Literary notes about Endue (AI summary)
The word “endue” is employed in literature as a powerful verb that signifies the act of conferring a special quality or power upon someone or something. It is often used in lofty, poetic contexts where characters or objects are granted divine grace, strength, or vitality—for instance, a soul being endowed with life-giving force ([1]) or a being receiving supernatural might ([2]). In many passages, “endue” carries connotations of transformation and empowerment, frequently linked with the intervention of a higher power, as when prayers invoke God’s blessing for wisdom, health, or fortitude ([3], [4]). It also appears in contexts that celebrate the bestowal of beauty, artistic talent, or even the essence of a nation’s character ([5], [6]). Overall, the term enriches the narrative by suggesting that certain qualities are not inherent but granted, thus elevating the subject beyond the ordinary ([7], [8]).
- ‘So may thy soul thy members long endue With vital power,’ the other made reply, ‘And after thee thy fame
— from The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: The Inferno by Dante Alighieri - I will endue thee with supernatural might, and that will give you authority and weight, corresponding to the position in which you stand.
— from The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Joshua by William Garden Blaikie - I bless thee here for ever, my son, in this place, The Lord my God of might endue thee with his grace.
— from A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 02 - I fervently pray that God—glorified and exalted be He—may endue your life with vigour and happiness and enable you to achieve your heart’s desire.
— from Bahíyyih Khánum by Baha'i World Centre - And there's no soul that love may not endue With tinge of Heaven.
— from The Mortal Gods, and Other Plays by Olive Tilford Dargan - The people of the Far East personify their buildings to a great extent, and endue them with individuality, and with human attributes.
— from Quaint Korea by Louise Jordan Miln - Thus by the organs of the Eye and Ear, The Soul with knowledge doth herself endue!
— from Some Longer Elizabethan Poems - With the first puff dawns a serenity with which neither faith nor philosophy had been able to endue the journey hitherto.
— from Flint: His Faults, His Friendships and His Fortunes by Maud Wilder Goodwin