Posts
Hamlet's enigmatic line "When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw" has been explained. I just heard an actor on the BBC say he discovered this in Norfolk but others on the net had discovered it before him.
The handsaw, hanser or heronsaw is a Norfolk dialect word for a small heron. A hunter would be expected to know the difference. Birds generally fly in the direction of the wind . If the wind flies north, the sun gets in the hunter’s eyes and he can’t distinguish the two birds. If the wind is south, the bird flies with its back to the sun and can easily be distinguished.
The handsaw, hanser or heronsaw is a Norfolk dialect word for a small heron. A hunter would be expected to know the difference. Birds generally fly in the direction of the wind . If the wind flies north, the sun gets in the hunter’s eyes and he can’t distinguish the two birds. If the wind is south, the bird flies with its back to the sun and can easily be distinguished.
"When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw", It would be interesting if a study has examined how our thoughts have transitioned from working out of doors to lit, dry, temperature controlled places of business — exterior mindfulness as opposed to interior awareness. "Bartleby is only separated from the office by a screen, yet still he manages to completely shut himself in – this demonstrates his ability to create his own isolated world."
ReplyDeleteMark P