Cigale cigale cigale

Le Cigale sing loud and clear in an Italian garden

The cigale are singing constantly during the day. Listening to them reminds me of when I told my son the story of the Ant and the Grasshopper. All Summer long the grasshopper or cigale sings and dances. The ant instead spends all the time working hard to put away food for the winter. Of course when the cold weather arrives the grasshopper stops singing and hasn't got anything to eat. The ant tells him he should have worked in the summer instead of wasting all his time singing and dancing. My son who was only small at the time thought the ant should share his food, it was the obvious thing to do. I really liked him saying that.

My poem for the day is by John Keats (1796 - 1821) who probably wrote this lovely poem while thinking of the happy sound the cigale make in Italy.

The poetry of the earth is never dead:

When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,

That is the grasshopper's  -  he takes the lead

In summer luxury, - he has never done

With his delights; for when tired out with fun

He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.