The Rights of Women

[Ina Garten Davita]

Too long degraded, scorned, opprest: a bold, strident red chypre with sweet wild patchouli, bourbon vanilla,

Tunisian neroli, tuberose, warm red currant, strawberry, and red labdanum.

 

Yes, injured Woman! rise, assert thy right!
Woman! too long degraded, scorned, opprest;
O born to rule in partial Law’s despite,
Resume thy native empire o’er the breast!

Go forth arrayed in panoply divine;
That angel pureness which admits no stain;
Go, bid proud Man his boasted rule resign,
And kiss the golden sceptre of thy reign.

Go, gird thyself with grace; collect thy store
Of bright artillery glancing from afar;
Soft melting tones thy thundering cannon’s roar,
Blushes and fears thy magazine of war.

Thy rights are empire: urge no meaner claim, –
Felt, not defined, and if debated, lost;
Like sacred mysteries, which withheld from fame,
Shunning discussion, are revered the most.

Try all that wit and art suggest to bend
Of thy imperial foe the stubborn knee;
Make treacherous Man thy subject, not thy friend;
Thou mayst command, but never canst be free.

Awe the licentious, and restrain the rude;
Soften the sullen, clear the cloudy brow:
Be, more than princes’ gifts, thy favours sued; –
She hazards all, who will the least allow.

But hope not, courted idol of mankind,
On this proud eminence secure to stay;
Subduing and subdued, thou soon shalt find
Thy coldness soften, and thy pride give way.

Then, then, abandon each ambitious thought,
Conquest or rule thy heart shall feebly move,
In Nature’s school, by her soft maxims taught,
That separate rights are lost in mutual love.
– Anna Lætitia Barbauld

 

[abejita]

I've always loved chypre the most when it's a non-traditional chypre. Or a traditional one paired with non-traditional notes. This is no exception. The red chypre dominates, and is as bold as the description claims. The other notes, though, tug the chypre into interesting directions, and keep it from smelling like men's generic cologne. It's not easy to detect individual notes here. I don't get a fruity burst of strawberry, for example. There's some sweetness from the vanilla, some richness/headiness from the tuberose, some musky depth from the labdanum and patchouli. It's very well-balanced and bright, and I'm definitely holding onto it. 

[marared]

This suffered badly from travel shock - when I first got it, and even now on first sniff, it was an unappealingly loud jumble of scents. But it calms down after a few minutes, and while it is initially very rich, it becomes cool, smooth, slightly musky and woody labdanum. The fruit and the tuberose are just undertones, the vanilla isn't particularly noticeable, and the neroli fades after the initial blast. It morphs a lot, and I think it's going to get even smoother over a couple of years.

[zankoku_zen]

Rich red chypre, red fruits, and a whiff of patchouli. I shouldn't love this so much, but I do. I think a few months of aging will make everything sort of meld together, and you will just get a red fruity sort of chypre. UGH. Low throw, but wonderful as a skin scent.

[theredkilt]

A low throw, skin scent. I smell some strawberry over a mellow light floral base.The scent disappears so fast on my skin. If gentle fruity florals are your thing, give this a chance.