Francis Berger
  • Blog
  • My Work

The Cuckoos Are Gone

7/23/2020

7 Comments

 
Being locked down in rural western Hungary this spring provided me the opportunity to assess the accuracy of the old nursery rhyme regarding the spring/summer cuckoo cycle.

Cuckoo, cuckoo, what do you do?
In April I open my bill;
In May I sing all day;
In June I change my tune;
In July away I fly
In August away I must. 


Adhering to the formula above, the cuckoos in my area began singing in April, filled the air with their calls all through May and early June, and changed their tune in the latter part of June and early July. Moreover, I have not heard any cuckoo calls at all in the past two weeks, which suggests the cuckoos here have flown away, just as the nursery rhyme said they would. The last line in the rhyme is still a bit of a mystery to me. Perhaps it refers to the young cuckoos leaving the nests of their host parents? 
7 Comments
William James Tychonievich link
7/23/2020 11:17:42

The version I know has "In August die I must." Not sure if that's ornithologically accurate.

Reply
Francis Berger
7/23/2020 21:06:40

@ Wm - "In August die I must."

Goodness, that's ghastly. But then again, many fairy tales and nursery rhymes contain gruesome elements - so perhaps that what 'away' means in this version, too.

Reply
William James Tychonievich link
7/24/2020 18:07:32

It’s also entirely possible that the Boomers from whom I learned the rhyme were influenced by the Simon and Garfunkel version.

Michelle
7/23/2020 11:37:56

Maybe in July they fly but stay local. Say goodbye to their cuckoo pals (at a distance of 6 feet of course, because they care about their friends), hit the local library to map out their course because the internet has already been cut off at their house, and then in August they hit the road?

Reply
Francis Berger
7/23/2020 21:07:38

I like that, Michelle. Very amusing. Even more amusing is the idea of a cuckoo in a face mask.

Reply
bruce charlton
7/23/2020 16:07:09

The second of these seems much the best to me - and indeed something I'd be very happy to have in my house! - a lovely atmosphere.

Reply
Francis Berger
7/23/2020 21:04:33

@ Bruce - I agree. I'm getting a great deal of enjoyment from discovering these painters.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Blog and Comments

    Blog posts tend to be spontaneous, unpolished, first draft entries ranging from the insightful and periodically profound to the poorly-argued and occasionally disparaging.
     

    Comments are moderated. Anonymous comments are never published (please use your name or a pseudonym). 

    Emails welcome:

    f er en c ber g er (at) h otm   ail (dot) co m
    Blogs/Sites I Read
    Bruce Charlton's Notions
    Meeting the Masters
    From The Narrow Desert
    Synlogos ✞ Aggregator
    New World Island  
    New World Island YouTube
    ​Steeple Tea
    Berdyaev.com
    Adam Piggott
    Fourth Gospel Blog
    The Orthosphere
    Junior Ganymede

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012

    Picture
    A free PDF is also available in My Work. 
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.