The First Mockingbird in Spring : : by Paul Hamilton Hayne
► Winged poet of vernal ethers! Ah! where hast thou lingered long? I have missed thy passionate, skyward flights And the trills of thy changeful song. Hast thou been in the hearts of woodlands old, Half dreaming, and, drowsed by the winter’s cold, Just crooning the ghost of thy springtide lay To the listless shadows, benumbed and gray? Or hast thou strayed by a tropic shore, And lavished, O sylvan troubadour! The boundless wealth of thy music free On the dimpling waves of the Southland sea? What matter? Thou comest with magic strain, To the morning haunts of thy life again, And thy melodies fall in a rhythmic rain.
“The First Mocking Bird In Spring”,A Bird Poem by Paul Hemilton Hayne is About The appreciation of The Poet- Singer, The Mocking Bird , his poetic ability and characteristics such as youthful for his age occurred in Spring, skyward flight and the “trills of changeful songs”; his soft singing in low and sentimental manner from folk songs to popular known Warbler’s songs, and his own original songs in soft , on full moonlight nights. The aforesaid performing shows of the Mocking Bird’s “melodious singing” lasts day and night, throughout the Springtime and further “fall in”, Literally, and Metaphorically break down to a “rhythmic rain.”
“The First Mocking Bird in Spring”, A Bird Poem By Paul Hemilton Hayne Information Appreciation and poem Analysis Presented by V Jayaraj Pune India December 9, 2023 : : : : : : : :
Eating Toyon berries. Note two wing bars and a slightly decurved bill. Photo by DeAnne Tucker.Northern Mockingbird may have been one of the first White House pets. “Dick the Mockingbird”, as it was named, was adored by Thomas Jefferson.Northern Mocking- Bird ( Mimus polyglottos ): bold white wing spots and white outer tail feathers. Photo by Sonny MencherStern looking Mocking Bird in Autumnal change in Season. The Mocking Bird in December. Photo by Mike Powell.The Mocking Bird in Snowy Winter time.
The Mockingbird : : by Edwin B. McElfatrick
▼ You hear him in the springtime When radiant sunlight fills The verdant, sweeping valleys And the hollows of the hills; On moonlight nights in summer From the summit of a tree, He is weaving strains entrancing In flights of ecstasy. In autumn’s richest splendor When the woodland seems afire I have heard him chanting softly From a fence of old barbed wire; In dreary, bleak December Where the ragged cedars spread I have seen him gray, and sullen, And silent as the dead.
“The Mocking Bird”, A Bird Poem by Edwin B McElfatrick is About hearing this Songbird firstly, during the radiant daylight and on moonlight nights in summer’s Springtime When “from the summit of a tree”/ The Mocking Bird is “weaving strains” that is in captivating the male to attract his love with his creation calls for which he has to compete with other male birds. This also fills ecstasy In his flights. Secondly, The Poet Speaker has “heard him chanting softly In the “Riches splendor of Autumn” When “the woodland seems afire” , that’s is, the dried vivid leaves and twigs of the trees in forest and dying shrubs set “afire” by lighting or catching fire. Lastly , However in the ending time of the year The Mocking Bird comes along with “silence as the dead.”and The Poet Speaker finds him “gray, and sullen” , that is, seriously ‘thoughtful’ showing a ‘morose and unsociable’ manner. The coldness of Winter makes him silent and without any live activity. : : The bird watchers Know that The Mocking Bird likes to live alone. Mockingbird’s arrival is among area’s signs of spring. Known for its impressive and loud vocalizations, the northern mockingbird is an intelligent bird that can mimic the songs of many other birds. The adult male sings about three quarters of the year, starting in February, finishing in August, then starts up again in late September, finishing in November. Meaning , no singing in December and January. : : Both males and females sing a varied, repetitive song that can be heard all day—and sometimes all night—during the spring and summer. They can incorporate non-bird noises they hear into their songs which can be about 200 songs, including some phases repeated upto 3 to 6 times.. Both male and female Mockingbirds are very territorial. They will chase off much larger animals, including humans, if they think their nests are being threatened or if they find them as intruders. An unmated male will sing throughout the night. Paired males start their serenading , that is, singing and playing for someone special, just before sunrise. Northern Mockingbirds have a few unique calls that can be used for identification. One in particular is the alarm or “churr” call that is used when predators or competitors are nearby. During the mating season in springtime , however both the male and female pair up during the breeding and build broods for the hatching of their eggs and for looking after the young ones. :
“The Mocking Bird”, A Bird Poem by Edwin B McElfatrick, Information Appreciation and poem Analysis Presented by V Jayaraj Pune India December 8, 2023 : : : : : : : :
To The Mocking Bird : : by Wilson Flagg( 1805 – 1884 )
