The Swallow
: BIRDS AND BEASTS.: Welsh Folk-lore
The joy with which the first swallow is welcomed is almost if not quite
equal to the welcome given to the cuckoo. One swallow does not make a
summer is an old saw.
There is a superstition connected with the swallow that is common in
Wales, which is, that if it forsakes its old nest on a house, it is a
sign of ill luck to that house. But swallows rarely forsake their old
nests, and shortly after their ar
repairing the breaches, which the storms of winter or mischievous
children have made in their abodes; and their pleasant twitterings are a
pleasure to the occupants of the house along which they build their
nests, for the visit is a sign of luck.
The flight of the swallow is a good weather sign. When the swallow flies
high in the air, it is a sign of fair weather; when, on the other hand,
it skims the earth, it is a sign of rain.
It was a great misfortune to break a swallow's nest, for--
Y neb a doro nyth y wenol,
Ni wel fwyniant yn dragwyddol.
Whoever breaks a swallow's nest,
Shall forfeit everlasting rest.
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