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Story
November 8, 1893
The Dawson News
Dawson, Terrell County, Georgia
What is this article about?
Debunking the ancient myth that swans sing sweetly before death, noting their harsh voices. An anecdote from a Virginia lady claims hearing sad, flageolet-like noises at night on the Potomac, followed by dead swans found each morning over 50 years.
Clipping
OCR Quality
100%
Excellent
Full Text
Do Swans Sing Before They Die?
The story that tells of swans singing before death is very old, and of course is founded upon fancy. The idea has been brought down from ancient myths. The voice of the swan is extremely harsh and disagreeable, without a single musical note in it, and no good reason can be found for likening some of the world's sweetest poets to this unmelodious voiced fowl.
The only approach to a verification we have ever seen is the following, clipped some years ago from a Virginia newspaper:
"A sporting friend, recently returned from a foray upon the Potomac river below Mount Vernon, was the guest of a venerable and highly intelligent lady, who has always lived on the Potomac. Speaking of the swan, she gave it as her decided opinion that this bird was in the habit of singing or making a plaintive noise when dying. The reason she gave for entertaining this belief was that on very many occasions in the last 50 years she had been awakened at night by a sweet and exceedingly sad noise, something like the tones of a flageolet coming over the water, and that on every subsequent morning a dead swan was found to be floating on the water or to have been washed ashore."—Pittsburg Dispatch.
The story that tells of swans singing before death is very old, and of course is founded upon fancy. The idea has been brought down from ancient myths. The voice of the swan is extremely harsh and disagreeable, without a single musical note in it, and no good reason can be found for likening some of the world's sweetest poets to this unmelodious voiced fowl.
The only approach to a verification we have ever seen is the following, clipped some years ago from a Virginia newspaper:
"A sporting friend, recently returned from a foray upon the Potomac river below Mount Vernon, was the guest of a venerable and highly intelligent lady, who has always lived on the Potomac. Speaking of the swan, she gave it as her decided opinion that this bird was in the habit of singing or making a plaintive noise when dying. The reason she gave for entertaining this belief was that on very many occasions in the last 50 years she had been awakened at night by a sweet and exceedingly sad noise, something like the tones of a flageolet coming over the water, and that on every subsequent morning a dead swan was found to be floating on the water or to have been washed ashore."—Pittsburg Dispatch.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
Animal Story
What themes does it cover?
Nature
Misfortune
What keywords are associated?
Swan Song Myth
Dying Swans
Potomac River
Animal Noise
Ancient Myth
Where did it happen?
Potomac River Below Mount Vernon
Story Details
Location
Potomac River Below Mount Vernon
Event Date
Last 50 Years
Story Details
A lady on the Potomac reports hearing sweet, sad noises at night over 50 years, followed by dead swans found each morning, supporting the dying swan song belief despite the myth's fanciful origins.