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There was once a boy who loved to go to school, and it was no great wonder, for he lived in a golden age and in a golden clime.

Please note that the aforementioned paragraph is taken from the book 'Stories from Plato' which was first published in 1896.

Nisal Kevin Kotinkaduwa
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  • @sumelic I seek for the term 'golden age' in the dictionary, and here is what I have received. 'golden age' (noun): a period of ​time, sometimes ​imaginary, when everyone was ​happy, or when a ​particular ​art, ​business, etc. was very ​successful.

    Quite regrettably​, I could not find any meaning attached to the term 'golden clime,' but instead I saw that the same term was used by Sir William Blake for his poem ''Ah! Sun-flower!''

     – Nisal Kevin Kotinkaduwa Nov 17 '15 at 05:41
  • @sumelic I have already sought for the word 'clime' in the Oxford English Dictionaries, and here is what I found. 'clime' (noun---usually climes) A region considered with reference to its climate.
    What I cannot conceive of is the sentence 'He lived in a golden clime.' Does it assert the fact that he lived in a region where the weather was absolutely fine? Thank you for making an essay to answer the question.     – Nisal Kevin Kotinkaduwa Nov 17 '15 at 05:50

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Clime is variously defined as a place with a certain climate (MMD), or a place in reference to its climate (ODO), or a ​place where the ​weather is different in a ​particular way (CDO), or indeed to a climate itself (MW).

Clime in contemporary English is limited to poetic, or at least literary uses; meteorologists and travel agents do not customarily speak of climes. But with that in mind, know that clime is not limited to literal references to geographic locations and their weather, but can refer to the metaphorical meanings of climate— a prevailing condition or set of attitudes in human affairs (AHD).

Golden generally refers to some apotheosis or ideal: not only a golden age but the golden touch, a golden voice, and so on. (Descriptions that refer to the actual metal are simply gold, like gold coins or gold jewelry).

Thus, a golden clime refers to perfect social conditions, or an ideal intellectual atmosphere, or generally the best possible society for the boy to have lived in.

choster
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    I really appreciate the effort you put into this matter. I recently started reading classics, hence I believe such terms will be frequently met; since your description is absolutely coherent, I would not be confused if I meet such terms. Thank you very much! – Nisal Kevin Kotinkaduwa Nov 17 '15 at 06:02
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Per the OED, the word clime used to be synonym for climate, but it is now largely poetical and has taken on the meaning of a particular region, often associated with that region's climate. As in the phrase "sunny climes."

So "in a golden age and in a golden clime" means in an idyllic time and place.

deadrat
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