Notes: Sa is an archaic abbreviation for “sable” (black), occasionally seen in old blazons or poetic shorthand; sable symbolizes constancy, grief, or prudence; in verse, “sa” may appear in constrained forms (e.g., sonnets) for metrical economy, but modern blazon prefers full terms; remember sable is a color, so it must contrast with metals (Or, argent).

Notes: Sa'i is the ritual of walking briskly seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa, located within the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. It commemorates the desperate search for water by Hagar (Hajar) for her infant son Ishmael (Ismail). According to tradition, her faith was rewarded with the miraculous emergence of the Zamzam Well. This rite is an integral part of both the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, symbolizing faith, perseverance, and divine providence.

Notes: Saadi is valuable as a poetic figure of humane wisdom, ethical storytelling, and worldly observation. His Gulistan and Bustan blend anecdote, moral reflection, humour, and lyric grace, making him useful for poems about conduct, justice, humility, and human interdependence. He often represents a balanced intelligence: neither withdrawn mystic nor cold moralist, but a writer attentive to society and the heart.

Notes: Sabbat is a secret witches’ gathering, held at midnight, involving ritual, dancing, and communion with spirits—traditionally in groves or crossroads. In folklore, it was a site of inversion: animals speak, the dead rise, and priests are mocked. In poetry, the sabbat symbolizes rebellion, collective ecstasy, and the sacredness of the forbidden. Poets use it to explore community, resistance, and the joy of the outlawed.

Notes: Sabbats are seasonal observances in modern Pagan and Wiccan traditions, often marking points in the agricultural year and cycles of growth, harvest, death, and return. They can provide a ritual calendar for poems about weather, community, and transformation. Distinguish them from the weekly Sabbath in Jewish and Christian contexts. Study hint: name the season or observance accurately when relevant, and use specific natural changes—seed, heat, frost, harvest—to ground ritual symbolism.

Notes: Sabbath (Shabbat) is a weekly foretaste of messianic rest—ceasing work to honor creation and covenant; it is joyous, not austere; poets celebrate Sabbath as temporal sanctuary, where time itself becomes sacred space, and ordinary acts (lighting candles, sharing bread) radiate holiness through intentional pause and presence.

Shabbat begins at sunset Friday with candle-lighting, kiddush over wine, and challah bread; it is “a taste of the world to come”; in poetry, Shabbat appears as island in time—where work ceases, family gathers, and ordinary objects glow with sanctity, offering a weekly rhythm of rest as resistance to commodified time.

Notes: The Sabbath is the seventh-day rest commanded in the Torah and linked with creation, liberation from Egypt, and covenant identity. It is more than inactivity: it interrupts ordinary labor and declares that life is not measured only by productivity. Related ideas include holiness, remembrance, and release.

Notes: "Sabbing" is the Scots form of "sobbing," retaining the older pronunciation and spelling that appears in medieval and early modern Scots texts. The word's short 'a' vowel and double 'b' create a sound that mimics the hiccupping, convulsive rhythm of sobs themselves, making it an onomatopoeic term in the truest sense. In Elliot's "A Lament for Flodden," "sighing and sabbing" pairs two sounds of grief to create a dense auditory texture of mourning, showing how the community's collective sorrow finds expression in the very breath of its members. For poetry students, "sabbing" offers a powerful example of how poets use sound symbolism to enhance emotional impact; the word does not just describe sobbing, it sounds like sobbing. The term appears in older Scots poetry and ballads, often in contexts of intense grief, and its use has a raw, visceral quality that more formal terms like "weeping" lack. In teaching, encouraging students to read "sabbing" aloud and compare its sound with "sobbing" reveals how the Scots form's shorter, sharper vowel creates a more abrupt, broken quality, perfectly suited to the convulsive grief of lamentation. The word's presence in Elliot's poem reminds us that Scots poetry often values sound and rhythm as much as meaning, creating verses that are meant to be heard and felt as much as read.

Notes: Sabinum, the rugged region northeast of Rome, was home to the Sabines, central to Rome’s foundation myth: the “Rape of the Sabine Women” resolved conflict through intermarriage, symbolizing Roman integration of neighbors. The Sabine Hills later became a retreat for Roman elites (e.g., Horace’s farm). In poetry, Sabinum evokes rustic virtue, reconciliation, and the pastoral ideal—Horace’s Sabine Farm represents escape from urban corruption and poetic simplicity.

