Literary notes about Lithe (AI summary)
"Lithe" is often employed in literature to evoke a sense of grace, suppleness, and nimbleness, whether describing a character’s physical build, movement, or even the seemingly fluid quality of objects. Writers use it to paint figures that convey both beauty and strength—as in the depiction of a young man with a "lithe figure" ([1]) or a graceful, tall woman who is "lithe, willowy" ([2]). At times, the term transcends human description, lending itself to inanimate elements like a "thin blade of lithe steel" ([3]), suggesting flexibility and a refined quality. The word’s versatility is further underscored by its appearance in poetic lines that merge the fluidity of nature with the agility of animals ([4], [5]), thereby enriching the literary imagery with an interplay between delicacy and power.
- He was about sixteen, with a lithe figure, and a handsome, faded, impudent face.
— from Sybil, Or, The Two Nations by Earl of Beaconsfield Benjamin Disraeli - She was an out-of-door woman, tall, lithe, willowy.
— from A Fool There Was by Porter Emerson Browne - Yes, it was the long palette-knife, with its thin blade of lithe steel.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - Hark ye, lad—fleet interlacings of the limbs—lithe swayings—coyings—flutterings!
— from Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville - Quick fly such moments divine, love, Link your lithe fingers in mine!
— from The Lazy Minstrel by J. (Joseph) Ashby-Sterry