Be like a bird

3 Comments

There's a round (we learned it from Libana) to which the lyrics go:

Be like a bird, who, halting in her flight

On a limb too slight, feels it give way beneath her;

Yet sings, sings, knowing she has wings;

Yet sings, sings, knowing she has wings.

The lyrics turn out to be an adaptation of a Victor Hugo poem (at least I think it's a poem), with music by Arthur Frackenpohl. The Victor Hugo piece, at least in one English version, goes like this:

Let us be like a bird for a moment perched

On a frail branch when he sings;

Though he feels it bend, yet he sings his song,

Knowing that he has wings.

I think it was Jay S. who once commented, while listening to roundsingers singing the song: "The hard part is knowing you have wings."

3 Responses to “Be like a bird”

  1. Margaret

    I think the hard part is singing even when you know you don’t have wings!

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    • Jed

      Margaret: Good point; that too.

      Alex: Yep, that’s essentially what Jay meant. Though I think I would usually put it more in terms of trusting that your wings will work than in terms of remembering that you have them per se.

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  2. Alex

    well sometimes the hard part IS having no wings, but maybe what he is saying is, it is hard to KNOW you have wings. When you’re in danger, most of the time you panic and forget what you have that could “save” you. In the bird’s case he didn’t panic, for he knew he had wings, sooo, technically the hard part is getting through fear to see that you have wings.

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