On Hearing A Magpie At Night

A night in mid May in the Fall the rain is drizzling down And the magpie is singing in the park of the old coastal town In or near their breeding Season the magpies sing at night Their music echoes in the darkness when the old town is quiet The magpie singing at night in the rain a pleasant sound to hear One of those marvellous songsters who sings all through the year City dwelling birds of human kind have lost most of their natural fear They build their nests and raise their young with humans living near A magpie singing at night in the damp coastal air And though not that beautiful to look at some others are more fair As a wildborn feathered minstrel few with him to compare A natural musician and his type does seem rare The magpie sings in the town park on a night of drizzling rain A memory to cherish and a memory to retain.