Nightingale (The Italian), Angelica Catala´ni; also called “The Queen of Song” (1782-1849).
Nightingale (The Swedish), Jenny Lind, afterwards Mde. Goldschmidt. She appeared in London 1847, and retired from public life in 1851 (1821-1887).
Nightingale and the Lutist. The tale is, that a lute-master challenged a nightingale in song. The bird, after sustaining the contest for some time, feeling itself outdone, fell on the lute, and died broken-hearted.
*** This tale is from the Latin of Strada, translated by Richard Crashaw, and called Music’s Duel (1650). It is most beautifully told by John Ford, in his drama entitled The Lover’s Melancholy, where Men´aphon is supposed to tell it to Ame´thus (1628).
Nightingale and the Thorn.
As it fell upon a day
In the merry month of May,
Sitting in a pleasant shade
Which a grove of myrtles made—
Beasts did leap, and birds did sing,
Trees did grow, and plants did spring,
Everything did banish moan,
Save the nightingale alone;
She, poor bird, as all forlorn,
Leaned her breast up-till a thorn.
Richard Barnfield, Address to the Nightingale (1594).
So Philomel, perched on an aspen sprig,
Weeps all the night her lost virginity,
And sings her sad tale to the merry twig,
That dances at such joyful mysery.
Never lets sweet rest invade her eye;
But leaning on a thorn her dainty chest,
For fear soft sleep should steal into her breast,
Expresses in her song grief not to be expressed.
Giles Fletcher, Christ’s Triumph over Death (1610).
The nightingale that sings with the deep thorn,
Which fable places in her breast.
Byron, Don Juan, vi. 87 (1824).
Nightmare of Europe (The), Napoleon Bonaparte (1769, reigned 1804-1814, died 1821).
Nightshade (Deadly). We are told that the berries of this plant so intoxicated the soldiers of Sweno, the Danish king, that they became an easy prey to the Scotch, who cut them to pieces.