Cadenus and Vanessa is a poem by
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dubl ...
about one of his lovers,
Esther Vanhomrigh
Esther Vanhomrigh or Van Homrigh (known by the pseudonym Vanessa; c. 1688 – 2 June 1723), an Irish woman of Dutch descent, was a longtime lover and correspondent of Jonathan Swift. Swift's letters to her were published after her death. Her ...
(Vanessa), written in 1713 and published as a book in 1726, three years after the death of Vanhomrigh.
It contains in its title an anagram and a neologism: ''Cadenus'' is an
anagram of the Latin ''
decanus
''Decanus'' means "chief of ten" in Late Latin. The term originated in the Roman army and became used thereafter for subaltern officials in the Byzantine Empire, as well as for various positions in the Church, whence derives the English title "de ...
'', meaning ‘dean’: Swift was dean of
St Patrick's, and known as Dean Swift in the manner of the time. The
neologism
A neologism Greek νέο- ''néo''(="new") and λόγος /''lógos'' meaning "speech, utterance"] is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted int ...
is ''
Vanessa (name), Vanessa'', in secret reference to Esther Vanhomrigh. The name starts with the first three letters of her surname and the first two of her first name.
With this poem, Swift created the popular woman's name ''Vanessa''.
See also
*
Vanessa (name)
*
Esther Vanhomrigh
Esther Vanhomrigh or Van Homrigh (known by the pseudonym Vanessa; c. 1688 – 2 June 1723), an Irish woman of Dutch descent, was a longtime lover and correspondent of Jonathan Swift. Swift's letters to her were published after her death. Her ...
References
External links
e-text at Luminarium
{{Jonathan Swift
Works by Jonathan Swift