▼ Carolling bird that merrily night and day Tellest thy raptures from the rustling spray And wakest the morning with thy varied lay Singing thy matins When we have come to hear thy sweet oblation Of love and joyance from thy sylvan station 6 Why in the place of musical cantation 7 Balk us with pratings 8 We stroll by moonlight in the dusky forest 9 Where the tall cypress shields thee fervent chorist 10 And sit in haunts of echoes when thou pourest 11 Thy woodland solo 12 Hark from the next green tree thy song commences 13 Music and discord join to mock the senses 14 Repeated from the tree tops and the fences 15 From hill and hollow 16 A hundred voices mingle with thy clamor 17 Bird beast and reptile take part in thy drama 18 Outspeak they all in turn without a stammer Brisk polyglot 19 Voices of kill deer plover duck and dotterel 20 Notes bubbling hissing mellow sharp and guttural 21 Of catbird cat or cartwheel thou canst utter all 22 And all untaught 23 The raven’s croak the chirrup of the sparrow 24 The jay’s harsh note the creaking of a barrow 25 The hoot of owls all join the soul to harrow And grate the ear 26 We listen to thy quaint soliloquizing As if all creatures thou wert catechizing Tuning their voices and their notes revising From far and near Sweet bird that surely lovest the noise of folly Most musical but never melancholy Disturber of the hour that should be holy With sounds prodigious Fie on thee O thou feathered Paganini To use thy little pipes to squawk and whinny And emulate the hinge and spinning jenny Making night hideous Provoking melodist why canst thou breathe us No thrilling harmony no charming pathos No cheerful song of love without a bathos The Furies take thee Blast thy obstreperous mirth thy foolish chatter Gag thee exhaust thy breath and stop thy clatter And change thee to a beast thou senseless prater Naught else can check thee A lengthened pause ensues but hark again From the near woodland stealing o er the plain Comes forth a sweeter and a holier strain Listening delighted The gales breathe softly as they bear along The warbled treasure the tumultuous throng Of notes that swell accordant in the song As love is plighted The echoes joyful from their vocal cell Leap with the winged sounds o er hill and dell With kindling fervor as the chimes they tell To wakeful even They melt upon the ear they float away They rise they sink they hasten they delay And hold the listener with bewitching sway Like sounds from heaven.
“To The Mocking Bird”, A Bird Poem by American Naturalist and Author, Wilson Flagg ( 1805 – 1884 ) is About The interesting remarks made for the varied aspects of Mimicking , Singing of The Mocking Bird which also include few questions and concerns of the impacts on The Poet Speaker who have raised and addressed to The Mocking Bird. : : : :
lines 1 To 6 : : The Mocking Bird named , “Caroling Bird” like joyful religious Carol /songs of celebrating the birth of Christ , sings merrily day and night and tells his raptures , that is , his overwhelming emotions / elated bliss , from the rustling spray , that is, a jet of water drops 💦 blown from the waterfall ; and wakes the morning with your varied lay / manner of settling ; Singing your matins/ at the daybreak / time of morning prayer; When we have come to hear your sweet oblation / offering to singing ( which raise the Church’s fund of charity ) , Of love and joy from a sylvan ( wooded ) station where your spirit lives in. : : : :
lines 7 To 13: : Why in the place of musical cantation 7/ oratorio / composed for voices and orchestra ( as per religious text ) , Balk us with pratings 8/ holds us back with noisy chattering !? We stroll by moonlight in the dusky forest 9 / We walk leisurely by moonlight in the dusky / dark forest ; Where the tall cypress ( tree ) shields thee / you fervent chorist 10/ passionate singer of the orchestra And sit in haunts of echoes / usual echoes when thou / your pourest 11 / pouring / incoming Thy woodland solo 12 / solo singing of your woodland covered with trees and shrubs of a forest Hark / listen to from the next green tree ( when ) thy/ your song commences 13 : : : :
lines 14 To 26 : : Music ( harmony ) and discord ( lack of harmony ) join to mock ( ridicule ) the senses 14 ( although both are in strife / in bitter conflict & contempt ) ; Repeated from the tree tops and the fences ( berriers enclosing the area ) 15 From hill and hollow ( elevated lands and valley / depression between hills ) 16 A hundred voices mingle with ( mix up and unify ) thy clamor ( with your song of outcry ) 17 Bird beast ( animal ) and reptile take part in thy drama 18 Outspeak they all in turn ( opine ) without a stammer ( hesitation ) Brisk polyglot 19 ( very active linguist ) Voices of kill deer plover ( shorebird like sandpiper ) duck and dotterel ( eurasian plover ) 20 Notes bubbling ( high spirited / live ) hissing ( disapproving / booking ) mellow ( soft ) sharp ( musically raised in pitch ) and guttural ( croaky sound / from back of throat ) 21 Of catbird ( Songbird of North America whose call is like mewing of cat ) cat or cartwheel do a gymnast act ) thou canst / can’t utter ( verbalise ) all 22 And all untaught ( caused to unbelieve ) 23 The raven’s ( large blackbird’s ) croak ( hoarse sound ) the chirrup ( series of chirping / Twitter / high pitched chittering ) of the sparrow 24 The jay’s harsh note the creaking ( screech / squeaking sound ) of a barrow ( handle – cart of many wheels ) 25 The hoot ( laud raucous sound ) of owls all join the soul to harrow ( to smoothen ) And grate ( scratch / rub ) the ear 26 ( make the grating sound ) : : : :
lines 27 To Onwards .. . Pending Visit the post again later on to enjoy the appreciation of the poem V Jayaraj Pune India December 7 , 2023 : : : :
