Sunday, March 6, 2011

Bird Language


(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
at

3 comments:

  1. The old gentleman...March 6, 2011 at 11:18 AM

    Chiefly sounds of joy,
    yes,in an age of anxiety,
    the wee birds do employ,
    and, ah, in what variety!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Barbara Sullivan MangognaMarch 6, 2011 at 1:05 PM

    Love the bird, love Auden!

    ReplyDelete
  3. GretchenJoannaMarch 6, 2011 at 9:56 PM

    What a gift the birds are - thank God! Yes, the picture and the poem, both new to me, and so vibrant.

    ReplyDelete

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