The albatross,of which there are several species,is a large web-footed bird with a hooked beak and narrow wings,found mainly in the southern oceans.The white Wandering Albatross,with a wing span of thirteen feet,is the best known; when it follows a ship it is a striking sight, and sailors have long considered it a bird of good omen. The first half of the name seems to derive from Latin albus,“white,” but the b was inserted into “alcatras,”from Portuguese alcatraz,used of the albatross,cormorant,frigate bird,or pelican,from Arabic al-ghattas, the white-tailed sea-eagle. As early as the sixth century there are records of the bird following ships.The most famous albatross in literature is the one in Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner; since then “albatross” has come to mean a burden of guilt or sin. Melville,in Moby-Dick,c hapter 42,has a memorable description of an albatross.Baudelaire,in L’Albatros,likens a poet, “exiled on the ground,”his wings clipped, to an albatross captured by sailors.
The albatross,of which there are several species,is a large web-footed
ReplyDeletebird with a hooked beak and narrow wings,found mainly in the southern
oceans.The white Wandering Albatross,with a wing span of thirteen
feet,is the best known; when it follows a ship it is a striking sight,
and sailors have long considered it a bird of good omen.
The first half of the name seems to derive from Latin albus,“white,”
but the b was inserted into “alcatras,”from Portuguese alcatraz,used of
the albatross,cormorant,frigate bird,or pelican,from Arabic al-ghattas,
the white-tailed sea-eagle.
As early as the sixth century there are records of the bird following
ships.The most famous albatross in literature is the one in Coleridge’s
Rime of the Ancient Mariner; since then “albatross” has come to mean a
burden of guilt or sin. Melville,in Moby-Dick,c hapter 42,has a memorable
description of an albatross.Baudelaire,in L’Albatros,likens a poet,
“exiled on the ground,”his wings clipped, to an albatross captured by
sailors.