Swallow song of Rhodes
The"Swallow Song of Rhodes"is a famousancient Greekfolk song.In a tradition closely resembling the modern custom oftrick-or-treating,[1]during the month ofBoedromion,the children on the Greek island ofRhodeswould go out dressed asswallowsand beg from door to door, singing the song. The song is preserved by the ancient Greek writer,AthenaeusofNaucratis,in his book,The Deipnosophists.[2][3]On the Attic calendar, the month of Boedromion took place in earlyautumn.It usually began around mid-September and ended sometime around mid-October. On theRhodian calendar,however, the month seems to have taken place in earlyspring.The tradition was claimed to have been started by the Rhodian lawgiverCleobulus.[4]
The melody to the song has not survived. All that has survived of the song are the lyrics themselves. The full text of the song inAncient Greekand in English translation is as follows:
Original Greek text
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English translation by Pär Sandin
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External links
[edit]- Came, came the swallow...
- The Deipnosophists, or, Banquet of the learned, of Athenæus, Volume 2 - VIII 360 cd
References
[edit]- ^Turner, Angela (2015).Swallow.London, England: Reaktion Books Ltd. p. unpaginated.ISBN9781780235592.
- ^Athenaeus.Deipnosophists8.360b-d
- ^Folklore Studies: Ancient and ModernBy W. R. Halliday, Page 120.ISBN0-7661-4943-9.
- ^Dalby, Andrew (1998). "Homer's Enemies: Lyric and Epic in the Seventh Century". In Fisher, Nick; van Wees, Hans (eds.).Archaic Greece: New Approaches and New Evidence.London, England: General Duckworth & Co. Ltd. p. 204.ISBN978-1-910589-58-8.
- ^Pär Sandin, professor of Greek at the University of Bergen from his wordpress blog athttps://symmachus.wordpress /2008/11/23/the-swallow-song-carmina-popularia-2-pmg/