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Literary notes about vespertine (AI summary)

The term vespertine is often used to evoke the qualities of evening or twilight, serving both literal and metaphorical purposes. In poetic passages, it is employed to describe the delicate, transforming light of late day—creating images of a "bright vespertine ray" or the slow gathering of twilight mist ([1],[2]) that imbues the setting with an air of sublime beauty. At times, the word is applied in more technical contexts, referring to specific periods or groups in natural history, as seen in discussions of geological formations in Pennsylvania and Illinois ([3],[4]). Additionally, its use extends to describing nocturnal performances or ritualistic events in nature, such as the subtle displays of woodland creatures or even evening activities in an urban setting ([5],[6]). This blend of scientific precision and evocative imagery underscores the term's unique versatility in literature ([7],[8],[9]).
  1. With level view could stretch against the bright Vespertine ray: and lo! by slow degrees Gath'ring, a fog made tow'rds us, dark as night.
    — from The Divine Comedy by Dante, Illustrated, Purgatory, Complete by Dante Alighieri
  2. The vespertine hour was nigh, and over this iron landscape there floated the moon, an opal button in the sky.
    — from Visionaries by James Huneker
  3. The Vespertine group of Rogers in Pennsylvania.
    — from The Geological History of Plants by Dawson, John William, Sir
  4. [CZ] According to Rogers and Lesquereux similar forms occur in the Vespertine of Pennsylvania and in the Lower Carboniferous of Illinois.
    — from The Geological History of Plants by Dawson, John William, Sir
  5. I am privileged with another sight and sound of the woodcock's vespertine performance, and under peculiarly favorable conditions.
    — from Birds in the Bush by Bradford Torrey
  6. Up Broadway Chandler moved with the vespertine dress parade.
    — from The Four Million by O. Henry
  7. Vespertine , appearing or expanding at evening.
    — from The Elements of Botany, For Beginners and For Schools by Asa Gray
  8. Associated words : vespertine, vespertinal, erepuscular, erepusculous, soirée, vesper.
    — from Putnam's Word Book A Practical Aid in Expressing Ideas Through the Use of an Exact and Varied Vocabulary by Louis A. (Louis Andrew) Flemming
  9. Odors from strong bacon and boiling coffee contended against the cut-plug fumes from the vespertine pipe.
    — from The Trimmed Lamp, and other Stories of the Four Million by O. Henry

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