There had never been such roses as those that bloomed that summer. They clambered everywhere and dripped as if perspiring the heaviest most intoxicating perfume, which seemed to make the very masonry drunk. The senses fused; sometimes these roses emitted low but intolerably piercing pentatonic melodies which were the sound of their deep crimson colour and yet we heard them inside our nostrils.

There had never been such roses as those that bloomed that summer. They clambered everywhere and dripped as if perspiring the heaviest most intoxicating perfume, which seemed to make the very masonry drunk. The senses fused; sometimes these roses emitted low but intolerably piercing pentatonic melodies which were the sound of their deep crimson colour and yet we heard them inside our nostrils.

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[The quote immerses us in a vivid, almost surreal sensory experience where the natural world transcends its usual boundaries and becomes a symphony of visual and auditory delights. The depiction of roses so extraordinary they "clamber everywhere" suggests a moment of intense beauty and abundance, almost exaggerated to the point of enchantment or magical realism. The idea that the roses "dripped" with perfume that seems to make masonry "drunk" personifies the roses' overpowering presence, their scent being so profound that it influences the very structures around them. This creates an atmosphere where reality bends—where flowers overflow with life and sensuousness and challenge the ordinary limits of perception.

The notion that these roses emit "low but intolerably piercing pentatonic melodies" adds an auditory dimension to this vivid scene. It suggests that nature, in this depiction, is not silent but sings a deep, primal song that resonates internally with the observer. The description of these melodies as the "sound of their deep crimson colour" merges visual and sound imagery, emphasizing how perception can be multisensory and intertwined.

Overall, the quote captures a moment of heightened sensory awareness, perhaps symbolizing pure aesthetic or emotional ecstasy. It blurs lines between visual beauty, scent, and sound, making the experience almost hallucinatory, where sensory stimuli become indistinguishably intertwined. Such imagery encourages us to consider the depths of perception and how nature can evoke overwhelming, almost intoxicating feelings, reminding us of the power of beauty and sensory immersion to alter our experience of reality.

(From 'The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman')

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July 15, 2025

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