White gum

Meaning

White gum is a comparison for the outward appearance of the paradoxical matter. The author says that it is a stone and yet no stone, resembling white gum or water more closely. The English preserves “resembles” rather than identifying it as a particular gum or resin. Its place beside non-ordinary water and other names makes the comparison one aspect of a larger descriptive cluster. It does not establish a botanical source, a commodity to purchase or a modern chemical identity. The qualifier “white” belongs to this likeness and is not an independently sufficient sign of the completed work.