F L Stanton, c. 1926 : : Frank Lebby Stanton (February 22, 1857 Charleston, South Carolina, United States – January 7, 1927 January 7, 1927 (aged 69) Atlanta Georgia ), frequently credited as Frank L. Stanton, Frank Stanton or F. L. Stanton, was an American lyricist. Part of Literary Movement called, Early Southern Renaissance. Notable works “Just Awearyin’ for You”, “Mighty Like a Rose” “”Morning”: : He was also the initial columnist for the Atlanta Constitution and became the first poet laureate of the State of Georgia, a post to which he was appointed by Governor Clifford Walker in 1925 and which Stanton held until his death. Stanton’s writing became quite popular and assiduously read. His column News from Billville (later Up from Georgia) forms the basis for claims that he was even the prototype for American newspaper columnists. Stantn’s poem such as “Mighty Lak a Rose” (which was set to music by Ethelbert Nevin [1862–1901]). The music for “A Plantation Ditty” (first line “De gray owl sing fum de chimbly top”) by Stanton was composed by Sidney Homer. Several of Stanton’s ballads were set to music by Oley Speaks.: American composers of art songs such as Ethelbert Nevin and Carrie Jacobs Bond wrote songs to his verses; composer Oley Speaks also set at least four of his poems to music: “The Hills of Dawn”, “In Maytime”, “Morning”, and “When Mabel Sings”. Joshua Emdon set his famous “Keep-A’ Goin’!” : Stanton’s most successful hit in popular music was his lyrics for the wildly selling 1901 parlor song “Awearyin’ for You” for which Carrie Jacobs-Bond provided the familiar tune. “Linger Not” and “Until God’s Day” are two other songs on which Stanton and Jacobs-Bond collaborated. most widely quoted during his lifetime was a quatrain titled “This World”; it is inscribed on his tombstone in Atlanta’s Westview Cemetery:
This world we’re a’livin’ in Is mighty hard to beat. You get a thorn with every rose. But ain’t the roses sweet?Northern mockingbird range Breeding rangein yellow, Year-round rangein green. A 2009 study showed that the bird was able to recognize individual humans, particularly noting those who had previously been intruders or threats.[3] Also birds recognize their breeding spots and return to areas in which they had greatest success in previous years. Urban birds are more likely to demonstrate this behaviorThe Mocking – Bird ( Mimuspolyglottos ) has a n unique ability to mimic the songs of dozens at a time, of other birds, but it also has a beautiful song of its own. Both the male and female have gray upper parts and white underparts. Their white wing patches and outer tail feathers show up in flight and also while catching the insects. Their wings and tails appear rounded. The birds look alike except the female has a little less white in her feathers and is slightly smaller than the male the male attracts the female’s attention by lifting and spreading his wings high above his back and displaying his white wing patches. He also moves his tail up and down, coos softly, and occasionally runs back and forth in front of her carrying a twig. The two birds may then stand opposite each other and perform a dance pattern, repeating the sequence of steps before flying away.Both adults are involved in nest building. The male often gathers the materials while the female fits them together to form the nest. Grass, tender roots, and leaves form the lining for the small circular nest. It may take the two birds one to three or four days to build their nest. Most nests are found in low bushes, vines, or shrubbery near buildings or along woodland edges on stumps, brush piles, and fence posts. they are three to ten feet off the ground, but they can sometimes be found as low as one foot off the ground or as high as fifty feet. The three to six eggs, normally laid one a day, are spotted with brown and may vary in color. They can be yellowish or buffy grays or shades of green, blue, brown, or purple. The incubation period is from ten to fourteen days, and the female assumes most of the duties. feed on insects, wild fruit, and weed seeds. During the spring and summer caterpillars, grasshoppers, ants, bees, and other insects make up most of their diet. While feeding on the ground, mockers may spread their wings to expose the white undersides. Some observers believe this “wing-flashing” is used to startle insects such as grasshoppers into moving so they can be seen and caught. During the winter mockingbirds eat mostly vegetable matter. Wild fruits are a favorite whenever they are available, but the birds also may eat or damage some domestic fruits. Because of their insect-eating habits, most people consider them more helpful than harmful. The Little Gray Mocking Bird has earned the title “King of Song” and also the reputation for being a scrappy fighter against all odds.plain-looking bird with thin legs and a slender body that is no more than nine to eleven inches long, including its tail. In a paper published in 2009, researchers found that mockingbirds were able to recall an individual human who, earlier in the study, had approached and threatened the mockingbirds’ nest. Researchers had one participant stand near a mockingbird nest and touch it, while others avoided the nest. Later, the mockingbirds recognized the intruder and exhibited defensive behavior, while ignoring the other individuals. Since the mockingbird’s appearance is less than spectacular. Even though Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi, and Arkansas have all selected the mocker as their official state bird. The secret of its popularity is its unique singing ability. ( Based on the write up of Texas park and wildlife website. & Wikipedia’s Article. ) The Mocking Birds : Painting by John James Audubon
The Mocking-Bird : : by Frank Lebby Stanton
▼ He didn’t know much music When first he come along; An’ all the birds went wonderin’ Why he didn’t sing a song. They primped their feathers in the sun, An’ sung their sweetest notes; An’ music jest come on the run From all their purty throats! But still that bird was silent In summer time an’ fall; He jest set still an’ listened, An’ he wouldn’t sing at all! But one night when them songsters Was tired out an’ still, An’ the wind sighed down the valley An’ went creepin’ up the hill; When the stars was all a-tremble In the dreamin’ fields o’ blue, An’ the daisy in the darkness Felt the fallin’ o’ the dew,— There come a sound o’ melody No mortal ever heard, An’ all the birds seemed singin’ From the throat o’ one sweet bird! Then the other birds went Mayin’ In a land too fur to call; Fer there warn’t no use in stayin’ When one bird could sing fer all!
