Writers have long employed the imagery of dew as a color—a subtle, evocative hue that suggests purity, delicacy, and an ephemeral glow. In one passage, a maiden’s purity is likened to dew, its unblemished, luminous quality serving as a metaphor for both innocence and transcendence [1]. Similarly, dew appears as a modifier in phrases such as “dew‑pearl’d,” where it casts a soft, iridescent sheen that enhances the fragile beauty of natural elements like butterflies’ wings [2]. In another striking instance, a character is described as “just as white as dew,” reinforcing the idea of dew as an emblem of radiance and untainted clarity [3]. Finally, the image of “softly as a reddish dew” blends color with the transient nature of early morning light to evoke a gentle yet vivid visual impression [4]. Together, these examples illustrate how dew, as a color, enriches literary descriptions with a fresh, luminous quality that is both delicate and emotionally resonant.
- Marjatta was a maiden, ‘as pure as the dew is, as holy as stars are that live without stain.’
— from Custom and Myth
New Edition by Andrew Lang
- Tortoise-shelled butterflies, On their dew-pearl'd wingful sighs, Bear the news of elfin squabbles; "Wounded Oberon still hobbles."
— from The Dales of Arcady by Dorothy Una Ratcliffe
- Miss Jane stood just as white as dew, And heard him out in just white heat,
— from Reynard the Fox by John Masefield
- Softly as a reddish dew, it is breathed over dusky velvet, and flashing white, it falls like stars among rubies and diamonds.
— from Marie Grubbe, a Lady of the Seventeenth Century by J. P. (Jens Peter) Jacobsen