The Blackbird

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24141, 6 December 1941, Page 17

The Blackbird

Tlwakawaka greets the light With a rapid.whir of Wings, From the top-most bough of a totara tree the burnished tui sings, But the blackbird cries, "Too late, too late, 'ere ever the day was born / Was singing the praise of the saoron sun on the chill of the dew-wet lawn." When tui crouches silently on kflwhai s leafless boughs, And kuku murmurs dolefully on miro's rainwet leaves, The blackbird whistles merrily, since life is good to him, i4s the trees are bent with weepng and a cold wind grieves, He is warm behind the chimney where the chill wind never comes, Where the lash of rain goes over him and never wets his wings, And a flock °f shrieking sparrows make a cheerful company On the ledges of the chimney where the happy blackbird sings. The roofs gleam wet beneath him and the smoke is blown and curled, He can see quite half the chimney pots in all the smoke-palled world, He can see quite half the steaming roofs when the pale sun struggles through And the grey clouds scudding swiftly break to show the timid blue. —Original, by Lily Trowern (18).