You know it is spring when in the evening you hear that remarkable sound—tree frogs. Perhaps you know that throbbing, yet somehow relaxing chorus of chirpy, whistling frogs and like it as much as I do. It turns out that I am probably hearing spring peepers or I may be hearing chorus frogs, all species in the tree frog family. I don’t really know which ones are in fact what serenade me at night because I haven’t seen them up close and personal and even if I did I am not sure I could tell them apart!
Spring peepers are sometimes just called peepers and also pinkletinks, tinkletoes and pink-winks. Almost too silly to be true! But in fact they are real terms. And I love the calming quality of their evening song even if they are unusual critters in sound and name.
Males are the only pinkletinks that can make the noise with their ballooning throats. They croon to woo potential female mates. I guess that’s why I like the noise so much—just kidding! I know my husband likes the sound too and we are both grateful that spring has sprung and the creatures of the warmer days, including tree frogs, are back in town. Enjoy the magical music of spring peepers!
I found this wonderful haiku and over two-dozen translations of which I have selected a sample to share with you.
Frog Haiku
By Matsuo Bashô
The original Japanese:
Furu ike ya
kawazu tobikomu
mizu no oto
Old pond — frogs jumped in — sound of water.
Translated by Lafcadio Hearn
A lonely pond in age-old stillness sleeps . . .
Apart, unstirred by sound or motion . . . till
Suddenly into it a lithe frog leaps.
Translated by Curtis Hidden Page
Into the ancient pond
A frog jumps
Water’s sound!
Translated by D.T. Suzuki
An old pond —
The sound
Of a diving frog.
Translated by Kenneth Rexroth
old pond
frog leaping
splash
Translated by Cid Corman
The old pond,
A frog jumps in:
Plop!
Translated by Alan Watts
Breaking the silence
Of an ancient pond,
A frog jumped into water —
A deep resonance.
Translated by Nobuyuki Yuasa
The old pond
A frog jumped in,
Kerplunk!
Translated by Allen Ginsberg
Old dark sleepy pool
quick unexpected frog
goes plop! Watersplash.
Translated by Peter Beilenson
Listen! a frog
Jumping into the stillness
Of an ancient pond!
Translated by Dorothy Britton
dark old pond
:
a frog plunks in
Translated by Dick Bakken
ancient is the pond —
suddenly a frog leaps — now!
the water echoes
Translated by Tim Chilcott
pond
frog
plop!
Translated by James Kirkup
There once was a curious frog
Who sat by a pond on a log
And, to see what resulted,
In the pond catapulted
With a water-noise heard round the bog.
Translated by Alfred H. Marks
XOXO Rachel
Wondrance 