A rare sight just outside Salzburg

A rare sight just outside Salzburg

One does not see those very often in the Salzburg area...I had to be quick, catching them on camera as we drove by...this was on a field beside the road connecting St. Leonhard with Neu-Anif. Eduard Mörike (1804-1875) "Storchenbotschaft" or "Stork's message" (English translation copyright © by Emily Ezust) The shepherd's house stands on two wheels - stands high on the heath, from morning to night; if only more people had such night lodgings! Then a shepherd would not exchange his bed with a king. And if something strange came about by night, he would make a little prayer and lay down on his ear; a spirit, a witch, and other such airy creatures may knock on his door, but he will not answer. But once it became just too much: the banging on the shutter, the whining of the dog; so my shepherd draws back the bolts - and behold! there stand two storks, a male and a female. The couple makes a nice bow and wish to speak, alas, if only they could! What do they want of me? Has anyone heard of such a thing? Yet they bear me a joyful message. You live in that house back there by the Rhine? You have bitten my maiden in the leg? now the child is weeping and the mother as well: she wishes for her beloved to come home. And she wishes also to arrange a baptism: a lamb, a sausage and a purse of money? well, tell her I'll come in two or three days, and greet my boy and stir his porridge for me! But wait! why have you both come? but it won't, I hope, mean twins? The storks give a great rattle with a merry sound; they nod and bow, and fly away.
EricChu
on Aug 20, 2011 2:28 am
Image ID: 739178

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kamil

kamil - Aug 20, 2011 3:59 pm - Voted 10/10

storks

Haha great poem, Eric!
Perhaps it's just about the border of their European habitat. Here in Poland they're more than abundant. A couple weeks ago me and my wife drove across Alsace on the way back from south France, and that's said to be the only part of France where they live. You won't believe it but we met a bunch of storks actually sponging food from people at a roadside car park!
cheers,
Kamil

EricChu

EricChu - Aug 20, 2011 4:17 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: storks

It's interesting...storks really seem to prefer where it's flat. In Hungary and the part of Austria named Burgenland they're very common as well. There's even the old joke that the Burgenländer still believe in the stork! :D Around Salzburg though you really see them only very rarely...
Cheers,
Eric

P.S.: The composer Hugo Wolf (1860-1903) wrote a fantastic Lied based on Mörike's poem, that's how I got to know it! :-)

visentin

visentin - Aug 21, 2011 4:58 pm - Voted 10/10

Re: storks

Very Storky !

EricChu

EricChu - Aug 21, 2011 5:42 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: storks

:D!

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