One day in London during the late summer I was amused and at the same time a little disgusted at this general indifference16 to the delicate beauty in a bird-sound which distinguishes the willow wren even among such delicate singers as the warblers: it struck me as a kind of ?sthetic hardness of hearing. I heard the song in the flower [Pg_119] walk, in Kensington Gardens, on a Sunday morning, and sat down to listen to it; and for half an hour the bird continued to repeat his song two or three times a minute on the trees and bushes within half a dozen yards of my seat. Just after I had sat down, a throstle, perched on the topmost bough17 of a thorn that projected over the walk, began his song, and continued it a long time, heedless of the people passing below. Now, I noticed that in almost every case the person approaching lifted his eyes to the bird above, apparently18 admiring the music, sometimes even pausing for a moment in his walk; and that when two or three came together they not only looked up, but made some remark about the beauty of the song. But from first to last not one of all the passers-by cast a look towards the tree where the willow wren was singing; nor was there anything to show that the sound had any attraction for them, although they must have heard it. The loudness of the thrush prevented them from giving it any attention, and made it practically inaudible. It was like a pimpernel blossoming by the side of a poppy, or dahlia, or peony, where, even if seen, it would not be noticed as a beautiful flower.
In the chapter on the wood wren, I endeavoured [Pg_120] to trace to its source the pleasurable feelings which the song of that bird produces in me and in many others—a charm exceeding that of many more celebrated19 vocalists. In that chapter the song of the willow wren was mentioned incidentally. Now, these two—wood wren and willow wren—albeit nearly related, are, in the character of their notes, as widely different as it is possible for two songsters to be; and when we listen attentively20 to both, we recognise that the feeling produced in us differs in each case—that it has a different cause. In the case of the willow wren it might be said off-hand that our pleasure is simply due to the fact that it is a melodious21 sound, associated in our minds with summer scenes. As much could be said of any other migrant's song—nightingale, tree-pipit, blackcap, garden warbler, swallow, and a dozen more. But it does not explain the individual and very special charm of this particular bird—what I have ventured to call the secret of the willow wren. After all, it is not a deeply hidden secret, and has indeed been half guessed or hinted by various writers on bird melody; and as it also happens to be the secret of other singers besides the willow wren, we may, I think, find in it an explanation of the fact that the best singers do [Pg_121] not invariably please us so well as some that are considered inferior.
The song of the willow wren has been called singular and unique among our birds; and Mr Warde Fowler, who has best described it, says that it forms an almost perfect cadence23, and adds, "by which I mean that it descends24 gradually, not, of course, on the notes of our musical scale, by which no birds in their natural state would deign25 to be fettered26, but through fractions of one or perhaps two of our tones, and without returning upward at the end." Now, this arrangement of its notes, although very rare and beautiful, does not give the little song its highest ?sthetic value. The secret of the charm, I imagine, is traceable to the fact that there is distinctly something human-like in the quality of the voice, its timbre27. Many years ago an observer of wild birds and listener to their songs came to this country, and walking one day in a London suburb he heard a small bird singing among the trees. The trees were in an enclosure and he could not see the bird, but there would, he thought, be no difficulty in ascertaining28 the species, since it would only be necessary to describe its peculiar29 little song to his friends and they would tell him. Accordingly, on his return [Pg_122] to the house he proceeded to describe the song and ask the name of the singer. No one could tell him, and much to his surprise, his account of the melody was received with smiles of amusement and incredulity. He described it as a song that was like a wonderfully bright and delicate human voice talking or laughingly saying something rather than singing. It was not until some time afterwards that the bird-lover in a strange land discovered that his little talker and laugher among the leaves was the willow wren. In vain he had turned to the ornithological30 works; the song he had heard, or at all events the song as he had heard it, was not described therein; and yet to this day he cannot hear it differently—cannot dissociate the sound from the idea of a fairy-like child with an exquisitely31 pure, bright, spiritual voice laughingly speaking in some green place.
