Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE BIRDS: THE HOOPOE'S CALL TO THE BIRDS, by ARISTOPHANES


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE BIRDS: THE HOOPOE'S CALL TO THE BIRDS, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Epopoi / popo popo popo poi
Last Line: Assemble.
Subject(s): Birds


(The bird-notes in italics are
those of Procne breaking in.)
Epopoi
popo popo popo poi
Come one, come all,
my feathered folk, fly over!
The farm-lands forsake,
the rich fields of grain,
from barley-feast and seed-picking up and away
strong generations of birds
fluttering innumerable,
swift, and smoothly calling.
Up from the arable come you
smaller folk about the clods with pipe so slender
twittering for gladness.
tio tio tio tio
tio tio tio tio
Hurry over
from the ivied
city gardens, --
quick! from your forage begone!
From the hill hurry you
strippers of the bush-olive,
nibblers of the arbute, --
flit across the air to me,
hurry,
obey my call!
Marshy dyke
leave you now
all who snap
piercing gnats.
Water-fowl,
leave the moist
meadow-lands;
seek no more
heart's delight
deep in green
Marathon.
Hither come all,
hither come you
speckled and splashed
francolin
francolin!
Birds of all feather, the sea's generations,
over the billows with halcyons flying,
hasten you hither, await our intelligence.
Here at our summoning, flock upon flock of them, all birds long-throated
assemble.





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