Answer to a Child's Question by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Do you ask what the birds say? The sparrow, the dove,

The linnet and thrush say, 'I love and I love!'

In the winter they're silent - the wind is so strong;

What it says, I don't know, but it sings a loud song.

But green leaves, and blossoms, and sunny warm weather,

And singing, and loving - all come back together.

But the lark is so brimful of gladness and love,

The green fields below him, the blue sky above,

That he sings, and he sings; and for ever sings he -

'I love my Love, and my Love loves me!'

      The speaker tells the child that four birds - sparrows, doves, linnets and thrushes - all sing a similar song. What is this song? One bird sings a very different song. Which bird? And how is their song different? How can you make the birds' songs sound different when you perform the poem? How can you make the lark's song sound full of 'gladness and love'? To go further, think about other birds you know and listen to examples of their song if you can. What do you imagine they might be singing about? Can you add another verse to the poem?