GR translation: be he always in flower

[Mike Jing]

Ok, it's a slight variation on "Semper sint in flore", which translates
into "Ever may they flourish."


On Sat, Aug 16, 2025 at 4:41 PM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:

> *AI Overview*
> The phrase "be he always in flower" is a quote from the student song
> "Gaudeamus Igitur"
> .
> In the context of Thomas Pynchon's novel "Gravity's Rainbow" and its
> companion materials, the phrase is mentioned in relation to a character's
> involvement in a scientific syndicate and the concept of moving "beyond
> life, toward the inorganic". This suggests a connection between the idea of
> being "in flower" and a pursuit of something enduring and timeless, perhaps
> even transcending the cycles of life and death, but it also carries
> potential implications about the character's priorities.
> More generally, "in flower" refers to the state of blooming, and in a
> metaphorical sense, it can mean being in a state of flourishing,
> excellence, or a period of peak activity or beauty.
>
>    -
>    <https://ia801300.us.archive.org/13/items/WeisenburgerAGravitysRainbowCompanion/Weisenburger%20-%20A%20Gravity%27s%20Rainbow%20Companion_text.pdf>
>    Weisenburger A Gravity's Rainbow Companion
>    ... be he always in flower." It's a line from the student song
>    "Gaudeamus Igitur" (see V432.13n). V580.12-13, B676.1. Stickstoff Syndikat.
>    Nitrogen Syndicate ..
>    [image: favicon]
>    Internet Archive
>    -
>    <https://www.tumblr.com/fuckyeahthomaspynchon/187802530900/buhuiba-low-lands-by-thomas-pynchon#:~:text=be%20he%20always%20in%20flower:%20his%20involvement,scrawled%20C%2DH%20on%20his%20chalkboard%20and%20wrote>
>    Low-Lands by Thomas Pynchon - Tumblr
>    ... be he always in flower: his involvement in getting Weimar to
>    subsidize the IG's Stickstoff Syndikat was well known-“move beyond life,
>    toward the inorganic. ...
>    [image: favicon]
>    www.tumblr.com
>    - <https://wispinc.org/monday-message-8-27-18-bloom/>
>    Monday Message 8.27.18 Bloom – WISP
>    Oct 18, 2018 — Monday Message 8.27. 18 Bloom 1. The flowering state, a
>    period of flowering. Look at these! Soooo amazing! They're from the seed
>    gift from WISP last summer.
>    [image: favicon]
>    Women's Independence Scholarship Program
>
> Show all
>
>
>
> On Sat, Aug 16, 2025 at 3:39 PM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> V580.3-13, P590.1-11   “You have the two choices,” Jamf cried, his last
>> lecture of the year: outside were the flowery strokings of wind, girls in
>> pale-colored dresses, oceans of beer, male choruses intensely, movingly
>> lifted as they sang Semper sit in flores/ Semper sit in flo-ho-res . . .
>> “stay behind with carbon and hydrogen, take your lunch-bucket in to the
>> works every morning with the faceless droves who can’t wait to get in out
>> of the sunlight—or move beyond. Silicon, boron, phosphorus—these can
>> replace carbon, and can bond to nitrogen instead of hydrogen—” a few
>> snickers here, not unanticipated by the playful old pedagogue, be he
>> always
>> in flower: his involvement in getting Weimar to subsidize the IG’s
>> Stickstoff Syndikat was well known—
>>
>> What does the inversion of subject and verb in "be he always in flower"
>> indicate here?
>> --
>> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>>
>