Swan Sequence
Encyclopedia
The Swan Sequence is an anonymous Carolingian
–Aquitainian
Latin
sequence
first recorded around 850. Its melody was popular for some two centuries after its composition.
In the sequence the swan
has left the flowery land and is trapped on the ocean amidst terrible waves, unable to fly away. She longs for fish, but is unable to catch them; she looks up longingly at Orion
. She prays for light to replace her darkness and, when the dawn finally comes, rises to the stars and flies to land. Then all the birds rejoice, praise God, and sing a doxology
. In language it is neither classical Latin nor unlearned. Two neologisms (alatizo, "I flap my wings", and ovatizans, "rejoicing") appear, based on Greek
. In general the poem exhibits verbal enigma and experimentation. Structurally the poem is syllabic
with proparoxytone
rhythm and inconsistent (half-)rhymes; it consistently ends on the sound -a. This last feature (assonance
) may suggest a connexion with the liturgical Alleluia
.
In the manuscripts in which it appears without text, its melody is called the Planctus cygni ("Swan's Lament") or variants thereof. It was used for Sunday church services at Limoges
and Winchester
during the tenth century. During the eleventh it was a common melody for liturgical texts for the feast of the Holy Innocents (28 December); during the twelfth it was a common setting for Whitsun
sequences in southern France and northern Spain. Its melody differs in important ways from Gregorian chant
and shares some characteristics with the lai
. It is remarkably similar to another sequence, the Berta vetula of the Winchester Troper
.
To one medieval copyist of the text it was an allegory
of the fall of man (allegoria ac de cigno ad lapsum hominis), to which Peter Godman adds redemption
. In 1962 Bruno Stäblein argued that it was composed in the late ninth- or early tenth-century based on an older melody descended from a ritual Germanic
planctus
for a lost hero; Stäblein suggests commonalities with Beowulf
(lines 3169ff). Godman denies any relationship to the Beowulf genre on the absence of animal imagery in the mourning passages, and suggests the ceremonies surrounding the death of Attila the Hun
as recounted by Jordanes
(Getica 49) or the mourning of Patroclus
as presented by Homer
(Iliad
24.16ff). Hans Spanke has furthered the religious interpretation, noting the resemblance to certain liturgical sequences and the presence of a short doxology, to which Godman adds the opening religious address to filii ("sons"). Other interpretations of the song include: an allegory of the Prodigal Son and an adaptation of the Greek myth of the holy swans of Apollo
coming from the north.
Patristic literature
, earlier Carolingian literature, and early vernacular literature all use avian imagery for the wandering, searching mind or soul. It is found in Ambrose
, Augustine
, and Alcuin
, and in the Old English poems The Wanderer
and The Seafarer; in The Phoenix of Lactantius
, in the Dialogues (iv.10) of Gregory the Great, in the Consolation of Philosophy
(IV.i.1) of Boëthius, and in the Vita Sancti Gregorii Magni of a monk of Whitby
(c.704–14). The Swan Sequence, along with the rest of Carolingian and vernacular literature, are borrowing from the patristic, exegetical
, and liturgical traditions. The Swan Sequence may be seen as a dramatisation of them.
The Swan Sequence is found in the earliest troper–sequentiary (BnF
lat. 1240) from the Abbey of Saint-Martial in Limoges. By shortly after about 1100 it was no long being used or copied. Its last manuscript appearance is in the Norman
manuscript BL
Roy. 8 C xiii from around 1100. The twelfth-century Goliard
ic poem Olim lacus, one of the Carmina Burana
, is possibly a parody of the Swan Sequence, in which the swan is roasted for dinner.
Carolingian Renaissance
In the history of ideas the Carolingian Renaissance stands out as a period of intellectual and cultural revival in Europe occurring from the late eighth century, in the generation of Alcuin, to the 9th century, and the generation of Heiric of Auxerre, with the peak of the activities coordinated...