“The Mocking- Bird”, A Bird Poem by Frank Lebby Stanton is About ( The Little Gray ) A Songster Bird , The Mocking Bird who was looked upon by the Warblers of the area as always found “still” and “silent” and who “didn’t know much music” when he appeared at the scene. So he didn’t sing a song when the other Warblers by their habits were singing their own “sweetest notes” from “all their purty ( likened to pert ) throat!”, Meaning cheeky , ( humorously ) forwarded throats and when they primped their feathers in the sun, thatis, when they decked / dressed with plumes/ feathers in sunlight . “They went wondering / Whyhe didn’t sing a song.” They sang “jest(ingly)”/ in a funny teasing way as the Poet Speaker has noted, “An’ sung their sweetest notes; An’ music jest come on the run” / flow in the air. : : Yet the Mocking Bird “wouldn’t sing at all! .. In summer time an’ fall; He jest ( just ) set still an’ listened,” : : : : : : : The Poet Speaker then describes the natural world around the area interestingly , during “one night when the songsters Were “tired out an’ still, And “the wind sighed down the valley” ( the wind suspired / in deep & heavy breath in sadness for no sound of birds ) And “went creepin’ up the hill;” ( that is, the wind went up the hill in an increasingly slow , and in a stealthy manner ) “When the stars was all a-tremble In the dreamin’ fields o’ blue,”( the stars shook up in their blue 🔵 peaceful surrounding of the sky ) And the “daisy in the darkness Felt the fallin’ o’ the dew,—”( Daisy flower could find an instance of dew falling ), It was this time when The same Mocking Bird sang a “melodious” song for the first time in his life which “no mortal ever heard”as if ,”.. all the birds seemed singin’ From the throat o’ one sweet bird!” : : : : : : : As a result, “the other birds went Mayin’ In a land too fur to call;” ( “Maying”too far expresses a reading , possibility or a permission sought for : ‘ you may go now’and sing elsewhere. ) “Fer there warn’t no use in stayin’ When one bird could sing fer all!” : : Music is afterall , an Outstanding Artistic form of auditory communication incorporating vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner . The Mocking -Bird is one such perfect Artist. From speaking to singing , listening is one of the most important prerequisites, besides the biologically evolved attributes of singing ability. Among the vocalizations it imitates , are songs of the Carolina wren, northern cardinal, tufted titmouse, eastern towhee, house sparrow, wood thrush, and eastern bluebird, calls of the northern flicker and great crested flycatcher, jeers and pumphandles of the blue jay, and alarms, chups, and chirrs of the American robin. The ( 2013 Study ) data suggested that mimicry in the mockingbird resulted from the bird being genetically predisposed to learning vocalizations with acoustic characteristics such as an enlarged auditory template. The northern mockingbird’s mimicry is likely to serve as a form of sexual selection through which competition between males and female choice influence a bird’s song repertoire size. : : : :
Displaying : The mockingbird is influential in United States culture, being the state bird of five states, appearing in book titles, songs and lullabies, and making other appearances in popular culture. These birds forage on the ground or in vegetation; they also fly down from a perch to capture food. While foraging, they frequently spread their wings in a peculiar two-step motion to display the white patches. There is disagreement among ornithologists over the purpose of this behavior, with hypotheses ranging from deceleration to intimidation of predators or prey.
