The Asian Koel

Manju Bal Krishna

From behind a fruit tree’s lush leafy veil,
It casts forth its mellifluous, hypnotic wail,
Koo-Ooo … Koo-Ooo … Koo-Ooo … Koo-Ooo...
As the sun rests and dips its toes in the dark,
Its frantic urgency reaches a breaking arc.

The sweet strain waltzes with the efflorescence of the mango;
the blooming panicles, the incognito bard and their annual tango
Koo-Ooo … Koo-Ooo...The onomatopoeic kokila*, the echoic pika*
the eternal trope, the muse of Kokila Sandesa*; anya-vapa*, parabhrita*

Announcing the heralding of the monsoon showers
He sings of love, desire and longing in inky bowers
Koo-Ooo … Koo-Ooo … Koo-Ooo … Koo-Ooo...
The lovesick bird pours poignant ache in every strain,
Drenching the soul like a refreshing, divine burst of rain.

But she is a brood parasite, a master of smooth deception,
Laying eggs in stealth-mode to avoid hostile reception -
Kik ... Kik ... Kik … Kik … Kik … Kik ... Wook … Wook … Wook
Drongos, mynas, shrikes, jungle and house crows’ worst nightmare;
She ‘parasitises’ cleverly, the distraction trick performed with flair!

It gobbles and regurgitates seeds big and small – a frugivore,
Propagating sandalwood, figs, berries, and wild palms galore.
A native of light woodlands and also a citizen of urban spaces,
The coloniser of Krokatau, it now thrives in many odd places.

The Science

The Asian koel is placed in the genus Eudynamys  that was introduced in 1827 by the English naturalists Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield. The genus name Eudynamys combines the Ancient Greek ‘eu’ or ‘fine’ with ‘dunamis’ meaning ‘power’ or ‘strength.’ This poem is a tribute to the Asian Koel or Kokila [its Sanskrit name] that has been the muse of poets and lovers for long. Its name is echoic. Koel also means ‘coal-black’ referring to its shiny black body and feathers.

The koel is wired to not build a nest. It relies on brood parasitism and the mated couple applies distraction strategy to befool the host parents and lay an egg in the strangers’ nest. When a chick, the koel is an omnivore who later, becomes a frugivore or a fruit-lover. It can easily swallow seeds of wild palms and sandalwood owing to its big gape. The Koel is the pioneer coloniser of Krokatau [between Java and Sumatra] because of its resilience. It has also adapted itself well to the cities.

The first tribute to the bird, ‘The Message of the Kokila’ or ‘Kokila Sandesa by Uddanda Sastri was penned in the15th century. She finds frequent mention in Indian and Nepalese poetry, art, folklore and traditions. She is called anya-vapa - raised by others and parabhrita - nurtured by others - a nod to her brood parasitism in Sanskrit literature.

Its song, a symbol of passion coincides with its mating season, and broadcasts the arrival of the south-west monsoons in the Indian subcontinent and the flowering of the mango.

The Poet

Writing is a pilgrimage, a spiritual experience, and the refuge of Manju Bal Krishna. Her deepest feelings are in ink. When it’s hard to speak about them, her characters express them for her. The turn of a phrase, the subtleness of an idiom, and the nuances of words have fascinated her since childhood. The love for creative pursuits naturally led her to write. Penning stories, poems, plays, reading her favourite authors, keeping a just-born blog alive, and translating content are her passions. The garden is her open study. Ideas and words flow naturally for her in the lap of nature, surrounded by birds’ songs, the fragrance of flowers, a gentle breeze, and teeming life. Her work has appeared in the Avocet, Woman’s Era, Agnishatdal, Kitaab, Storyshares, RiyaButu, and coursebooks etc.

Next poem: The Cormorant by Peter Bickerton