SQUAWK BOX
The eccentric 19th century poet who brought us the word squawk (whether we wanted it or not)
Last week I mentioned some seagull facts and at the end I wrote “#SQUAWKSQUAWK” and I kept staring at that word. It’s a weird one.
S Q U A W K
It has that “w” sound after the q but not really before the k (or maybe I have an accent? Turns out the Brits say it with the w sound on both ends) and when I’m spelling it I’m always tempted to put a W after the Q but then I get confused and the whole word is just a mess.
So I thought to myself, what exactly is the origin of this word? I’m going to look it up.
And what I discovered may shock you.
Maybe not. But it is definitely weird and funny and interesting.
So the word “squawk” was brought into the English language by a poet in 1850. His name was Robert Steven Hawker, and he was not only a poet, but also an Anglican priest and a bit of an eccentric.
When he was a kid he discovered he liked to hang out at a nearby older man’s home…a man who had a gigantic library and a number of his own children who were decades older than Robert — all unmarried and without children of their own. But Robert LOVED spending time there, reading and discussing books with the whole family.
Robert would eventually fall in love with one of the man’s children, a woman named Charlotte Eliza I'ans. They would marry when he was 19 and she was 41. Despite what many people thought (and believe me, everything you’re thinking someone said at some point), it appears that they deeply loved each other and were a great fit. They never had any children, and they stayed very happily married until she died forty years later.
In fact, in her later years she went blind, and he would spend the afternoons sitting beside her and reading to her.
He was a known eccentric. Their parish was on the sea — everyone called him Parson Hawker — and he would range around the cliffs each day wearing heavy fisherman’s boots, a blue smock, a purple shapeless coat, and a huge floppy hat (usually yellow), with a great red cross hung over his shirt. Despite his priestly duties, he couldn’t abide to wear black clothing and finally bowed to convention by wearing black socks alongside his colorful outfits.
He collected driftwood and the broken bits of boats at the bottom of the cliffs and used it to build a hut for himself in the cliff, where he often wrote his poetry.
He was well known for caring for the sailors who often had issues in the storms along their coast, and was often the first to the beach when there were shipwrecks, leading rescue efforts as well as prayers and funerals for those who were lost.
He hardly ever preached from the pulpit, like he was meant to, but would wander around the church while he spoke or read scripture, and he’d let all his cats (he had nine, and also a pet pig) into the church, too, and they would follow him around as he taught. It’s said that he once excommunicated a cat for killing a mouse on the sabbath. And they also say he “talked to birds” and I have no idea why that would be included in a list of eccentricities, as birds enjoy talking with people as we all know. #birdfacts
He was also the first to popularize the “Harvest Festival” in Christian churches, not as an alternative to Halloween, but just because he thought we ought to be thankful to God for the harvest! Hawker’s parish celebrated on October 1st and would make bread from the first cut of corn and then use it for communion bread.
Hawker thought he would never marry again after losing his lovely Charlotte — his grief was intense, public, and a bit overwhelming — but a year or so later he would marry a twenty year old (!!!!!) named Pauline Kuczynski. And I know what you’re thinking, but again, seems like they had a true and loving relationship with a great deal of affection between them, and they had three daughters: Morwenna, Rosalind, and Juliot.
He died within 12 years of his second marriage, having led a full and interesting life.
No one wore black to his funeral, they all wore purple.
What an interesting guy.
Anyway, he popularized SQUAWK as an English noun (from the Italian, apparently), and I do think it’s important to point out that his last name is HAWKer. Coincidence? I think not! I will say, yet again, #birdfacts.
speaking of eccentric ministers
The press release went out this week about me and Kathy’s book being a finalist for the Christian Book Awards. Also from our publisher, CENTERING JESUS by Derek Vreeland. Pretty fun! Awards are at the end of the month.
Retelling/Revising/Remaking Stories
This week on the Fascinating Podcast we spent some time talking about retold stories, and what makes them good or interesting. I thought it was a lot of fun!
hallucination update
I asked you all last week if you’ve ever had a hallucination and the consensus appears to be that, yes, a whole lot of you have.
And several of you sent me stories of absolutely harrowing hallucinations that made me glad to only hear my name being spoken in an empty room!
This week’s question:
I’ve been obsessed with this “unplugged” version of a-ha’s “Take on Me” for months now:
I shared about it on facebook earlier this week, but for real, this whole album is great.
Bruce loves Spring buckets
Mostly because they have fun, unexpected little plants growing in them that are delicious to eat (for rabbits; your mileage may vary).
I hope you find some tasty surprises in your life this week!
Matt
I can always count on you, Matt, for adding bizarre bits of knowledge to my life, things I didn't even know I was lacking, and I am always richer for it. Thanks.
I like this Hawker. Cats in church is brilliant. I would watch a movie about his life.