A Poem About A Nightingale Poem by Denis Martindale

Its short-lived song salutes the night,
From April through to June,
According to the facts some write
That celebrate its tune...
And while some other birds sing, too,
Before time slips away,
Let's grant some credit where it's due,
Its nature to obey...

And yet, we, too, were born to praise,
Like songbirds near and far,
As if God's anthems meant to raise,
Beyond each sun and star...
Each tiny bird sends forth its sound
To force the silence out,
Enough to let its joys abound,
Regardless of each doubt...

For when night comes, it chills man's soul,
Some hardly sleep at all,
Yet nightingales have self-control
And that's their miracle...
Perhaps that's why, if men know fear,
They whistle like a bird
That sings its courage crystal clear
So that it's overheard...

When first I saw a nightingale,
I gazed up in surprise,
As if it had a tale to tell
That I must realise...
And peace of mind came flooding fast,
Like harps when softly played,
For happiness had come at last,
Like Heaven's serenade...



Denis Martindale for The Darling Buds Of May 2016.


This poem's written today, the 31st of May 2016,
thanks to watching the charming country TV series,
The Darling Buds Of May, which features the joys
of the nightingale's song in the very first episode.

When beauty Mariette hears a poem about a nightingale,
she's so taken with it that she says softly, 'That's lovely...
Fancy being able to write a poem about a nightingale.'
So that's why I paused to wrote this poem, just for her...