The Mocking – Bird has a n unique way of mimicking and singing. Its scientific name, Mimus polyglottos ( Northern Mocking- Bird ) means “many-tongued mimic,” and the Indians called it Cencontlatolly, which means “four hundred tongues.”Can imitate the songs of dozens of other birds. The male can warble, whistle, trill, and call, as well as make such interesting sounds as a squeaking gate, croaking frog, barking dog, and chirping cricket, car horns , policeman’s whistle, unoiled wheels, etc. His mimicry is so good that an electronic device might be needed to tell the original sound from the bird’s if it weren’t for the mocker’s habit of repeating things at least three times. Only 10 percent of his songs falls into the category of mimickings. Purely, his own songs may contain phases as often as 87 times in 7 minutes including each phase repeated 3 to 6 times. A mockingbird will perch in a tree or sit on a telephone pole or television antenna and sing both day and night. While singing, it spreads its tail, drops or raises its wings, and may even fling itself several feet into the air without missing a note. It has been known to sing for more than an hour without stopping and is especially noisy on moonlit nights. Light sleepers don’t like this. . The mockingbird sings all year long in the southern regions, but it is most vocal throughout its range from February to July and from late August through October. Young mockingbirds can sing, but their songs are described as “soft whisper” songs. Both male and female mockingbirds sing, with the latter being generally quieter and less vocal. Male commencement of singing is in late January to February and continues into the summer and for establishing of territory into the fall. Frequency in female singing is more sporadic, as it sings less often in the summer and fall, and only sings when the male is away from the territory. : : The mockingbird also possesses a large song repertoire that ranges from 43 to 203 song types and the size varies by region. Repertoire sizes ranged from 14 to 150 types in Texas, and two studies of mockingbirds in Florida rounded estimates to 134 and 200, approximately. It continually expands its repertoire during its life, though it pales in comparison to mimids such as the brown thrasher. There are four recognized calls for the mockingbird: the nest relief call, hew call, chat or chat burst, and the begging call. The hew call is mainly used by both sexes for potential nest predators, conspecific chasing, and various interactions between mates. The differences between chats and chat bursts are frequency of use, as chats are year-round, and chat bursts occur in the fall. Another difference is that chat bursts appear to be used in territorial defense in the fall, and the chats are used by either sex when disturbed. The nest relief and begging calls are only used by the males” : : The mockingbird lives primarily in the eastern, southern, and midwestern parts of the United States and it can be found throughout Texas. Adaptable and will make their home in both rural and heavily populated areas. Once a mockingbird stakes out its territory, it will defend that territory against all intruders, including animals much larger than itself. Driving away all intruders may not be always successful. They would dive even at the big animal , pecking it with their beaks and beating it with their wings which may continue even for half an hour ( time to get tired of the same game.) . House cats, dogs, and squirrels are easier for the mockers to harass, and on many occasions the birds seem to be teasing the animals and large birds like , eagle too. Squabbles between mockingbirds ( male or female , both ) are not uncommon while maintaining own territories. May challenge its own image reflected in a window or shiny surface. Suchhostilityends on setting up of broods ( in spring) Young mockers quickly learn to assume the threatening posture, cocking and fanning their tails while uttering sharp notes.
Sydney Lanier ( 1842 – 1881 ) : American poet from the state of Georgia; poems are still popular today, especially in the American South, where many places and things are named for him.
THE MOCKING BIRD: : By Sydney Lanier ( 1842 – 1881 )
Superb and sole, upon a pluméd spray That o’er the general leafage boldly grew, He summ’d the woods with song; or typic drew The swoop of hungry hawks, the lone dismay Of languid doves when long their lovers stray, And all birds’ passion-plays that sprinkle dew At morn in brake or bosky avenue. Whate’er birds did or dreamed, this bird could say.
Then down he shot, bounced airily along The sward, twitched-in a grasshopper, made song Midflight, perched, primped, and to his art again. Sweet Science, this large riddle read me plain: How may the death of that dull insect be The life of yon trim Shakespeare on the tree?
Sidney Clopton Lanier (1842–1881) : American poet from the state of Georgia; poems are still popular today, especially in the American South, where many places and things are named for him.
To Our Mocking-Bird : Died of our cat , May 1878 : : by Sidney Lanier
▼ I. Trillets of humor, — shrewdest whistle-wit, — Contralto cadences of grave desire Such as from off the passionate Indian pyre Drift down through sandal-odored flames that split About the slim young widow who doth sit And sing above, — midnights of tone entire, — Tissues of moonlight shot with songs of fire; — Bright drops of tune, from oceans infinite Of melody, sipped off the thin-edged wave And trickling down the beak, — discourses brave Of serious matter that no man may guess, — Good-fellow greetings, cries of light distress — All these but now within the house we heard: O Death, wast thou too deaf to hear the bird? II. Ah me, though never an ear for song, thou hast A tireless tooth for songsters: thus of late Thou camest, Death, thou Cat! and leap’st my gate, And, long ere Love could follow, thou hadst passed Within and snatched away, how fast, how fast, My bird — wit, songs, and all — thy richest freight Since that fell time when in some wink of fate Thy yellow claws unsheathed and stretched, and cast Sharp hold on Keats, and dragged him slow away, And harried him with hope and horrid play — Ay, him, the world’s best wood-bird, wise with song — Till thou hadst wrought thine own last mortal wrong. ‘Twas wrong! ’twas wrong! I care not, wrong’s the word! To munch our Keats and crunch our Keats and crunch our mocking-bird. III. Nay, Bird; my grief gainsays the Lord’s best right. The Lord was fain, at some late festal time, That Keats should set all Heaven’s woods in rhyme, And thou in bird-notes. Lo, this tearful night, Methinks I see thee, fresh from death’s despite, Perched in a palm-grove, wild with pantomime, O’er blissful companies couched in shady thyme, — Methinks I hear thy silver whistlings bright Mix with the mighty discourse of the wise, Till broad Beethoven, deaf no more, and Keats, ‘Midst of much talk, uplift their smiling eyes, And mark the music of thy wood-conceits, And halfway pause on some large, courteous word, And call thee “Brother,” O thou heavenly Bird!
