Re: GR translation: like Ochsen-Augen in Grandmother’s day

[Mike Jing]

That probably makes more sense. Thanks, Mike.


On Wed, Jan 14, 2026 at 5:01 AM Mike Weaver <mike.weaver at zen.co.uk> wrote:

> Hi Mike,
> A quick wander on the web gives Ochsen-Augen written ochsenaugen (bull's
> eye) as a round or ellipsoid window dormer window. Where the Companion got
> the isinglass connection who knows. Given window glass was originally made
> from sections of blown glass the "before window-glass" refers to a time
> before glass makers were producing perfectly flat sheets and round windows
> were glazed with convex pieces.
>
>
> On 13/01/2026 15:02, Mike Jing wrote:
> > V751.14-19, P766.7-12   He’s been given a window of artificial sapphire,
> > four inches across, grown by the IG in 1942 as a mushroom-shaped boule, a
> > touch of cobalt added to give it a greenish tint—very heat-resistant,
> > transparent to most visible frequencies—it warps the images of sky and
> > clouds outside, but pleasantly, like Ochsen-Augen in Grandmother’s day,
> the
> > days before window-glass. . . .
> >
> > The *Companion* claims that Ochsen-Augen are "round dormer windows, made
> of
> > isinglass." However, isinglass windows are made of flat sheets of mica,
> > which do not distort images, at least not in the same way as it is
> expected
> > here. Several sources seem to indicate that it actually refers to a kind
> > of small convex mirror, see
> >
> > https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Mirror
> >
> > https://www.gutenberg.org/files/48152/48152-h/48152-h.htm
> >
> > for example. And I couldn't find any supporting evidence
> > for Weisenburger's claim.
> >
> > Anyone knows if the *Companion* is mistaken on this one?
> > --
> > Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>