Rainbows

 I believe in the idea of the rainbow. And I've spent my entire life trying to get over it. Judy Garland

What does it mean to believe in the idea of the rainbow? Is the idea of the rainbow as some would believe a pathway to find a pot of gold? Or is it a metaphor for trying to find something beyond your reach or capability to achieve? Is it as the ancient Greeks believed a foreteller of storms and wars? Or is it as the Hebrews believe a sign that there will be no more massive floods? The Norse believed the rainbow was a bridge upon which their gods took to go home after spending time on earth. Some believe it is a miracle with no explanation.

The rainbow inspires metaphor and simile both in poetry and in song. In Rainbow Connection, a song known for being sung by Kermit the Frog, the idea of a rainbow is seen as something to wish on, as it is popularly seen as a vision, or symbol of hope.

During COVID-19 The rainbow was adopted as a symbol of hope, especially during periods of lockdown. Households worldwide displayed homemade images of rainbows in their windows, often alongside positive messages.

The rainbow is now a symbol of ethnic and racial diversity. Various Rainbow Coalition movements have used the rainbow as a metaphor for bringing together people from a broad spectrum of races and creeds.

Richard Dawkins; in his 1998 book Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder, wrote:

My title is from Keats, who believed that Newton had destroyed all the poetry of the rainbow by reducing it to the prismatic colours. Keats could hardly have been more wrong, and my aim is to guide all who are tempted by a similar view, towards the opposite conclusion. Science is, or ought to be, the inspiration for great poetry.

The poet Woodsworth has a poem that says

My heart leaps up when I behold

A rainbow in the sky:

So was it when my life began;

So is it now I am a man;

So be it when I shall grow old,

Or let me die!..

John Keats in his 1820 poem "Lamia":

Do not all charms fly

At the mere touch of cold philosophy?

There was an awful rainbow once in heaven:

We know her woof, her texture; she is given

In the dull catalogue of common things.

Philosophy will clip an Angel's wings,

Conquer all mysteries by rule and line,

Empty the haunted air, and gnomed mine –

Unweave a rainbow

Whatever your views of rainbows are, when you see one, just enjoy the beauty of the rainbow