Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE CATBIRD, by AMOS RUSSEL WELLS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE CATBIRD, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: It mimics the vireo's song
Last Line: A hint of a petulant mew!
Subject(s): Catbirds


It mimics the vireo's song,
Insistent and jerky and sweet;
Like a robin it ripples along,
Like a sparrow it rhymes with the street.

Its call is now fluty and far,
Like a veery at sunset alone;
Now sad as the wood pewees are,
Now bright as the oriole's tone;

Now mocking the doughty chewink,
Now bold in the call of the jay;
Now matching the crazed bobolink,
Or the meadowlark's brisk roundelay;

And all through the marvellous feat
A something uncanny, untrue,
A tang of the mocker, the cheat,
A hint of a petulant mew!





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