Rate:5.0 / 3 votes

Lyrebird's Message

Ludy Bührs

Rhymed
Driven by a strong impulse
to show off with your throat
you open up like a stereo;
through wood sounds float

Your golden gob, it scratches and cracks
or clicks and rattles sharp and robust
You mimic and banter all sounds
invading the places you trust

As soon as you whistle and sing
all visitors’ mouths stay shut
and then bluntly you point out
how the great trees have been cut

Your voice, it reaches every pitch:
hear a chainsaw, motors run;
you forcefully exhale the deeds
harassing and killing your fun

Lofty you state your superior skills
the hard life you have endured
and for the ladies at flight’s length
you will gather all your strength
Font size:
Collection       
 

Submitted by ludy_b on October 17, 2021

Modified by ludy_b on December 07, 2021

37 sec read
115

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA XBXB XCXC XDXD XXEE
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 655
Words 125
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Full analysis for Lyrebird's Message »

Ludy Bührs

 · Amsterdam

The topics she writes about are very diverse, so are the poetry styles she applies. As a Dutch translator and poet, having lived in Cambodia's capital city Phnom Penh for 2.5 years, in 2008 she published "Op de ruïnes van een rijk" (On the Ruins of an Empire) ISBN 978-90-8834-483-1 with 60 poems based on her experiences there. In 2007 she received a Certificate of Accomplishment as one of The Best Poems and Poets of 2007 issued by poetry.com and the International Library of Poetry for her poem Choked Truth, her own translation of "Verstikte waarheid", one of the poems in the book. Born in 1956, she still works as an independent translator, translating from English into Dutch. more…

All Ludy Bührs poems | Ludy Bührs Books

46 fans

Discuss the poem Lyrebird's Message with the community...

1 Comment

Translation

Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Citation

Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Lyrebird's Message" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 5 Feb. 2025. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/112210/lyrebird's-message>.

Powered by CITE.ME Cite.Me

Become a member!

Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

More poems by

Ludy Bührs

»

February 2025

Poetry Contest

Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
23
days
22
hours
11
minutes
28 entries submitted — 122 remaining

Special Program

Earn Rewards!

Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

Our awesome collection of

Promoted Poems

»

Browse Poetry.com

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 

Quiz

Are you a poetry master?

»
The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem is called _______.
A rhythm
B verse
C rhyme
D meter