03 February 2014

Young Folks' Column - Bobolink

Throat brimful of music —
Cannot keep it in;
Bless me! Wouldn't have you try;
"Twould almost be a sin,
Should think 'twould choke you though, sometimes,
The aperture's so small
That all this noise must struggle through,
Or not get out at all.
 
Swinging on the lily-cups,
Hiding in the clover,
Prince of comic vocalists,
Saucy little rover —
Give us a gem from Mozart;
A taste from Meyerbeer;
Or a morceau from Rossini,
Fit for cultivated ear.
 
Can not? — Well stop trying;
Your own wild notes are best,
Stick to the time you've practiced,
Never mind the rest;
Stretch your mouth to the utmost;
Pour forth your pearly song
Marred by no taint of by-gone grief,
Or shade of future wrong.
March 2, 1872. Bobolink. Pacific Rural Press 3(9): 138.