Swan Song

[Franklin Cacciutto]

Socrates, facing death, as told in Plato's Phaedo, observes, "Will you
not allow that I have as much of the spirit of prophecy in me as the
swan? For they, when they perceive that they must die, having sung all
their life long, do then sing more lustily than ever, rejoicing in the
thought that they are going to the god they serve."

Chaucer (The Parliament of Fowles) and Shakespeare (Othello) allude to
the "swan song," an efflugence of beautiful song while dying.

There are folktales that represent the swan as mute until it is dying.

Is there any warrant for this enchanting notion in the actual observed
behavior of any variety of swan? I have never heard anything more than
an occasional hiss from the many very beautiful swans and cygnets that
ornament my canal on the South Shore of Long Island every summer.

[Robert M. Wilson]

"Franklin Cacciutto" <shad...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:392FC349...@earthlink.net...

There is no truth to the myth, though it was mentioned as long ago by
Aeschylus (525-456 BC).
Its origin is probably to do with the swan's relationship with the Greek god
of music, Apollo.
One speculation is that the singing swan of Europe can still produce higher
trumpet notes even when it is almost dead from freezing.

[see sig]

Franklin wrote:
>From: Franklin Cacciutto shad...@earthlink.net
>Date: 5/27/00 8:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time
>Message-id: <392FC349...@earthlink.net>

>
>Socrates, facing death, as told in Plato's Phaedo, observes, "Will you
>not allow that I have as much of the spirit of prophecy in me as the
>swan? For they, when they perceive that they must die, having sung all
>their life long, do then sing more lustily than ever, rejoicing in the
>thought that they are going to the god they serve."
>
>Chaucer (The Parliament of Fowles) and Shakespeare (Othello) allude to
>the "swan song," an efflugence of beautiful song while dying.
>
>There are folktales that represent the swan as mute until it is dying.
>
>Is there any warrant for this enchanting notion in the actual observed
>behavior of any variety of swan? I have never heard anything more than
>an occasional hiss from the many very beautiful swans and cygnets that
>ornament my canal on the South Shore of Long Island every summer.

From *Birds of America*, T. Gilbert Pearson, ed., Doubleday, New York, 1936.
Edward Howe Forbush writes of the American Whistling Swan (Olor colombianus
[this might be an outmoded name]):

**********
Its calls have great variety: some high-keyed notes may come from the younger
birds but the old males sound the bass horn. As the flock passes over, high in
air, the leader utters a high note like that of a flageolet which Eliot
describes as sounding like *who-who-who* and this, repeated by flock after
flock, may have given the bird its name.
**********

and

**********
The song of the dying swan has been regarded as a pleasing myth for many years,
but Elliot asserts that he heard it once at Curritick Sound, when a Swan,
mortally wounded in the air, set its wings and, sailing slowly down, began its
death-song, continuing until it reached the water "nearly a half mile away."
The song was unlike any other Swan note that he had ever heard. It was
plaintive and musical and sounded at times like the soft running of an octave.
Inquiry among local gunners revealed the fact that some had heard similar
sounds from Swans that had been fatally hurt. Need we wonder that the Swan was
a favorite bird of mythology?
**********

I don't take the above as a reliable report, but it might be, and I wouldn't be
surprised. "Inquiry among local gunners" strikes me as particularly certain to
produce tall tales.

*Collins Bird Guide*, Stuart Keith and John Gooders, William Collins Sons & Co
Ltd, London, 1980 has:

**********
[Bewick's Swan (Cygnus colombianus): voice] A loud, honking flight call, *bong*
or *bung*, and a musical babble from flocks at rest.

[Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus): voice] Very vocal; principal call, a double
*whoop-whoop*: other melodious and nasal calls during the breeding season.
***********

This information is less anecdotal, and the date and the reputation of the book
give me confidence. Apparently swans are at least capable of making musical
sounds. The upshot is that it's not unlikely they sing as they die, the poor
things, though I've never heard one do it.

--
Perchprism
(southern New Jersey, near Philadelphia)
Panelist, Totally Official aue Summer Doldrums Competition
(pe...@totally-official.com)

[David McMurray]

[followups set]

Franklin Cacciutto <shad...@earthlink.net> wrote:

[...]

> Is there any warrant for this enchanting notion in the actual observed
> behavior of any variety of swan? I have never heard anything more than
> an occasional hiss from the many very beautiful swans and cygnets that
> ornament my canal on the South Shore of Long Island every summer.

"Sts.", "sub rosa", and now "swan song".

If you're looking for sympathy, it's somewhere between "shit" and
"syphilis".

--
David

[bruce bowser]

On Saturday, May 27, 2000 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, see sig wrote:
> Franklin wrote:
> >From: Franklin Cacciutto shad...@earthlink.net
> >Date: 5/27/00 8:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time
> >Message-id: <392FC349...@earthlink.net>
> >
> >Socrates, facing death, as told in Plato's Phaedo, observes, "Will you
> >not allow that I have as much of the spirit of prophecy in me as the
> >swan? For they, when they perceive that they must die, having sung all
> >their life long, do then sing more lustily than ever, rejoicing in the
> >thought that they are going to the god they serve."
> >
> >Chaucer (The Parliament of Fowles) and Shakespeare (Othello) allude to
> >the "swan song," an efflugence of beautiful song while dying.
> >
> >There are folktales that represent the swan as mute until it is dying.
> >

> >Is there any warrant for this enchanting notion in the actual observed
> >behavior of any variety of swan? I have never heard anything more than
> >an occasional hiss from the many very beautiful swans and cygnets that
> >ornament my canal on the South Shore of Long Island every summer.

I wonder if 'cygnus' is still used in some languages, today.

[Paul Wolff]

On Wed, 25 May 2022, at 12:39:28, bruce bowser posted:

>I wonder if 'cygnus' is still used in some languages, today.

As far as English is concerned, it is the name of a constellation
(brightest star Deneb, IIRC).
--
Paul

[Silvano]

bruce bowser hat am 25.05.2022 um 21:39 geschrieben:

Huge snip

> I wonder if 'cygnus' is still used in some languages, today.

TLDR, but "cigno" is the Italian name for swan and "canto del cigno" is
still in common usage with the same meaning of "swan song".

[Ross Clark]

Likewise in French, "chant du cygne" Dernière oeuvre d'un poète, d'un
musicien, etc, d'un génie près de s'éteindre.

[Ken Blake]

On Thu, 26 May 2022 11:31:38 +0200, Silvano
<Sil...@noncisonopernessuno.it> wrote:

>bruce bowser hat am 25.05.2022 um 21:39 geschrieben:
>
>Huge snip
>
>> I wonder if 'cygnus' is still used in some languages, today.
>
>TLDR, but "cigno" is the Italian name for swan

I know. I once knew a restaurant called "Il Cigno."

>and "canto del cigno" is
>still in common usage with the same meaning of "swan song".

But I didn't know that. Thanks.

[Kerr-Mudd, John]

There are a few "Swan with Two Necks" pubs, originally Swan with two nicks (on the beak) to indicate belonging to the Vinters.

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

[Jerry Friedman]

On Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 12:52:56 PM UTC-6, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:

[swan song]

> There are a few "Swan with Two Necks" pubs, originally Swan with two nicks (on the beak) to indicate belonging to the Vinters.

So /that's/ what they buy!

--
Jerry Friedman

[bruce bowser]

Ha ha. I wonder why the English forget to transfer a "swan" like name name baby swans?

[Ross Clark]

They tried, but it didn't work out:

OED: Swannet, n. (Obsolete. rare.) A young swan, cygnet; chiefly
applied figuratively to a poet. (citations 1560-1613)