And yet Gilbert White over a century ago had noted32 the human quality in the willow wren's voice when he described it as an "easy, joyous, laughing note." It is still better to be able to quote Mr Warde Fowler, when writing in A Year with the Birds, on the futile33 attempts which are often made to represent birds' songs by means of our notation34, since birds are guided in their songs by [Pg_123] no regular succession of intervals35. Speaking of the willow wren in this connection, he adds: "Strange as it may seem, the songs of birds may perhaps be more justly compared with the human voice when speaking, than with a musical instrument, or with the human voice when singing." The truth of this observation must strike any person who will pay close attention to the singing of birds; but there are two criticisms to be made on it. One is that the resemblance of a bird's song to a human voice when speaking is confined to some or to a few species; the second is that it is a mistake to think, as Mr Fowler appears to do, that the resemblance is wholly or mainly due to the fact that the bird's voice is free when singing—that, like the human voice in talking, it is not tied to tones and semitones. For instance, we note this peculiarity36 in the willow wren, but not in, say, the wren and chaffinch, although the songs of these two are just as free, just as independent of regular intervals as our voices when speaking and laughing. The resemblance in a bird's song to human speech is entirely37 due to the human-like quality in the voice; for we find that other songsters—notably the swallow—have a charm similar to that of the willow wren, although [Pg_124] the notes of the former bird are differently arranged, and do not form anything like a cadence. Again, take the case of the blackbird. We are accustomed to describe the blackbird's voice as flute38-like, and the flute is one of the instruments which most nearly resemble the human voice. Now, on account of the leisurely39 manner in which the blackbird gives out his notes, the resemblance to human speech is not so pronounced as in the case of the willow wren or swallow; but when two or three or half a dozen blackbirds are heard singing close together, as we sometimes hear them in woods and orchards40 where they are abundant, the effect is singularly beautiful, and gives the idea of a conversation being carried on by a set of human beings of arboreal41 habits (not monkeys) with glorified42 voices. Listening to these blackbird concerts, I have sometimes wondered whether or not they produced the same effect on others' ears as on mine, as of people talking to one another in high-pitched and beautiful tones. Oddly enough, it was only while writing this chapter that I by chance found an affirmative answer to my question. Glancing through Leslie's Riverside Letters, which I had not previously43 seen, I came upon the following remarks, quoted from Sir George Grove44, in a letter [Pg_125] to the author, on the blackbird's singing: "He selects a spot where he is within hearing of a comrade, and then he begins quite at leisure (not all in a hurry like the thrush) a regular conversation. 'And how are you? Isn't this a fine day? Let us have a nice talk,' etc., etc. He is answered in the same strain, and then replies, and so on. Nothing more thoughtful, more refined, more feeling, can be conceived." In another passage he writes: "I love them (the robins), but they fill a much smaller part than the blackbird does in my heart. To hear the blackbird talking to his mate a field off, with deliberate, refined conversation, the very acme45 of grace and courtesy, is perfectly46 splendid."
There are two more common British songsters that produce much the same effect as the willow wren and blackbird; these are the swallow and pied wagtail. They are not in the first rank as melodists, and I can find no explanation of the fact that they please me better than the great singers other than their more human-like tones, which to my hearing have something of an exceedingly beautiful contralto sound. The swallow's song is familiar to every one, but that of the wagtail is not well known. The bird has two distinct songs: one, heard oftenest in early spring, consists [Pg_126] of a low rambling47 warble, with some resemblance to the whinchat's song; it is the second song, heard occasionally until late June, frequently uttered on the wing—a torrent48 of loud, rapidly uttered, and somewhat swallow-like notes—that comes nearest in tone to the human voice, and has the greatest charm.
After these, we find other songsters with one or two notes, or a phrase, human-like in quality, in their songs. Of these I will only mention the blackcap, linnet, and tree-pipit. The most beautiful of the blackcap's notes, which come nearest to the blackbird, have this human sound; and certainly the most beautiful part of the linnet's song is the opening phrase, composed of notes that are both swallow-like and human-like.
