Now, the Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
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The white swan - with its long, graceful neck - is among the most beautiful of birds.
白天鵝有長長的漂亮的脖子，是最漂亮的鳥之一。
The swan is mostly silent through its life.
天鵝在其一生中大多是沉默的。
It floats quietly on the water, unable to sing sweet songs like most other birds.
她安靜的漂浮在水面上，不能像大多數其他鳥一樣唱優美的歌。
In ancient times, however, people believed that the swan was given a special gift of song at the end of its life.
然而，古時候人們相信天鵝被賦予了在生命最後的時候唱歌的特殊天賦。
They believed a swan sings a most beautiful song...just before it dies.
他們相信在天鵝死之前會唱出最動聽的歌曲。
The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates talked of this two thousand three hundred years ago.
古希臘哲學家蘇格拉底在兩千三百年前談到了這個。
Socrates explained that the swan was singing because it was happy.
蘇格拉底解釋說天鵝唱歌是因爲她很高興。
The bird was happy because it was going to serve the Greek God Apollo.
這個鳥高興是因爲她將去爲希臘神Apollo服務。
Swans were holy to Apollo, the god of poetry and song.
天鵝對詩歌之神Apollo是虔誠的。
The story of the swan's last song found a place in the works of other writers,
including the early English writers Chaucer and Shakespeare.
天鵝最後之歌的故事也出現在其他作家的作品中，包括早期英國作家喬叟和莎士比亞。
And, the expression swan song has long been a part of the English language.
swan song在很早之前就是英語的一部分。
At first, swan song meant the last work of a poet, musician or writer.
最初，swan song指詩人、音樂家或作家的最後作品。
Now, it means the final effort of any person.
現在指任何人的最後努力。
Someone's swan song usually is also considered that person's finest work.
某些人的swan song通常認爲是那個人的最好作品。
A political expression with a similar meaning is the last hurrah（最後的歡呼）.
The expression may be used to describe a politician's last campaign, his final attempt to win the cheers and votes of the people.
The last hurrah also can mean the last acts of a politician, before his term in office ends.
Writer Edwin O'Connor made the expression popular in 1956.
He wrote a book about the final years in the political life of a long-time mayor of Boston, Massachusetts.
He called his book, The Last Hurrah.
Some language experts say the expression came from a name given to noisy supporters of Andrew Jackson...America's seventh president.
They cheered hurrah so loudly for Andy Jackson during his presidential campaign that they became known as thehurrah boys.
Jackson's hurrah boys also played a part in the election to choose the next president.
Jackson's choice was his vice president, Martin VanBuren.
A newspaper of the time reported that VanBuren was elected president, in its words: "...by the hurrah boys,
and those who knew just enough to shout hurrah for Jackson."
So, President Jackson really heard his last hurrahs in the campaign of another candidate,
the man who would replace him in the White House.
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This VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES was written by Marilyn Christiano.
I'm Christopher Cruise.
