. The swallow book; the story of the swallow told in legends, fables, folk songs, proverbs, omens and riddles of many lands . ven making the long pil-grimage to the famous shrine of Monser-rat: —■ I rose very early,I ate in a hurry. 128 THE SWALLOW I went to Monserrat;In bed you are still ?Get up with a will!Get up and equal that! In place of good cheer and homely advice,some children ask the friendly swallow forsympathy in their sorrow. A Greek maidenwho is grieving over the departure of aloved one begs the swallows to cease theirgay chatter and to join in her lament: — To Sweet Basil I cried
. The swallow book; the story of the swallow told in legends, fables, folk songs, proverbs, omens and riddles of many lands . ven making the long pil-grimage to the famous shrine of Monser-rat: —■ I rose very early,I ate in a hurry. 128 THE SWALLOW I went to Monserrat;In bed you are still ?Get up with a will!Get up and equal that! In place of good cheer and homely advice,some children ask the friendly swallow forsympathy in their sorrow. A Greek maidenwho is grieving over the departure of aloved one begs the swallows to cease theirgay chatter and to join in her lament: — To Sweet Basil I cried,When behold! I espiedIn its branches widespread,A rose rear its head. Then the swallows there clingingSet up a loud singing, —O, my swallows ! I pray,Cease your songs on this day, For my hearts core, my own,Far away has he gone ;Far from port he is tempests are wailing. O, my swallows, I not sing on this day!But change your gay dittyTo low sobs of pity. IN FOLK SONGS 129 In a little Servian swallow songour bird appears in the role ofa comforter to some neglectedyoung eagles. She promises. to take the fatherless little ones far away toa happier land: — O silent dew, why fallest thou not on me ?The small-leafed Basil made her plaintive mornings now, my moisture freshened thee,The dew, reproachful, whispered in morn an eagle and a sprite I saw,A mountain spirit, quarreling oer yon mount — The mount is mine, twas given me by law!The spirit cried. The eagle took no count. CAM. SW. BK. 9 I30 THE SWALLOW Tis mine! she said — and now with broken wingsAtones her boldness. While the eaglets smallBemoan their fate, a kindly swallow sings: — Comfort, young eaglets, I will take you allUnto the land of Ind, far, far oer seas,Where to the horses shoulders clover grows,And amaranth reaches even to their sun sets never on that happy now the little eaglets mourn no more. A bird of the south, the ortolan, which ismuch l
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1912