It may appear strange to some readers that I put the tree-pipit, with his thin, shrill49, canary-like pipe, in this list; but his notes are not all of this character; he is moreover a most variable singer; and it happens that in some individuals the concluding notes of the song have more of that peculiar human quality than any other British songster. No doubt it was a bird in which these human-like, languishing50 notes at the close of the song were very full and beautiful that inspired [Pg_127] Burns to write his "Address to a Wood-lark." The tree pipit is often called by that name in Scotland, where the true wood-lark is not found.
O stay, sweet warbling wood-lark, stay,
Nor quit for me the trembling spray,
A hopeless lover courts thy lay,
Again, again that tender part,
That I may catch thy melting art;
For surely that would touch her heart
Who kills me wi' disdaining52.
Say, was thy little mate unkind,
And heard thee as the passing wind?
O nocht but love and sorrow joined
Sic notes o' wae could waken!
Thou tells o' never-ceasing care,
O' speechless grief and dark despair;
For pity's sake, sweet bird, nae mair,
Or my poor heart is broken!
Much more could be said about these and other species in the passerine order that have some resemblance, distinct or faint, to the human voice in their singing notes—an echo, as it were, of our own common emotions, in most cases simply glad or joyous, but sometimes, as in the case of the tree-pipit, of another character. And even those species that are furthest removed from us in the character [Pg_128] of the sounds they emit have some notes that suggest a highly brightened human voice. Witness the throstle and nightingale. The last approaches to the human voice in that rich, musical throb53, repeated many times with passion, which is the invariable prelude54 to his song; and again, in that "one low piping note, more sweet than all," four times repeated in a wonderfully beautiful crescendo55. Who that ever listened to Carlotta Patti does not remember sounds like these from her lips? It was commonly said of her that her voice was bird-like; certainly it was clarified and brightened beyond other voices—in some of her notes almost beyond recognition as a human voice. It was a voice that had a great deal of the quality of gladness in it, but less depth of human passion than other great singers. Still, it was a human voice; and, just as Carlotta Patti (outshining the best of her sister-singers even as the diamond outsparkles all other gems) rose to the birds in her miraculous56 flights, so do some of the birds come down to and resemble us in their songs.
If I am right in thinking that it is the human note in the voices of some passerine birds that gives a peculiar and very great charm to their songs, so that an inferior singer shall please us [Pg_129] more than one that ranks high, according to the accepted standard, it remains to ask why it should be so. Why, I mean, should the mere57 likeness58 to a human tone in a little singing-bird impart so great a pleasure to the mind, when the undoubtedly human-like voices of many non-passerine species do not as a rule affect us in the same way? As a matter of fact, we find in the multitude of species that resemble us in their voices a few, outside of the order of singers, that do give us a pleasure similar to that imparted by the willow wren, swallow, and tree-pipit. Thus, among British birds we have the wood-pigeon, and the stock-dove; the green woodpecker, with his laugh-like cry; the cuckoo, a universal favourite on account of his double fluty call; and (to those who are not inclined to be superstitious59) the wood-owl22, a most musical night-singer; and the curlew, with, in a less degree, various other shore birds. But in a majority of the larger birds of all orders the effect produced is different, and often the reverse of pleasant. Or if such sounds delight us, the feeling differs in character from that produced by the melodious singer, and is mainly due to that wildness with which we are in sympathy expressed by such sounds. Human-like voices are found among [Pg_130] the auks, loons, and grebes; eagles and falcons60; cuckoos, pigeons, goatsuckers, owls61, crows, rails, ducks, waders, and gallinaceous birds. The cries and shrieks62 of some among these, particularly when heard in the dark hours, in deep woods and marshes63 and other solitary64 places, profoundly impress and even startle the mind, and have given rise all the world over to numberless superstitious beliefs. Such sounds are supposed to proceed from devils, or from demons65 inhabiting woods and waters and all desert places; from night-wandering witches; spirits sent to prophesy66 death or disaster; ghosts of dead men and women wandering by night about the world in search of a way out of it; and sometimes human beings who, burdened with dreadful crimes or irremediable griefs, have been changed into birds. The three British species best known on account of their supernatural character have very remarkable67 voices with a human sound in them: the raven68 with his angry, barking cry, and deep, solemn croak69; the booming bittern; and the white or church owl, with his funereal70 screech71.