Sidney Lanier composed this poem in 1878 while he was living in Baltimore, Maryland.
▼ Nor did lack Sweet music to the magic of the scene: The little crimson-breasted Nonpareil Was there, his tiny feet scarce bending down The silken tendril that he lighted on To pour his love notes; and in russet coat, Most homely, like true genius bursting forth In spite of adverse fortune, a full choir Within himself, the merry Mock Bird sate, Filling the air with melody; and at times, In the rapt favor of his sweetest song, His quivering form would spring into the sky, In spiral circles, as if he would catch New powers from kindred warblers in the clouds Who would bend down to greet him!
“The Mocking -Bird”, A Bird Poem by William Henry Timrod is About The Poet Speaker’sBird watching, especially his keen observation of Singing of The Mocking Bird and his reciprocally receivingthe melodious notes from the other Warblers in the clouds for reciting his sweetest love song. The Mocking Bird , afterall is an excellent in mimicking other Warblers who also sing similar notes of melody that would be instantly shared with. The Mocking Bird has been described in his recognised image, as with “The little crimson-breast” , tiny feet as if scarce ( hardly / almost nothing ) bending down , his stem – like structure, to call it “The silken tendril” ( slim thin delicate ) form that “he lighted on/ To pour his love notes; and in russet coat , that is, in a chest below his singing throat having brown cover tinged with redness. 🤎 The Mocking Bird has been settled “Most homely, like true genius”/ ” bursting forth” suddenly in forced releases in to the loud voice that was kept in his pent – up or suppressed emotions.
The Poet Speaker portrays The “merrily singing” Mockingbird as if not being a single chorister in a full choir ( Musical Orchestra of many singers with many instruments ) , but is One In All , “Within himself, Filling the air with melody; and at times, In the rapt favor of his sweetest song, “, that is, gifting a souvenir/ momento of his sweetest song absorbed in ecstasy which produces very wide impact in “His quivering form ( that ) would spring into the sky,” that is, the vibrating beats that would bounce in to the sky and rebound “In spiral circles, as if he would catch New powers from kindred warblers in the clouds Who would bend down to greet him!” : : The kindred Warblers stated here in the clouds are the heavenly singing souls , akin to spread sweetest song in ecstasy who would bend down “Meaning , as in Music , they say, ‘would smoothly change the notes relaying around with the similar sweetness with a view “to greet” the Mock(ing) Bird ! Who would, as The poet experiences, “sate, Filling the air with melody,” that is, he would easily mimick the “melodious notes” 🎶 of the Sweetest “love song” that fills to satisfaction / satiated in this fashion. ( supplied / fed to satisfaction ) : :
“The Mocking Bird”, A Bird Poem by William Henry Timrod Information Appreciation and poem Analysis Presented by V Jayaraj Pune India December 3, 2023 : : : : : : : :
Hush little baby, don’t say a word : : By Mother Goose : : Hush little baby, don’t say a word, Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.
And if that mockingbird won’t sing, Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.
And if that diamond ring turns to brass, Papa’s gonna buy you a looking glass.
And if that looking glass gets broke, Papa’s gonna buy you a billy goat.
And if that billy goat won’t pull, Papa’s gonna buy you a cart and bull.
And if that cart and bull turn over, Papa’s gonna buy you a dog named Rover.
And if that dog named Rover won’t bark, Papa’s gonna buy you a horse and cart.
And if that horse and cart fall down, You’ll still be the sweetest little baby in town! — Mother Goose : : Source: The Dorling Kindersley Book of Nursery Rhymes (2000)
Notes for each of the Couplets Pending visit this post again later on to enjoy the appreciation of the poem V Jayaraj Pune India December 2, 2023 : : : :
Poet and Educator , Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ( February 27, 1807 Portland, District of Maine, Massachusetts — March 24, 1882 (aged 75) Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. ) statue by William Couper in Washington, DC : : The Singers: : The Seaside and the Fireside 1850
God sent his Singers upon earth With songs of sadness and of mirth, That they might touch the hearts of men, And bring them back to heaven again.
The first, a youth, with soul of fire, Held in his hand a golden lyre; Through groves he wandered, and by streams, Playing the music of our dreams.
