TURTLE DOVE
26th December 2023
Photo Credit: Neil Bowman (Getty Images), CANVA
True swains in love shall in the world to come
Approve their truths by Troilus. When their rhymes,
Full of protest, of oath, and big compare,
Wants similes, truth tired with iteration:
“As true as steel, as plantage to the moon,
As sun to day, as turtle to her mate,
As iron to adamant, as Earth to th’ centre”
Yet, after all comparisons of truth,
As truth’s authentic author to be cited,
“As true as Troilus” shall crown up the verse
And sanctify the numbers.
TROILUS: Troilus & Cressida, Act 3, Scene 2
TURTLE DOVE (Streptopelia turtur)
The Turtle Dove, usually called simply Turtle, is a metaphor that Shakespeare uses in 3 plays (Taming of the Shrew, Troilus & Cressida and a Winter’s Tale) and in his short poem “the Phoenix and the Turtle. Female Turtle Doves were supposed to mate for life and to remain single if their mate was killed. This tradition was found in the Physiologus, a early Christian text on the symbolism of animals which was incorporated into other texts and illustrated books such as Bestiaries. The Turtle Dove is also mentioned in the Bible in several books, although the Bible texts do not include any reference to loyalty in love. It is included as a sacrificial offering in both the Old and New Testaments but perhaps the most evocative text comes in the Song of Solomon (2:12): the flowers appear in the earth: the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.
Turtle Doves are summer visitors to Britain after the overwinter in Africa. They were formerly a widespread species but they are currently Critically Endangered in Britain and Vulnerable on the IUCN Global Red List. One of the theories about this decline in Britain is due to the lack of suitable feeding and nesting habitats during the breeding season. Operation Turtle Dove aims to inform and support actions to halt the decline of this iconic species.
More Information
British Trust for Ornithology (BTO): Turtle Dove
Geneva Bible 1599: Bible Gateway
Operation Turtle Dove: Visit Site
RSPB: Turtle Dove
