Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Bits, pieces.


In the middle of every night, lately, a bird starts singing in the trees outside my flat. Singing, singing, singing, there alone in the middle of the night. Someone else finally remarked upon it to me today, and I said, I've heard it too! Call me next time it happens, my friend said. Do you really want a call in the middle of the night? I asked. Yes, he said. But what is it? we all wonder. Is it a robin? Is it a blackbird? Is it a nightingale?

In my solipsism I hear it as another late-nighter, trilling away to herself in the dark.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Winter night-singers in England are likely to be robins. (Nightingales and nightjars winter in Africa, returning to England about April--for which see Chaucer.) Nocturnal singing is used to attract a mate and defend a territory. But you knew that.

10:31 AM, January 17, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And like the bird's situation, people are overhearing your trills and thrilling to them and commenting on them. I hear the dragon is back in town, but he hasn't reappeared in the 'hood.

11:34 AM, January 17, 2008  
Blogger Dr. S said...

I've been betting on robins, even as others here say nightingale. Those robins are surprisingly loud, given how small they are...

And I hope that the dragon gets un-jetlagged soon.

12:36 PM, January 17, 2008  

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