400 nanometres (non-spectral)
Old Tyrian murex-dye
Stains the vestments of imperial nobility,
Royalty and piety,
They are born to it, so,
Peasant, no – you may not wear this
Colour of a wounded heart,
(We may permit it as a bruise)
Of Easter, Lent and Mardi Gras,
Look upon it, kneel and pray,
Or dance the carnival away,
See it in fruit and veg and bloom,
Like Cab Sav’s much sought-after grape,
In the vin rouge tasting room,
Plum and shine-skinned aubergine,
In the garden, mulberry,
The lilac and the lavender,
Orchids, mallows, fuchsia too,
Spring-petalled violet, delicate,
So many tints in nature’s palette,
Thistle, flower of the Scots,
And phlox, Jimi Hendrix’ fave,
Black-lit on stage,
At any psychedelic rave;
Mauve, from Perkin’s aniline,
Victorian synthetic
Found by serendipity,
Pizzazz, invented as a crayon,
Magenta (Hot and Sky and Haze)
Named for a battle, olden days ,
Steel Pink and bright quinacridone,
So many variations by Pantone,
Purple, purple everywhere,
Start wearing it for me.
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