The second, with a bearded face, Stood singing in the market-place, And stirred with accents deep and loud The hearts of all the listening crowd.
A gray old man, the third and last, Sang in cathedrals dim and vast, While the majestic organ rolled Contrition from its mouths of gold.
And those who heard the Singers three Disputed which the best might be; For still their music seemed to start Discordant echoes in each heart,
But the great Master said, “I see No best in kind, but in degree; I gave a various gift to each, To charm, to strengthen, and to teach.
“These are the three great chords of might, And he whose ear is tuned aright Will hear no discord in the three, But the most perfect harmony.”
Mocking-Bird : : by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
▼ Then from a neighboring thicket the mocking-bird, wildest of singers, Swinging aloft on a willow spray that hung o’er the water, Shook from his little throat such floods of delirious music, That the whole air and the woods and the waves seemed silent to listen. Plaintive at first were the tones and sad: then soaring to madness Seemed they to follow or guide the revel of frenzied Bacchantes. Single notes were then heard, in sorrowful, low lamentation; Till, having gathered them all, he flung them abroad in derision, As when, after a storm, a gust of wind through the tree-tops Shakes down the rattling rain in a crystal shower on the branches.
“Mocking -Bird”, A Bird Poem by American Poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is About “The Wildest Singer”, wondrous portray of Bird Watching , with reference to The Mocking -Bird , pictured as singing “floods of delirious music”, in such a rocking fashion that it “shakes from his little throat”, Meaning, he communicates a feeling that is listened to even by the “whole air and the woods and the waves remain silent”, for attending with concentration. : The Mocking – Bird expresses sorrows in his mournful tone of sadness which then turns to “soaring to madness”levels which is described by The Poet Speaker, “Seemed they to follow or guide the revel of frenzied Bacchantes.”: He looks so of “Bacchantes”, a devotee adherent to a cause of non – Christian cult who here, continues wild with his fanatic urge ( frenzied” ) to singing uncontrollably while expressing his griefs.
The Poet Speaker then hears , “single notes in sorrowful , low lamentation;”, wailing or A cry of sorrow and grief in low pitch , or with reduced intensity, say in a deep throaty manner of sound. In the end, he is shown as putting away with all his gathered grief, and then ‘looking afield’ from his usual surrounding as described by The Poet Speaker, “flung them abroad in derision”: What The Speaker says Means that the bird would now enjoy the sound of laughing. Is this deriding or a manifestation of joy in contempt? The Poet Speaker clarifies in last lines of the poem, “As when, after a storm, a gust of wind through the tree-tops /Shakes down the rattling rain in a crystal shower on the branches.”
The bursts of strongwind , after a storm bends the tree -tops and gives quick larrup to the “rattling rain in crystal shower on the branches.”that is, the 💧💧💧💧💧 raindrops in large gathering of crystal shower, travel rapidly likened to a sudden downpour or to a rain shower.
Alas ! The wild frenzied way of sorrowful singing of The Mocking – Bird turns out to that of cool , crystal – clear , or lucid manner of Singing Sanely. : : : :
“Mocking – Bird”, A Bird Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Information Appreciation and poem Analysis Presented by V Jayaraj Pune India December 1, 2023 : : : : : : : :
My mother always called it a nest, the multi-colored mass harvested
from her six daughters’ brushes, and handed it to one of us
after she had shaped it, as we sat in front of the fire drying our hair.
She said some birds steal anything, a strand of spider’s web, or horse’s mane,
the residue of sheep’s wool in the grasses near a fold
where every summer of her girlhood hundreds nested.
Since then I’ve seen it for myself, their genius— how they transform the useless.
I’ve seen plastics stripped and whittled into a brilliant straw,
and newspapers—the dates, the years— supporting the underweavings.
2 As tonight in our bed by the window you brush my hair to help me sleep, and clean
the brush as my mother did, offering the nest to the updraft.
I’d like to think it will be lifted as far as the river, and catch in some white sycamore,
or drift, too light to sink, into the shaded inlets, the bank-moss, where small fish, frogs, and insects
lay their eggs. Would this constitute an afterlife?
The story goes that sailors, moored for weeks off islands they called paradise,
stood in the early sunlight cutting their hair. And the rare
birds there, nameless, almost extinct, came down around them
and cleaned the decks and disappeared into the trees above the sea. From Vesper Sparrows by Deborah Digges (Antheneum, 1986). : : From poets.org : For Educational Purposes only.
A black large ground Finch perching on the branch of a tree. : Image by Flickr user Brian Gratwicke. : : In regard to the wildness of birds towards man, there is no other way of accounting for it… many individuals… have been pursued and injured by man, but yet have not learned a salutary dread of him.
Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species
* * Science Poem: Darwin’s Finches : : By Kate Horowitz : ( From lastwordonnothing.com : ( For Educational Purposes only ) : : : : : : : : : : ^~^ Darwin’s Finches :
All right, fine, the first few birds Could not have seen this coming. They saw only dark shapes—large, lumbering, branch-winged birds Tipped with tufts of down. Of course the little birds were curious. Of course they believed the branch-wings Were benevolent.
