I heard a goldfinch singing at the twilight of the day <br />And it took me to another Land far north and far away <br />To the leafy grove by the river when the dawn was breaking gray <br />And the meadows scenting sweetly of the fragrant blooms of May. <br /> <br />The distinct song of the goldfinch a familiar song to me <br />By his voice I recognized him as him I did not have to see <br />At the verge of his borders on branch of horse chestnut tree <br />He carolled in the gray dawn to proclaim his territory. <br /> <br />I heard a goldfinch singing and I thought of my Homeland <br />And if you too are a migrant you like me can understand <br />How the song of a familiar bird bring you back thoughts of home <br />Though you love your adopted Country and nostalgia you've outgrown. <br /> <br />On a cootamundra wattle I heard a goldfinch sing <br />And it took me to a northern Land and to a distant Spring <br />And if you too are a migrant you like me would also know <br />That a voice that you grew up with takes you to the long ago.<br /><br />Francis Duggan<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/on-hearing-a-goldfinch-singing/
