halcyon vs wretched

halcyon

noun
  • The dead body of such a bird, said in Tudor times to act as a weather vane when hung from a beam. 

  • A kingfisher whose nesting by the sea was said, in classical mythology, to cause the Gods to restrain the wind and waves. 

  • A tropical kingfisher of the genus Halcyon, such as the sacred kingfisher (Halcyon sancta) of Australia. 

adj
  • Pertaining to the halcyon or kingfisher. 

  • Calm, undisturbed, peaceful, serene. 

wretched

adj
  • Of a person, etc.: behaving in a manner deserving contempt; base, despicable, wicked. 

  • Of weather: causing much discomfort; very unpleasant; miserable. 

  • Characterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable. 

  • Of an inferior or unworthy nature or social status; contemptible, lowly. 

  • Of an insignificant, mean, or poor nature; miserable, paltry, worthless. 

  • Used to express annoyance towards or dislike of someone or something: bloody, damned. 

How often have the words halcyon and wretched occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )