Did Vincent Van Gogh see yellow because he took Digitalis to control bouts of epilepsy? It’s an idea I took from Ferrebeekeeper.
Maybe.
I like the William Carlos Williams explanation of xanthopsia.
A Love Song
What have I to say to you
When we shall meet?
Yet—
I lie here thinking of you.
The stain of love
Is upon the world.
Yellow, yellow, yellow,
It eats into the leaves,
Smears with saffron
The horned branches that lean
Heavily
Against a smooth purple sky.
There is no light—
Only a honey-thick stain
That drips from leaf to leaf
And limb to limb
Spoiling the colours
Of the whole world.
I am alone.
The weight of love
Has buoyed me up
Till my head
Knocks against the sky. See me!
My hair is dripping with nectar—
Starlings carry it
On their black wings.
See, at last
My arms and my hands
Are lying idle.
How can I tell
If I shall ever love you again
As I do now?
_____________________________________________________________
Added as a postscript, on the fine recommendation of Dafna, who kindly reads:
sweat and sprezzatura 
interestingly, in a note to this poem (which is called “A Love Song”) in his Collected, Williams says “I was thinking of Demuth’s picture of the sky over the horizon.” but which Demuth? would love to know…
The most gorgeous thing. Closest to Mandelstam I have read. In your debt again, Dzhen.
Hey, glad you are back with a beautiful posting. You’ve been on vacation; now keep on keepin’ on with more postings. We are counting on you.
Your return to blogging had been a consummation devoutly to be wished. Now, it has really happened. Oh joy.
Do you think Van Gogh inspired:
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow……..
Or perhaps Van Gogh was mad about saffron, rather than just plain yellow?
How glad I am not to have taken you off my side bar. We all missed you.
Prima!
Great to have you back! Very interesting theory, but a special thanks for the fantastic pictures and the poem.
Thanks, everybody.
WCW and VvG, what a combo, huh?
Next week: EStVM and GO’K. (I’m kidding.) 🙂
purple AND yellow.
my favorite artist and favorite colors together.
Your gallery of gorgeous glowing golden paintings is perfect for celebrating the summer solstice tomorrow. I’m glad you’re blogging again (and thanks for the link).
Thanks, Hieronymo. I like your blog, as you know.
Summer solstice, indeed, but here in Chitown, it was not so much “yellow, yellow, yellow” and more like “the rain, it raineth every day.” 🙂
please allow embed or fix link to “yellow”.
Dafna! Hola guapa! (I’m all about Spanish these days.)
Thanks for being in the spirit of the thing. I like Coldplay too. Hell if I know how to embed in comments, so I just added it to my post, giving you credit, naturalmente!
I just watched it again. Thanks. That’s my mood. 🙂
Hey Jenny!
Thanks for thinking of me! I’ve been away, trying to survive … so far so good. This was the first William Carlos Williams poem I’ve ever read. I admit that poetry bewilders me. But “xanthopsia” is an awesome word.
Chris! Chris! You are well met! Don’t be such a stranger.
It saddens me that poetry bewilders you. Come along, won’t you?
I’m glad you’re surviving. I am too. We’re neighbors, you know?
Dude, post something already…
Yes, I … I did read the WCW poem. I don’t know why, and this is not the first time I’ve thought about it, but poetry is just … completely impenetrable to me. And I have no where near any idea of where to start … unless it’s epic, come to think of it. But, I mean, that’s nearer narrative than contemporary poetry….
Ha ha, I had discovered that we live pretty near each other, I forget when, but I was hesitant to mention it, for fear of seeming … creepy. I promise to post more so long as you do. 🙂