Victor Fet [Following Shimanovich's comment] yes,
Lermontov could not find right grammar for "fire" to fit it in Russian line with
"light"[...] it is probably important that VN's novel is NOT called "Pale
Light"[...] Are there cultures which have different terms for celestial lights
than earthly ones [...]Fire is source of light, not the other way round, but why
we refer to sunlight - not sunfire? Still brimming with
intellectual-emotional-fire-light charge from this week's
Stephen-Blackwell's[...] hyperwonderful symposium at Knoxville, TN.
JM:Just for the fun (in the mood of your observation on
"Pale Light"), here is the image of a box of "safe" matches
produced by "Fiat Lux"( Thomas A. Edison should have kept these in his
pockets).
On the issue of "earthly lights", I often hear "fireflies" in
Brazil being referred to as "vagalumes" (wandering-lights)
and "pirilampos" ( "piri" probably indicates fire) - but I think
this popular designation is entomologically incorrect.