scott von berg (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
scottobear) wrote2001-01-23 06:13 pm
scottobear) wrote2001-01-23 06:13 pm
from straight dope! (edited mildly for size)
Dear Straight Dope:
Besides their poetic value to the song, what is the significance (if any) of the "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme" in Simon and Garfunkel's song "Scarborough Fair?" --Jeny Dowlin
Scarborough Fair was not a fair as we know it today (although it attracted jesters and jugglers) but a huge 45-day trading event starting August 15--exceptionally long for a fair in medieval England. People from all over Great Britain, and even some from the continent, came to the seaside town of Scarborough in the north of England to do their business. Eventually the harbor started to decline, and so did the fair. People are still going to Scarborough--it's a tourist resort now--but all they get is parsley, sage, and rosemary. They just don't have the thyme.
No one knows who wrote the original song "Scarborough Fair," though most feel it dates from the middle ages. Bards in medieval England (or "shapers," as they were called) didn't usually take credit for songs they wrote. Most learned "Scarborough Fair," then took it from town to town where others heard it and passed it along. Each shaper changed the lyrics and arrangements to suit his or her style. Following this tradition, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel used only a small portion of the "original" lyrics on their 1966 album, "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme."
Though meaningless to most now, the four herbs spoke to the imaginations of medieval folk much as roses do today:
Parsley takes away the bitterness, in a spiritual as well as practical sense. Phytotherapists still prescribe parsley for people who suffer from indigestion. Eating a leaf of parsley with a meal is said to make spinach and other heavy vegetables easier to digest.
Sage has symbolized strength for thousands of years.
Rosemary--faithfulness, love and remembrance. Ancient Greek swains used to give rosemary to their ladies, and the custom of a bride wearing twigs of rosemary in her hair is still practiced in England and several other European countries today. The herb also stands for sensibility and prudence. Ancient Roman doctors recommended putting a small bag of rosemary leaves under the pillow of someone who had to perform a difficult mental task, such as an exam. Rosemary is associated with feminine love, because it's very strong and tough, although it grows slowly.
Thyme represents courage. At the time Scarborough Fair was written, knights wore images of thyme on their battle shields as a symbol of their courage and endurance. Guess even then when thyme took a licking, it kept on ticking.
--SDSTAFF Songbird
Straight Dope Science Advisory Board.
Besides their poetic value to the song, what is the significance (if any) of the "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme" in Simon and Garfunkel's song "Scarborough Fair?" --Jeny Dowlin
Scarborough Fair was not a fair as we know it today (although it attracted jesters and jugglers) but a huge 45-day trading event starting August 15--exceptionally long for a fair in medieval England. People from all over Great Britain, and even some from the continent, came to the seaside town of Scarborough in the north of England to do their business. Eventually the harbor started to decline, and so did the fair. People are still going to Scarborough--it's a tourist resort now--but all they get is parsley, sage, and rosemary. They just don't have the thyme.
No one knows who wrote the original song "Scarborough Fair," though most feel it dates from the middle ages. Bards in medieval England (or "shapers," as they were called) didn't usually take credit for songs they wrote. Most learned "Scarborough Fair," then took it from town to town where others heard it and passed it along. Each shaper changed the lyrics and arrangements to suit his or her style. Following this tradition, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel used only a small portion of the "original" lyrics on their 1966 album, "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme."
Though meaningless to most now, the four herbs spoke to the imaginations of medieval folk much as roses do today:
Parsley takes away the bitterness, in a spiritual as well as practical sense. Phytotherapists still prescribe parsley for people who suffer from indigestion. Eating a leaf of parsley with a meal is said to make spinach and other heavy vegetables easier to digest.
Sage has symbolized strength for thousands of years.
Rosemary--faithfulness, love and remembrance. Ancient Greek swains used to give rosemary to their ladies, and the custom of a bride wearing twigs of rosemary in her hair is still practiced in England and several other European countries today. The herb also stands for sensibility and prudence. Ancient Roman doctors recommended putting a small bag of rosemary leaves under the pillow of someone who had to perform a difficult mental task, such as an exam. Rosemary is associated with feminine love, because it's very strong and tough, although it grows slowly.
Thyme represents courage. At the time Scarborough Fair was written, knights wore images of thyme on their battle shields as a symbol of their courage and endurance. Guess even then when thyme took a licking, it kept on ticking.
--SDSTAFF Songbird
Straight Dope Science Advisory Board.
no subject