Cheldonizing, or Swallow Singing.
To the Editor of the Every-Day Book
Sir,—The recent, and it is hoped still continued subscriptions in aid of suffering humanity, induce an observation, that to the very remote origin of collecting general alms, may be traced most of the mummeries practised in Christendom in the gothic centuries, and in the English counties, even till within our own memory. Among the Rhodians one method of soliciting eleemosynary gifts, called cheldonizing, or swallow-singing, is corroboratory of the assertion. This benevolence, or voluntary contribution, was instituted by Cleobulus of Lindos, at a time when public necessity drove the Lindians to the expedient of soliciting a general subscription. Theognis speaks of cheldonizing as taking place among the sacred rites practised at Rhodes in the month Boëdromion, or August, and deriving its name from the customary song:—
The swallow, the swallow is here,
With his back so black, and his belly so white;
He brings on the pride of the year,
With the gay months of love and the days of delight.
Come, bring out the good humming stuff,
Of your nice tit-bits let the swallow partake,
Of good bread and cheese give enough,
And a slice of your right Boëdromion cake.
Our hunger, our hunger it twinges,
So give my good masters, I pray;
Or we’ll pull off your door from its hinges,
And, ecod! we’ll steal young madam away.
She’s a nice little pocket-piece darling,
And faith ’twill be easy to carry her hence;
Away with old prudence so snarling,
And toss us down freely a handful of pence.
Come, let us partake of your cheer,
And loosen your purse strings so hearty;
No crafty old grey beards are here,
And see we’re a merry boy’s party,
And the swallow, the swallow is here!
Plutarch refers to another Rhodian custom, which is particularly mentioned by Phœnix of Colophon, a writer of iambics, who describes the practice being that of certain men going about to collect donations for the crow, and singing or saying—
My good, worthy masters, a pittance bestow,
Some oatmeal, or barley, or wheat, for the crow;
A loaf or a penny, or e’en what you will,
As fortune your pockets may happen to fill.