Blithe spirit in trouble
The skylark – one of the most beautiful sounds of the British countryside – is in danger. According to the RSPB, its numbers have fallen by some 53% since 1970. The situation’s so serious that in Bushy Park, Teddington, they’re asking people to keep away from its nesting sites.
Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!
Bird thou never wert -
That from Heaven or near it
Pourest thy full heart In profuse strains of unpremeditated art...
...Teach me half the gladness
That thy brain must know;
Such harmonious madness
From my lips would flow,
The world should listen then, as I am listening now.
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) Ode to a Skylark
Blithe spirit in trouble
The skylark – one of the most beautiful sounds of the British countryside – is in danger. According to the RSPB, its numbers have fallen by some 53% since 1970. The situation’s so serious that in Bushy Park, Teddington, they’re asking people to keep away from its nesting sites.
Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!
Bird thou never wert -
That from Heaven or near it
Pourest thy full heart In profuse strains of unpremeditated art...
...Teach me half the gladness
That thy brain must know;
Such harmonious madness
From my lips would flow,
The world should listen then, as I am listening now.
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) Ode to a Skylark