Ok, sorry. I misread your post as kind of aggressive, hence my reaction. Apologies!
And I just meant to point out that common usage isn't the only usage. There are examples where "fair" rather seems to mean "light" in the history of the English language, such as "So fare persones, so bright of ble" ("Such fair people, so bright of face") or "Domyciane had ij doughtirs, one faire, a nother blak" ("Domician had two daughters, one fair, another black") or "Me reweth, Mary, thin faire rode" ("I pity, Mary, your pale countenance"), and even in that traditional hymn you quoted, "bright" would be just as justified a reading as "beautiful".
So while "fair" = "beautiful" may be the first reading to come to mind, it's not the only one. And that's all I meant to say. I never said "fair" = "blond". And I certainly don't think "fair" has anything to do with the hair in the lyrics you quoted above. Someone may well be "fair of face" yet "dark of hair" (or eye, or brow, or whichever), and whether or not the fair face is bright or beautiful is pretty much up to interpretation. ;)
(Am not debating Celegorm's hair colour. Am, admittedly, debating the meaning of "fair".)
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rosecarmine
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Date: 2009-04-22 06:42 am (UTC)And I just meant to point out that common usage isn't the only usage. There are examples where "fair" rather seems to mean "light" in the history of the English language, such as
"So fare persones, so bright of ble" ("Such fair people, so bright of face") or "Domyciane had ij doughtirs, one faire, a nother blak" ("Domician had two daughters, one fair, another black") or "Me reweth, Mary, thin faire rode" ("I pity, Mary, your pale countenance"), and even in that traditional hymn you quoted, "bright" would be just as justified a reading as "beautiful".
So while "fair" = "beautiful" may be the first reading to come to mind, it's not the only one. And that's all I meant to say. I never said "fair" = "blond". And I certainly don't think "fair" has anything to do with the hair in the lyrics you quoted above. Someone may well be "fair of face" yet "dark of hair" (or eye, or brow, or whichever), and whether or not the fair face is bright or beautiful is pretty much up to interpretation. ;)
(Am not debating Celegorm's hair colour. Am, admittedly, debating the meaning of "fair".)