–Aquitainian
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
Latin
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
sequence
Sequence (poetry)
A sequence is a chant or hymn sung or recited during the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations, before the proclamation of the Gospel. By the time of the Council of Trent there were sequences for many feasts in the Church's year.The sequence has always been sung...
first recorded around 850. Its melody was popular for some two centuries after its composition.
In the sequence the swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
has left the flowery land and is trapped on the ocean amidst terrible waves, unable to fly away. She longs for fish, but is unable to catch them; she looks up longingly at Orion
Orion's Belt
The term Orion's Belt or the Belt of Orion may refer to:* Orion's Belt, an asterism consisting of three bright stars in a row in the constellation Orion* Orion's Belt, a 1985 film* Orion's Belt, a browser game...
. She prays for light to replace her darkness and, when the dawn finally comes, rises to the stars and flies to land. Then all the birds rejoice, praise God, and sing a doxology
Doxology
A doxology is a short hymn of praises to God in various Christian worship services, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns...
. In language it is neither classical Latin nor unlearned. Two neologisms (alatizo, "I flap my wings", and ovatizans, "rejoicing") appear, based on Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. In general the poem exhibits verbal enigma and experimentation. Structurally the poem is syllabic
Syllabic verse
Syllabic verse is a poetic form having a fixed number of syllables per line regardless of the number of stresses that are present. It is common in languages that are syllable-timed, such as Japanese or modern French or Finnish — as opposed to stress-timed languages such as English, in which...
with proparoxytone
Proparoxytone
Proparoxytone is a linguistic term for a word with stress on the antepenultimate syllable, e.g the English words cinema and operational. Related terms are paroxytone and oxytone .In English, most nouns of three or more syllables are proparoxtones...
rhythm and inconsistent (half-)rhymes; it consistently ends on the sound -a. This last feature (assonance
Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences, and together with alliteration and consonance serves as one of the building blocks of verse. For example, in the phrase "Do you like blue?", the is repeated within the sentence and is...
) may suggest a connexion with the liturgical Alleluia
Alleluia
The word "Alleluia" or "Hallelujah" , which at its most literal means "Praise Yah", is used in different ways in Christian liturgies....
.
In the manuscripts in which it appears without text, its melody is called the Planctus cygni ("Swan's Lament") or variants thereof. It was used for Sunday church services at Limoges
Limoges
Limoges |Limousin]] dialect of Occitan) is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin région in west-central France....
and Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
during the tenth century. During the eleventh it was a common melody for liturgical texts for the feast of the Holy Innocents (28 December); during the twelfth it was a common setting for Whitsun
Whitsun
Whitsun is the name used in the UK for the Christian festival of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples...
sequences in southern France and northern Spain. Its melody differs in important ways from Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
and shares some characteristics with the lai
Lai
A lai is a lyrical, narrative poem written in octosyllabic couplets that often deals with tales of adventure and romance.Lais were mainly composed in France and Germany, during the 13th and 14th centuries. A Provençal term for a similar kind of poem is descort.The English term lay is a...
. It is remarkably similar to another sequence, the Berta vetula of the Winchester Troper
Winchester troper
The Winchester Troper includes perhaps the oldest large collections of two-part music in Europe, along with the Chartres Manuscript which is approximately contemporaneous or a little later. It consists of two English manuscripts dated circa 1000...
.
To one medieval copyist of the text it was an allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
of the fall of man (allegoria ac de cigno ad lapsum hominis), to which Peter Godman adds redemption
Redemption (theology)
Redemption is a concept common to several theologies. It is generally associated with the efforts of people within a faith to overcome their shortcomings and achieve the moral positions exemplified in their faith.- In Buddhism :...
. In 1962 Bruno Stäblein argued that it was composed in the late ninth- or early tenth-century based on an older melody descended from a ritual Germanic
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
planctus
Planctus
A planctus is a lament or dirge, a song or poem expressing grief or mourning. It became a popular literary form in the Middle Ages, when they were written in Latin and in the vernacular . The most common planctus is to mourn the death of a famous person, but a number of other varieties have been...
for a lost hero; Stäblein suggests commonalities with Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
(lines 3169ff). Godman denies any relationship to the Beowulf genre on the absence of animal imagery in the mourning passages, and suggests the ceremonies surrounding the death of Attila the Hun
Attila the Hun
Attila , more frequently referred to as Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He was leader of the Hunnic Empire, which stretched from the Ural River to the Rhine River and from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea. During his reign he was one of the most feared...
as recounted by Jordanes
Jordanes
Jordanes, also written Jordanis or Jornandes, was a 6th century Roman bureaucrat, who turned his hand to history later in life....
