JUNE CUCKOOS

Looking for something related to June and linked with the English language or literature, I’ve come across this quote by Shakespeare:

"Was but as the cuckoo is in June,
Heard not regarded". [1st Henry IV – III, 2]

According to Archibald Geikie in his book The Birds of Shakespeare, this is the context and meaning of this sentence:

"As summer advances, the cuckoo’s note, having grown familiar, no longer attracts the notice of the country-folk, as it did when the bird first appeared in April. King Henry IV avails himself of this common observation when he lectures his son on his misdoings, and compares the Prince’s career to that of “the skipping king” of the previous reign, who lost the respect of the people".

THIS BLOG displays Lord Archibald Geike’s text in a clear and orderly manner.

Picture: www.flickr.com/photos/7457894@N04/2677923655