/'ahd 7;;/|': l' \. shalt ;miss nothing,": /"■'-' //;/';"/:;:':;/'/ ;■'" ; I did :not;t;hink;'of ■; those, nor Vf-ariy. :>.•>''/? other.. verse's .at, the: time'. .It.' was one';.. oi special -features :of ithe'; pleasure:.'.'.',; 7;y rhad-in the wattle' blooms' that .they;;;:',; didnot remind me of -any thing-in'..verse /.--:•;; or:prose;.. It is a'pehalty or a-reward,/':/■;'? (the:.alternative, is}, debatable) attached;;. / i,; to/readi!ig : and can hardly lodls; at any -beautiful/scene: r : : . ; .i' without, being reminded;of some" 'poet's'"-; record/of. his .'impression: : of; a'similar;? /;;; .sceno..Thus. one. comes.tp look' through •:".;;'.'; other people's /eyes. ; : -But: the; wattle';';;,; has,:only;/begun:;toVfind;its: way;'into';/ ; ; p< literature. : : It is'not?;.yet 1 thoroughly;;/:',';; poetized; ; like/-' the. -daffodil = aiid- the]:/;';/* daisy./ '.The' few verses"; about. it, that, IJ L : ■/ have; read,'; sbmehow'did; hot 'occur ''•to'V>-V-A. me that day. I;could;take;;;. : -'X Emerson's; advice :-.■- ;/;. ;;.//■/: ./A': "*'•'■ \;, /.; •; ['See. tliou;-brihg not ;to field ■ br'stbnq,/:;:'?-;' ./.The'fancies found'■ in books ;/■/;;.:.; r^;1 : Leave authors I ' : eyes- and;take.your.own> ; ';'& •■,:-To brave;the. landscape's ."looks;" '.'• : .,:/'.■;; I, might-' have V said' with' one -./of/that;:-.;/ street-wearied' journalists ; of the.,"Fleet;-.;';c,";' Street' Eclogues":; ■/..;;;: /;. v ; .:. '^-/'-{tX^'A to} tread uhpayen/grohhd; 7; :/-And/care:. ! no , more, for: .prose.' v ;V: ;; rhyme;"; ■- XXX'- /■ ■■: N -;/ 'XXXXXI ; : But: tlipugh wevlieave authorsVeyea,'' /.ViSj w.e'stitriook. through those of^^ : our,-an-;;':';;:; cestors;. ;Cur" delight' in yellow blos'sbins: ; :/}:;S . may have.; come};from: the -golden} sun-}; ; ;.} :rises;and}'blozing cainp-fires that. ban«/:;}■}};. ished ithe night-fears' of prehistoric men.} •} }-' }" ;M6st: of: us . will; agree} with' Lafcadio :};/-;;} Hearn ..that- yellow}-.is, after; blue,; ; the^'.};/}, most 'agreeable:of.'the;primary;.Colours.'};;;:';/; SpnietiE'es,,;and .places,'■•:it:io; >v'»; ; . mbre'- to"- be welcomed }even}thah; blueV'-i'-'J'i.-i' because ;it} 'suggests ; warmth. : ;'Look-/;;}}; through;-blue glass,- and;then, through}/;v.:;; yellow glass,/at : aVlandscape/on}a: dull ;;;};;; day.'';} It}'has ;first: itlieV appearance.';'o|> X: };' winter,; and. then;of.-;SuinmOT.;} A;}room};}:};}' with/.yellow ' walls ;'is:/lighter;:than}}it:;}/ ( V.} would;be with^walls of any other, colour; ; }:}};-/ except}white. /Walls' of v dark} ; greeii;or};;j}:}:; jed absorb .-.85/ per} cent; v, of/'the;;light}};}},};} that falls ;upon; thenii and }give} back:■>:".;.;; only -15} per cent.} - :Yellow.; walls.keep }/;}•:./! 0n1y;55 per'.=.cent. ;forj:theni3elves,/ahd/:;;;;;> give/the 'ihhiates ;45.'; : /With;} bright}}:;/;;:;] green the proportions .are::6o,aiid 40.}:. 7; ;;}, White./walls}'take ?half. ;the/ light; ; ' : ahd v}} V;}: give back as much."• It .seems, to ; follow •' ':};;} that. some;.of : the :preseht;'fashiphs}: in;' X- } house ;decorations •: are. more: favourable} •■}.'. }; to/the-business of gas-and electric panies}than; }the :health /and}co'mfort ;>:}•}: of,-.the'/citizens;//';:}: '■.".,.'"■•.- ; !.V.';,}.;};:' -}}':.;/-'-;•

; As F write, a'yellow, light of-evenmg/;,; lies. npoh'.;the'.bills,/'and. a.great';'piled-;}.. up "cloud, /tinted with-:the /samo/./bue,-;}} sails .'across the, quiet, blue.; : -It is ,s |bot} '- a .thing, ,to ~be talked .about..;. It; is ibe- I .};' yend explanatio'n-V/'a noiseless, revt-lay. - tion'in the., ;., ;• .-;•}.':::};;-!;}..'.:;'