(Little Bird by Norval Morrisseau, 1931?-2007, Canadian
Ojibwa artist)
Birds, like the rest of us, speak in different languages, with varied accents.
The first time I heard a rooster crow, it did so in German, “Kikeriki!” — pronouncing it kikəˑriˈki. Then I learned English after I moved to Canada, where the roosters translated this cry into “Cock-a doodle-do.”
BIRD LANGUAGE
Trying to understand the words
Uttered on all sides by birds,
I recognize in what I hear
Noises that betoken fear.
Though some of them, I’m certain, must
Stand for rage, bravado, lust,
All other notes that birds employ
Sound like synonyms for joy.
~ W. H. Auden (1907-1973), English-born American poet and essayist
3 comments:
Chiefly sounds of joy,
yes,in an age of anxiety,
the wee birds do employ,
and, ah, in what variety!
Love the bird, love Auden!
What a gift the birds are - thank God! Yes, the picture and the poem, both new to me, and so vibrant.
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