English translation:
(please) try to
(please) look
Structure:
Verb[ て ] + ごらん
Verb[ て ] + ごらんなさい
Explanation:
[suggestion/command used by superiors or elders・similar to なさい]
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I’m confused why an elder might use this grammar. If 御覧なさい is considered an honorific and elderly are 目上 why would they be the ones using this?
なさい in general isn’t normally used with people of higher status. It’s originally respectful language, but so is 食べる, so that alone doesn’t mean much.
Nowadays なさい is typically used by parents or teachers etc. (outside some set expressions like おやすみなさい or ごめんなさい that have their own rules).
ごらん sounds more fancy than みて so people who like fancy language, i.e. old people, might prefer it for that reason.
Also keep in mind that this is a way to give commands. You have to be in a position to give commands to use it.
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I’m curious why it’s considered “honorific language” but all of the example sentences use plain form.
Why is it 外を見てごらん。虹が出ているよ and not 外を見てごらん。虹が出ていますよ ?
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てごらん（なさい） is a politer version of てみなさい, and even though it’s softer, it’s still a command (imperative form). In modern Japanese, you wouldn’t use commands and 丁寧語 (ます forms) towards the same person, typically.
If the situation allows commands (parent->child etc), then plain speech is natural.
If the situation calls for 丁寧語, you’d rephrase suggestions to try doing something to ～してみたらどうですか. And in case of this example sentence specifically, to just 外を見てください.
I’m not well-versed in the topic enough to say how sonkeigo-commands like ご覧なさい were used and evolved historically.
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