-------- Original Message --------
Dear Charles,
You write that "Azure means blue. Only secondarily does it connote
sky." But
one of the meanings of the noun azure is the type of blue that we see
in an
unclouded sky - it is not a secondary meaning, the two are bound up
together
in Shade's usage. Here's the OED:
Azure: The clear blue colour of the unclouded sky, or of the sea
reflecting
it. (Originally, the deep intense blue of more southern latitudes.)
The azure is "false" because it is not the real sky, but a reflection
of it
in the window pane. I don't really think it can be cited as Shade being
sloppy in his use of language.
Of course someone could make a case for Frost being superior to Shade,
or
vice versa, but the point is that glibly singling out one line, out of
context, is no way to construct any sort of interesting argument. But
then
Marcus' piece is more hackwork than "fair criticism" and probably does
not
deserve even this slight fuss.
Best,
Duncan White
Oxford