And you’re right: Once those first birds had been grabbed, Necks twisted, No, they couldn’t have gone back To warn the others.
But the finches just kept coming, Bird by trusting bird, And the men kept killing them, And the flock kept thinning.
You might think at some point One bird might say to another, You know, there’s something strange About that beach— The birds who go there Never come back
And maybe One bird did say this, And maybe The warned bird went anyway.
I guess I understand.
Purple Finch : Male : : (Haemorhous purpureus) is a bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. It breeds in the northern United States, southern Canada, and the west coast of North America. purple finch is 12–16 cm (4.7–6.3 in) in overall length and weighs 18–32 g (0.63–1.13 oz). It has a short forked brown tail and brown wings. Adult males are raspberry red on the head, breast, back and rump; their back is streaked. The subspecies H. p. californicus differs from the nominate in having a longer tail and shorter wings. The plumage of both males and females is darker. Birds from northern Canada migrate to the southern United States; other birds are permanent residents. The purple finch population has declined sharply in the East due to the house finch. Most of the time, when these two species collide, the house finch outcompetes the purple finch. This bird has also been displaced from some habitat by the introduced house sparrow. Male Purple Finch : This is the state bird of New Hampshire.Purple Finch : Female : : Adult females have light brown upperparts and white underparts with dark brown streaks throughout; they have a white line on the face above the eye. the coloration of the females is more greenish.It also has a longer bill. In 1763, Richard Brookes made the description of the female purple finch in Mexico with the name of “chiantototl” (chia seedbird.
* * * 1) by Sara Kendrick Purple House Finch purple house finch perched ‘pon loose weeping willow limb… swinging in spring breeze
2) by Sara Kendrick Flies On Silent Wings . Gold Finch quietly Grasp Rubeckia’s stem feeds… Flies on silent wings
3) by James Marshall Goff Purple Finch crimson lilts of joy fill the alder tree with song~ concert of rubies
4) by Donald Meikle Daisy Days Sunflowered yellow finch She loves me she loves me not Petals flutter down
5) by Maureen Mcgreavy The Gold Finch and the Alchemy of Autumn gold turning silver feathers with the leaves shedding
summer colours fall
6) by Anna Dove In Search of Nature Haiku I saw it happen, While the goose laughed at the finch, On his warmer way
7) by Greg Gaul Spring Death a finch lays dead now crashed into my window- nature seeks balance
8) by Tania Kitchin Fresh Morning Melodies a lone goldfinch sings chirping away before dawn~ sunny melody
outside my window a robin sings to the finch~ morning serenade
a blue jay squawks loud waking up the neighborhood~ cat clowder begins
9) by Joan C. Fingon Little Finch chirpy little finch awakens early risers opening the day
10) by Laura Leiser Plain Beauty plain finch puffs her chest dew and sunlight set the stage she trills wild glory
11) by Victor Buhagiar Haiku 12 – Bird the cold north wind blows birds dash into the darkness… no light in winter.
zebra finch on tree chirping midst perfumed blossoms: children adore birds
12) by Evelyn Judy Buehler Color Echoes cream rose white daisy blue jay on a cobalt sky heart stopping sunset
frog on lily pad diamonds on a starry night gold butterfly sun
tree bark gingerbread apricots and honey dawn raspberry rose finch
13) by Linda Alice Fowler Juniper Berry juniper berry spirited gentian blue seed ~ purple finch flickers
14) by Abdullah Alhemaidy Magnolia Warbler black and yellow finch cute Magnolia warbler so lovely sparrow
15)
* V : : HOPE: : by Anne Kingsmill Finch Do you believe, in what you see do you believe in reality do you believe in the sun that’s bright do you believe in the stars in the night
Do you believe in the birds that fly do you believe in clouds and the sky do you believe in wind that flows do you believe in moon that glows do you believe in light
Do you believe the spoken word do you believe the things you’ve heard do you believe in the final answer do you believe in the swirling dancer
Do you believe in sound and sight do you believe in moments bright do you believe in taste and touch do you believe that much
Do you believe in the soul inside do you believe in ecstasy and delight do you believe in glory and god do you believe in that thought
Do you believe in the sky above do you believe in love
Do you believe in the heaven and the earth do you believe in death and birth do you believe in life
open your eyes with hope within open the door, let light reach in if you believe, then you’ll win — Anne Kingsmill Finch
V : : The Skeleton : : by G K Chesterton Chattering finch and water-fly Are not merrier than I; Here among the flowers I lie Laughing everlastingly. No; I may not tell the best; Surely, friends, I might have guessed Death was but the good King’s jest, It was hid so carefully
V * : : To be included.. . Pending… .
Thanking All Of My Readers of My wordpress blog site MADHU MALTI ( For reading and appreciating as well as for Not reading, @geetpurbak.art.blog Today , Thursday, the November 30, 2023 , is A HAPPY ANNIVERSARY With wordpress.com
