Friday 12 August 2011

swan of beauty

After I wrote about  Hamsa in my previous post, next day while walking on the roadside, I just stopped at a paper vendor to see the newspapers. Among the newspapers, a picture of swan caught my eye along with the name of the newspaper, which at first glance looked to me like The Times of India as  the swan picture and Hans was in place of Times and thought that they would have introduced like Google giving new look with pictures at times especially on certain occasions.  Then I wanted to see the newspaper when I found out it was a new English daily launched  last month only.and published from in Hyderabad and others places in Andhra pradesh.  The name and symbol of the Newspaper is "Hans" that is Hamsa or Swan. Though I wanted to write blog on that day, I could not because of my going  to hometown and keeping away from computer.  

I continue my writing about Hamsa which is the vehicle of  Lord Brahma and Goddess Saraswathi representing wisdom, enlightenment, consciousness, education and all other finer attributes. The another beauty of Swan is that its power of discrimination when milk and water is mixed together, it is able to separate from milk from water.  It can also recognize stone and gold and swim in water without getting wet. It also represents leading life without any attachment.

Observing Swans in nature,   we get the symbolic clues that they are waterfowl, closely connected with water, even nesting near the water which symbolises Fluidity, Intuition, Dreaming, Emotions, Creativity. Swan bears messages of Love,  Grace ,  Union , Purity ,  Beauty , Dreams,  Balance,  Elegance,  Partnership,  Transformation, relationships. 

In the Saundarya Lahari (“Waves of Beauty”) which is  a text filled with beautiful mantras of  Hindus)  two swans (Ham and Sa) pair together, swimming around in the divine mind “living on honey from the blooming lotus of knowledge.”

While white swans in dreams are for purifying ourselves and black swans in dreams are for our deep mystery which we long to express.

I tried to know about "Swan Song" which is is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement and is used figuratively and most commonly to refer to celebrated performers embarking on 'farewell tours' or 'final performances' .  But in the case of  Nellie Melba who was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical musician. sang in all the major opera houses of the world and became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century.

Melba's " swan song"  consisted of an eight year long string of 'final concerts' between 1920 and 1928. Melba bade farewell to her native Australia in 1924, releasing a letter that said: "I have tried to keep faith with my art … to make the big world outside, through me, understand something of the spirit of my beloved country." She then made farewell tours and concerts worldwide, so many so, in fact, that a sarcastic expression arose:  "More farewells than Nellie Melba." She sang at the opening of the nation's Parliament House in Canberra in 1927, and her final concert in Australia was in 1928.

Swan Princess‏ 

the heartwarming story of the beautiful princess Odette, who is transformed into a swan by an evil sorcerer's spell.

 [a magical, musical animated adventure based on the classic fairy tale "Swan Lake" that captured the hearts of audiences around the world! The winner of the Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence and the Parents' Choice Award ]

One can find so many search results on surfing in the internet  with the word "Swan".