Wednesday, June 4 @ 8:24 AM Scents - leading a sensuous life We can study perfumes and the secrets of their manufacture, from distilling heavily scented oils to the burning odorous gums for there is no mood of the mind that had not its counterpart in the sensuous life. We should set ourselves to discover their true relations, wondering what there is in frankincense that makes one mystical, and in ambergris that stirs one's passions, and in violets that wake the memory of dead romances, and in musk that troubles the brain, and in champak that stains the imagination; and seeking often to elaborate a real psychology of perfumes, and to estimate the several influences of sweet-smelling roots and scented, pollen-laden flowers; of aromatic balms and of dark and fragrant woods; of spikenard, that sickens; of hovenia, that makes men mad; and of aloes, that are said to be able to expel melancholy from the soul. Back to top.