Swans the prey of eagles: Namque volans rubra fulvus Iovis ales in aethra Qualis ubi aut leporem aut candenti corpore cygnum -VERG., Aen. IX, 560. Vid. s. v. AQUILA. Cf. int. al. Verg., Aen. I, 392. Stat., Theb. III, 524; VIII, 674. The swan was a good omen to sailors: Cygnus in auspiciis semper laetissimus ales, Hunc optant nautae, quia se non mergit in undas. -AEM. MAC., Baehrens, P. L. M., p. 344. For the color of the swan vid. Epithets, supra, and cf. the following: Hor., Od. IV, 1, 10; Ov., Met. II, 536; Mart. I, 115, 2; VIII, 28, 13; Val. Flacc. VI, 102; Sil. Ital. XIII, 115; XIV, 190, et al. Throat as white as the throat of a swan A perfect wife is as rare as a black swan. Proverbial. Rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cygno. An honest treasure like a black-plumed swan, Not every day our eyes may look upon.-HOLMES. No rara avis was honest John (That's the Latin for "sable swan").-SAXE. A negro slave's name: Nanum cuiusdam Atlanta vocamus: Aethiopem Cycnum parvam extortamque puellam Ovid is now becoming old: -Juv. VIII, 33. Iam mea cycneas imitantur tempora plumas, -Ov., Tr. IV, 8, 1. For an old man who dyed his hair, cf. Mart. III, 43. For the constellation vid. int. al. Thompson, op. cit., p. 107; Manil. Astron. I, 335; II, 31 et al.; Stat., Theb. VI, 521; Anth. Lat. 761, 9. The swan in various comparisons of poets: Lucretius (swallow) and Epicurus (swan), Lucr. III, 7; Horace (bee) and Pindar (swan), Hor., Od. IV, 2, 25; Fidentius (crow) and Martial (swan), Mart. I, 53, 7. For the goose and swan in this connection cf. Verg., Ecl. IX, 36; Prop. III, 26, 84 et al., and vid. s. v. ANSER. Cf. Mifflin. Sonnet. Milton (Eagle). Iam iam residunt cruribus asperae Per digitos humerosque plumae. -HOR., Od. II, 20, 9. The transformation of the poet into a swan realistically portrayed before our eyes is a very bold treatment of the Roman poetic usage of the metamorphosis idea, and the Ode should be interpreted and estimated with this usage in mind. Cf. the more symbolical treatment of Eur., Frag. 903. Well might the Roman Swan, along When bless'd with ease and quiet; Who would for him throw by the lord, And in Falernian riot.-EVANS (Kettell). "Rare old Ben" could find no name Worthy of a Shakespeare's fame But thine own, majestic bird! Now a consecrated word With unmatched poetic love Intertwined for evermore.-HOSMER. Not every crow, nor croaking raven, Can match the tuneful swan of Avon.-FESSENDEN. When the Swan of sweet Avon touched hand to the lyre. But again I ask'd, "What nurtured Shakespeare?" The rejoicing birds How often gazing where a bird reposes, Rocked on wavelets, drifting with the tide, I lose myself in strange metempsychosis And float a sea-fowl at a sea-fowl's side.-HOWELLS. From my window turning I find myself a plumeless biped still; No beak, no claws, no sign of wings discerning In fact with nothing birdlike but my quill.-HOWELLS. My Calderon, my nightingale, My Arab soul in Spanish feathers.-LOWELL. New England's poet-laureate Telling us spring has come again.-ALDRICH. (The Blue Bird.) Let Tennyson his Lilian sing And lovely Oriana, And scale the skies with tireless wing, In praise of Mariana.-GEN. ALBERT PIKE. There, like her lark, gay Chaucer leads the day, Swift I mount me on the plume Of my Wakon-Bird, and fly.-THOMAS Moore. Why is't thus, this sylvan Petrarch 'Tis for some proud woodland Laura, But he changes now his measure— Gladness bubbling from his mouth- Πρῶτος τῶν πτηνῶν ὑμῖν τὸ 'έαρ ἀγγέλλων: Dion., De Avibus, 1, 13. The cuckoo told his name to all the hills.-TENNYSON. Sure, he's arrived, The tell-tale cuckoo; Spring's his confidant, And he lets out her April purposes !