THE NIGHTINGALE. 289 
selves their great duel of jealousy. For when the latter arrive; 
all must be calm and peaceful; there should prevail nothing but 
love, tranquillity, and tenderness. The battle endures some fifteen 
days ; and if the female birds return sooner, the effort grows deadly. 
The story of Roland is literally realized ; he sounded his ivory horn, 
even to the extinction of strength and life. These, too, sing until 
their last breath—-until death: they will triumph or die. 
If it be true, as we are assured, that the lovers are two or three 
times more numerous than the lady-loves, you may conceive the 
violence of this burning emulousness, in which, perhaps, lurks the 
first spark and the secret of their genius. 
The fate of the vanquished is terrible—vworse than death. He is 
constrained to fly ; to quit the province, the country; to sink into 
the comrade of the lower races of birds ; while his song is degraded 
into a patois. He forgets and disgraces himself; becomes vulgarized 
among this vulgar people ; little by little growing ignorant of his own 
tongue, of theirs, of any tongue. We sometimes discover among 
these exiles birds which preserve only the external likeness of the 
nightingale. 
Though the rival is expelled, nothing as yet is done. The victor 
must please, must subdue her. Oh! bright moment, soft inspiration 
of the new song which shall touch that little proud Wild-heart, and 
compel it to abandon liberty for love! The test imposed by the hen- 
bird in other species is assistance in building or excavating the nest ; 
that the male may show he is skilful, and will take his offspring to his 
heart. The effect is sometimes admirable. The woodpecker, as we have 
seen, is elevated from a workman into an artist, and from a carpenter 
into a sculptor. But, alas! the nightingale does not possess this 
talent; he knows not how to do anything. The least among the 
small birds is a hundred times more adroit with his bill, his wing, 
his claw. He has only his voice which he can make use of; there 
his power breaks forth, there he will be irresistible. Others may dis- 
play their works, but his work is himself; he shows, he reveals him- 
self, and he appears sublime and grand. 
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