References in the Poets
softness and sweetness of the flute: as Austin Dobson daintily sings—
"With pipe and flute the rustic Pan
Of old made music sweet for man . . .
Ah! would—ah! would a little span,
Some air of Arcady could fan
This age of ours, too seldom stirred
With pipe and flute!"
Of old made music sweet for man . . .
Ah! would—ah! would a little span,
Some air of Arcady could fan
This age of ours, too seldom stirred
With pipe and flute!"
Its power over the passions (more especially love) is alluded to in Dryden's oft-quoted lines (set to appropriate music by Handel)—
"The soft complaining flute
In dying notes discovers
The woes of hopeless lovers;"
—St. Cecilia's Day.
In dying notes discovers
The woes of hopeless lovers;"
—St. Cecilia's Day.
and in Alexander's Feast, where he mentions Timotheus and his breathing flute, who could swellReferences
to the
qualities of
the flute the soul to rage or kindle soft desire, and raise a mortal to the skies. This varied power of the flute over the feelings and emotions is frequently referred to. According to Thomas Gordon Hake (1809) it has a like power over animals—
"No more the wily note is heard
From his full flute, the riving air
That tames the snake, decoys the bird,
Worries the she-wolf from her lair."—The Snake-Charmer.
From his full flute, the riving air
That tames the snake, decoys the bird,
Worries the she-wolf from her lair."—The Snake-Charmer.
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