Swansong

"... 'Tis strange that death should sing.
I am the cygnet to this pale faint swan,
Who chants a doleful hymn to his own death,
And from the organ-pipe of frailty sings
His soul and body to their lasting rest."

King John   Act 5, Sc.VII         W. Shakespeare

The Silver Swan

"The silver Swan, who living had no Note,
When Death approached,  unlocked her silent throat.
Leaning her breast against the reedy shore,
Thus sang her first and last, and sang no more:
'Farewell, all joys; O Death, come close mine eyes!
More Geese than Swans now live,
More Fools than Wise.'  "

Madrigal    Orlando Gibbons 1602