Tea at Trianon: Glad to be Gray

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, June 25, 2007

Glad to be Gray

A terrific article. Via LRC. To quote:

This notion of your hair acting as testimony to your having lived is an enticing one. I can't imagine anything nicer than silver sprouting from my follicles, as reward for a life well lived. Share

5 comments:

Anonymous said...: Lol, hmm.. I dunno. Sirach speaks of the honor of gray hair. Are folks simply making the best of a gray situation, do you suppose? Hair color loss/change is inevitable, but unless it's the silvery kind, I'd rather see someone dye their hair to look (feel) younger--at least, rather than do anything far more drastic--s long as one doesn't feel compelled by society to not gross us out. I'm trying to talk my husband into using Grecian formula, or shoe polish, anything.. his black hair is completely white and gray (not salt and pepper) -- is that more natural than the black?

And all of this is spoken by someone in the midst of the to-dye-or-not argument with herself. I stopped a few years ago. My hair presently fascinates me. There are some wisps/wings that have gone silver, almost like platinum blonde and right where I'd put them if they'd come from a bottle, and the rest is varying shades of blonde. I know it would add something nice (and remove a few thousand years) to cut, curl and lighten the whole thing, especially whereas I'm not the only one who sees it, but I dunno. (I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure.) What do you say to it all, Elena?; June 25, 2007 at 9:01:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: I have been wondering if I should dye my hair but I have decided to let nature take its course, like both of my grandmas. Once you start dying your hair, then you must be constantly be maintaining it, which is one of the reasons I decided against it. I am starting to get a gray streak across the top which my grandma also had and I always thought it looked lovely on her. But I have nothing against other people dyeing their hair, if they can afford it and it makes them feel better about their appearance. There is nothing wrong with looking nice.; June 25, 2007 at 9:11:00 AM EDT
Anonymous said...: People can be as vain about their salt and pepper hair as those who take the opposite view and dye their hair. The main thing is that it not be a source of vanity either way.; June 25, 2007 at 10:29:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: I don't think it is necessarily vanity at all for a lady to want to look her best. It is up to the individual, whatever works best for them.; June 25, 2007 at 10:33:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: Getting grey hair is definately better than the alternative! Years of life are a gift from God.

I've started getting some silver hairs lately...if having children doesn't make you get them, nothing will! :) LOL

Seriously, though, I think I will try to cover them when it's time. I would like to look pretty and fresh for my husband - I am very pale and I'm afraid I might look a bit anemic with grey hair. Luckily my hair is lighter so it blends fairly well for now.

I have made ample mental notes over the years of ladies who dye their hair at home different color to 'cover' their grey and only end up looking sillier. i.e. - dark brunette using blonde dye and then their hair becomes a scary orange!

I promise you all to stick to something natural looking and close to my natural color - and I promise to use lighter colors as I age so that I am not a 90 year old with obviously dyed hair!; June 25, 2007 at 11:49:00 PM EDT