"The redbreast sacred to the household gods,
Wisely regardful of the embroiling sky
In joyless fields and thorny thickets leaves
His shivering mates, and pays to trusted man
His annual visit. Half afraid, he first
Against the window beats; then brisk alights
On the warm hearth; then, hopping o'er the floor,
Eyes all the smiling family askance,
And pecks, and starts, and wonders where he is-
Till, more familiar grown, the table crumbs
Attract his slender feet."
Wisely regardful of the embroiling sky
In joyless fields and thorny thickets leaves
His shivering mates, and pays to trusted man
His annual visit. Half afraid, he first
Against the window beats; then brisk alights
On the warm hearth; then, hopping o'er the floor,
Eyes all the smiling family askance,
And pecks, and starts, and wonders where he is-
Till, more familiar grown, the table crumbs
Attract his slender feet."
James Thomson (1726-44)
A pleasure to see this bringer of goodwill enjoying the food we leave for him on our windowsills, safely a full storey out of reach of Carmine's cut-throat cats.
4 comments:
Never mind the cats, Robins are more wiley to get caught by those killers. Perhaps they would like to take on our Heron and see how they would like a good pecking.
Jonathan our seagull was famous for taking on cats and dogs large and small - most famously bloodying the nose of an over-curious German shepherd! :-)
What a gorgeous bird! Beautiful photo!
Funnily enough, I found this little fellow and his mate perched on our hearth today ... exactly as the poem describes. How they got in, I'll never know!
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