The term "molten gold" has been embraced by writers as a striking metaphor for luminous, transcendent beauty in nature and art. In many descriptions, it evokes the radiant quality of a sunset or a shimmering stream, as seen when a river is depicted as “molten gold” that bathes the landscape in warm, gentle light ([1], [2], [3]). Poets and novelists alike have used the phrase to color both the ephemeral glow of twilight and the transformative power of light on everyday scenes—transforming clouds, water, and even strands of hair into images of divine splendor ([4], [5], [6]). Such imagery not only enriches the visual experience but also imbues the subject with an almost alchemical quality, one that blurs the boundary between the natural and the supernatural.
- Flanking the forest ran a river of molten gold.
— from Tales of the Wonder Club, Volume I by M. Y. Halidom
- The stream was like pure, molten gold, and the stranger dipping his fingers into it bathed his forehead and eyes.
— from Villa Eden: The Country-House on the Rhine by Berthold Auerbach
- The sun was going down behind the Abbey as he rode up towards Lambeth, and the sky above and the river beneath were as molten gold.
— from By What Authority? by Robert Hugh Benson
- The fern appeared red-hot; each little leaf edged with gold, yet flameless, like clouds at sunset—rich glowing crimson tinged with molten gold.
— from Psychic Phenomena
A Brief Account of the Physical Manifestations Observed in Psychical Research by Edward T. Bennett
- Some of the clouds were as yellow as molten gold, while others appeared blood-stained, and fearful to look upon.
— from Buell Hampton by Willis George Emerson
- He was like pure molten gold in appearance, full of brightness, the refuge of the gods, wearing matted locks yellow as flame, irresistible as fire.
— from The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story by active 11th century Somadeva Bhatta