Notes: Sable is the heraldic term for black, symbolizing constancy, wisdom, or mourning; as a color, it follows the rule of tincture (must be on metal); in poetry, sable evokes solemnity, mystery, or eternal truth; it is common in funerary hatchments and ecclesiastical arms, and pairs powerfully with Or for high contrast (e.g., “sable, a lion rampant Or”).

Notes: A sabre is a curved, single-edged sword historically used by cavalry for slashing attacks in mounted combat. The sabre's design emphasizes the cut, ideal for a rider charging past an enemy. It is also used in fencing and as a ceremonial weapon. In poetry, the sabre evokes cavalry charges, the flash of steel, and the clash of armed riders. Related terms include sword, cutlass, and scimitar. The sabre's role in the Napoleonic era and the American Civil War is legendary, and its use in modern dress uniforms preserves its symbolic power. The "sabre-rattling" phrase denotes aggressive posturing.

Notes: Saccadic Couplet creates visual jumps between paired lines, mimicking eye movement. Related to disjunctive poetics and spatial verse. Visual arrangement enhances meaning. Typography becomes semantic element.

Notes: Line breaks mimicking jerky eye movements. Experimental technique. From vision science term. Tip: Short, choppy lines creating staccato reading rhythm; often modern fragmented narrative.

Notes: Saci: A one-legged, pipe-smoking trickster from Brazilian folklore (especially Tupi-Guarani and Afro-Brazilian traditions), wearing a red cap and causing minor chaos. Can be helpful if his cap is stolen. In poetry, Saci represents cultural syncretism, playful resistance, and the spirit of the sertão (backlands). Avoid caricature—he’s a national symbol of Brazilian identity; useful in postcolonial, ecological, or carnival-themed verse celebrating hybridity and subversion.

Notes: The sack's variation by commodity (wool sack 364 lbs, coal sack 280 lbs, grain variable) demonstrates specialized measurement's complexity. Students should understand that wool sack's importance made it politically symbolic—Lord Chancellor sits on woolsack in Parliament, representing England's wool-based medieval wealth. The term appears in contexts of wool trade (fundamental to English economy), coal commerce, and grain transport. Understanding that sack measured substantial but portable quantities helps students appreciate scale between household and wholesale. In poetry about English economy, wool trade, or Parliamentary symbolism, sacks carry both literal and metaphorical weight. The woolsack's Parliamentary presence makes "sack" symbolically significant beyond measurement—it represents economic foundation of English power. Students should recognize commodity-specific variation: asking "how much is a sack?" requires specifying what commodity. Related terms include tod (28 lbs wool), wey (182 lbs wool), and last (bulk measure). For students writing about medieval English economy, wool trade, or commercial history, sacks provide authentic measurement with symbolic resonance. The sack can represent wealth, commerce, or political power based on economic strength.

Notes: Historically, sack was a term used for various types of sweet wines, including those from Spain and Portugal, and it was often enjoyed by the English aristocracy. The term has fallen out of common usage but remains a significant reference in discussions of historical Viniculture. Related terms include "sherry," which is a fortified wine from Spain that shares similarities with sack. When discussing sack, it is important to note its cultural connotations of festivity and abundance, as seen in Brome's poem. The etymology of "sack" traces back to the Spanish word "saca," meaning "to draw out," referring to the process of extracting wine from barrels.

Notes: The sackbut, ancestor of the modern trombone, was prized in Renaissance and early Baroque music for its ability to blend with voices and other instruments, offering a solemn, noble tone. The name derives from the Old French saqueboute, meaning “pull-push,” describing its sliding mechanism. In poetry, references to the sackbut often evoke religious or ceremonial imagery, such as angelic or royal fanfares, reflecting its association with sacred or courtly settings.

Notes: Sacraments (seven in Catholicism, two in Protestantism) are “visible signs of invisible grace”; they include baptism, Eucharist, marriage; in poetry, sacramental vision sees the divine in matter—bread as body, water as rebirth—inspiring verse that finds eternity in the everyday through attentive, reverent description.

Notes: The Sacramento may suggest migration, farming, Gold Rush history, and the gathering of people and resources. Its abundance can be made uneasy by drought, ownership disputes, and environmental limits.

Notes: Sacred denotes that which is set apart (qadosh in Hebrew) yet draws near; it evokes awe, not fear; poets distinguish sacred from merely “religious” by its power to disrupt, heal, or transform—whether in a temple, a forest grove, or a lover’s glance—always marked by a quality of depth, resonance, and unearned grace.