(Getica 49) or the mourning of Patroclus
Patroclus
In Greek mythology, as recorded in the Iliad by Homer, Patroclus, or Patroklos , was the son of Menoetius, grandson of Actor, King of Opus, and was Achilles' beloved comrade and brother-in-arms....
as presented by Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
(Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
24.16ff). Hans Spanke has furthered the religious interpretation, noting the resemblance to certain liturgical sequences and the presence of a short doxology, to which Godman adds the opening religious address to filii ("sons"). Other interpretations of the song include: an allegory of the Prodigal Son and an adaptation of the Greek myth of the holy swans of Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
coming from the north.
Patristic literature
Church Fathers
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were early and influential theologians, eminent Christian teachers and great bishops. Their scholarly works were used as a precedent for centuries to come...
, earlier Carolingian literature, and early vernacular literature all use avian imagery for the wandering, searching mind or soul. It is found in Ambrose
Ambrose
Aurelius Ambrosius, better known in English as Saint Ambrose , was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was one of the four original doctors of the Church.-Political career:Ambrose was born into a Roman Christian family between about...
, Augustine
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
, and Alcuin
Alcuin
Alcuin of York or Ealhwine, nicknamed Albinus or Flaccus was an English scholar, ecclesiastic, poet and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student of Archbishop Ecgbert at York...
, and in the Old English poems The Wanderer
The Wanderer (poem)
The Wanderer is an Old English poem preserved only in an anthology known as the Exeter Book, a manuscript dating from the late 10th century. It counts 115 lines of alliterative verse...
and The Seafarer; in The Phoenix of Lactantius
Lactantius
Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius was an early Christian author who became an advisor to the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine I, guiding his religious policy as it developed, and tutor to his son.-Biography:...
, in the Dialogues (iv.10) of Gregory the Great, in the Consolation of Philosophy
Consolation of Philosophy
Consolation of Philosophy is a philosophical work by Boethius, written around the year 524. It has been described as the single most important and influential work in the West on Medieval and early Renaissance Christianity, and is also the last great Western work that can be called Classical.-...
(IV.i.1) of Boëthius, and in the Vita Sancti Gregorii Magni of a monk of Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
(c.704–14). The Swan Sequence, along with the rest of Carolingian and vernacular literature, are borrowing from the patristic, exegetical
Biblical hermeneutics
Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation concerning the books of the Bible. It is part of the broader field of hermeneutics which involves the study of principles for the text and includes all forms of communication: verbal and nonverbal.While Jewish and Christian...
, and liturgical traditions. The Swan Sequence may be seen as a dramatisation of them.
The Swan Sequence is found in the earliest troper–sequentiary (BnF
BNF
BNF may stand for:In science:*Biological nitrogen fixation, a process that converts nitrogen in the atmosphere to ammonia*British National Formulary, the standard drug reference manual**British National Formulary for Children...
lat. 1240) from the Abbey of Saint-Martial in Limoges. By shortly after about 1100 it was no long being used or copied. Its last manuscript appearance is in the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
manuscript BL
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
Roy. 8 C xiii from around 1100. The twelfth-century Goliard
Goliard
The Goliards were a group of clergy who wrote bibulous, satirical Latin poetry in the 12th and 13th centuries. They were mainly clerical students at the universities of France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and England who protested the growing contradictions within the Church, such as the failure of the...
ic poem Olim lacus, one of the Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana , Latin for "Songs from Beuern" , is the name given to a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces were written principally in Medieval Latin; a few in Middle High German, and some with traces...
, is possibly a parody of the Swan Sequence, in which the swan is roasted for dinner.