-ROBERT BROWNING. Hark how the jolly cuckoos sing Cuckoo! to welcome in the spring.-JOHN LYLY. The cuckoo's April call.-BAYARD TAYLOR. I hear a cuckoo's silver call, That stirs the slumberous solitude With many a mellow rise and fall.-PROCTOR. Again the year is at the prime With flush of rose and cuckoo-croon.-Scollard. Thou hast no sorrow in thy song, Cares the cuckoo for the woods When the red leaves are down?-SILL. And beyond the meadow the cuckoo lingers.-STRONG. From that spot I heard a Cuckoo cry, for I do not, like the English, call it singing. Many people speak in raptures of the sweet voice of the Cuckoo, and the same people tell me in cold blood that we have no birds that can sing in America. I wish they had a chance to judge of the powers of the Mock-bird, the Red Thrush, the Cat-bird, the Oriole, the Indigo Bunting and even the Whip-poor-will.-AUDUBON, Journal, vol. I, p. 245. Logan, whose "Cuckoo" will sing forever, For a brief moment, my attention caught.-HOSMER. CYCNUS and OLOR. Kúxvo5. Swan. Mute swan, Cygnus olor. American parallels: Trumpeter swan and whistling swan. The exalted position of the swan in the ancient poets can be rationalized only by its connection with astronomical lore and myths of metamorphosis, whose inner meanings are for the most part veiled to us. (Cf. Thompson, op. cit. Preface and passim.) The widely attested belief in the swan's song, however, does, I believe, rest upon real observation, later expanded by the associations and influences mentioned above. In this connection the following testimony from Elliot. op. cit., p. 24, is of more than ordinary interest: "The song of the dying swan has been the theme of poets for centuries, and is generally considered one of those pleasing myths that are handed down through the ages. I had killed many swan and never heard aught from them at any time, save the familiar notes that reach the ears of every one in their vicinity. But once, when shooting in Currituck Sound over water belonging to a club of which I am a member, in company with a friend, a number of swan passed over us at a considerable height. We fired at them, and one splendid bird was mortally hurt. On receiving his wound the wings became fixed and he commenced at once his song, which was continued until the water was reached, nearly half a mile away. I am perfectly familiar with every note a swan is accustomed to utter, but never before nor since have I heard any like those sung by this stricken bird. Most plaintive in character and musical in tone, it sounded at times like the soft running of the notes in an octave. And now 'twas like all instruments, Now like a lonely flute; And now it is an angel's song Which makes the heavens be mute. and as the sound was borne to us, mellowed by the distance, we stood astonished, and could only exclaim, 'We have heard the song of the dying swan.'" For the other side int. al. cf. Harting, op. cit., p. 201 ff. Neri, op. cit., p. 10. "Il canto dei cigni celebrato da tutti i poeti è pura finzione, emettendo anzi quest' animale un suono sgradevolissimo." Ferrariae multos cygnos vidimus, sed cantores sane malos, neque melius ansere canere.-SCALIGER, quoted by Thompson (op. cit., p. 107), who is also a dissenter. Epithets : Albus, amans flumina, Amyclaeus, argutus, candens, candidus, canorus, cantans, Caystrius, Cyllenius, dulcis, flebilis, fluvialis,, flumineus, Idalius, innocuus, Ledaeus, loquax, lugubri voce, moribundus, niveus, plumeus, purpureus, Oebalius, raucus, Spartanus, senex. The haunts of swans. The Minco, the Po, etc.: Saltus et saturi petito longinqua Tarenti, -VERG., Geor. II, 197. |