The PEACOCK –

There is a lovely little verse called, simply, Peacock.  It was written by D.H. Lawrence, 20th century English author and poet:

PEACOCK

Think how a peacock in a forest of high trees
shimmers in a stream of blueness and long-tressed
magnificence!
And women even cut their shimmery hair!

The Peacock in the poem is nature’s gift of color, shimmer, magnificence… admired by the poet and compared, indirectly, to a woman’s hair.  The poet gets us thinking all about nature, Peacocks, literature and real-life. 

But what is the real tweet-tweet on the Peacock in real-life?  Here are a few little tidbits to pass along to your kids and grandkids to combine literature and life:

– The word Peacock often refers to both male and female birds, but the male is really the Peacock. The female is a Peahen.  Both males and females together are called Peafowl.

– The Peacock is known for its glorious train of tail feathers with its colorful eye markings and patterns in blues, greens, golds, reds and purples. The eyes are naturally iridescent, thought to be caused by both reflection and absorption of light within the structure of the feather.

– The Peacock uses its magnificent tail to attract a Peahen.  He arches his tail across his back until it touches the ground on both sides… and the Peahen chooses her mate according to the color, size and quality of the Peacock’s tail.

– The most desirable Peacocks are known to attract several Peahens and gather them to live in harems.  The Peahens each lay 3 – 5 eggs.

– Many Peacocks and Peahens living together is called a Party!

– Peacocks and Peahens are kept as pets in many parts of the world.

Ah.  The Peacock in real-life.  Combining literature and life makes reading so much more special.

Reading Peacock gives us a great opportunity to talk with our kids about the individual perception of beauty, in nature, in literature and in life.

The poet, D.H. Lawrence, obviously loves the shimmery, long locks of hair on a woman.  He almost cannot believe that something (woman’s hair) as magnificent as a Peacock’s feathers could be purposefully cut.

But how is hair compared to a Peacock’s feathers?  Both are natural characteristics.  Both can be beautiful.  And both can be used flirtatiously to attract attention!

Share the poem with your kids and talk about the poet’s opinion of beauty.  Did he get it correct in comparing a Peacock’s feathers in nature to a woman’s hair?  Interesting!

Join me here each day in August for AUGUST TWEET-TWEETS on 365 Days of Literacy for Kids! A little fun, a little learning and a bit of “tweet-tweet”!