Literary notes about bole (AI summary)
In literature, "bole" is most commonly employed to denote the trunk of a tree, invoking images of natural strength and endurance, as seen when a birch's "bole [1]" is described as strong and stately or when characters lean against the "bole" for rest or support [2], [3]. Yet the word's versatility is notable, extending into more specialized realms: it appears in formulations of medicinal and artistic recipes—such as mixtures including "Armenian bole" [4]—and even in metaphorical or structural descriptions that draw parallels between the solidity of a tree trunk and human or architectural forms [5], [6]. This multifaceted usage underscores a rich interplay between the literal and the symbolic across diverse literary contexts.
- True, the birch-tree soon recovered, Grew more beautiful than ever, Grew more uniform its branches, And its bole more strong and stately.
— from Kalevala : the Epic Poem of Finland — Complete - As she closed the gate, she caught sight of Lloyd Fenneben, leaning motionless against the gray bole of the elm tree.
— from A Master's Degree by Margaret Hill McCarter - I sit down upon the leaning, almost horizontal, bole of a large tupelo,—a new tree to me, but common in this country.
— from Spring notes from Tennessee by Bradford Torrey - —Elecampane, one drachm; chalk, four drachms; Armenian bole, three drachms; alum, ten grains; oil of aniseseed, five drops.
— from Our Knowledge Box; or, Old Secrets and New Discoveries. by Unknown - Felicitous strokes like that in which he says, "No tree has so fair a bole and so handsome an instep as the birch," are rare.
— from The Last Harvest by John Burroughs - The oak remembers not each leaf it ever bore, though each helped to form the oak, its branch and bole.
— from Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 2 (of 3) by Theodore Parker