It is, I think, plain that the various sensations excited in us by the cries, moans, screams, and the more or less musical notes of different species, are [Pg_131] due to the human emotions which they express or seem to express. If the voice simulates that of a maniac72, or of a being tortured in body or mind, or overcome with grief, or maddened with terror, the blood-curdling and other sensations proper to the occasion will be experienced; only, if we are familiar with the sound or know its cause, the sensation will be weak. Similarly, if in some deep, silent wood we are suddenly startled by a loud human whistle or shouted "Hi!" although we may know that a bird, somewhere in that waste of foliage73 around us, uttered the shout, we yet cannot help experiencing the feelings—a combination of curiosity, amusement, and irritation—which we should have if some friend or some human being had hailed us while purposely keeping out of sight. Finally, if the bird-sounds resemble refined, bright, and highly musical human voices, the voices, let us say, of young girls in conversation, expressive74 of various beautiful qualities—sympathy, tenderness, innocent mirth, and overflowing75 gladness of heart—the effect will be in the highest degree delightful76.
Herbert Spencer, in his account of the origin of our love of music in his Psychology77, writes: "While the tones of anger and authority are harsh [Pg_132] and coarse, the tones of sympathy and refinement78 are relatively79 gentle and of agreeable timbre. That is to say, the timbre is associated in experience with the receipt of gratification, has acquired a pleasure-giving quality, and consequently the tones which in music have an allied80 timbre become pleasure-giving and are called beautiful. Not that this is the sole cause of their pleasure-giving quality.... Still, in recalling the tones of instruments which approach the tones of the human voice, and observing that they seem beautiful in proportion to their approach, we see that this secondary ?sthetic element is important."
As with instruments, so it is with bird voices; in proportion as they approach the tones of the human voice, expressive of sympathy, refinement, and other beautiful qualities, they will seem beautiful—in some cases even more beautiful than those which, however high they may rank in other ways, are yet without this secondary ?sthetic element.
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1
willow
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| n.柳树 | |
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wren
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| n.鹪鹩；英国皇家海军女子服务队成员 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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caterpillars
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| n.毛虫( caterpillar的名词复数 )；履带 | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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robin
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| n.知更鸟，红襟鸟 | |
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ornithology
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| n.鸟类学 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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vernacular
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| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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melodious
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| adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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cadence
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| n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫 | |
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descends
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| v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜 | |
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deign
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| v. 屈尊, 惠允 ( 做某事) | |
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fettered
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| v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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timbre
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| n.音色，音质 | |
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ascertaining
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的现在分词 ) | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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ornithological
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| adj.鸟类学的 | |
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exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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notation
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| n.记号法，表示法，注释；[计算机]记法 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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flute
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| n.长笛；v.吹笛 | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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orchards
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| （通常指围起来的）果园( orchard的名词复数 ) | |
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arboreal
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| adj.树栖的；树的 | |
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glorified
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| 美其名的，变荣耀的 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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acme
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| n.顶点，极点 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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languishing
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| a. 衰弱下去的 | |
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soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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disdaining
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| 鄙视( disdain的现在分词 )； 不屑于做，不愿意做 | |
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throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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prelude
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| n.序言，前兆，序曲 | |
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crescendo
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| n.(音乐)渐强，高潮 | |
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miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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falcons
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| n.猎鹰( falcon的名词复数 ) | |
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owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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prophesy
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| v.预言；预示 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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raven
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| n.渡鸟，乌鸦；adj.乌亮的 | |
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croak
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| vi.嘎嘎叫，发牢骚 | |
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70
funereal
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| adj.悲哀的；送葬的 | |
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71
screech
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| n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
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72
maniac
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| n.精神癫狂的人；疯子 | |
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73
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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74
expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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75
overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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76
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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77
psychology
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| n.心理，心理学，心理状态 | |
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78
refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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relatively
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| adv.比较...地，相对地 | |
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allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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