Literary notes about Taint (AI summary)
The term "taint" is employed across literature as a multifaceted symbol of corruption and impurity. In some texts it signifies a moral blemish or stain on one's character—as when a warrior's lineage is said to be tainted by shame ([1]) or a spirit remains spotless despite potential imperfections ([2]). In other narratives, it denotes a physical or hereditary contamination, casting a shadow over bloodlines or reputations, as seen when ancient race and blood become vehicles for disgrace ([3], [4]). At times, the word conveys a broader societal and existential decay, where even the atmosphere or an entire community is perceived as tainted by past misdeeds or fatal flaws ([5], [6]). This layered usage, spanning epic poetry to modern social critique, underscores the enduring power of the word to evoke images of defilement—whether as a minor stain on a person’s honor or as a pervasive force undermining the integrity of an institution or love itself ([7], [8]).
- The mean of soul, unknown to fame, Who taint their warrior race with shame, Thus speak in senseless pride as thou,
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki - "There is no taint of imperfection on thy spirit.
— from Mosses from an old manse by Nathaniel Hawthorne - It was the mysterious taint of the blood; the poor mother had brought it from her own ancient race.
— from Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray - If a man so much as touched a pig in passing, he stepped into the river with all his clothes on, to wash off the taint.
— from The Golden Bough: A Study of Magic and Religion by James George Frazer - There is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies—which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world—what I want to forget.
— from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad - The taint of prayers is non-repetition; the taint of houses, non-repair; the taint of the body is sloth; the taint of a watchman, thoughtlessness.
— from Dhammapada, a Collection of Verses; Being One of the Canonical Books of the Buddhists - So keep thee pure from taint of sin, Still to thy lord be true, And fame and merit shalt thou win, To thy devotion due.”
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki - Unkindness may do much, And his unkindness may defeat my life, But never taint my love.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare
