halcyon

Halcyon is a bird before it is a word. The Greeks called the kingfisher halkyon and told a story about it: that it nested on the open sea in midwinter, and that the water went flat and calm for the days it sat there. Those days got a name — the halcyon days — and the calm outlived the story. Now the word means a stretch of time that was peaceful and bright, and there is one more thing packed inside it: you are almost always looking back. Nobody says these are halcyon days about this morning. The man in the hammock is not having halcyon days. He will call them that in ten years.

Halcyon era antes un pájaro: los griegos llamaban halkyon al martín pescador y contaban que anidaba sobre el mar en pleno invierno, y que el agua se quedaba en calma. De ahí halcyon days: una época serena. Y casi siempre se dice mirando hacia atrás, nunca sobre hoy.

Halcyon era antes um pássaro: os gregos chamavam halkyon ao martim-pescador e contavam que ele fazia ninho sobre o mar no inverno, e a água ficava calma. Daí halcyon days: um tempo sereno. E quase sempre se diz olhando para trás, nunca sobre hoje.

Halcyon fut d'abord un oiseau : les Grecs appelaient halkyon le martin-pêcheur et racontaient qu'il nichait sur la mer en plein hiver, et que l'eau devenait calme. D'où halcyon days, une époque paisible — que l'on nomme presque toujours après coup.

Halcyon awalnya seekor burung: orang Yunani menyebut raja udang halkyon dan bercerita bahwa ia bersarang di laut saat musim dingin, lalu air pun tenang. Dari situ lahir halcyon days: masa yang damai. Hampir selalu diucapkan sambil menoleh ke belakang, bukan tentang hari ini.

Halcyon önce bir kuştu: Yunanlar yalıçapkınına halkyon der, kışın denizin üstünde yuva yaptığında suyun durulduğunu anlatırlardı. Halcyon days buradan gelir: dingin bir dönem. Ve neredeyse her zaman geriye bakarak söylenir, bugün için değil.

halcyon はもともと鳥の名でした。ギリシャ人はカワセミを halkyon と呼び、真冬の海に巣を作るあいだ波が静まる、と語りました。そこから halcyon days（穏やかな日々）が生まれます。この言葉はほぼ必ず振り返って使われ、今日のことには使いません。