BIRDS AND POETRY. 
481 
do not in any way, however, consort with its pure white 
colour, for the bird is wild, shy, and passionate ; and yet 
it has been made the hero of the myths of a thousand 
years : wherever we meet with it, whether in the maze of 
fairy tale, myth, or legend, the Swan is ever the subject 
of poetry. Zeus, father of the gods, chose that form as a 
disguise, under which to win a fair maid’s virgin love; 
the demi-goddesses came as Swans to our land from the 
distant South, seeking fresh youth and beauty in the 
waters of the enchanted lake; a Swan drew the skiff of 
the nameless knight of Grale, who granted the prayer of 
the noble maid for care and protection; the Swan is 
always considered as the messenger sent to a maiden, 
or as a representative of the maiden herself. The exalted 
position in which we find this bird placed is, doubtless, 
a tribute to the beauty of its form and purity of colour, 
although its haunts have assuredly something to do with 
the matter. A lake surrounded by tall chestnut trees, 
limes, maples, or alders, its shores fringed with sedge, 
its bosom decorated with water-lilies, and Swans swim¬ 
ming proudly and gracefully on its surface, is a sight 
which cannot fail to strike the eye of the beholder with 
pleasure; and this especially at night, when the glisten¬ 
ing gleam of the bright moonlight, glancing over the 
rippling water, lends a secret and magic charm to the 
scene. The poet’s imagination, however, metamorphoses 
Swans into fair maids bathing, who, ensnaring both 
heart and sense, seek to decoy him with bright glances 
and graceful motions, and beckon to him to join their 
revels : thus the legend is explained. 
This is an example in which we see how the form of 
the bird has become emblematical amongst us. The 
strong poetic feeling which exists amongst the Arabs 
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